Posted on 04/12/2010 10:53:10 PM PDT by TaraP
Thought you might like to read this article...
So we come to a close with the question: Why did Paul mention this priority of the Jews in Romans 1:16? "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also to the Greek"? What effect should it have?
Being influenced by Romans 11:17-32, I think the answer is that Paul wants to humble both Jew and Greek and make them deeply aware that they depend entirely on mercy, not on themselves or their tradition or ethnic connections. To the Gentiles he says, in essence, salvation is of the Jews. You are not being saved by your Greek culture - or any other culture. You are being saved by a salvation that comes through the despised Semitic people called the Jews. "You do not support the root [of the Abrahamic covenant], the root supports you." So do not boast over the branches (Romans 11:18). We Gentiles are saved by becoming, as it were, spiritual Jews (Romans 2:28-29). This should humble us and strip us of any arrogance and boasting in any presumed ethnic superiority. It also should vanquish anti-Semitism and fill us with zeal for evangelism to Jews.
Similarly, Paul says to the Jews, your salvation is not your own. It is God's and he gives it to whom he pleases. He can raise up from stones - even Gentile stones! - children to Abraham (Matthew 3:9). The words "also to the Greek" in Romans 1:16 would have been as offensive to the Jews as the words "to the Jew first" were to the Gentiles. What they thought were Jewish prerogatives are, in fact, shared by the lowliest Gentiles who believe. Both of us are being humbled. We Gentiles must humble ourselves to be saved through a Jewish Messiah and a Jewish covenant. Jews must humble themselves to receive unclean Gentiles into full covenant membership and share all the blessings of the promise of Abraham.
The whole point is that God is the One who has mercy. Ethnicity is not decisive here. There is no merit with him. We are all sinners. So the real emphasis falls back on that wonderful word "everyone" that we started with: "The Gospel is the power of God to everyone who believes." So, whether Jew or Gentile, believe! And receive the power of God to save you from your sins and guilt and death and judgment and hell, and bring you home to ever-increasing joy in his presence forever and ever.
~ John Piper
This guy does not have a clue. How many Jesus does he think there is?
What I got from this article is that GOD did not foresake Israel because of thier dis-obedience. If he did what would that mean for the rest of the world?
Israel is the pivotol point not only for the Jews but for the gentiles that were grafted in....
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
~ John 15:1-5
I disagree with this. I know of no reformed theologian who subscribes to replacement theory (it doesn't mean they don't exist, but I'm questioning the "minority" statement).
It's popular in evangelicalism among those who think the time of the Jewish people has past, but reformed theologians see no good hermeneutical reason to see Israel in the New Testament as anything other than actual Israel.
I also think the answer is pretty simple to the question “Who are those who claim to be Jews but are not?” According to Revelation 2:8-11, it is the Jewish person who was slandering and afflicting those who belonged to Christ. The devil put some of the people of Smyrna in prison, and they were persecuted for 10 days. Some lost their lives.
According to Revelation 2:12-13, Pergamum was Satan’s throne. The Christians did not renounce their faith in Jesus, even though there was calamity in the time of Antipas, who was put to death.
The “liars” in Revelation 3:9 describes the slander against the Christians, which in turn renders them liars when they claim to be Jews. Someone following after God would not slander a fellow human being.
The theme of overcoming this hostility is prevalent in the messages to the seven churches.
THANKS.
May not get to it until I’m up for good or even this evening.
Definitely so... and just a quick scan of it... I can see that’s the case... for sure... thanks...
What I got from this article is that GOD did not foresake Israel because of thier dis-obedience. If he did what would that mean for the rest of the world?
Israel is the pivotol point not only for the Jews but for the gentiles that were grafted in....
Absolutely so.... thanks for pointing that out very clearly...
Threescore and ten years for Israel is 2018. We are given three score and ten years.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
Along with titles like Pontifex Maximus. The chief bridge builder from this world to Satan's world. The Throne of Satan moved to Pergamum for Babylon,
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
So are you saying the 7 yr tribulation will start in year 2012? and 2015 is the last 3 yrs of the outlined in the Book of Daniel?
This is what I am hearing lately.
