Dr. Erez Soref: The Eternal Vow | One For Israel

November 29, 2025 | S1 E4 | 27:27

Why this land? Learn why Israel is more than a nation—it’s God’s flag planted in history. Dr. Erez Soref unpacks the spiritual battle over the Holy Land and why its survival still declares God’s power and promises today.

#Israel #JewishHistory #Judaism #Christianity #PromisesofGod #ErezSoref

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| Dr. Erez Soref: The Eternal Vow | One For Israel | November 29, 2025

God is not afraid
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Of challenge.
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He has planted his flag
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On this ground.
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This is the garden of eden.
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This is the original promised land.
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"but i have raised you up for this very purpose,
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"that i might show you my power
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"and that my name might be proclaimed
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"in all the earth."
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He made a covenant that people don't know.
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Do you know with whom?
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With the land of israel.
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I am dr. erez soref.
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I was born and raised in the heart of israel,
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But i never heard the gospel message
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Until on a journey abroad,
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My eyes were opened to the jewish messiah.
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From that point,
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My life has been dedicated
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To bringing this gospel back to my people israel,
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Equipping them to reach israel
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And the world.
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Together, as jews and gentiles,
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We are one in messiah, one for israel.
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In this series,
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We have been asking
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The question: why israel?
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We have seen that god's
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Relationship with my people
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Is a marriage,
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An eternal covenant of immeasurable love.
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But marriage is not just a ceremony,
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It's also about a new home together,
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Coming into a new place.
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And the place that god brought his people
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Was this land.
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The land of israel is greater than just nationality,
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Greater than the modern conflict.
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It's god's stake in the ground,
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God's standard.
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It's the place where god says
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He would rally his troops,
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The place where the battle will be waged.
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God created this nation
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As his line in the sand, a flagpole in the ground.
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It's a place where the faithful can pursue
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And a place for satan to attack.
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In the united states,
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The national anthem speaks of a flag,
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A banner standing after a fierce battle,
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Rocket fire illuminating its presence
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As a sign of hope for those still fighting.
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This star-spangled banner marked the ground
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And gave hope for the land of the free,
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The home of the brave.
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In the heat of battle,
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A standard bearer was one who raised the flag
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So that soldiers would know their position.
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The flag would be a rallying place for the troops.
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If they were behind enemy lines,
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They needed to know the direction of home.
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The standard bearer had significant risk.
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They were the most visible.
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They had a target on their back.
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In the law of moses,
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Israelite men are commanded
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To have tassels on the corner
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Of their garments.
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They serve as a reminder
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Of the commandments,
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A mark of ownership,
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An identifier as god's people.
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But sadly, many jews today that wear these tassels
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Or wear a yarmulke
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Or even speak hebrew outside of israel
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Have also become aware
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That they are marking themselves.
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The tassels are a banner
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But also a target on their back
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That invites hatred and even attack.
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Scripture is clear
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That god has not only marked my people in a special way,
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But he's also marked this very land
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In a special way.
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He has planted his flag on this ground.
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He made the eternal promise to abraham,
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"to you i will give this land."
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You may be familiar with the image
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From iwo jima in world war ii
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Where americans planted their flag
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After many days of fighting.
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And at the end of our 1967 war,
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Israeli soldiers famously planted the flag
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In the holy city, jerusalem.
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These are signs of hope and home.
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It's taking the hill,
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Putting a stake in the ground
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And claiming territory.
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We've been exploring god's covenant
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As a marriage.
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His eternal love story with israel.
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But marriage itself is a battle.
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Paul told husbands and wives to come together
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So they can resist satan's attack.
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It was when adam and eve were separated
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That the enemy was able to infiltrate.
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In ephesians, paul told husbands and wives
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How to treat each other
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And then launched into his instructions
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For spiritual warfare.
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And in revelation, the divine wedding feast
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Comes after a fierce battle.
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Marriage is one of those stakes in the ground
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That god uses.
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Just as he's married to his people,
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He's also married to this land.
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The word home
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Can mean different things.
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Home is where you live,
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Where you've put down roots.
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But if you live far from your place of origin,
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Where you grew up or your extended family is,
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Home may also be that place you return to.
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Perhaps you live in one city,
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But you take an annual trip to visit home
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Where your parents or grandparents
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Live miles away.
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For the people of israel,
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This land is our home.
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In bible times, wherever an israelite lived,
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Whether on the borders of this land
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Or in a faraway country,
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The males would make a journey three times a year
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To come home,
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Back to the capital, jerusalem.
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As they would come,
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They would sing psalms 120 to 134,
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The songs of ascent.
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These psalms would talk of hope,
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Of joy and gladness.
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They were coming home to mount zion.
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Home was the place where god put his presence,
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The touchpoint of heaven on earth,
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The temple.
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We often think of god as everywhere,
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And this is true.
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Heaven and earth cannot contain him,
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But often in scripture,
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He also localizes his presence
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In a particular place.
