This is from Jews Against Zionism's Facebook page.
"Of all the Zionist crimes against the Jewish People, the most insidious was the naming of their Satanic state "Israel", thus hijacking the identity of the entire Jewish people for themsleves"
By this we can see that the word 'Israel' has deep theological meaning for both Christians and Jews alike.
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Even the Israel of God
NT Christian Greek scholars who have commented on Galatians 6:16, render the verse “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, even upon the Israel of God”, qualifying that God’s Israel are those who walk by “this rule.”
Below are a few examples taken from some Christian commentators.
Kenneth Wuest
“And as many as by this rule are ordering their conduct, peace be upon them, and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.”
Those therefore, who order their lives by the Holy Spirit’s control, constitute the true Israel of God, not the Jews who have the name of Israel but are only children of Abraham after the flesh. The Greek word for “and” also has the meaning of “even” in some contexts. We translate here “even the Israel of God” as identifying those who “walk according to this rule.”
W. J. Conybeare
“And whosoever shall walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon all the Israel of God.”
Whether they be Jews or Gentiles.
Robert Young
“And as many as by this rule do walk - peace upon them, and kindness, and on the Israel of God.”
16. WALK,] or “step on by this cannon (reed or rule), peace (is) on them, and kindness …Israel of God,” i.e. the spiritual seed of Abraham.
John Wesley
“And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace and mercy (be) upon them, and upon the Israel of God”
‘Peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel’, that is, the church, ‘of God’ – Which constitutes all those, and those only, of every nation and kindred, who walk by this rule.
W. E. Vine
“And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”
“and”- kai, which among many uses, is frequently =”even,” should be so understood here. Those who ‘walk by this rule’ are themselves ‘the Israel of God.’ upon the Israel of God.’
“upon the Israel of God.” – the words suggest a contrast between a true and a false Israel. Circumcision could not transform a Gentile into a Jew; faith makes of any man, Jew or Gentile, an Israelite indeed, one of the true people of God, see 1 Peter 2:10, and cp. Romans 2:28, 29; Philippians 3:3. The circumcision party would have had the Galatians become Jews by submitting to a Jewish rite; let them rather by faith in Christ become of the Israel of God. But the apostle does not apologize for the Gentile converts. His challenge to the Judaizers rings out in this exultant climax—they are the very Israel of God!
The descendants of Jacob were known as Hebrews, Jews, and Israelites. These names are not always interchangeable. Speaking generally, “Hebrew” suggests their speech, see Acts 6:1, “Jew” their nationality, see 3:28, above, “Israelite” their calling to be the people of God, Matthew 2:6. The last is, therefore, the highest title of the three, connoting the dignity and the privileges wherewith God had endowed them. But the ideal to which the title pointed had been realized only by the few among their successive generations, for all that are of Israel in the course of nature are not Israelites in heart, Romans 9:6—8. The true Israelite is he who, of whatever nation born, puts his faith in God. See 3:7, 9, above, and Romans 4:12.
Marvin R. Vincent
“and upon the Israel of God.” The ‘kai’ – “and” may be simply connective, in which case ‘the Israel of God’ may be different from ‘as many as walk’ etc., and may mean truly converted Jews. Or the ‘kai’ may be explicative, in which case ‘the Israel of God’ will define and emphasise ‘as many as,’ etc., and will mean the whole body of Christians, Jewish and Gentile. In other words, they who walk according to this rule form the true Israel of God. The explicative ‘kai’ is at best doubtful here, and is rather forced, although clear instances of it may be found in 1 Cor. iii. 5; xv. 38. It seems better to regard it as simply connective. Then őσοι (as many) will refer to the individual Christians, Jewish and Gentile, and Israel of God to the same Christians, regarded collectively, and forming the true messianic community.
From the above comments we see that the word 'kai' used by the Apostle Paul in Gal 6:16 and translated 'and' in the Authorized Version, should be understood to mean "EVEN" to the English translator and reader. Thus the verse should be read " And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, even upon the Israel of God."
Spiros Zodhiates in his comprehensive 'Greek Dictionary of the New Testament', gives the following meaning for the word "kai."
KAI ‘kahee’; appar. a prim. particle, having a ‘copulative’ and sometimes also a ‘cumulative’ force: — ‘and’, ‘also’, ‘even’, ‘so’, ‘then’, ‘too’, etc; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words: —‘and’, ‘also’, ‘both’, ‘but’, ‘even’, ‘for’, ‘if’, ‘indeed’, ‘likewise’, ‘moreover’, ‘or’, ‘so’, ‘that’, ‘then’, ‘therefore’, ‘when’, ‘yea’, ‘yet’.
We may safely conclude, therefore, that the Apostle of Christ is here referring NOT to an ethnic race of people, but to God’s “chosen” people – the true Israel of God. “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
“For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, IF ANY MAN COME TO ME, AND HATE NOT HIS FATHER, AND MOTHER, AND WIFE, AND CHILDREN, AND BRETHREN, AND SISTERS, YEA, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. AND WHOSOEVER DOTH NOT BEAR HIS CROSS, AND COME AFTER ME, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.” Luke 14:24-27
This is the “rule” by which God’s Israel is distinguished - only such as walk by the rule of the Cross are the “Israel of God.”
God will not, indeed cannot, allow those who will not “die” to self and sin to be part of the Israel of God, the Church and body of Christ. This is one of the main reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified - "FOR THE GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGETH SALVATION HATH APPEARED TO ALL MEN, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST; WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY, AND PURIFY UNTO HIMSELF A PECULIAR PEOPLE, ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS." Titus 2:11-14
God’s Israel glory only in the Cross.
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." I Corinthians 1:18-31
“For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:18-21
“…God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.” Galatians 6:14-16
Below are a few examples taken from some Christian commentators.
Kenneth Wuest
“And as many as by this rule are ordering their conduct, peace be upon them, and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.”
Those therefore, who order their lives by the Holy Spirit’s control, constitute the true Israel of God, not the Jews who have the name of Israel but are only children of Abraham after the flesh. The Greek word for “and” also has the meaning of “even” in some contexts. We translate here “even the Israel of God” as identifying those who “walk according to this rule.”
W. J. Conybeare
“And whosoever shall walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon all the Israel of God.”
Whether they be Jews or Gentiles.
Robert Young
“And as many as by this rule do walk - peace upon them, and kindness, and on the Israel of God.”
16. WALK,] or “step on by this cannon (reed or rule), peace (is) on them, and kindness …Israel of God,” i.e. the spiritual seed of Abraham.
John Wesley
“And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace and mercy (be) upon them, and upon the Israel of God”
‘Peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel’, that is, the church, ‘of God’ – Which constitutes all those, and those only, of every nation and kindred, who walk by this rule.
W. E. Vine
“And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”
“and”- kai, which among many uses, is frequently =”even,” should be so understood here. Those who ‘walk by this rule’ are themselves ‘the Israel of God.’ upon the Israel of God.’
“upon the Israel of God.” – the words suggest a contrast between a true and a false Israel. Circumcision could not transform a Gentile into a Jew; faith makes of any man, Jew or Gentile, an Israelite indeed, one of the true people of God, see 1 Peter 2:10, and cp. Romans 2:28, 29; Philippians 3:3. The circumcision party would have had the Galatians become Jews by submitting to a Jewish rite; let them rather by faith in Christ become of the Israel of God. But the apostle does not apologize for the Gentile converts. His challenge to the Judaizers rings out in this exultant climax—they are the very Israel of God!
