discipleship
God's Tsunami: The Principle
of Prophetic Alignment
By Peter Tsukahira
Guest Columnist
CBN.com
– Chapter One
Prophetic Alignment
The principle of prophetic alignment is foundational to an understanding of
God's word as a living reality. Many things are labeled "prophecy,"
but only some of them are what I refer to as "prophecy with a capital P."
Prophecy with a capital P is when God's inspired word in scripture converges
with His actions in history. These major events of prophetic fulfillment reveal
God's will in our times. They are the great redemptive events of our day, and
they form the basis for other types of prophetic utterances and actions among
God's people.
When God acts in history to fulfill His inspired word in scripture, we need
revelation to recognize it. Many times God moves in important ways, and we miss
it because we fail to see the prophetic significance of the event. It is essential
to know what the word of God says and to make the proper prophetic alignment
between an important event and God's inspired word.
Jesus' Sermon in Nazareth
Jesus taught and demonstrated that His life and ministry were completely in
agreement with the prophecies given to Israel by the biblical prophets. There
was nothing of more importance than Jesus' sayings and actions, yet many people
failed to recognize who He was. A clear demonstration of Jesus' teaching method
is found in Luke's account of Jesus' first sermon in His hometown synagogue.
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom,
He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book
of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the
place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because
He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim
release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those
who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." And He
closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of
all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today
this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke 4:16-21
Jesus was aware of the controversy He was creating through His ministry in the
Galilee. Significant miracles were taking place regularly, and large crowds
were following Him from place to place. He knew the great question in the minds
of His friends and neighbors related to His identity and the source of His authority
to preach, perform miracles, and gather followers. In the synagogue, Jesus read
the scripture portion that we know as the first verses from Isaiah chapter 61
(of course, there were no chapter and verse divisions in those days). The people
in the synagogue understood that this scripture referred to the Messiah because
of the words in the first verse, "…He anointed me…." The
Hebrew word for Messiah comes from the same root word as the verb "to anoint."
Messiah simply means the "one anointed by God."
Jesus applied this powerful Messianic prophecy to Himself. By preaching this
way, Jesus related the events surrounding His ministry to the inspired prophetic
words of the scriptures. His listeners were free to accept or reject His interpretation
of prophecies that were written hundreds of years before His time. Even though
He was the perfect Son of God, not everyone believed what He said. Some received
revelation and followed Him, but many only listened and were unconvinced.
Those who believed in Jesus discovered God's will and began to follow a "new
and living way." Believers entered the kingdom of God while skeptics
missed out on the greatest event of their time. Many people in His day had
access to Jesus and heard Him speak, but only some understood the life-changing
truth His words could bring. The difference was revelation.
Ezekiel's Prophecy
Events in Israel today need to be understood in the same manner, that is,
by finding the alignment between recent history the words of scriptural prophecy.
Therefore say to the house of Israel, " Thus says the Lord GOD: ' I
do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake,
which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify
My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned
in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, ' says the
Lord GOD," when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.
Ezekiel 36:22-29
In these verses, God says that He will do something with Israel so that all
the nations will acknowledge Him. He emphatically states that it is not for
Israel's sake that He will act. In other words, it is not because of divine
favoritism or because of Israel's goodness that God will do these things.
God says it is not because Israel is so deserving or righteous, but for "My
holy name's sake." God's action with Israel will be a demonstration of
His sovereignty. God will do this thing because of who He is. What is it that
God says He will do? The next verse reveals His plan:
For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries,
and bring you into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:24
Since the founding of the State of Israel, three million Jewish people have
returned from every continent on the planet. Some might say that these words
of scripture are of historical relevance only, and that they relate to Israel's
Babylonian captivity. However, Israel was dispersed to only one nation at
that time. In these verses, God says He will gather them from "all the
countries" and "from among the nations." The repeated use of
the plural indicates a far wider dispersion and a greater regathering.
Why has God gone through such trouble to restore the Jewish people to the
land of Israel today? Doesn't He know that bringing millions of Jews back
to the Middle East will spark enduring conflict with the neighboring Muslim
nations? Doesn't God understand that this conflict will threaten to destabilize
the politics of the entire world? Ezekiel's prophecy tells us that God is
not doing this for the sake of the Jewish people, but because of His own character
and reputation. Furthermore, God is acting on behalf of the nations so that
they will all recognize who He is! According to Ezekiel, Israel is again God's
instrument, His means to show His glory and His character to the entire world.
Seen in this light, we can understand why God has provoked such controversy
by bringing the people of Israel back to their inherited land. It is His design
to stir up the nations and cause people everywhere to examine their beliefs
about the Jews, Israel, and ultimately, God Himself. The existence of Israel
is not a testimony to the strength, goodness, or virtuous qualities of her
people. Israel's existence as a nation today is a testimony to God's faithfulness
and His covenant-keeping character. It is God's name that was profaned during
the centuries of the Jewish dispersion because God's enemies took the opportunity
to scorn and persecute His chosen people. However, through the prophet Ezekiel,
God says His endurance of that shame will have an end, and He will regather
the people to whom He made so many everlasting promises. Ezekiel's prophecy
does not end there. God says that He will do yet more for Israel after the
regathering.
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will
give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart
of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit
within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments
and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers;
you shall be My people, and I will be your God (Ezekiel 36:24-28).
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God further says that after He regathers Israel,
He will purify and transform the nation. According to this prophecy, God will
not wait for Israel to be a holy people before bringing them back from the
nations. After their return, He will cleanse the people and put a new heart
and spirit within them. Today, many of the Jewish people that are returning
to Israel are bitter and broken from their experiences in the nations during
centuries of wandering and persecution. Some older Israelis still have Hitler's
concentration camp tattoos visible on their arms. Deeper scars endure in the
souls of the survivors. Others have come back still clinging to the idols
of the nations where they sojourned for so many generations. In fulfillment
of the scriptures, God is cleansing and transforming hearts in Israel today.
The re-emergence of Messianic Jews in Israel, the preaching of the gospel
in Modern Hebrew, and the formation of indigenous, believing congregations
are evidence of this prophetic fulfillment.
Part One: Understanding
Israel and End-time Prophecy
Order your copy of God's
Tsunami
More at Peter Tsukahira's
Web site
 Peter
Tsukahira was born in the United States and is now a citizen of Israel. He
lives with his family on Mt. Carmel in the city of Haifa. Peter is Director
of the Or HaCarmel Ministry Center and one of the pastors of Kehilat
HaCarmel, and Israeli Messianic congregation. He is ordained by World
Challenge International Minister's Fellowship, founded by Rev. David Wilkerson.
He also serves on the Board of Directors for Church Growth International,
founded by Dr. David Yonggi Cho.
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