A recent inter-faith dialogue conference between Jews and Muslims was aired on Al-Jazeera TV (Qatar). It was obviously successful… I found Muhammad Sadeq Al-Husseini’s statement especially amusing (but very typical, especially among the ‘moderate’ American):
“I ask a very simple question: A Zionist who walks, in civilian clothes, in the streets of Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Jaffa, or Haifa – is he as innocent as a Jew in the streets of New York? In my opinion, he is not innocent. He is an occupier, a plunder, and a reserves soldier, who might carry out a mission the next day in Gaza or the West Bank, or anywhere in the Islamic world.”
Not only is this hypocritical in almost every sense, but it’s also ridiculous. The fact that Gaza was mentioned made me chuckle considering what’s going on there now. First of all, how many cases are there where Zionists have blown themselves up in order to kill civilians? Not too many to say the least. When individuals try to say Judaism and Zionism are completely separate, that is in contradiction to a rather large group of people. Some of which I know. And I don’t foresee them going on any sporadic killing sprees… ever. Not that I’m a prophet or anything. And I’m pretty sure even if such cases were hidden, or caused to look like an Arab did it (for those who are convinced that the Jews are behind everything), they would still come nowhere near to the amount of Palestinian terrorism. Neither side is innocent – everyone has their trouble starters. I do understand how many Arabs are hardened toward the Jews, especially considering the refugee crisis (which was, by the way, prolonged by their own leaders – but that’s another topic) – but the problem is festering for a reason: hatred breeding. Do the math – and use the entire equation. This situation is more complex than making land concessions. I also love how so many link Zionism to Nazism (and make other ridiculous comparisons), then proceed to say Zionism is the problem and terrorists really have justification for doing what they do. Not to mention the distortion of history and thousands of books and videos depicting the Jew’s violent, blood-loving past/present. The lies are evident to anyone who has a little common sense and doesn’t read books with names like “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” And to be fair, there is an amount of anti-Arab propaganda out there as well. This whole situation is so twisted, it’s sickening. And I won’t even get into how ridiculous it is to hear a reader of the Qu’ran calling the Torah “shocking.” Um. Okay. Lets at least all be accountable and then some progress can be made. But I don’t see that happening in the near future. Ever, really. Man’s efforts = futile. No matter how genuine they are.
I could go on and totally trash talk a lot of points made, but I’ll probably be accused of being hateful. Or someone will try to turn the tables on all my points in which case I will scoff at them and come off as being even more ‘hateful’ after writing an eight page Microsoft Word document that no one will read. It’s that Anger Management plane scene in my life that I never seem to be able to escape. I’m really not hatefully angry… I’m just trying to make a point. So I’ll take a break. For now.
This isn’t a productive blog entry, I know. Just felt like blowing off some steam. In case I offended anyone: (I really don’t care, but I’m putting this disclaimer in so I can be politically correct for the first and last time in my life) I realize there are moderate Arabs out there. A lot more than some people would like to believe. I just tend to focus on the negative, because right now the negative is winning. And it’s extremely irritating. So before people start responding with things like… “Well if only those irresponsible Jews would accept the Saudi Initiative… The Arabs have the right to blow up yadayada because the Zionists took their land…” or “You’re the hypocritical one, the Jews blew up the twin towers and have you under their spell,” or something even remotely akin to that – just know that I disagree with you on many, many grounds which would require many different unproductive discussions on scads of topics. So don’t bother. But do know that I have no hatred in my heart toward anyone. Just great frustration toward those who enable liars. I believe in self defense and preservation. Sometimes that calls for extreme measures – but never does it call for unprecedented killing of innocent civilians in order to make a “statement.” That I will never stand by, no matter who’s doing it.
This is why I can’t sleep. There were two of them. I pulled back the covers and they attacked me. They have markings, which is shady. The day before I found three in my bathroom. Now they’re crawling around in my bed. If I die, it’s probably from spider poisoning or something. I just keep thinking of those horror stories where people go to the doctor because of an earache or inability to breathe out of their nose, only to find out they have a zillion spider eggs in their canal and it will take a delicate surgery to remove them. Or they have a rude awakening when little creatures start emerging from one of those places. Not a comforting thought. I think I’ll post ridiculous things on this blog now and then. Because it’s fun. And sometimes I don’t feel like thinking. Like now. Probably because there are killer spiders crawling around my room waiting to (im)plant their children in/on me.