The descendants of Jacob were known as Hebrews, Jews, and Israelites. These names are not always interchangeable. Speaking generally, “Hebrew” suggests their speech, see Acts 6:1, “Jew” their nationality, see 3:28, above, “Israelite” their calling to be the people of God, Matthew 2:6. The last is, therefore, the highest title of the three, connoting the dignity and the privileges wherewith God had endowed them. But the ideal to which the title pointed had been realized only by the few among their successive generations, for all that are of Israel in the course of nature are not Israelites in heart, Romans 9:6—8. The true Israelite is he who, of whatever nation born, puts his faith in God. See 3:7, 9, above, and Romans 4:12.
Marvin R. Vincent
“and upon the Israel of God.” The ‘kai’ – “and” may be simply connective, in which case ‘the Israel of God’ may be different from ‘as many as walk’ etc., and may mean truly converted Jews. Or the ‘kai’ may be explicative, in which case ‘the Israel of God’ will define and emphasise ‘as many as,’ etc., and will mean the whole body of Christians, Jewish and Gentile. In other words, they who walk according to this rule form the true Israel of God. The explicative ‘kai’ is at best doubtful here, and is rather forced, although clear instances of it may be found in 1 Cor. iii. 5; xv. 38. It seems better to regard it as simply connective. Then őσοι (as many) will refer to the individual Christians, Jewish and Gentile, and Israel of God to the same Christians, regarded collectively, and forming the true messianic community.
From the above comments we see that the word 'kai' used by the Apostle Paul in Gal 6:16 and translated 'and' in the Authorized Version, should be understood to mean "EVEN" to the English translator and reader. Thus the verse should be read " And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, even upon the Israel of God."
Spiros Zodhiates in his comprehensive 'Greek Dictionary of the New Testament', gives the following meaning for the word "kai."
KAI ‘kahee’; appar. a prim. particle, having a ‘copulative’ and sometimes also a ‘cumulative’ force: — ‘and’, ‘also’, ‘even’, ‘so’, ‘then’, ‘too’, etc; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words: —‘and’, ‘also’, ‘both’, ‘but’, ‘even’, ‘for’, ‘if’, ‘indeed’, ‘likewise’, ‘moreover’, ‘or’, ‘so’, ‘that’, ‘then’, ‘therefore’, ‘when’, ‘yea’, ‘yet’.
We may safely conclude, therefore, that the Apostle of Christ is here referring NOT to an ethnic race of people, but to God’s “chosen” people – the true Israel of God. “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
“For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, IF ANY MAN COME TO ME, AND HATE NOT HIS FATHER, AND MOTHER, AND WIFE, AND CHILDREN, AND BRETHREN, AND SISTERS, YEA, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. AND WHOSOEVER DOTH NOT BEAR HIS CROSS, AND COME AFTER ME, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.” Luke 14:24-27
This is the “rule” by which God’s Israel is distinguished - only such as walk by the rule of the Cross are the “Israel of God.”
God will not, indeed cannot, allow those who will not “die” to self and sin to be part of the Israel of God, the Church and body of Christ. This is one of the main reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified - "FOR THE GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGETH SALVATION HATH APPEARED TO ALL MEN, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST; WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY, AND PURIFY UNTO HIMSELF A PECULIAR PEOPLE, ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS." Titus 2:11-14
God’s Israel glory only in the Cross.
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." I Corinthians 1:18-31
“For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:18-21
“…God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.” Galatians 6:14-16
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Bible verses Zionism - Thomas Williamson
Bible verses Zionism
Much of our Christian emphasis on foreign policy in the Middle East today is based on the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
The first half of this verse is a promise that God made to just one person, Abraham. The original Hebrew is in the second person singular, meaning that God is speaking only to Abraham. The King James Version correctly reflects this grammatical construction, since "thee" is singular, referring only to one person, whereas "ye" would refer to multiple persons.
Matthew Henry’s commentary states of Genesis 12:3a that "This made it a kind of league, offensive and defensive, between God and Abram."
Of the second half of the verse, Matthew Henry says, This was the promise that crowned all the rest; for it points to the Messiah, in whom ‘all the promises are yea and amen.’ Note, (1), Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world blessed with."
Recently Genesis 12:3 has been spiritualized by Christian Zionist preachers, who say that this verse applies not just to Abraham, but also to Abraham’s descendants, specifically to the modern state of Israel founded in 1948. Supposedly, it means that evangelical Christians as individuals, and America as a nation, are bound to provide unquestioning support, financial and otherwise, to the state of Israel. It is said that if America fails to back up Israel in every way possible, financially, militarily and otherwise, then God will be through with America and will have us nuked.
When it is pointed out that the various Arabs nations, including Palestine, are also descended from Abraham, the Christian Zionists say that the promise of Genesis 12:3 applies only to the descendants of Isaac (Of course, there is no mention of Isaac in Genesis 12:3. They often misquote the verse, saying it refers to "blessing Israel," but Israel is not mentioned in the verse either).
Zionists say, based on their non-literal, speculative, spiritualized interpretation of Genesis 12:3, that we are to give total, unquestioned support to some of Abraham’s children, while others of Abraham’s children are to be hated, persecuted, ethnically cleansed, bombed back into the Stone Age, maybe even nuked.
But in Genesis 21:13, 17-18 God also bestows His blessing on Ishmael and his descendants, saying, "For I will make him a great nation." According to the same principles of interpretation by which we have made Genesis 12:3 a command for political support of the modern nation of Israel, Genesis 21:18 must be taken as a command for political support of the modern Arab nations. (Anybody want to start up a "Christian Ishmaelist" movement to lobby for Arab national greatness?)
Christian Zionists claim to have 70,000,000 followers in America, who insists that our politicians render unquestioning obedience to the military and political agenda of the Israeli Government.
Does God really demand that we support all actions and activities of the Israeli Government, even if those actions violate God’s moral standards of righteousness?
It should be pointed out that even in Old Testament times, when Israel was a nation specially chosen by, and ruled over by, Jehovah, He did not expect His people to support and endorse all actions of the government of Israel.
When the Government of Israel committed human rights violations, the prophets openly condemned them, 2 Kings 6:21 –23, 2 Chronicles 28:9-11, Nehemiah 5:7-11, Jeremiah 34:11-17, Amos 2:6-7, etc. Nowadays, liberal Jewish groups still protest human rights violations in Israel. Nevertheless, most fundamentalists Christians would never dream of doing such a thing – it is against their religion. It is their duty to either deny that such violations take place, or else to endorse and commend such violations. We have been told that God will smite us if we disagree with anything that Israel does.
The lawgiver Moses commanded the Hebrews that they should not oppress the strangers or non-Jews in their lands, Exodus 12:49, 22:21, 23:9, Leviticus 19:33-34, 25:35, Deuteronomy 10:18-19, 23:7, 24:17, 27:19. That message, of course, is not mentioned today – it is considered "politically incorrect."
When King Ahab and Queen Jezebel unjustly expropriated the vineyard of Naboth, the prophet Elijah publicly denounced the kind for this unjust action, 1 Kings 21:17-24, Jehu cited this official action of the government of Israel against Naboth as justification for overthrowing that government, 2 Kings 9:25-26.
