THE SECOND TIME

THE SECOND TIME

Once, when reading the Bible I came across the scripture quoted below, and a light seemed to go on in my mind. I did a short study on the deliverance from Egypt, as recorded in the book of Exodus.

I was amazed at how many times the Lord reminded Israel that He had wrought the great deliverance through Moses. And, it WAS, indeed, a remarkable example of the Lord bringing about the liberation of thousands of people in spite of the best efforts of man to prevent it. It was such a mighty deliverance that it is referred to in about 200 scriptures.

But something BIGGER than that one is scheduled for the future, and it looks exciting!

Isa 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the SECOND TIME to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from ASSYRIA, and from EGYPT, and from PATHROS, and from CUSH, and from ELAM, and from SHINAR, and from HAMATH, and from the ISLANDS OF THE SEA.
Isa 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

The thought of the Lord doing a SECOND DELIVERANCE in the future challenges our ability to comprehend what may be in the "Offing" in the plan of God.

At least two places in the scripture, the statement is made that this second deliverance will be on such a scale as to eclipse and diminish the deliverance from Egypt.

Jer 16:14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 16:15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

Jer 23:7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 23:8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

NOW LET ME SAY RIGHT HERE THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF MANY OF THESE SCRIPTURES.

It is a classic example of human beings trying to interpret a SPIRITUAL message with HUMAN UNDERSTANDING.

IT DOES NOT WORK. We end up in a swamp every time.

Billions upon billions of dollars have been spent in an effort to accomplish what we have been told God is going to do in the Middle East with the Jews. Man will NEVER be able to accomplish what GOD INTENDS TO DO HIMSELF. Frustration will be the only possible result of such efforts.

First, we need, desperately, to find out what, exactly, God is intending to do, and then lend whatever efforts He directs us to, in that direction.

It is my PERSONAL OPINION that most of the scriptures about the Jews returning to the ancient land of Israel WERE FULFILLED AFTER THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY. THEY DO NOT APPLY TO OUR DAY AT ALL.

We find scriptures that tell us plainly that Israel would be APPOINTED another land, and they would be PLANTED there.

2Sa 7:10 Moreover I will APPOINT A PLACE for my people Israel, and will PLANT them, that they may dwell in A PLACE OF THEIR OWN, AND MOVE NO MORE; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as formerly,

1CH 17:9 Also I will ORDAIN A PLACE for my people Israel, AND WILL PLANT THEM, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall BE MOVED NO MORE; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,

AMO 9:15 And I will PLANT THEM UPON THEIR LAND, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land WHICH I HAVE GIVEN THEM, saith the LORD thy God.

Isa 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and SET THEM IN THEIR OWN LAND: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

Jer 23:8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and THEY SHALL DWELL IN THEIR OWN LAND.

Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, AND WILL BRING THEM TO THEIR OWN LAND, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country

BUT WHAT DID JESUS SAY ABOUT JERUSALEM WHEN HE WEPT OVER IT?

MAT 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

LUK 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until [the time] come when ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Years ago, I heard J. Vernon McGee say that the building up of Israel in the Middle East was a spurious movement, and not of God. After carefully examining the evidence, I have to agree with him. God is not in it, in the sense that it is supposed to be His Hand that is bringing it about. It is the money of the financiers of the world, and their motives are questionable.

Immediately, the question arises, "If not in the land of the "Fertile Crescent", where?" It is a good, logical question, and we will not attempt to answer it at this time, except to say that it is probably NOT a geographical location.

THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY.

Our purpose today is to help us understand what the Lord was telling us through Isaiah when He caused him to write: Isa 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the SECOND TIME to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from ASSYRIA, and from EGYPT, and from PATHROS, and from CUSH, and from ELAM, and from SHINAR, and from HAMATH, and from the ISLANDS OF THE SEA. 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, (Gentiles) and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

This "gathering" will completely eclipse the "gathering" out of Egypt in at least TWO WAYS.
First, there will be BILLIONS of people in this "gathering", compared to MILLIONS in the time of Moses. (God promised Abraham that he would be heir of the World.)
We are not talking about 15 or so MILLION Jews returning to Palestine, even if the land would support them. It probably would not. This is far greater than even that would be if it ever happens.
ROM 4:13 For the promise, that he should be THE HEIR OF THE WORLD, [was] not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Now we need to look at some scriptures that tell us about the Gentiles being also partakers of the blessings of God which are to be given to Israel. Watch for the word "ALSO".
Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles ALSO was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 11:1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had ALSO received the word of God.
Act 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God ALSO to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Rom 3:29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles ALSO:

Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but ALSO of the Gentiles? 9:25 As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
We are looking at a World-Wide phenomenon, and a movement of the HAND OF THE ALMIGHTY, rather than the riches of a few men.
GEN 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; AND UNTO HIM [SHALL] THE GATHERING OF THE PEOPLE [BE].
What a "gathering" that will be! It will include both ISRAEL (the ten tribes) and Judah (Judah and Benjamin), as well as all of the Gentiles who will accept Jesus Christ.
We do NOT believe that the Bible teaches that everybody will be saved. What we do believe is that almost one ENTIRE GENERATION will come to know the Lord Jesus as the Saviour.
Our reason for rejecting the Universal Reconciliation theory is found in Ezekiel 47.1-11. Ezekiel saw waters (The Spirit of God) coming from the Throne and running down the hill. They increased until they became a might river. They finally reach the (Dead) Sea, and everything they touch is "healed" (made alive). The Dead Sea is the Biblical emblem of all humanity without God.
In the vision, the Dead Sea was healed EXCEPT for a few spots called the "marshes". It speaks of a tremendous ingathering of souls in a MOVEMENT OF THE HAND OF GOD near the end of this era in which we live. NOT EVERY ONE WILL RESPOND.
What is the present population of the world? Compare that number to the 3 million or so whom Moses led out of Egypt. "THE SECOND TIME."
WHAT A "GATHERING" THAT WILL BE. THE GATHERING TO JESUS.