[Alamo-Girl]

Hi there, dear Buggman! Indeed, long time, no see.

And what fascinating insights you have brought to the discussion. It's a great example of why I look forward to reading your posts!

Your explanation of Satan's focus on Israel is particularly interesting. But no matter what he tries, no matter how many he influences, God will not cast off the seed of Israel for what they've done.

But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, [and] the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts [is] his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, [then] the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. - Jer 31:33-37

And again I find xzins' insights pertinent to your description of what's going with Satan. God could poof him out of existence at any time.

Instead, we see God's mercy and judgment writ large - Satan has enough rope to hang himself, personally - and so do we, personally.

[betty boop]

Your explanation of Satan's focus on Israel is particularly interesting. But no matter what [Satan] tries, no matter how many he influences, God will not cast off the seed of Israel for what they've done.

That is my spiritual leaning also, dearest sister in Christ. Israel is God's chosen people — chosen for His good purpose. He's been chastising Israel for 4,000 years and counting — but He loves them as His firstborn; and will never leave them, nor fail to fulfill His promise to them.

THAT is inconceivable. For God does not lie.

Not for nothing did Pope John-Paul II refer to the Jews as the "elder brother" of us all.

Thank you so much for your glorious essay/post, dearest sister in Christ!

[Buggman]

But no matter what he tries, no matter how many he influences, God will not cast off the seed of Israel for what they've done.

Amen. It's a pity that so many inadverantly call the Holy One a lawyer and try to read "all Israel shall be saved" as "1% of Israel shall be saved."

Shalom.

[Buggman]

Hi there, dear Buggman! Indeed, long time, no see.

Yeah, sorry about that. I found myself blessed with a wife and 7-year-old daughter all at once in June. The wedding prep beforehand and learning to be both a husband and a father afterwards have greatly limited my time. Definitely worth it, of course. I read FR through the day, but rarely have enough time to post more than a sentence or two.

Shalom.

[topcat54]

Here is an interesting and, I believe, helpful article on the subject.

Towards a Reformed Israelology