But nowadays, when the Israeli government expropriates the lands and properties of Palestinians without compensation, we look the other way and say nothing about it.
In Jeremiah 27:1-5, the prophet Jeremiah picketed a public meeting of the government of Judah with representatives of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon. He was protesting the foreign policy of Judah. We would never do anything like that today – it would be considered a violation of the command to "bless Abraham."
In Jeremiah 27:6-17, the prophet advocated the surrender of Israel’s territory to the King of Babylon, in return for peace – today, we would call it "land for peace." But today, our warmongering televangelists denounce "land for peace" as unthinkable for any reason whatsoever, and threaten God’s wrath against anyone who would support such a thing.
Supposedly it is better for Jewish and Arab children of Abraham to keep on killing each other over the land (while these sanctimonious war profiteers collect the money from sales of their Armageddon videos. Could it be a conflict of interest to allow American foreign policy to be dictated by these mega-millionaire preachers, who stand to make a profit if there is a war in the Middle East?)
We have seen that God’s inspired prophets did not meet the Christian Zionist standard of blind, unquestioning support for Israel. As it turns out, today’s Christian Zionists do not meet that standard, either.
Whenever the modern Israeli government takes any action that does not fit in with the speculative doomsday scenarios of the Armageddon Theology, the Christian Zionists will loudly protest and insist that the Israelis are doing wrong.
For instance, in 1994 Christian Zionist leaders, including Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed, publicly condemned the policies of the Israeli government under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was seeking a peace settlement with the Palestinians. Robertson has also attacked the policies of Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres.
It seems hypocritical for Christian Zionists to threaten the wrath of God against those who express disagreement with any policy of the Israeli government when they have done the same thing themselves.
Modern-day Israelis and other Jews are well aware of the fact that the Christian Zionists believe, based on a mistaken interpretation of Zechariah 13:8, that there must be a devastating war in the Middle East in which two-thirds of all the Jews will be slaughtered. It is commonly understood that the Christian Zionists do not really care about what is best for the Jews, as evidenced by their constant lobbying efforts to stir up World War III in the Middle East. Million Jews may wind up dead, but it will be good for sales of the Armageddon videos that are peddled on the televangelists’ broadcasts and web-sites.
This raises the question who is really "blessing Israel;" those who are working for peace in the Middle East, or those who are agitating for a war designed to get two-thirds of all Jews wiped out?
Some gullible evangelical Christians may not understand these issues, but our Jewish friends understand what is at stake very well – they are being prepared to serve as cannon fodder for the next Holocaust.
Gershom Gorenberg, in his book "The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount," says, "I’ve listened to….American evangelical ministers who insist on their deep love for Israel and nevertheless eagerly await apocalyptic battles on Israel’s soil so terrible that the dry river bed will, they predict, fill with rivers of blood."
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, has stated that "People who say there can be no peace are not really friends of Israel."
Robert O. Freedman, political science professor at Baltimore Hebrew University, says concerning Christian Zionists, "Once you get in bed with them, you are, to a certain extent, subscribing to their view of what America ought to be. And that, in my view, is not in the best interests of the Jewish people."
Former Shin Bet secret chief Carmi Gillon and former police commissioner Assaf Hefetz, commenting on the activities of Temple Mount extremists who are financially supported by fundamentalist Americans, warned that an attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem "would lead to an all-out war and unleash destructive forces that would imperil Israel’s existence."
The eagerness of some televangelists, to get a war going in the Middle East (along with their vociferous Arab-bashing and Muslim-baiting), must be considered in context of their belief in the infamous Armageddon Theology, which insists that 2/3 of all the Jews must die.
Grace Halsell, in her book "Prophecy and Politics" observed: "Convinced that a nuclear Armageddon is an inevitable event within the divine scheme of things, many evangelical dispensationalists have committed themselves to a course for Israel that, by their own admission, will lead directly to a holocaust indescribably more savage and widespread than could have generated in Adolf Hitler’s criminal mind."
American Christians who really want to be a blessing to all the children of Abraham (Jews and Arabs) need to realize that they do not have to render blind, knee-jerk support to the most extremist elements of Zionism, or to those who are actively trying to foment massive wars in the Middle East that would be contrary to the interests of the Israeli people. Not everyone is going to agree that stirring up a war to get 2/3 of all Jews killed is a good thing for the Jews.
Nor should we forget that our Prime Directive as Christians is found in the Great Commission. Our mission is to evangelize, baptize and teach, not to try to hasten Christ’s coming by agitating war and violence in the Middle East.
Zionism is based on a total misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches. It is true that God gave Palestine to Hebrews in ancient times. But the Bible teaches that their possession of the land was under a conditional covenant with Jehovah. If the Hebrews disobeyed their God, they would lose the land. This is clearly taught in Genesis 17:9-14, Exodus 19:4-5, Leviticus 26:40-45, Deuteronomy 7:12, Joshua 23:15-16, 1 Kings 9:6-9, 2 Chronicles 7:19-22, Jeremiah 34:12-22, Ezekiel 33:23-29, Matthew 21:43, etc.
When the Jews rejected their Messiah, God sent the Romans to dispossess the Jews from their land in 70 AD. This was God’s complete punishment on the Jews for crucifying Christ – therefore, the Jews today should not be persecuted for something that happened 2000 years ago. However, their former title deed on the land of Palestine is not abrogated.
The New Testament teaches that Christians are to focus on the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one, John 4:21, Galatians 4:24-28, Hebrews 12:18-24. We are told in Hebrews 11:13-16 that even Abraham has no further interest in a restored Jewish state on earth, because he is in a much better place in heaven.
Christian Zionism is a movement that claims to be based on the Bible, but as we have seen, it is actually contrary to what the Bible teaches. All Christians should repudiate Zionism and should work for a peace settlement in the Middle East that will be of mutual benefit to Abraham’s Jewish and Arab children in Palestine.
© 2002 Thomas Williamson
Thomas Williamson is an ordained Baptist minister who lives in Chicago, Illinois. He contributes to Media Monitors Network (MMN) from time to time.
Source: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/Zionism/zionism.htm
Much of our Christian emphasis on foreign policy in the Middle East today is based on the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
The first half of this verse is a promise that God made to just one person, Abraham. The original Hebrew is in the second person singular, meaning that God is speaking only to Abraham. The King James Version correctly reflects this grammatical construction, since "thee" is singular, referring only to one person, whereas "ye" would refer to multiple persons.
Matthew Henry’s commentary states of Genesis 12:3a that "This made it a kind of league, offensive and defensive, between God and Abram."
Of the second half of the verse, Matthew Henry says, This was the promise that crowned all the rest; for it points to the Messiah, in whom ‘all the promises are yea and amen.’ Note, (1), Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world blessed with."
Recently Genesis 12:3 has been spiritualized by Christian Zionist preachers, who say that this verse applies not just to Abraham, but also to Abraham’s descendants, specifically to the modern state of Israel founded in 1948. Supposedly, it means that evangelical Christians as individuals, and America as a nation, are bound to provide unquestioning support, financial and otherwise, to the state of Israel. It is said that if America fails to back up Israel in every way possible, financially, militarily and otherwise, then God will be through with America and will have us nuked.