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This land, this city,
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This temple is that place.
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Three times a year,
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The pilgrims would ascend
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God's mountain.
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Aliyah is the hebrew word for ascent, going up.
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When jewish people immigrate to israel today,
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It's called aliyah.
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Like those pilgrims in ancient times,
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They're not going to a foreign land.
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The return of the jewish people
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Has been prophesied in scripture
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More times than i can recount here.
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They're going home.
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They're going up to a place of refuge.
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Israel is the holy land,
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Holy meaning set apart.
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It's the place god has set apart for himself,
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The place where god puts his flag,
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His standard.
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It's a place for the rest of the world
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To look in awe and say,
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That's where god and his people dwell.
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It's a place for the nations to come and get wisdom.
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Like the queen of sheba did with solomon,
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Where the word goes forth from zion to the world.
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It's a place to receive.
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When a gentile, naaman,
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Came to the land of israel to be healed of leprosy,
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The prophet elisha told him to dip seven times
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In the river jordan.
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Naaman came out clean,
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And he wanted to give elisha a gift for healing him.
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When elisha refused,
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Naaman begged him
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To let him take as much earth as two mules could carry.
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He took the land with him.
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He recognized that this land is god's holy possession,
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The place of blessing.
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When israel gathered in this land,
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It was called the assembly of the lord.
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There is a type of safety
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When the faithful pursue this place.
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Even for followers of yeshua today,
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It's so important for the faithful to come together.
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Streaming a service online
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Or hearing the word on tv
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Is great.
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But god intended us
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To live in community,
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To be part of a body,
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An assembly.
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Why?
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Because there are outside forces
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That also desire
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To stake their claim
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In your life and in this land.
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And it's in the assembly of the lord
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That we're not just a community,
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But an army.
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But an army.
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This is the most
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Contentious land in the world.
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Building an apartment
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In jerusalem can be
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An act of war.
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If this is god's land that he watches over
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As he would a bride,
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Then why has there always been so much fighting
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And bloodshed here?
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Why is the mountain of the lord
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Topped with a mosque and not a temple?
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But even as there is safety in his promised place,
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God also invites danger.
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This is not only the gathering place
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For his faithful,
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But the place of the enemy's attack.
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Not only does god put down
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His flagpole here,
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But satan and all his forces
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Also try to put down their stake
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In this land.
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God is not afraid of challenge.
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Before the israelites inhabited this land,
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The canaanites lived here.
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And god said he would wait
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Until their sin became so overwhelmingly obvious
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Before he cast them out.
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And when god began his judgments
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And plagues on pharaoh,
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He told him:
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"but i have raised you up
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"for this very purpose,
00:09:45.238 --> 00:09:47.106
"that i might show you my power
00:09:47.106 --> 00:09:49.008
"and that my name
00:09:49.008 --> 00:09:50.009
"might be proclaimed
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"in all the earth."
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God often invites his enemies
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To stand against him,
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To show the world how truly evil evil is
00:09:57.517 --> 00:10:01.120
And how truly good god is,
00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:03.656
That his power and glory would be known
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In the whole earth.
00:10:06.459 --> 00:10:08.194
From the beginning, he cursed the serpent,
00:10:08.194 --> 00:10:11.064
The enemy of mankind,
00:10:11.064 --> 00:10:12.765
By saying there would be enmity against the woman's seed.
00:10:12.765 --> 00:10:16.836
And in the end, prophets tell of him putting hooks
00:10:16.836 --> 00:10:20.406
In the jaws of his enemies,
00:10:20.406 --> 00:10:22.108
Gathering all the nations to har megiddo.
00:10:22.108 --> 00:10:25.044
It will be in this land he will fight for his people.
00:10:25.044 --> 00:10:29.582
As we know, god has no pleasure
00:10:30.316 --> 00:10:32.752
In the death of the wicked.
00:10:32.752 --> 00:10:34.353
He's calling all to repent,
00:10:34.353 --> 00:10:36.422
But love often constrains him to war for his beloved.
00:10:36.422 --> 00:10:40.893
He is not afraid of the fight.
00:10:40.893 --> 00:10:43.196
"the lord is a man of war.
00:10:43.196 --> 00:10:45.431
"the lord is his name."
00:10:45.431 --> 00:10:47.900
Today we are talking with a man
00:10:48.601 --> 00:10:50.403
Who has seen firsthand
00:10:50.403 --> 00:10:52.572
How god has intervened and fought
00:10:52.572 --> 00:10:55.341
For his people, israel.
00:10:55.341 --> 00:10:56.542
Aryeh bar david,
00:10:56.909 --> 00:10:58.611
A veteran of the six-day and yom kippur wars.
00:10:58.611 --> 00:11:02.548
I was born in israel, in mount olives.
00:11:03.382 --> 00:11:06.319
I'm one of seven children,
00:11:06.319 --> 00:11:08.888
Six brothers, one sister
00:11:08.888 --> 00:11:10.423
To my father and my mother.
