Posted on 03/20/2024 5:44:02 PM PDT by grumpa
“And I will establish my covenant between you and Me, and you and your offspring after you, through their generations for an everlasting covenant. . . and I will give to you and your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” (Genesis 17:7-8; cf. Genesis 13:15; 48:4; Isaiah 60:21)
“The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as He has sworn to you, IF you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. . . But IF you will not obey. . . the LORD will send on you curses. . . until you are destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 28:9, 15, 20. See also Joshua 23:15-16; 1 Kings 9:6-9, and Zechariah 11:10)
Errors of biblical interpretation arise for several reasons, including:
1. Failure to reconcile all passages on the same topic, especially when they seem to be different. 2. Erroneous presuppositions from errors arising from one’s denominational echo chamber (“mass formation hypnosis”). 3. Confusing new covenant things with old covenant things.
The two passages above from Genesis and Deuteronomy appear to be contradictory. On the one hand, God’s promises to Israel are everlasting. On the other hand, they are contingent on obedience. How do we reconcile these? Here’s how:
“God’s promises to Israel were forever so long as they were obedient. If they fail the obedience test, the promises are null and void. There is a limit to God’s patience.”
Was Israel obedient? NO. Because of this disobedience, God took the blessings of the covenant away from the Jews as we see in such passages as this from the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-45):
“Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. . . When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that He was speaking about them.” (Matthew 21:43, 45)― leaving a remnant of faithful Jews to be saved along with believers in Christ―the new Israel of God (Romans 11).
The Old Testament declared that the land promises to Israel had been fulfilled (Joshua 21:43-45; 23:14-15). The New Testament declares that all God’s covenant promises were fulfilled in Jesus (Luke 1:54-55, 69-75; 2 Corinthians 1:20). Jesus was the ultimate offspring of Abraham (Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16). The new covenant began at the cross, being announced at the Last Supper when Jesus declared “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant is eternal (Hebrews 13:20). There is no third covenant and no backpedaling to the first.
“In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13)
The old covenant was ready to VANISH AWAY. It was imminent. That is completely clear. You just cannot whitewash that without doing violence to the text! The ceremonial aspects of the old covenant (especially the sacrificial system) went away when the temple was destroyed in AD 70. Only the moral aspects of the Law remained, as the New Testament re-affirmed at least nine of the Ten Commandments as valid.
But, why did God take the blessings of the kingdom away from the Jews? ANSWER:
1. They were exceeding sinful (Matthew 12:38-39; 16:4; 23:13-38; Luke 9:41).
2. They broke the old covenant (Hebrews 8:8-9).
3. They persecuted and killed Jesus’ followers (Matthew 21:34-36; 22:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16; Revelation 18:20-24). Indeed, according to Jesus, the first century Jews would suffer the penalty for all the righteous blood ever shed (Matthew 23:35-36).
4. They refused to accept Jesus as Messiah (Matthew 23:37).
5. They participated with Rome in Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 21:37-39; 27:24-26; John 19:15.)
Is God finished with Israel? Yes, but only old-covenant Israel, not new-covenant Israel.
The truly everlasting covenant would be the New Covenant in Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 37:26-27; Hebrews 13:20)―a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28).
Continuing to pimp your blog.....after you continue to be discredited night after night.
Well, we know Elijah and Enoch are with God as well as Moses. After that it is speculation.
Preterism IS heresy ... no question about it.
David must be with God. Psalm 23.
`I read your article and reread it again...if there is a God he doesn’t make mistakes, if not then he’s just like the he/she/whatever that are just like the folks that invented him...
Nonsense. God’s promises are forever - He is not a man, that He should lie.
“God is not a man that He should lie, nor is He a mortal that He should relent. Would He say and not do, speak and not fulfill?” Number 23:19
His promises to the nation of Israel - those descended from Jacob - either have been or will be fulfilled. However, God does provide for real world punishment if the nation sins too much - He will withdraw His protection and allow the natural course of things to take place (like a weak Israel falling to Babylon), or sometimes He unleashes calamity. And while no specific Jew has a guarantee of a long, healthy and trouble-free life, He has promised eternal life to the Jewish people. Individuals and even communities can die or be wiped out, but not the people as a whole - and so far God has kept His word. I expect no less, because He is not a man that He would lu
Covenant theology. Lazier than a bloodhound on the porch.
Yep. If a promise is conditional then it’s not broken if the condition is not kept.
When someone asks you “what is [the nation of] Israel?”, how do you answer?
I am unaware of any Biblical definition of ‘nation’, maybe ‘medinah’? Hebrew ‘am’ is ‘people of’. An Israelite is born of a Jewish mother or a convert according to traditional Jewish law.
By that reckoning, King David wasn't Israelite -- his great-grandmother was Ruth the Moabitess, and his great-great-grandmother was Rahab the Jericho-ite
Both of whom were converts to Judaism.
You're really not very good at this.
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