Let’s read Isaiah 44:1-3, “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.” It is important to see who the Lord is speaking to; He is speaking to the nation of Israel. This is NOT a message for the church today; it is a message concerning the “FUTURE of Israel.” Some people think God has abandoned Israel because of their rejection of Christ (John 1:11), but God has not abandoned His people forever. The Apostle Paul addresses this subject in Romans chapter 11. He starts out by saying, “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew” (verses 1-2). In verses 7-24 he goes on to teach us that Israel has been “temporarily set aside” for their rejection of Christ and God is now going out to the Gentile nations with the gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ is now “building His church” (Matthew 16:18) which is made up primarily of Gentiles. But once the last Gentile is saved that completes the church, the body of Christ, God will resume His dealings with the nation of Israel. Paul refers to this wonderful truth in verses 25-32:

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that BLINDNESS IN PART HAS HAPPENED TO ISRAEL UNTIL THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES HAS COME IN. And so ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown to you they may also obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”

Is this not clear? Israel was “disobedient” when they rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, but after the church is complete and raptured to heaven (1st Thessalonians 4:15-17), God will show mercy to them. Jesus Christ will then return to earth as their Deliverer and the Jews who have repented of their sins will be forgiven. This was prophesied in Isaiah 59:20, “The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from their transgression in Jacob, says the LORD.” Verse 21 goes on to say, “’As for Me, says the LORD, ‘this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor FROM THE MOUTH OF YOUR DESCENDANTS, NOR FROM THE MOUTH OF YOUR DESCENDANTS’ DESCENDANTS,’ says the LORD, ‘from this time and forevermore.’” This prophesy lines up perfectly with our verse for today, for it said, “I will pour My Spirit upon your descendants.”  This has never happened to the children of Israel but in that day, IT WILL BE FULFILLED!

The prophet Joel also wrote of this time in Joel 2:27-29, “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” Again, this has NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE to the people in Israel but IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. And when it does, we saw that it will be “from this time and forevermore!” Some may think that what happened on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1-20) was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, but that was only a SMALL SAMPLE of what will happen in the last days when “The Deliverer/Redeemer comes to Zion to forgive His earthly people and pour out His Spirit upon ALL FLESH.” What a glorious day that will be for Israel and for the whole world!  (DO)  (575.5)