00:11:10.423 --> 00:11:12.725
And we are considered
00:11:12.725 --> 00:11:13.793
To be the first jewish believers
00:11:13.793 --> 00:11:16.129
Family in this country.
00:11:16.129 --> 00:11:17.663
When i finished high school,
00:11:18.264 --> 00:11:20.833
It was the school for music in those days.
00:11:20.833 --> 00:11:25.138
And this year, 1965,
00:11:25.138 --> 00:11:27.406
It was in the air that the war is going to start,
00:11:27.406 --> 00:11:31.010
Syria and egypt,
00:11:31.010 --> 00:11:32.612
And i felt i cannot stand and play music,
00:11:32.612 --> 00:11:37.016
You know, and we are entering to a war.
00:11:37.016 --> 00:11:40.052
And i decided to take part.
00:11:40.052 --> 00:11:43.156
I found myself very short time after this
00:11:43.156 --> 00:11:45.925
Fighting in what we call six-day war.
00:11:45.925 --> 00:11:50.563
First time in a war,
00:11:51.030 --> 00:11:53.232
It makes you so mature.
00:11:53.232 --> 00:11:55.434
Several things will change
00:11:55.434 --> 00:11:57.136
On all the next part of my life.
00:11:57.136 --> 00:11:59.972
And i would like to start,
00:11:59.972 --> 00:12:01.607
Give you example to one of this situation.
00:12:01.607 --> 00:12:05.111
The commanders of the egyptian army
00:12:05.111 --> 00:12:07.947
Ran away from sinai back to egypt
00:12:07.947 --> 00:12:10.550
And they left the soldiers like sheep with no shepherd.
00:12:10.550 --> 00:12:17.990
So we decided to do something.
00:12:17.990 --> 00:12:20.126
So they made a kind of brochure
00:12:20.126 --> 00:12:21.894
And they wrote very simple.
00:12:21.894 --> 00:12:24.030
If they will continue north,
00:12:24.030 --> 00:12:26.065
They will arrive to the train trail
00:12:26.065 --> 00:12:28.935
And we will help them to cross the suez canal
00:12:28.935 --> 00:12:33.039
To the other side.
00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:34.340
But it ended terrible.
00:12:34.340 --> 00:12:37.343
And they judged them to death.
00:12:37.343 --> 00:12:39.979
Why?
00:12:39.979 --> 00:12:41.080
Because they gave up
00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:42.548
To the israeli army.
00:12:42.548 --> 00:12:45.585
Wow.
00:12:45.785 --> 00:12:46.719
It broke me.
00:12:46.719 --> 00:12:48.087
And this conflict that i helped my enemy,
00:12:48.087 --> 00:12:52.325
My enemy helps me,
00:12:52.325 --> 00:12:54.427
And at the end, his people are killing him.
00:12:54.427 --> 00:12:57.530
So who is your enemy?
00:12:57.530 --> 00:13:02.835
In yom kippur war,
00:13:03.269 --> 00:13:05.137
There something happened.
00:13:05.137 --> 00:13:07.640
We are gathering the paratroopers.
00:13:07.640 --> 00:13:09.809
We crossed the suez
00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:11.110
And we started very, very hard battle.
00:13:11.110 --> 00:13:13.779
And when we arrived 10 meter from them,
00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:16.616
All of us got bullets.
00:13:16.616 --> 00:13:18.951
Rami, that was like one meter from me,
00:13:18.951 --> 00:13:22.521
He got bullet here,
00:13:22.521 --> 00:13:24.156
And this was my friend.
00:13:24.156 --> 00:13:27.727
I am now the commander.
00:13:28.227 --> 00:13:29.528
I'm starting walking to them,
00:13:29.528 --> 00:13:31.564
So the egyptians are shooting me.
00:13:31.564 --> 00:13:34.033
Hundreds of bullets,
00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:36.168
Shooting, shooting, shooting.
00:13:36.168 --> 00:13:37.803
I knew that not one of these bullets can touch me.
00:13:37.803 --> 00:13:42.041
I knew god has other plans with my life.
00:13:42.041 --> 00:13:45.478
I am with around 30, 32 soldiers actually.
00:13:45.478 --> 00:13:50.683
All are wounded.
00:13:50.683 --> 00:13:52.251
Suddenly somebody came to me, very, very tall man.
00:13:52.251 --> 00:13:56.255
It was total dark, i couldn't even recognize,
00:13:56.255 --> 00:13:58.591
But he was very high officer.
00:13:58.591 --> 00:14:00.192
"i command you to take care about bringing the force back."
00:14:00.192 --> 00:14:04.730
I told him: "look, i have no idea where i am,
00:14:04.730 --> 00:14:07.366
"but i believe that god will show me the way
00:14:07.366 --> 00:14:11.971
"and we will do it."