The following is a short essay my cousin wrote for his final assignment in humanities class. You know, humanities – the class in which students are taught about how oppressive, imperialistic, inhumane and guile the U.S. is. (I can’t wait to see how self-hating the future generations of this nation are.) His assignment was to read a certain excerpt of John Perkins’ “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions.” Anyway, I thought this was interesting:
In the book, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” one-time showbiz game show host Chuck Barris contends he was a hit man for the CIA in the late 60s and 70s. This at the same time as filming “The Gong Show” every day in Los Angeles. Apparently he was able to fly to foreign countries, do the killing, and get back in time for the 8 a.m. taping of his show.
It’s entertaining reading, but complete fiction – which brings us to John Perkins’ book, “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.”
The basis of Perkins book is that the U.S. thrives best when it works to make other countries poor. The problem with that assertion is that American foreign policy refutes that throughout history. Although bashing this country is in vogue, no one bothered to ask Perkins why the U.S. would go to so much effort to make these countries poor, and then forgive their debts. In 2004, President Bush, the greatest wartime president the U.S. has ever seen, cancelled the debt of the world’s 18 poorest countries, including $17 billion to Nigeria, which was ruled by military dictators who seized power from 1966-1979 and 1983-1998. They weren’t a Democracy – they lost tens of billions of dollars and the U.S. wiped their debt out after they became a Democracy in 1999. That’s a pretty nice thing to do for a country that is as insignificant as Nigeria (much like we tried to liberate Iraq).
Yet Perkins writes that such debt ensures the loyalty of these poor countries. Then why would Bush give up that leverage and forgive the debt, something numerous past presidents have a history of doing?
The beauty of this country is that anyone can say anything and not end up in a Turkish prison, having their feet hit by a baseball bat. What I’ve learned in my four years in high school, is that people are allowed to believe what they want to believe, but that doesn’t make it the truth. It’s easy to dupe confused liberals who hate this country with wild and fantastic claims like the ones Perkins makes. But once scrutinized, it is easy to see the holes in the logic.
The U.S. organization behind the misdeeds he writes about – the National Security Agency – is not even involved in economics. It is restricted to protecting U.S. government communication systems and collecting communications from foreign entities. Now, they may have been tapping the phones of the leaders of such foreign countries, but surely they couldn’t have been involved in clandestine economic activities. That is unless a very large phone bill sent that country bankrupt.
And in reality, we all know that there is one man that did almost bring down the economic vitality of a country, nearly sending its citizens into poverty by his actions. But Jimmy Carter never wrote a book about how he managed to get inflation and interest rates in record highs before being replaced by the greatest modern president this country has ever had, Ronald Reagan.
In conclusion, the author shows his bias against this great country by whining that half the money spent on Iraq by the U.S. could provide clean water, adequate diets, sanitation services and basic education to this planet. I must question: Why is it this country’s duty to provide that for other countries who’d rather run up debt? Has anyone bothered to ask Nigeria why it runs up so much debt and still fails to provide the quality of life essentials the author thinks the U.S. is responsible for? It seems fairer to question the home country about why it can’t provide such basics, but still finds a way to spend $17 billion it doesn’t have.
Perkins asks, “We wonder why terrorists attack us?” I wonder. Why don’t the terrorists attack Nigeria? Surely Nigeria should be responsible for its citizens. Why attack the U.S. for the failure of other countries? It is upon that upside-down, nonsensical illogic that all liberalism is based.
It’s the same problem with torture. Which country is the most criticized in this world for torture? The U.S. And yet, everyone realizes that the Middle East countries routinely use it and yet are not questioned or criticized by the liberal media.
I find it laughable that the author calls the U.S. the first “truly global empire.” Apparently, he must have went to a pretty liberal group of schools that didn’t teach history until the Vietnam war and just fast forwarded to that. One of the most famous historical sayings is, “The sun never sets on the British empire.” In 1937, England had land possessions in each of the 24 time zones on this planet. The U.S. needs to invade about 18 more countries if we are to meet Perkins’ faulty accusations. So we have a lot of catching up to do.
I hope the next Humanities assignments you give to future students is based more on facts – such as Spiderman 3. Now Spiderman could bring down the economy of a third world country, no doubt.