When it is pointed out that the various Arabs nations, including Palestine, are also descended from Abraham, the Christian Zionists say that the promise of Genesis 12:3 applies only to the descendants of Isaac (Of course, there is no mention of Isaac in Genesis 12:3. They often misquote the verse, saying it refers to "blessing Israel," but Israel is not mentioned in the verse either).
Zionists say, based on their non-literal, speculative, spiritualized interpretation of Genesis 12:3, that we are to give total, unquestioned support to some of Abraham’s children, while others of Abraham’s children are to be hated, persecuted, ethnically cleansed, bombed back into the Stone Age, maybe even nuked.
But in Genesis 21:13, 17-18 God also bestows His blessing on Ishmael and his descendants, saying, "For I will make him a great nation." According to the same principles of interpretation by which we have made Genesis 12:3 a command for political support of the modern nation of Israel, Genesis 21:18 must be taken as a command for political support of the modern Arab nations. (Anybody want to start up a "Christian Ishmaelist" movement to lobby for Arab national greatness?)
Christian Zionists claim to have 70,000,000 followers in America, who insists that our politicians render unquestioning obedience to the military and political agenda of the Israeli Government.
Does God really demand that we support all actions and activities of the Israeli Government, even if those actions violate God’s moral standards of righteousness?
It should be pointed out that even in Old Testament times, when Israel was a nation specially chosen by, and ruled over by, Jehovah, He did not expect His people to support and endorse all actions of the government of Israel.
When the Government of Israel committed human rights violations, the prophets openly condemned them, 2 Kings 6:21 –23, 2 Chronicles 28:9-11, Nehemiah 5:7-11, Jeremiah 34:11-17, Amos 2:6-7, etc. Nowadays, liberal Jewish groups still protest human rights violations in Israel. Nevertheless, most fundamentalists Christians would never dream of doing such a thing – it is against their religion. It is their duty to either deny that such violations take place, or else to endorse and commend such violations. We have been told that God will smite us if we disagree with anything that Israel does.
The lawgiver Moses commanded the Hebrews that they should not oppress the strangers or non-Jews in their lands, Exodus 12:49, 22:21, 23:9, Leviticus 19:33-34, 25:35, Deuteronomy 10:18-19, 23:7, 24:17, 27:19. That message, of course, is not mentioned today – it is considered "politically incorrect."
When King Ahab and Queen Jezebel unjustly expropriated the vineyard of Naboth, the prophet Elijah publicly denounced the kind for this unjust action, 1 Kings 21:17-24, Jehu cited this official action of the government of Israel against Naboth as justification for overthrowing that government, 2 Kings 9:25-26.
But nowadays, when the Israeli government expropriates the lands and properties of Palestinians without compensation, we look the other way and say nothing about it.
In Jeremiah 27:1-5, the prophet Jeremiah picketed a public meeting of the government of Judah with representatives of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon. He was protesting the foreign policy of Judah. We would never do anything like that today – it would be considered a violation of the command to "bless Abraham."
In Jeremiah 27:6-17, the prophet advocated the surrender of Israel’s territory to the King of Babylon, in return for peace – today, we would call it "land for peace." But today, our warmongering televangelists denounce "land for peace" as unthinkable for any reason whatsoever, and threaten God’s wrath against anyone who would support such a thing.
Supposedly it is better for Jewish and Arab children of Abraham to keep on killing each other over the land (while these sanctimonious war profiteers collect the money from sales of their Armageddon videos. Could it be a conflict of interest to allow American foreign policy to be dictated by these mega-millionaire preachers, who stand to make a profit if there is a war in the Middle East?)
We have seen that God’s inspired prophets did not meet the Christian Zionist standard of blind, unquestioning support for Israel. As it turns out, today’s Christian Zionists do not meet that standard, either.
Whenever the modern Israeli government takes any action that does not fit in with the speculative doomsday scenarios of the Armageddon Theology, the Christian Zionists will loudly protest and insist that the Israelis are doing wrong.
For instance, in 1994 Christian Zionist leaders, including Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed, publicly condemned the policies of the Israeli government under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was seeking a peace settlement with the Palestinians. Robertson has also attacked the policies of Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres.
It seems hypocritical for Christian Zionists to threaten the wrath of God against those who express disagreement with any policy of the Israeli government when they have done the same thing themselves.
Modern-day Israelis and other Jews are well aware of the fact that the Christian Zionists believe, based on a mistaken interpretation of Zechariah 13:8, that there must be a devastating war in the Middle East in which two-thirds of all the Jews will be slaughtered. It is commonly understood that the Christian Zionists do not really care about what is best for the Jews, as evidenced by their constant lobbying efforts to stir up World War III in the Middle East. Million Jews may wind up dead, but it will be good for sales of the Armageddon videos that are peddled on the televangelists’ broadcasts and web-sites.
This raises the question who is really "blessing Israel;" those who are working for peace in the Middle East, or those who are agitating for a war designed to get two-thirds of all Jews wiped out?
Some gullible evangelical Christians may not understand these issues, but our Jewish friends understand what is at stake very well – they are being prepared to serve as cannon fodder for the next Holocaust.
Gershom Gorenberg, in his book "The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount," says, "I’ve listened to….American evangelical ministers who insist on their deep love for Israel and nevertheless eagerly await apocalyptic battles on Israel’s soil so terrible that the dry river bed will, they predict, fill with rivers of blood."
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, has stated that "People who say there can be no peace are not really friends of Israel."
Robert O. Freedman, political science professor at Baltimore Hebrew University, says concerning Christian Zionists, "Once you get in bed with them, you are, to a certain extent, subscribing to their view of what America ought to be. And that, in my view, is not in the best interests of the Jewish people."
Former Shin Bet secret chief Carmi Gillon and former police commissioner Assaf Hefetz, commenting on the activities of Temple Mount extremists who are financially supported by fundamentalist Americans, warned that an attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem "would lead to an all-out war and unleash destructive forces that would imperil Israel’s existence."
The eagerness of some televangelists, to get a war going in the Middle East (along with their vociferous Arab-bashing and Muslim-baiting), must be considered in context of their belief in the infamous Armageddon Theology, which insists that 2/3 of all the Jews must die.
Grace Halsell, in her book "Prophecy and Politics" observed: "Convinced that a nuclear Armageddon is an inevitable event within the divine scheme of things, many evangelical dispensationalists have committed themselves to a course for Israel that, by their own admission, will lead directly to a holocaust indescribably more savage and widespread than could have generated in Adolf Hitler’s criminal mind."
American Christians who really want to be a blessing to all the children of Abraham (Jews and Arabs) need to realize that they do not have to render blind, knee-jerk support to the most extremist elements of Zionism, or to those who are actively trying to foment massive wars in the Middle East that would be contrary to the interests of the Israeli people. Not everyone is going to agree that stirring up a war to get 2/3 of all Jews killed is a good thing for the Jews.
Nor should we forget that our Prime Directive as Christians is found in the Great Commission. Our mission is to evangelize, baptize and teach, not to try to hasten Christ’s coming by agitating war and violence in the Middle East.
Zionism is based on a total misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches. It is true that God gave Palestine to Hebrews in ancient times. But the Bible teaches that their possession of the land was under a conditional covenant with Jehovah. If the Hebrews disobeyed their God, they would lose the land. This is clearly taught in Genesis 17:9-14, Exodus 19:4-5, Leviticus 26:40-45, Deuteronomy 7:12, Joshua 23:15-16, 1 Kings 9:6-9, 2 Chronicles 7:19-22, Jeremiah 34:12-22, Ezekiel 33:23-29, Matthew 21:43, etc.