00:14:11.971 --> 00:14:13.539
I'm seeing in front of me in the horizon,
00:14:13.539 --> 00:14:18.311
A light.
00:14:18.577 --> 00:14:19.879
This was stronger than any light
00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:22.114
That you can imagine.
00:14:22.114 --> 00:14:23.950
And i felt that i don't control myself anymore.
00:14:23.950 --> 00:14:28.087
That the light is giving me commands.
00:14:28.087 --> 00:14:32.458
Run, run!
00:14:32.458 --> 00:14:33.592
And i'm shouting, run!
00:14:33.592 --> 00:14:34.827
And we are running, running, running,
00:14:34.827 --> 00:14:36.629
With all the wounds, you know?
00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:38.097
And just where we have been,
00:14:38.097 --> 00:14:39.465
Like two, three bombs falling.
00:14:39.465 --> 00:14:42.835
Like earthquake, earthquake.
00:14:42.835 --> 00:14:45.271
And people started crying, "how did you know?"
00:14:46.238 --> 00:14:49.442
I said: "the light, the light."
00:14:49.442 --> 00:14:52.078
I repeated, repeated: "the light."
00:14:52.078 --> 00:14:58.517
Do you know the story of saul
00:14:59.151 --> 00:15:01.787
And you know what happened
00:15:01.787 --> 00:15:02.755
To him on the road to damascus.
00:15:02.755 --> 00:15:05.224
He saw a light, great light.
00:15:05.224 --> 00:15:08.694
I saw a light like this,
00:15:08.694 --> 00:15:11.163
And i can say this light
00:15:11.163 --> 00:15:12.765
Changed my life.
00:15:12.765 --> 00:15:15.167
War can bring you to situations
00:15:15.901 --> 00:15:19.238
That you can feel god so close, so miraculous,
00:15:19.238 --> 00:15:25.578
That you have no control on the situation at all.
00:15:25.578 --> 00:15:30.516
And why my connection was so strong to this country?
00:15:30.516 --> 00:15:34.420
One word, important word.
00:15:34.420 --> 00:15:36.689
And the word in hebrew is brit.
00:15:36.689 --> 00:15:40.326
The right word in english will be covenant.
00:15:41.227 --> 00:15:43.996
God made britot, in plural, covenants,
00:15:44.830 --> 00:15:50.302
With adam, with noah, with abram,
00:15:50.302 --> 00:15:55.074
Isaac, jacob,
00:15:55.074 --> 00:15:57.309
David, yeshua.
00:15:57.309 --> 00:15:59.345
He made a covenant that people don't know.
00:15:59.345 --> 00:16:02.048
Do you know with whom?
00:16:02.048 --> 00:16:03.182
With the land of israel.
00:16:03.182 --> 00:16:08.854
This is the only covenant which was done,
00:16:09.722 --> 00:16:13.259
Not with men, but with a land.
00:16:13.259 --> 00:16:17.463
And what's the land?
00:16:17.463 --> 00:16:18.697
The land of israel.
00:16:19.165 --> 00:16:20.499
The point is to know
00:16:20.499 --> 00:16:21.801
What and what way you can serve.
00:16:21.801 --> 00:16:24.570
And the moment you give your life to serve him,
00:16:24.570 --> 00:16:28.107
You are not worried.
00:16:28.574 --> 00:16:30.509
But this is my truth.
00:16:31.010 --> 00:16:39.885
When hamas launched an attack on my nation
00:16:40.786 --> 00:16:43.456
On october 7, 2023,
00:16:43.456 --> 00:16:45.724
They called their operation al-aqsa flood.
00:16:45.724 --> 00:16:48.861
Al-aqsa is their name for the temple mount.
00:16:48.861 --> 00:16:52.031
They named their heinous crime after the mountain
00:16:52.031 --> 00:16:54.967
They wanted to completely dominate.
00:16:54.967 --> 00:16:56.802
To plant their flag
00:16:57.269 --> 00:16:59.038
Where satan wants to rule the world,
00:16:59.038 --> 00:17:01.207
But where god will sit enthroned forever.
00:17:01.207 --> 00:17:05.244
Hamas named their plan, the slaughter of civilians,
00:17:05.244 --> 00:17:08.714
Al-aqsa flood.
00:17:08.714 --> 00:17:10.182
But isaiah says that
00:17:10.182 --> 00:17:11.717
"when the enemy comes in
00:17:11.717 --> 00:17:13.052
"like a flood,
00:17:13.052 --> 00:17:14.220
"the spirit of the lord
00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:15.421
"will raise a standard
00:17:15.421 --> 00:17:16.856
"against him."
00:17:16.856 --> 00:17:18.591
There is a spiritual war over this land.
00:17:18.591 --> 00:17:21.760
There is no natural logic.
00:17:21.760 --> 00:17:23.362
No giving land for peace.