Beginning of sorrows for the *Last Generation* 2008
2015 return of Christ based on the *eclipses*
Making 2008 the 7 yr Tribulation....
If the 7 yr tribulation started in 2012 then I assume 2018 would be the return of Christ based on 7 years....
I know many faithful Christians that are not trying to date set Christ’s return, as no one knows the day and time, it is a way I believe how much more time we have to endure (The Spirit of the Antichrist) in this perilous chaotic world....
If what Blitz states is true, then how significant is the dates...
2015
2018?
Biltz explains. “So then I looked at last century, and, believe it or not, the last time that four blood red moons occurred together was in 1967 and 1968 tied to Jerusalem recaptured by Israel.”
He then started to notice a pattern of the tetrads.
“What’s significant to me is that even before 1967, the next time that you had four blood red moons again was right after Israel became a nation in ‘48, it happened again in 1949 and 1950 ... on Passover and Succoth. You didn’t have any astronomical tetrads in the 1800s, the 1700s, the 1600s. In the 1500s, there were six, but none of those fell on Passover and Succoth.”
When checking the schedule for solar eclipses, Biltz found two one on the first day of the Hebrew year and the next on the high holy day of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh Hebrew month. Both of these take place in the 2014-2015 year.
Biltz says, “You have the religious year beginning with the total solar eclipse, two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover, and then the civil year beginning with the solar eclipse followed two weeks later by another total blood red moon on the Feast of Succoth all in 2015.”
“If you think that this is a coincidence, I want you to know that it’s time!” exclaimed Prophecy in the News host J.R. Church. “There are no more of these for the rest of the century.”
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
J.R. Church just noted on his daily webcast :
Psalm 111 begins with Hallelu'yah
Psalm 112 begins with Hallelu'yah
Psalm 113 begins with Hallelu'yahPsalm 114 does not have Hallelu'yah
Psalm 115 ends with Hallelu'yah
Psalm 116 ends with Hallelu'yah,
Psalm 117 ends with Hallelu'yahIt appears to be a menorah without a servant lamp !
A seven year period without YHvH at the center ( anti-christ ? )
Psalm 118 is Messianic
I still think that’s an incredibly profound Biblical fact . . . mysterious . . . but somehow profound in ways that will prove so ultimately.
Thx.
THX THX.
That's like saying all those godless, Jesus-hating, Democrats that make up organizations like AIPAC and who "support" political Israel are automatically on GOD'S side and worthy of "blessing", while Reformed theologians with differing interpretations of eschatology yet who indiscriminately love and seek the conversion of both Jews and Gentiles are of the Devil.
The article's writer makes it sound as if Reformed theologians funnel money to HAMAS or something.
The only people who are doing Satan's bidding are the ones who do not seek for the Jews to repent or long to see them come to the true faith.
Not only that, there are people think that by initiating war in the Middle East, they can help "speed up" the End Times process and "help" bring about GOD'S plan, rather than in trusting GOD's Sovereignty and His own ability to carry out His plans and promises.
Then there are those people who think that merely by politically supporting Israel, GOD will bless our nation even while we spit in His face in every way imaginable with our lifestyles! How can GOD bless a nation that aborts thousands of children a day, where more than half of all marriages end in divorce, that drinks the sin glorified on our TV sets like water? Did GOD ever say "well I'll disregard all that and bless you so long as you vote for Joe Lieberman?"
NO.
There are only two types of people in the world: those who know Jesus Christ, and those who do not. There is only one agenda that belongs to the Christian and that is the spreading of the Gospel and to bring people every corner of the world into worship of the One True King.
Romans 11 assures us that a notable remnant of Jews will be saved after the full number of Gentiles are grafted in. Until someone can point to me where Paul says "so therefore don't bother evangelizing," I will assume our Lord still calls for us to carry out the Great Commission without exception.
Whether Jew or Gentile, if one have not accepted Jesus Christ, they remain an enemy of GOD, under His wrath and judgment, blocked from all his blessings, and death will is knocking at their door, and nobody will have their ethnicity to boast of. Nobody can stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and say "but it's not my fault I died before the tribulation."
I never looked at it that way. Thanks!
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