When the Jews rejected their Messiah, God sent the Romans to dispossess the Jews from their land in 70 AD. This was God’s complete punishment on the Jews for crucifying Christ – therefore, the Jews today should not be persecuted for something that happened 2000 years ago. However, their former title deed on the land of Palestine is not abrogated.
The New Testament teaches that Christians are to focus on the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one, John 4:21, Galatians 4:24-28, Hebrews 12:18-24. We are told in Hebrews 11:13-16 that even Abraham has no further interest in a restored Jewish state on earth, because he is in a much better place in heaven.
Christian Zionism is a movement that claims to be based on the Bible, but as we have seen, it is actually contrary to what the Bible teaches. All Christians should repudiate Zionism and should work for a peace settlement in the Middle East that will be of mutual benefit to Abraham’s Jewish and Arab children in Palestine.
© 2002 Thomas Williamson
Thomas Williamson is an ordained Baptist minister who lives in Chicago, Illinois. He contributes to Media Monitors Network (MMN) from time to time.
Source: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/Zionism/zionism.htm
Parable of The Good Shepherd and Christian Zionists
The Good Shepherd said to some people , “In me you have also been chosen,
The Pharisees of the day began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks anti-Semitism? Who are chosen but the Jews alone?”
The Good Shepherd knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'In me you have also been chosen,' or to say, 'You also are children of Abraham'? But that you may know that these are the children of Abraham I left the writings of the apostles to show you that I am enthroned in The Church and not a mountain in Palestine.”
At this the Pharisees of the day were indignant exclaiming “Palestine never existed, Israel was their first!”
Then The Good Shepherd said “Don’t you know that I am the one enthroned in Zion? Don’t you know that the glory of Zion is me reigning in The Church?”
Then the Pharisees of the day accused The Good Shepherd of something called Replacement Theology. To which the Good Shepherd replied how can these be a replacement when I chose them in me before the beginning of time? They then told him he was not the good shepherd because they were friends of The Good Shepherds.
The Good Shepherd then said “I am The Good Shepherd. Look! They are killing my Sheep!”
At this they covered their ears and, yelled at the top of their voices “Anti-Semitism!
Anti-Semitism!” and listened to people wearing a fleeces howling support for those who were killing his sheep.
Eventually on the last day The Good Shepherd separated the sheep from the goats and The Pharisees of the day were amazed to be among the Goats. The Good Shepherd said to them. “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They then answered, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
He pointed to some Palestinian Christians who had been murdered by Zionists and said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
Luke 5:20-24, Acts 7:56-58, Ephesians 1:11, James 2:5, Titus 1:2
Matthew 25
The Pharisees of the day began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks anti-Semitism? Who are chosen but the Jews alone?”
The Good Shepherd knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'In me you have also been chosen,' or to say, 'You also are children of Abraham'? But that you may know that these are the children of Abraham I left the writings of the apostles to show you that I am enthroned in The Church and not a mountain in Palestine.”
At this the Pharisees of the day were indignant exclaiming “Palestine never existed, Israel was their first!”
Then The Good Shepherd said “Don’t you know that I am the one enthroned in Zion? Don’t you know that the glory of Zion is me reigning in The Church?”
Then the Pharisees of the day accused The Good Shepherd of something called Replacement Theology. To which the Good Shepherd replied how can these be a replacement when I chose them in me before the beginning of time? They then told him he was not the good shepherd because they were friends of The Good Shepherds.
The Good Shepherd then said “I am The Good Shepherd. Look! They are killing my Sheep!”
At this they covered their ears and, yelled at the top of their voices “Anti-Semitism!
Anti-Semitism!” and listened to people wearing a fleeces howling support for those who were killing his sheep.
Eventually on the last day The Good Shepherd separated the sheep from the goats and The Pharisees of the day were amazed to be among the Goats. The Good Shepherd said to them. “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They then answered, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
He pointed to some Palestinian Christians who had been murdered by Zionists and said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
Luke 5:20-24, Acts 7:56-58, Ephesians 1:11, James 2:5, Titus 1:2
Matthew 25
Against Zionist Ecclesiology
Matthew 16:17-18
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it.
The Church is eternal
Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The Church is eternal because Christ is eternal
1 Peter 1:20
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
The New Covenant is perfect.
Hebrews 7:18-19
18The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
The Passover was instituted by Moses before the law was given on Sinai giving continuation from Abraham to the time of Christ. The Eucharist also called, Communion or The Lords Supper was instituted by Christ (the prophet like Moses) before the means of grace had been given (Calvery) making a continuation from the Old Covenant into The New Covenant.
There is no seperate covenant for the Jews.
Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
Christ only has one Bride and she is The Church. God is not a bygamist, God is the Faithful Husband.
The real Zion is The Church.
Hebrews 12:22
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly... See more
Isaiah 62:1
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
So it is for The Churches sake thay God will not keep silent. It is The Churches salvation that is a blazing torch and that salvation is through Christ for there is no other name under Heaven by which to be saved.
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it.
The Church is eternal
Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The Church is eternal because Christ is eternal
1 Peter 1:20
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
The New Covenant is perfect.
Hebrews 7:18-19
18The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
The Passover was instituted by Moses before the law was given on Sinai giving continuation from Abraham to the time of Christ. The Eucharist also called, Communion or The Lords Supper was instituted by Christ (the prophet like Moses) before the means of grace had been given (Calvery) making a continuation from the Old Covenant into The New Covenant.
There is no seperate covenant for the Jews.
Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
Christ only has one Bride and she is The Church. God is not a bygamist, God is the Faithful Husband.
The real Zion is The Church.
Hebrews 12:22
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly... See more
Isaiah 62:1
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
So it is for The Churches sake thay God will not keep silent. It is The Churches salvation that is a blazing torch and that salvation is through Christ for there is no other name under Heaven by which to be saved.
Friday, 23 July 2010
Gods Chosen People
Galatians 3:16
16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but
"and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.
Galatians 3:29
29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Bless the Church you'll be blessed, curse the church you'll be cursed. The Church is The Bride of Christ if
you bless a mans wife he'll be nice to you and if you curse a mans wife
he may put you in hospital. Notice that The Church is The Bride and not A
Bride. God is not a bygamist.
If that's not enough,
Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the
purpose of his will,
Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
1 Thessalonians 1:4
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who
called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
The Church is Gods chosen
16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but
"and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.
Galatians 3:29
29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Bless the Church you'll be blessed, curse the church you'll be cursed. The Church is The Bride of Christ if
you bless a mans wife he'll be nice to you and if you curse a mans wife
he may put you in hospital. Notice that The Church is The Bride and not A
Bride. God is not a bygamist.
If that's not enough,
Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the
purpose of his will,
Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
1 Thessalonians 1:4
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who
called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
The Church is Gods chosen
Monday, 12 July 2010
Reasons Jews Give for Not Accepting Jesus Explained.
For 2,000 years Jews have rejected the Christian idea of Jesus as messiah. This is why they were exiled from Palestine. They did not accept and listen to the prophet like Moses. They broke the law.
They claim that
Jesus did not fulfil the messianic prophecies.
Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah.
Biblical verses "referring" to Jesus are mistranslations.
Jewish belief is based on national revelation.
They claim that Jesus Did Not Fulfil the Messianic Prophecies
They claim that he did not Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28). But the temple in Ezekiel is in fact The Church.
Ephesians 2:19-22
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
They say that the true Messiah would gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel. What they don’t understand is that Isaiah 43:5-6 is referring to Christ bringing all God’s covenant people of all nations (not just Jews) to himself and presenting them to The Father.
Isaiah 43:5-6
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory
Colossians 1:21-22
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
They claim that he would usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore."
Isaiah 2:4
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore
First of all there shall be peace without end after the second coming but also, se we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
They claim that Jesus has not spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel. As the majority of people in the world today call themselves Christians such a claim is ridiculous.
They claim he hasn‘t fulfilled this. "God will be King over all the world ? on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9) When he certainly has.
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:10-11)
.
They claim that Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of Messiah
A. Messiah as Prophet
Zionist Jews make the claim that prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry, a situation which has not existed since 300 BCE. This of course is nonsense and furthermore it makes their claim to the Eritz illegitimate too. (Which of course it is.)
They claim that if Jesus was the son of God he couldn’t be the son of David. He was the son of David on his mothers side too.
They claim that Jesus changed the law when he did not.
Matthew 5:17
[ The Fulfillment of the Law ] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
The idea that Jesus broke the law by healing the blind man on the Sabbath is ridiculous. The fact that the the apostle John mentioned the Pharisees reaction demonstrates that the gospel writer thought they were being ridiculous too.
They also claim certain verses are mistranslated.
A. Virgin Birth
They claim that in Isaiah 7:14 describing an "alma" as giving birth. The word "alma" has always meant a young woman, but Christian theologians came centuries later and translated it as "virgin." This accords Jesus' birth with the first century pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by gods. Of course as the virgin birth is mentioned in all four gospels that were written by people who knew Jesus the claim is also ridiculous. Furthermore an alma is a young woman not married if she was not married then logic would lead us to assume she was a virgin.
B. Suffering Servant
They claim that Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the Jews ("Israel") are regarded as one unit. Throughout Jewish scripture, Israel is repeatedly called, in the singular, the "Servant of God" .In fact, Isaiah states no less than 11 times in the chapters prior to 53 that the Servant of God is Israel. When read correctly, Isaiah 53 clearly [and ironically] refers to the Jewish people being "bruised.
Sounds convincing doesn’t it?
Isaiah 53:5
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
According to their version of this by Israel’s wounds, Israel is healed. It makes no sense whatsoever now does it?
Another claim is that Jewish Belief is Based Solely on National Revelation
Isaiah 56:7
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.
They claim that
Jesus did not fulfil the messianic prophecies.
Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah.
Biblical verses "referring" to Jesus are mistranslations.
Jewish belief is based on national revelation.
They claim that Jesus Did Not Fulfil the Messianic Prophecies
They claim that he did not Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28). But the temple in Ezekiel is in fact The Church.
Ephesians 2:19-22
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
They say that the true Messiah would gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel. What they don’t understand is that Isaiah 43:5-6 is referring to Christ bringing all God’s covenant people of all nations (not just Jews) to himself and presenting them to The Father.
Isaiah 43:5-6
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory
Colossians 1:21-22
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
They claim that he would usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore."
Isaiah 2:4
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore
First of all there shall be peace without end after the second coming but also, se we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
They claim that Jesus has not spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel. As the majority of people in the world today call themselves Christians such a claim is ridiculous.
They claim he hasn‘t fulfilled this. "God will be King over all the world ? on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9) When he certainly has.
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:10-11)
.
They claim that Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of Messiah
A. Messiah as Prophet
Zionist Jews make the claim that prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry, a situation which has not existed since 300 BCE. This of course is nonsense and furthermore it makes their claim to the Eritz illegitimate too. (Which of course it is.)
They claim that if Jesus was the son of God he couldn’t be the son of David. He was the son of David on his mothers side too.
They claim that Jesus changed the law when he did not.
Matthew 5:17
[ The Fulfillment of the Law ] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
The idea that Jesus broke the law by healing the blind man on the Sabbath is ridiculous. The fact that the the apostle John mentioned the Pharisees reaction demonstrates that the gospel writer thought they were being ridiculous too.
They also claim certain verses are mistranslated.
A. Virgin Birth
They claim that in Isaiah 7:14 describing an "alma" as giving birth. The word "alma" has always meant a young woman, but Christian theologians came centuries later and translated it as "virgin." This accords Jesus' birth with the first century pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by gods. Of course as the virgin birth is mentioned in all four gospels that were written by people who knew Jesus the claim is also ridiculous. Furthermore an alma is a young woman not married if she was not married then logic would lead us to assume she was a virgin.
B. Suffering Servant
They claim that Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the Jews ("Israel") are regarded as one unit. Throughout Jewish scripture, Israel is repeatedly called, in the singular, the "Servant of God" .In fact, Isaiah states no less than 11 times in the chapters prior to 53 that the Servant of God is Israel. When read correctly, Isaiah 53 clearly [and ironically] refers to the Jewish people being "bruised.
Sounds convincing doesn’t it?
Isaiah 53:5
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
According to their version of this by Israel’s wounds, Israel is healed. It makes no sense whatsoever now does it?
Another claim is that Jewish Belief is Based Solely on National Revelation
Isaiah 56:7
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.
Saturday, 10 July 2010
The Deception of Christian Zionism.
The Deception of Christian Zionism.
According to wikipedia
----
Christian Zionism is a belief among some Christians that the return of the Jews to the Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, is in accordance with Biblical prophecy. It overlaps with, but is distinct from, the nineteenth century movement for the Restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land, which had both religiously and politically motivated supporters. The term Christian Zionism was popularised in the mid-twentieth century. Prior to that time the common term was Restorationism.
Some Christian Zionists believe that the "ingathering" of Jews in Israel is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus. This belief is primarily, though not exclusively, associated with Christian Dispensationalism. The idea that Christians should actively support a Jewish return to the Land of Israel, along with the parallel idea that the Jews ought to be encouraged to become Christian, as a means fulfilling a Biblical prophecy has been common in Protestant circles since the Reformation.
Many Christian Zionists believe that the people of Israel remain part of the chosen people of God, see also Dual-covenant theology, along with the ingrafted Gentile Christians[Romans 11:17-24 This has the added effect of turning Christian Zionists into supporters of Jewish Zionism
Zionism (Hebrew: , Tsiyonut) is a nationalist Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, calls for the self-determination of the Jewish people and a sovereign, Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to support and advocate on behalf of the Jewish state.
Zionism did not have a uniform ideology, but a plethora of ideologies: General Zionism, National-Religious Zionism, Labor Zionism, Revisionist Zionism, etc. Shimoni (1995) shows that there existed among the parties a common denominator: the claim to Eretz Israel as the national homeland of the Jews and as the legitimate focus for the national self-determination of the Jews.
Zionism is based on historical ties and religious traditions linking the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. Almost two millennia after the Jewish diaspora, the modern Zionist movement, beginning in the late 19th century, was mainly founded by secular Jews, largely as a response by Ashkenazi Jews (German Jews) to antisemitism and the Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire.