00:17:23.362 --> 00:17:25.464
God put a banner here, staked his claim,
00:17:25.464 --> 00:17:28.868
And satan will forever war against it
00:17:28.868 --> 00:17:32.171
Until he's thrown into the lake of fire.
00:17:32.171 --> 00:17:34.673
He will not win.
00:17:34.673 --> 00:17:36.008
God promised this land
00:17:36.008 --> 00:17:37.076
To abraham and his descendants,
00:17:37.076 --> 00:17:39.044
And he's powerful enough
00:17:39.044 --> 00:17:40.346
To enforce his promise
00:17:40.346 --> 00:17:41.914
No matter what any man or demon
00:17:41.914 --> 00:17:44.617
Has to say about it.
00:17:44.617 --> 00:17:45.985
We are in a fight
00:17:45.985 --> 00:17:47.386
And god invites you
00:17:47.386 --> 00:17:48.888
To be part of that fight.
00:17:48.888 --> 00:17:50.489
Our weapons are not carnal,
00:17:50.489 --> 00:17:52.358
But mighty before god for pulling down strongholds.
00:17:52.358 --> 00:17:55.628
Prayer is a powerful part of our warfare
00:17:55.628 --> 00:17:58.764
For this land.
00:17:58.764 --> 00:18:00.132
We offer a 31-day prayer guide
00:18:00.132 --> 00:18:03.102
That can help you pray
00:18:03.102 --> 00:18:04.904
Into what god is doing right now.
00:18:04.904 --> 00:18:07.206
To download,
00:18:07.206 --> 00:18:08.073
Just visit oneforisrael.org/pray
00:18:08.073 --> 00:18:18.000
Just visit oneforisrael.org/pray
00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:23.350
In the beginning, god formed men and women
00:18:24.185 --> 00:18:26.954
And brought them together in the first marriage.
00:18:26.954 --> 00:18:29.723
He chose them to be human rulers
00:18:29.723 --> 00:18:31.659
As his representatives over all creation.
00:18:31.659 --> 00:18:34.495
He placed them
00:18:34.495 --> 00:18:35.229
In a strategic location,
00:18:35.229 --> 00:18:36.764
In a garden,
00:18:36.764 --> 00:18:37.765
A place that he himself watered,
00:18:37.765 --> 00:18:39.967
A chosen land.
00:18:39.967 --> 00:18:41.635
This is the same language
00:18:41.635 --> 00:18:43.103
God used to describe the land of israel,
00:18:43.103 --> 00:18:45.606
A place that god specifically cared for always.
00:18:45.606 --> 00:18:49.610
Adam tended the garden,
00:18:49.610 --> 00:18:51.245
Caring for the plants and trees.
00:18:51.245 --> 00:18:53.314
As he married adam and eve,
00:18:53.314 --> 00:18:55.082
He gave a blessing and a command.
00:18:55.082 --> 00:18:57.818
"be fruitful and increase
00:18:57.818 --> 00:18:59.119
"in number;
00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:00.054
"fill the earth
00:19:00.054 --> 00:19:00.921
"and subdue it and rule."
00:19:00.921 --> 00:19:02.957
God gave them the mandate
00:19:03.591 --> 00:19:04.792
To bring not only the garden,
00:19:04.792 --> 00:19:06.493
But the whole earth under god's dominion.
00:19:06.493 --> 00:19:09.196
But instead, satan gained
00:19:09.196 --> 00:19:10.998
A foothold in eden,
00:19:10.998 --> 00:19:12.633
Conquered adam
00:19:12.633 --> 00:19:13.767
And brought him
00:19:13.767 --> 00:19:14.568
Under his dominion.
00:19:14.568 --> 00:19:16.937
The garden was god's stake
00:19:17.504 --> 00:19:19.106
In the ground,
00:19:19.106 --> 00:19:20.107
His holy place,
00:19:20.107 --> 00:19:21.375
The place where his
00:19:21.375 --> 00:19:22.243
Faithful chosen ones
00:19:22.243 --> 00:19:24.111
Could eat life from a tree
00:19:24.111 --> 00:19:25.746
And could extend the borders
00:19:25.746 --> 00:19:27.181
Across the world.
00:19:27.181 --> 00:19:28.916
But it was also a place
00:19:28.916 --> 00:19:30.084
Where the enemy was allowed to attack.
00:19:30.084 --> 00:19:32.586
Satan may have won a battle, but he didn't win the war.
00:19:32.586 --> 00:19:36.490
God said he would put enmity between him
00:19:36.490 --> 00:19:39.026
And a son of the woman.
00:19:39.026 --> 00:19:41.262
The son would crush his head
00:19:41.262 --> 00:19:43.697
And he would pierce his heel.
00:19:43.697 --> 00:19:45.466
The fight was on.
