Posted on 04/18/2015 1:43:01 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Yes, but he never assigned to the Jews, who rejected Christ, and still reject Christ, the pivotal role in God’s plan for salvation. Judaism has no place for Jesus; it still looks for the messiah. You are a Christian, and it is not due to the testimony of someone who embraces Judaism.
Well ... Jesus was a Jew, in the line of David, a King of Israel, the Old Testament was written by specially chosen Jews of God, and the New Testament, likewise by God’s specially chosen Jews ... both Old and New Testaments being the whole Word of God, and the first Christians were Jews, and the first church was a Jewish church ... and the entire foundation that we have today was entirely 100% of the Jews. And then when the Jewish Messiah returns, he is seated on the Throne of David, which is Jewish, ruling over the nations of the world from Jerusalem, which is the Jewish capital of Israel and Israel is the head nation of the world, ruling over all the other nations of the world.
As God has told us ...
Romans 11
1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?
4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”
9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always.”
11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.
15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,
31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
I know, I know, but Judaism has no part in God’s plan of salvation, your original point. You need to write the people who put on that new Bible series, who have John and Mary black, and Jesus as Hispanic. I know I’m horrible, but that is laughable. Long ago, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote an essay on how to evaluate a work of literature. It has to be believable, which he called a suspension of disbelief, since everyone knows it is possibly fiction. That casting interrupts my ability to suspend disbelief.
The plan of salvation was conceived by God ... the Father, Son and Holy Spirit before the creation of the world, and has been carried forth continuously since creation and through the Jews and Israel, as said in God’s Word from Genesis through Revelation, and leaving nothing out in any of the Old Testament or New Testament ... with much of the Old Testament’s promises to Israel being fulfilled at the future time of Israel being the shining light to the world as God intended. There will still be those who will be saved, in that future one-world government, when Israel is the ruling nation over all other nations, and when Ezekiel’s Temple is built at that future time ... so the work of Salvation will still go on at that time, but with Israel being in its rightful place in the world, finally.
But as a side note here, outside of what God says in the Old and New Testaments, I’m not sure how Judaism got into this. I know I didn’t mention it. I don’t call the Old Testament Judaism and the New Testament Christianity ... I call the entire a Bible from beginning to end, God’s plan of Salvation, through the Jews, with the Messiah of Israel being the only way for that salvation individually.
You should’ve just stopped at “yes”.
Israel and the Jews are ought to be in our hearts and minds and have our support. Blessing them is blessing God, and He will move on that nation at the time He sees fit.
They won’t, as a nation, reject the Messiah forever. Chosen People Ministries and other modes of outreach are bringing the Gospel to them. Meanwhile, we continue to hold them dear to our souls, hearts and minds.
+1
“I’m not sure how Judaism got into this.”
Judaism is the state religion of Israel. A tenet of Judaism, the only one I’m familiar with, is a rejection of Christ. My point is that a nation that rejects Christ, from its inception, is not being used in the plan of salvation. God loves Jews, not because they are Jews, but because they are humans.
Sure it is ... :-) ... Even though the leaders of Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, corporately. Individually many Jews accepted Jesus as the Messiah and Christianity has its “basis for being” as strictly and solely JEWISH, until later when Gentiles were brought in.
As Paul said, God specifically blinded the Jews for the BENEFIT of the Gentiles. And THAT was the plan of God to do so ... by his infinite wisdom.
Romans 11
7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”
. . .
11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
— — —
God has chosen Israel to fully demonstrate who he is, what he is, what he thinks and how he thinks and his infinite love, alongside his righteousness ... all of this through Israel, with Israel being justified, sanctified and elevated above all other nations of the world at the completion of his plan for this earth and for humankind!
At the present time, we are seeing the ACTUAL FULFILLMENT of the “Dry Bones Prophecy” of Israel. This is happening AS WE SPEAK and is a momentous occasion, in that you are actually seeing the “hand of God” working with Israel right at this very moment!
—
Ezekiel 37
1 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ‘ “
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ‘ “
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ “
—
Romans 11
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,
31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
— — —
AND ... yes God did choose the Jews as a SPECIAL PEOPLE for Himself, and apart from the fact that they are also “human beings” ...
Deuteronomy 7
6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
10 and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.
11 Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.
And in case anyone forgets, up above God says it was IN HIS PLAN to blind the Jews for the benefit of the Gentiles until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in ... and then ... God restores Israel and the Jews as the SPECIAL PEOPLE UNTO GOD that they are and as the head nation of all nations in the world, ruling over all the other nations!
Then have fun in your "civil war"!
Yes; he is better than his dad in many ways. BG was effective in his Crusades with thousands coming forward to receive Christ. How many of them truly were saved and went on to live Spirit-filled lives? How many of them were caught up in the hype of the moment? We don’t know. There was no follow-up with these people, and no mentoring for growth. Also, in the ‘90s, in a TV interview, BG was more than squishy in answering the question of whether Jews go to heaven.
He was careful to live a life above reproach, and it appears that nothing about his organization was/is scandalous with finances, etc. You can’t say that about many evangelists in the public eye in this day and age.
Franklin is not the showman his father is but he has a stronger testimony, and he’s more in the trenches in his efforts. Ditto for his sister. After reading his autobiography, it seemed that the kids’ spiritual decisions were due to their mother’s influence, as his dad was absent. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but IIRC, Billy didn’t speak to the kids much regarding salvation. (I could be wrong, but that’s what I recall.)
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