---
In reality Zionism is a political ideology that sometimes masquerades as a religious ideology for political gain. In some cases it is a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the scriptures to get Christian support for the political ideology. Orthodox Jews believe that they have no claim to the Eritz until Messiah comes. Until such time The Eritz is The Lords and everything in it (Psalm 24:1) As the Wikipedia article on Zionism says was ‘mainly founded by secular Jews largely as a response …………. to antisemitism’ From this we can deduce that Zionism’s origins are secular and not religious. In fact it was founded as a response to Nazism. Nazism is an evil political ideology based on race and Zionism is an evil political ideology based on race.
The deception towards Christians is that God has kept his covenant with the Jews. God is not a bigamist. Christ has but one Bride and she is The Church.
Hebrews 8:13
By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
If the old covenant was soon to disappear in the first century there can’t be much left of it now. The Temple sacrifices disappeared in 70 AD because the system was obsolete. Dispensationalists don’t believe this. They believe that the temple mentioned in the book of Ezekiel needs to be built when the temple in Ezekiel is in fact The Church. They talk about the measurements that can be explained by Hebrew Numerology. But the heresy of the temple needing to be built is more serious than that because if the temple in Ezekiel is not the Church then Jesus is not the Messiah.
If the temple in Ezekiel is not the Church then Jesus is not the Messiah.
The fact that the temple in Ezekiel has not been physically built is the Jews best excuse for not accepting Jesus as the Messiah but as it is the Church it is an excuse that is not legitimate.
The Church is the temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
Ephesians 2:19-22
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Also, if the temple in Ezekiel is not the Church then Jesus was not the final sacrifice and the epistles are just waffle. We could keep the gospels for the good rabbinic teaching .
Jesus is the final sacrifice.
Hebrews 7:27
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
.
Christian Zionist are also being deceived into believing that the state of Israel is in fulfilment to biblical prophecy. The prophecies they use were fulfilled in the time of Nehemiah.
Also, the promise was to Abraham and his ‘seed’ not ‘seeds’
Galatians 3:15-17
15Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise
The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established.
Galatians 3:28-29
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
If you belong to Christ you are Abraham’s seed. If you do not belong to Christ you are not Abraham’s seed. It doesn’t matter, if you are Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, if you belong to Christ you are Abraham’s seed and if you do not belong to Christ you are not Abraham’s seed.
Abraham’s seed is Christ and those who belong to Christ. They are The people of God, a a royal priesthood and a holy nation.
God’s holy nation is The Church. The one nation under God there is and ever will be is The Christ’s Church.
The Church is Israel. The Church isn’t ‘spiritual’ Israel. The Church is Israel. The church is the people of Israel. . Israel was The Church and The Church is Israel. Israel is Abraham’s seed and Abraham’s seed is Christ and those who belong to him. We have come to Zion.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Hebrews 12:22
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
The Church is the bride of Christ. Christ is the bishop of our souls. The Bible says that a bishop must be a man of but one wife because Christ is a man of but one wife The Church. The Church is called The Bride of Christ, not A bride but THE bride.
The covenant is with Abraham and Abraham’s seed which is Christ. We belong to Christ because of Covenant.
God is The Faithful Husband.
According to wikipedia
----
Christian Zionism is a belief among some Christians that the return of the Jews to the Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, is in accordance with Biblical prophecy. It overlaps with, but is distinct from, the nineteenth century movement for the Restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land, which had both religiously and politically motivated supporters. The term Christian Zionism was popularised in the mid-twentieth century. Prior to that time the common term was Restorationism.
Some Christian Zionists believe that the "ingathering" of Jews in Israel is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus. This belief is primarily, though not exclusively, associated with Christian Dispensationalism. The idea that Christians should actively support a Jewish return to the Land of Israel, along with the parallel idea that the Jews ought to be encouraged to become Christian, as a means fulfilling a Biblical prophecy has been common in Protestant circles since the Reformation.
Many Christian Zionists believe that the people of Israel remain part of the chosen people of God, see also Dual-covenant theology, along with the ingrafted Gentile Christians[Romans 11:17-24 This has the added effect of turning Christian Zionists into supporters of Jewish Zionism
Zionism (Hebrew: , Tsiyonut) is a nationalist Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, calls for the self-determination of the Jewish people and a sovereign, Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to support and advocate on behalf of the Jewish state.
Zionism did not have a uniform ideology, but a plethora of ideologies: General Zionism, National-Religious Zionism, Labor Zionism, Revisionist Zionism, etc. Shimoni (1995) shows that there existed among the parties a common denominator: the claim to Eretz Israel as the national homeland of the Jews and as the legitimate focus for the national self-determination of the Jews.
Zionism is based on historical ties and religious traditions linking the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. Almost two millennia after the Jewish diaspora, the modern Zionist movement, beginning in the late 19th century, was mainly founded by secular Jews, largely as a response by Ashkenazi Jews (German Jews) to antisemitism and the Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire.
---
In reality Zionism is a political ideology that sometimes masquerades as a religious ideology for political gain. In some cases it is a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the scriptures to get Christian support for the political ideology. Orthodox Jews believe that they have no claim to the Eritz until Messiah comes. Until such time The Eritz is The Lords and everything in it (Psalm 24:1) As the Wikipedia article on Zionism says was ‘mainly founded by secular Jews largely as a response …………. to antisemitism’ From this we can deduce that Zionism’s origins are secular and not religious. In fact it was founded as a response to Nazism. Nazism is an evil political ideology based on race and Zionism is an evil political ideology based on race.
The deception towards Christians is that God has kept his covenant with the Jews. God is not a bigamist. Christ has but one Bride and she is The Church.
Hebrews 8:13
By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
If the old covenant was soon to disappear in the first century there can’t be much left of it now. The Temple sacrifices disappeared in 70 AD because the system was obsolete. Dispensationalists don’t believe this. They believe that the temple mentioned in the book of Ezekiel needs to be built when the temple in Ezekiel is in fact The Church. They talk about the measurements that can be explained by Hebrew Numerology. But the heresy of the temple needing to be built is more serious than that because if the temple in Ezekiel is not the Church then Jesus is not the Messiah.
If the temple in Ezekiel is not the Church then Jesus is not the Messiah.
The fact that the temple in Ezekiel has not been physically built is the Jews best excuse for not accepting Jesus as the Messiah but as it is the Church it is an excuse that is not legitimate.
The Church is the temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
Ephesians 2:19-22
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Also, if the temple in Ezekiel is not the Church then Jesus was not the final sacrifice and the epistles are just waffle. We could keep the gospels for the good rabbinic teaching .
Jesus is the final sacrifice.
Hebrews 7:27
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
.
Christian Zionist are also being deceived into believing that the state of Israel is in fulfilment to biblical prophecy. The prophecies they use were fulfilled in the time of Nehemiah.
Also, the promise was to Abraham and his ‘seed’ not ‘seeds’
Galatians 3:15-17
15Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise
The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established.
Galatians 3:28-29
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
If you belong to Christ you are Abraham’s seed. If you do not belong to Christ you are not Abraham’s seed. It doesn’t matter, if you are Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, if you belong to Christ you are Abraham’s seed and if you do not belong to Christ you are not Abraham’s seed.
Abraham’s seed is Christ and those who belong to Christ. They are The people of God, a a royal priesthood and a holy nation.