00:19:45.466 --> 00:19:50.671
Today, i'm sitting down
00:19:51.171 --> 00:19:52.706
With one for israel's academic dean,
00:19:52.706 --> 00:19:55.175
Dr. seth postell,
00:19:55.175 --> 00:19:56.910
To explore the profound connections
00:19:56.910 --> 00:19:59.146
Between the garden of eden
00:19:59.146 --> 00:20:00.781
And the land of israel.
00:20:00.781 --> 00:20:02.850
Hi seth, thank you so much for joining me.
00:20:02.850 --> 00:20:06.186
I wanted to ask
00:20:06.186 --> 00:20:06.954
For your opinion.
00:20:06.954 --> 00:20:07.821
You know, the garden of eden
00:20:07.821 --> 00:20:08.789
Was the first quote unquote
00:20:08.789 --> 00:20:10.858
Promised land,
00:20:10.858 --> 00:20:12.026
A land that god personally cared for.
00:20:12.026 --> 00:20:14.094
What do you think about that?
00:20:14.795 --> 00:20:16.330
You know, genesis 1 through 3
00:20:16.330 --> 00:20:18.232
Is very much not just
00:20:18.232 --> 00:20:19.633
An introduction to the torah.
00:20:19.633 --> 00:20:22.536
It's really an introduction
00:20:22.536 --> 00:20:23.737
To the entire bible.
00:20:23.737 --> 00:20:24.972
And if you look at...
00:20:24.972 --> 00:20:26.407
The role of the garden of eden
00:20:26.407 --> 00:20:27.775
Can only be understood when you look at it
00:20:27.775 --> 00:20:29.910
In the light of the larger story.
00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:31.312
And so it's remarkable that creation
00:20:31.312 --> 00:20:33.514
Is like the preparation of a temple.
00:20:33.514 --> 00:20:35.816
The function of the temple is you need a holy of holies.
00:20:35.816 --> 00:20:39.820
God needs a place to dwell.
00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:42.122
Genesis 1 is the building, as it were,
00:20:42.122 --> 00:20:46.093
But then you have genesis chapter 2
00:20:46.093 --> 00:20:48.529
And genesis chapter 2 and 3 is the holy of holies.
00:20:48.529 --> 00:20:51.498
The garden of eden is this very unique place
00:20:51.498 --> 00:20:54.635
Within the temple of creation.
00:20:54.635 --> 00:20:56.770
But what's also really remarkable
00:20:56.770 --> 00:20:59.373
Is that you look at the ways in which, for instance,
00:20:59.373 --> 00:21:02.076
God creates this special land
00:21:02.076 --> 00:21:03.911
Or this special place, eden.
00:21:03.911 --> 00:21:06.246
It says that god brings adam in
00:21:06.246 --> 00:21:09.116
And rests him in the garden.
00:21:09.116 --> 00:21:11.218
The same language used in deuteronomy
00:21:11.218 --> 00:21:13.320
For god bringing and resting his people in the land.
00:21:13.320 --> 00:21:16.690
Adam's staying in the garden
00:21:16.690 --> 00:21:19.093
Is conditioned over keeping the a commandment.
00:21:19.093 --> 00:21:22.363
Israel, i mean, this is all israel.
00:21:22.363 --> 00:21:24.565
Israel is brought into the land,
00:21:24.565 --> 00:21:26.200
This special land where god dwells
00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:28.302
With his people.
00:21:28.302 --> 00:21:29.303
Israel's staying in the land
00:21:29.303 --> 00:21:31.372
Was conditioned upon them keeping
00:21:31.372 --> 00:21:33.941
The commandments.
00:21:33.941 --> 00:21:35.242
Adam meets this original inhabitant of the garden,
00:21:35.242 --> 00:21:39.680
The serpent who starts to tempt him
00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.049
Or tempt eve, right?
00:21:42.049 --> 00:21:43.851
The same thing with the canaanites.
00:21:43.851 --> 00:21:45.386
And so what you really see is the garden of eden
00:21:45.386 --> 00:21:48.589
Is directly associated with the promised land.
00:21:48.589 --> 00:21:51.859
And this land then becomes absolutely critical
00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:55.696
To everything else that god does.
00:21:55.696 --> 00:21:57.464
This land, not just the world,
00:21:57.464 --> 00:22:00.000
The land itself has to be under the maintenance
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:05.005
Of adam and adam's descendant.
00:22:05.005 --> 00:22:07.641
I've heard people say israel is no longer important,
00:22:07.641 --> 00:22:09.810
The land of israel is no longer important.
00:22:09.810 --> 00:22:11.945
It's kind of absurd because if you look at the
00:22:11.945 --> 00:22:13.614
Former prophets, it's really interesting
00:22:13.614 --> 00:22:15.416
That you have two specific places marked out
00:22:15.416 --> 00:22:19.453
As key for the messiah.
00:22:19.453 --> 00:22:22.623
Bethlehem, right?
00:22:22.623 --> 00:22:24.124
And obviously that was a literal
00:22:24.124 --> 00:22:25.993
Bethlehem in his birth.
