Listen to the full podcast episode below and keep reading for the written blog:
Take a moment and consider part of the journey of the Israelites who were led out of Egypt by God. As we examine some of the scripture verses in the text, we begin to see a story unfolding that requires a second look to give it the attention it deserves.
Here’s what I am referring to. In Deuteronomy 32:8-9 we see the following…
“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He divided mankind, He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is His people, and Jacob His allotted heritage.”
These two verses tell us something very important and necessary for the Gospel to advance. As it turns out, the sons of God were supernatural beings. These were not human rulers from Israel or another country, and the original tongue of scripture makes this clear.
We also understand from the book of Genesis that there are 70 nations described as important. As we follow the drama through the text, we are led to believe that these 70 nations, understood to be apart from the nation of Israel, had decided to forsake Yahweh and follow their own gods. In Deut. 32:8-9, we find God giving these supernatural beings a nation each to oversee. God’s perspective was that if the peoples of these nations refused to follow Him, He would make a way to restore them, but He would allow them to have their own way and follow pagan gods. In spite of this, though, He has always been determined to redeem the nations, and there was no one who could stop Him.
It’s important at this stage of this story to keep in mind the 70 sons of God having authority over 70 nations. The idea that evil beings would have authority over the nations mentioned in the text of scripture highlights that reality of spiritual warfare in that day and time. This also seems to point to the apostle Paul when he stated that our conflict is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities and principalities of darkness.
Fast forward a few thousand years. God had stated that the gospel of His Son would first go to the nation of Israel before it went anywhere else, and in Romans 1:16, we’re told that Paul stated “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, first to the jew, then to the gentile.”
So we’re shown in Luke chapter 9 that the Lord sent out the 12 disciples and empowered them to preach the gospel and to operate in supernatural ways through healing and casting out demons.
Later in Luke chapter 10 we’re told that once again, Jesus commissions 70 (or 72 depending on your translation; neither number conflicts with the original accounts) to go and prepare the way for Him. He in fact gives both groups directions to preach, heal the sick and cast out demons. All of these things were necessary in proclaiming the gospel. All of these things ran roughshod over the evil influences from the 70 nations that were working overtime to disconnect Israel from God by perverting and twisting the truth, and holding people captive in many forms of bondage.
In this, God kept His promises that the gospel of freedom through the Messiah would go first to the nation of Israel, whom God kept for Himself out of all of the surrounding 70 nations, and then the gospel would be preached to the other nations and other places.
It starts to become evident in the text that Jesus the Messiah saw His role as one involving confrontation. He would confront the evil spiritual powers of His day while He would simultaneously preach freedom and faith to anyone who was willing to listen and to anyone who knew that they needed Him. He did not deny Himself to anyone. He came for us all. Christ Jesus was powerfully bold and confident in His mission and ministry, and He engaged in it vigorously.
Imagine if you were following the Lord back then as a resident member of the Israeli community. Your worldview would be similar to this; that as the text of scripture records, Israel, your home nation, is surrounded by 70 other nations, each led by pagan beings whom God allowed to hold authority over these nations. Your homeland (Israel) has been in constant conflict with these nations and their pagan gods. At different times in your history, these gods attempted to move into Israel, violating their directives from Yahweh and forcing confrontations like Elijah and the prophets of Ba’al at Mt. Carmel, which was in God’s own land. Ba’al was desiring to move into Yahweh’s territory and was confronted by God’s own power and Ba’al was beaten badly that day. God would have none of it. He was clear that Israel belonged to Him alone and that He was going to bring the Messiah Who would take the writ of judgment against Israel and the rest of the world into Himself, nullifying the claims of the spiritual accusers who have accused God’s human family of many things over thousands of years. So imagine yourself as an ancient jew, and understand that your worldview was very different from what we accept today in the modern age.
And if you were an ancient jew, and you were faithful to Yahweh, you would expect power encounters. You would expect a message of freedom to be preached, even if you mistakenly believed that the Messiah would be a military figure. You would expect a deliverance with power because of centuries of prophecies from the prophets God Himself installed in your nation and because miracles and power encounters would be a part of your history.