God’s holy nation is The Church. The one nation under God there is and ever will be is The Christ’s Church.
The Church is Israel. The Church isn’t ‘spiritual’ Israel. The Church is Israel. The church is the people of Israel. . Israel was The Church and The Church is Israel. Israel is Abraham’s seed and Abraham’s seed is Christ and those who belong to him. We have come to Zion.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Hebrews 12:22
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
The Church is the bride of Christ. Christ is the bishop of our souls. The Bible says that a bishop must be a man of but one wife because Christ is a man of but one wife The Church. The Church is called The Bride of Christ, not A bride but THE bride.
The covenant is with Abraham and Abraham’s seed which is Christ. We belong to Christ because of Covenant.
God is The Faithful Husband.
Friday, 9 July 2010
The False Doctrine of Eternal Punishment.
At the time when the KJV was written there was a lot of puritanical fire and brimstone preaching around, hence the word ‘hell’ appears more in the KJV than any other translation. All the references to ‘hell in the Old Testament are a translation of the Hebrew word Shoel. All other translation are more in line with the ancient Jewish concept of ‘shoel’
Shoel corresponds to Hades. It was the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat) This was in line with the ancients scientific understanding off a three tier universe. It included its inhabitants and also meant the grave.
The first time the KJV translators used it was in Deuteronomy 32:22
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
First of all note that the fire was in Gods anger and not in the lowest hell
The NIV says “For a fire has been kindled by my wrath,
one that burns to the realm of death below.
It will devour the earth and its harvests
and set afire the foundations of the mountains.”
It’s saying that even his anger destroys death. This is hyperbole though in Christ his anger really did destroy death.
The next reference is 2 Samuel 22:6
The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
It could have been translated as “The sorrows of the grave compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;”
We can do every reference.
Job 11:8 KJV
It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Job 11:8 NIV
8 They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths of the grave —what can you know?
Psalm 9:17 KJV
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Psalm 9:17 NIV
17 The wicked return to the grave,
all the nations that forget God.
Before I explain all the apparent references to a place of eternal torment in the New Testament I’d like to destroy the ‘Hell is eternal seperation from God’ doctrine with the King James Translation.
Psalm 139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psalm 139:8 (N.C.V)
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there.
If I lie down in the grave, you are there.
What the psalmist is saying is from the bottom of the ocean to billions of light years in space God is there.
In the New Testament there are three different Greek words translated as ‘hell’ Gehenna (used figuratively as a place of eternal punishment.) when Jesus was using classic Middle Eastern hyperbole. Gehenna wass where they burnt the city rubbish. It was a dark gloomy place with fires raging. Here's what it looks like today.
Hades (corresponding to Shoel) and tartarus (The deepest part of Hades according to their understanding of a three tier universe.)
Concerning Gehenna Matthew 5:22, Matthew 5:30, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 18:9, Matthew 23:15, Matthew 23:33, Mark 9:45, Mark 9:47, Luke 12:5, James 3:6 are all instances when Jesus was using classic Middle Eastern hyperbole.
Concerning Hades Acts 2:27 and Acts 2:31 show how the prophecy of the messiah conquering Shoel has come to pass through Christ.
In Matthew 11:23 and Luke 10:15 is Jesus using hyperbole again How could it be worse for Capernaum than it was for Sodom and Gomorrah? They were utterly destroyed to the point where was absolutely nothing left of them!
Now in the region of Caesarea Philippi, there is a landmark where water comes out of what appears to be a bottomless hole that the locals called ‘The Gates of Hades’ Jesus was using local geography to reveal a fantastic truth. Hades/Shoel/The Grave shall not prevail against the church because Jesus was to conquer Hades/Shoel/The Grave.
Matthew 16:16-18 (N.I.V)
16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
On the revelation from Heaven that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God Christ is building his church and Hades/Shoel/The Grave will not prevail against it because he has conquered Hades/Shoel/The Grave.
Luke 16:23 is not literal. Jesus is speaking a Parable. Lazarus the beggar was a gentile who accepted Christ while the rich man was a Jew who would now be in torment still waiting for the messiah to come.
If The Rich Man and Lazarus is literal then the Rich Man and the Shrewd Manager must be literal too.
Of course there are other kinds of hell and sometimes Christians can be to honest.
Shoel corresponds to Hades. It was the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat) This was in line with the ancients scientific understanding off a three tier universe. It included its inhabitants and also meant the grave.
The first time the KJV translators used it was in Deuteronomy 32:22
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
First of all note that the fire was in Gods anger and not in the lowest hell
The NIV says “For a fire has been kindled by my wrath,
one that burns to the realm of death below.
It will devour the earth and its harvests
and set afire the foundations of the mountains.”
It’s saying that even his anger destroys death. This is hyperbole though in Christ his anger really did destroy death.
The next reference is 2 Samuel 22:6
The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
It could have been translated as “The sorrows of the grave compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;”
We can do every reference.
Job 11:8 KJV
It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Job 11:8 NIV
8 They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths of the grave —what can you know?
Psalm 9:17 KJV
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Psalm 9:17 NIV
17 The wicked return to the grave,
all the nations that forget God.
Before I explain all the apparent references to a place of eternal torment in the New Testament I’d like to destroy the ‘Hell is eternal seperation from God’ doctrine with the King James Translation.
Psalm 139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psalm 139:8 (N.C.V)
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there.
If I lie down in the grave, you are there.
What the psalmist is saying is from the bottom of the ocean to billions of light years in space God is there.
In the New Testament there are three different Greek words translated as ‘hell’ Gehenna (used figuratively as a place of eternal punishment.) when Jesus was using classic Middle Eastern hyperbole. Gehenna wass where they burnt the city rubbish. It was a dark gloomy place with fires raging. Here's what it looks like today.
Hades (corresponding to Shoel) and tartarus (The deepest part of Hades according to their understanding of a three tier universe.)
Concerning Gehenna Matthew 5:22, Matthew 5:30, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 18:9, Matthew 23:15, Matthew 23:33, Mark 9:45, Mark 9:47, Luke 12:5, James 3:6 are all instances when Jesus was using classic Middle Eastern hyperbole.
Concerning Hades Acts 2:27 and Acts 2:31 show how the prophecy of the messiah conquering Shoel has come to pass through Christ.
In Matthew 11:23 and Luke 10:15 is Jesus using hyperbole again How could it be worse for Capernaum than it was for Sodom and Gomorrah? They were utterly destroyed to the point where was absolutely nothing left of them!
Now in the region of Caesarea Philippi, there is a landmark where water comes out of what appears to be a bottomless hole that the locals called ‘The Gates of Hades’ Jesus was using local geography to reveal a fantastic truth. Hades/Shoel/The Grave shall not prevail against the church because Jesus was to conquer Hades/Shoel/The Grave.
Matthew 16:16-18 (N.I.V)
16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
On the revelation from Heaven that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God Christ is building his church and Hades/Shoel/The Grave will not prevail against it because he has conquered Hades/Shoel/The Grave.
Luke 16:23 is not literal. Jesus is speaking a Parable. Lazarus the beggar was a gentile who accepted Christ while the rich man was a Jew who would now be in torment still waiting for the messiah to come.
If The Rich Man and Lazarus is literal then the Rich Man and the Shrewd Manager must be literal too.
Of course there are other kinds of hell and sometimes Christians can be to honest.
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