00:22:25.993 --> 00:22:27.628
And then you have the mount of olives, right? -right.
00:22:27.628 --> 00:22:30.864
As his return.
00:22:30.864 --> 00:22:32.533
And so why does the messiah need to come back here?
00:22:32.533 --> 00:22:35.936
Because this is the garden of eden.
00:22:35.936 --> 00:22:38.639
This is the original promised land.
00:22:38.639 --> 00:22:40.641
It's from this land that god has to reign
00:22:40.641 --> 00:22:44.178
Over the entire world.
00:22:44.178 --> 00:22:45.813
When eden is under his control,
00:22:45.813 --> 00:22:48.115
The entire world will be under his control.
00:22:48.115 --> 00:22:50.050
There's much to say about this that i want to ask,
00:22:50.050 --> 00:22:51.952
But you actually wrote a book
00:22:51.952 --> 00:22:53.687
On this... -yeah.
00:22:53.687 --> 00:22:54.655
Called "adam as israel".
00:22:54.655 --> 00:22:56.657
Correct. -right?
00:22:56.657 --> 00:22:57.791
And so talking about
00:22:57.791 --> 00:22:58.992
Adam and eve,
00:22:58.992 --> 00:23:00.227
So the garden of eden
00:23:00.227 --> 00:23:01.295
That represents
00:23:01.295 --> 00:23:02.262
The land of israel
00:23:02.262 --> 00:23:03.831
Is the temple, you know,
00:23:03.831 --> 00:23:05.199
God's holy of holies.
00:23:05.199 --> 00:23:06.800
So what is the role of adam and eve?
00:23:06.800 --> 00:23:09.102
In chapter one, they're described
00:23:09.102 --> 00:23:10.604
As king and queen.
00:23:10.604 --> 00:23:12.406
They're called to rule.
00:23:12.906 --> 00:23:14.541
In chapter two,
00:23:14.541 --> 00:23:16.210
If you look at the ways in which he's functioning
00:23:16.210 --> 00:23:18.779
Within the garden, he's a priest, right?
00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:22.049
And so adam is both king and priest.
00:23:22.049 --> 00:23:26.587
Israel is called to be a kingdom
00:23:26.587 --> 00:23:29.623
Of priests.
00:23:29.623 --> 00:23:31.325
And so adam's role in the garden foreshadows
00:23:31.325 --> 00:23:36.363
Israel's role as a people to be a kingdom of priests.
00:23:36.363 --> 00:23:39.800
And then we bring that to the messiah, yeshua,
00:23:39.800 --> 00:23:43.704
Who is in himself both king and priest.
00:23:43.704 --> 00:23:47.274
And so again, because he is king and priest,
00:23:47.274 --> 00:23:51.278
It means that he will rule over the world
00:23:51.278 --> 00:23:53.780
From the land of israel.
00:23:53.780 --> 00:23:55.015
And he will also provide the access we need
00:23:55.015 --> 00:23:58.619
To the presence of god.
00:23:58.619 --> 00:24:00.220
Now we mentioned that the garden
00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:02.389
And in parallel israel, the land of israel,
00:24:02.389 --> 00:24:04.725
Is supposed to be a place of rest
00:24:04.725 --> 00:24:06.293
Where god rules and so on.
00:24:06.293 --> 00:24:08.128
But the last couple of years have been probably the hardest.
00:24:08.128 --> 00:24:11.031
You know, there always seems to be struggle,
00:24:11.031 --> 00:24:13.300
Even though that's god's place,
00:24:13.300 --> 00:24:14.701
There always seems to be struggle.
00:24:14.701 --> 00:24:16.303
And going back to the garden,
00:24:16.303 --> 00:24:17.871
You know, the servant was allowed.
00:24:17.871 --> 00:24:19.673
So how does that play out?
00:24:19.673 --> 00:24:21.608
A friend of mine used to say,
00:24:21.608 --> 00:24:23.110
And i agree with him, whatever god especially loves,
00:24:23.110 --> 00:24:26.280
Satan especially hates.
00:24:26.280 --> 00:24:28.448
This is where god
00:24:28.448 --> 00:24:30.751
Is going to bless the entire world.
00:24:31.552 --> 00:24:33.620
It's from this land that god's going to ultimately defeat
00:24:33.620 --> 00:24:37.624
The serpent. and so there's a real battle.
00:24:37.624 --> 00:24:40.093
It's like satan hates
00:24:40.093 --> 00:24:41.495
All of humanity.
00:24:41.495 --> 00:24:43.664
But it seems to me
00:24:43.664 --> 00:24:44.598
That he especially hates
00:24:44.598 --> 00:24:45.933
This land and this people again,
00:24:45.933 --> 00:24:48.835
Because of god's plan
00:24:48.835 --> 00:24:51.038
Of blessing,
00:24:51.038 --> 00:24:52.406
God's plan of redemption.
00:24:52.406 --> 00:24:54.908
But god is going to ultimately defeat evil.