Your worldview would include active pagan gods who rebelled against your Maker. This worldview would find its root in the Old Testament, as those inspired to write the scriptures clearly called out that only Yahweh Himself was worthy of worship, praise and adoration. The pagan beings were not, and they were corrupt. Psalm 82 gives us insight into the realities of the spiritual landscape at that time. And those who rebelled against their Maker were preparing their own judgment.
This rebellion led millions of people into spiritual darkness and God’s will and desire is to set up all free. It’s against this backdrop that the story of Jesus Christ and what He has done for humanity begins to unfold.
After centuries of prophecies, power encounters, kings being overthrown or restored, we see that the Lord comes into the scene, fulfilling centuries of messianic prophecy. He called for justice and truth to roll in a never ending stream throughout the land. As the Lord moved into His ministry, His power and Name were being talked about all over Israel. (As a side note-When the Lord went into the desert, and Satan showed Him the kingdoms of the world known at that time, he might have been showing the Lord the 70 surrounding nations, and asking Him to bow, which would have secured the nations for the Lord, but would have caused the Lord to bend to Satan’s will. This deceptive strategy was easily seen by the Lord, and He later ended the discussion with a strong rebuke to Satan, commanding him away. While it is not known precisely (as far as I know) which kingdoms Satan was referring to, given the worldview that Jesus was confronting, it’s not far afield to suggest that the kingdoms Satan was referring to were the kingdoms that Yahweh had allotted to His fallen sons. And as long as there is no conflict with the text, we can hold this loosely until we know firmly and one day this story will be known in its entirety.)
When Jesus sent the 12 and then the 70 into Israel into other towns that the Lord would choose to visit, He was sending them out to confront the works of darkness that had brought so much death and pain into that part of the world. He sent them out to prepare His way to many additional villages and places where the Gospel of the freedom in Christ had not been preached yet.
Before a king makes a dramatic change, he will often send emissaries out to prepare his people for what is coming.
Jesus Christ did the same thing. He came into the world as its King, humbly disguised as a tradesman and unwilling to use anything in the earth to advance Himself, although He had the right to do so. He willingly gave of Himself and followed the directions of His eternal Father so that He might establish the Kingdom of God in the hearts of human beings.
His coming to Israel should have been one of joyous proclamations, with the people of Israel recognizing that prophetic fulfillment was on the horizon, but as is the case with so many prophetic utterances, we often do not see, or are not immediately aware of the timing of the fulfillment. Yet despite what we do not know, God remains faithful and shows us, just as Jesus showed his disciples.
So, after thousands of years of prophetic signs, power encounters with pagan beings, bloodshed, war, intrigue, and nations falling and rising, the culmination of Jesus’s mission begins to come into stark focus.
His ministry was, in so many ways, an announcement of the freedom that He was bringing to the human race, with a deliberate poke in the eye to the supernatural beings in that part of the world who rebelled against their Maker.
So, after effectively putting the entire spiritual hierarchy on notice and alert, and after fulfilling so much of His prophesied mission, He comes to Jerusalem.
As we all know, He came humbly, not seeking the idolizing compliments of the crowd, or using His formidable power to change the world for only Himself. He came to reveal the Father of all, and when He came to Jerusalem, the people shouted out Hosannas to Him!
Interesting thing about the word “Hosanna” is that it comes from an ancient Hebrew word that means, “Pray, save us!” Over the centuries this word has come into a more expanded meaning, but its original meaning is simple. It’s a cry for help, and a recognition of the One Who would actually help.
When the citizens of Jerusalem shouted out to Him, “ Hosanna in the highest!” it was as if they were saying, “ Only You can save us! Only You know how!”
Like the rest of us, little did they know what they were asking. First, there was the dramatic entrance after a ministry that spanned three years and constantly confronted evil powers. Then, there were the emotionally charged moments like the Last Supper. His arrest. His trial. His crucifixion.
Then, His death.
What seemed like an end was about to become a trumpet blast of hope, healing, and the inauguration of a movement that would one day restore the earth.
Resurrection morning was coming. And this was the Way.
Original writing by Wes Ruff – REVIVALin20/20©