00:24:54.908 --> 00:24:57.578
And in this land, there will be rest.
00:24:57.578 --> 00:25:00.314
Now, why did god tell adam to subdue the earth?
00:25:00.314 --> 00:25:04.851
He was intended to subdue the serpent,
00:25:04.851 --> 00:25:07.287
You know, and he didn't.
00:25:07.287 --> 00:25:08.956
He abdicated the ground and he was kicked out.
00:25:08.956 --> 00:25:11.992
He was exiled.
00:25:11.992 --> 00:25:13.660
That exile ended up with his descendants in babylon
00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:17.164
In genesis chapter 11, which is again, israel's story.
00:25:17.164 --> 00:25:20.634
Because adam abdicated his role to subdue,
00:25:20.634 --> 00:25:25.005
To conquer the serpent,
00:25:25.005 --> 00:25:27.608
We're paying for it.
00:25:28.075 --> 00:25:29.977
Thank you so much, seth.
00:25:30.477 --> 00:25:31.478
This has been very fascinating
00:25:31.478 --> 00:25:32.980
And i look forward to chatting again.
00:25:32.980 --> 00:25:34.514
Thank you. -thank you.
00:25:34.514 --> 00:25:36.984
Think about when you put your stake in the ground
00:25:37.918 --> 00:25:40.821
And followed yeshua.
00:25:40.821 --> 00:25:42.289
That's when a warfare began,
00:25:42.289 --> 00:25:43.991
When we started going against the tide.
00:25:43.991 --> 00:25:46.660
And when that battle rages,
00:25:46.660 --> 00:25:48.662
Hebrews 12 encourages us to look to yeshua,
00:25:48.662 --> 00:25:51.732
Our standard bearer.
00:25:51.732 --> 00:25:53.367
Just like the israelites prayed and looked
00:25:53.367 --> 00:25:55.369
Toward jerusalem,
00:25:55.369 --> 00:25:56.670
We can pray and look toward the author
00:25:56.670 --> 00:25:58.672
And perfecter of our faith,
00:25:58.672 --> 00:26:00.474
What he's done and still doing for us.
00:26:00.474 --> 00:26:03.276
Our experiences in him and past moments of encounter
00:26:03.276 --> 00:26:06.847
Become a banner we can look back on.
00:26:06.847 --> 00:26:09.583
If he's done it before,
00:26:09.583 --> 00:26:10.917
He can do it again.
00:26:10.917 --> 00:26:12.386
It's like when moses
00:26:12.386 --> 00:26:13.520
And the israelites fought
00:26:13.520 --> 00:26:14.821
Their first battle
00:26:14.821 --> 00:26:16.056
And won their first victory.
00:26:16.056 --> 00:26:18.091
They built an altar.
00:26:18.091 --> 00:26:19.493
It was a place of remembrance
00:26:19.493 --> 00:26:21.128
Of what god has done,
00:26:21.128 --> 00:26:22.896
A mark on that ground.
00:26:22.896 --> 00:26:24.865
And they named the altar
00:26:24.865 --> 00:26:26.400
Adonai nisi,
00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:27.834
The lord is my banner.
00:26:27.834 --> 00:26:30.003
But there's something even more profound
00:26:30.871 --> 00:26:33.206
About god's relationship with this particular land.
00:26:33.206 --> 00:26:36.743
Not just any dwelling place for his people.
00:26:36.743 --> 00:26:39.646
This is his bride.
00:26:39.646 --> 00:26:41.982
The prophet isaiah said something remarkable:
00:26:41.982 --> 00:26:44.618
"the lord will take
00:26:45.085 --> 00:26:46.019
"delight in you
00:26:46.019 --> 00:26:47.454
"and your land will be married."
00:26:47.454 --> 00:26:50.057
What does it mean for the land itself
00:26:50.057 --> 00:26:52.426
To be married to god?
00:26:52.426 --> 00:26:54.227
How does geography enter into covenant relationship
00:26:54.227 --> 00:26:57.631
With the creator?
00:26:57.631 --> 00:26:59.099
And what does this reveal about the unbreakable nature
00:26:59.099 --> 00:27:02.803
Of his promises to you?
00:27:02.803 --> 00:27:05.405
Next time we'll explore this deeper mystery
00:27:05.405 --> 00:27:08.175
Of god's covenant
00:27:08.175 --> 00:27:09.509
With the land itself
00:27:09.509 --> 00:27:11.178
And discover why this little strip
00:27:11.178 --> 00:27:13.880
In the middle east remains at the center
00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:17.117
Of god's plan for the world.
00:27:17.117 --> 00:27:18.952
We'll continue to ask the question,
00:27:18.952 --> 00:27:21.254
Why israel?
00:27:21.254 --> 00:27:21.254

Dr. Erez Soref: The Eternal Vow | One For Israel

November 29, 2025 | S1 E4 | 27:27

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