The ironic thing is that Perkins is now among the elite rich in this country he so criticizes because he duped the far left into believing his lies. But as the saying goes, “No one has ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the liberal American.” It’s also ironic that Perkins claims that his personal friend, Jaime Roldos, was killed by the U.S. when Roldos was well known for trying to set up a Democracy. Then, Perkins contradicts himself by criticizing the US effort to make Iraq a Democracy. He implies we killed one president for trying to spread Democracy and then assails the U.S. for going to war to start Democracy in Iraq.
In conclusion, Ecuador exports 387,000 barrels of oil a day. If the U.S. took every drop of that oil, it would account for less than 3 percent of its oil imports. That’s not enough to raise the price of gas two cents. If Ecuador were to cut off all oil to the U.S., it’s slack could easily be replaced by US oil reserves, or Saudi Arabia, which routinely exports additional oil to pick up for slacking OPEC countries. Because of this, it seems rather ridiculous our country would spend so much time trying to topple a man who is attempting to spread Democracy in his country, while we go to war to do that in other countries.
As many (or few, considering no one really reads this blog) of you may have noticed, I’m a Christian. Christianity is not a religion – it is a relationship with Jesus Christ. I am a Christ follower because I believe the Word of God is true and living, and Jesus is the only way to His eternal kingdom. I know I am a sinner and am totally incapable of living a perfect life or anything close to it. I am far from perfection. When Jesus came as a living sacrifice He bridged the way to heaven so the imperfect (which is everyone) that put their faith in Him can live forever. This is an invitation that anyone can accept. It is not through works that we are saved. However, it is important that as Christians we strive to obey and follow his Word despite that fact that all of our efforts fall short.
I also take a strong stance for Israel’s right to exist as a nation today based on the Word of God. But why am I so convicted in this matter? Why do I think what happened thousands of years ago is still relevant today? A lot of people, especially those of the “New Covenant” stance believe that the church has replaced Israel (with the coming of Jesus) and therefore the Jews are no longer unique or “special” in God’s eyes as far as they can tell. They will say that those who disagree are just arguing over a petty issue because there are more important things to the fundamentals of Christianity. I agree that Christianity is not all about Israel and the Jews. Christians should be concerned about sharing the love of Christ with everyone. But absolutely NOWHERE in the Bible does it say that God’s ETERNAL covenant with these people expired. I challenge anyone who disagrees to give me a specific verse, IN CONTEXT, that says so. Many Christians today are afraid to take a strong stance regarding the topics talked about in the Bible because they feel that it can always be disproved by some other passage. I’m sorry… but if I felt the Bible couldn’t be taken seriously and was too hard to understand AND contradictory (obviously we cannot completely understand the entirety of its significance as it is the Word of God and He is far more complex than our finite human minds, but we can understand the basic meaning), I wouldn’t place my faith in Jesus. Why? Because the Old and New Testaments center around the first and second coming of Jesus. Whether it’s the prophesies of old or new. They also center around the toils of the Jewish people.
I’d have to ask myself this: When God make an eternal covenant with the Jews, did He know that Jesus would be coming as a savior? Of course. He’s God, it was His plan. So why would He make an ETERNAL (how much emphasis do I need to place on that word) covenant if it would just expire with the coming of the Messiah? God knows what He’s doing. We as humans cannot fathom His reasoning, but we must accept it. It is folly to think that what the Lord said has no weight or is subject to the irrational human mind. I’m not a prophet, I don’t claim to be a prophet, and I am VERY wary of people who do claim to be prophets – especially in this day and age. However, Scripture has provided us with a comprehensive presentation of prophesy. Prophesies that we have seen fulfilled, and some which we haven’t. For example, it was prophesied that although the Jews would be scattered, God would always keep a remnant. See the entire book of Isaiah, Ezekiel… they’re all over the place. The Jews were exiled to Babylon. They were scattered throughout various nations. However, there still remained a remnant. Just as He promised, God brought them back to their “pasture” – Israel. This was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel became a nation where Jews could live without persecution. Did you know that Abraham, the father of the Jews, was born 1,948 years after Adam and Eve? This is according to the Jewish calendar. A calendar that was around long before Israel became a nation. Abraham is the “father” of the Jews. Israel became a nation in 1948. Coincidence? The facts are there, this is not a made up ploy. It’s God’s Word being fulfilled. It’s really interesting to see how alive God’s word really is. It’s overwhelming and mind boggling. Awe inspiring. Scripture shouldn’t be some collection of mediocre words that don’t get us excited and passionate about the truth. God made our thirst for Him unquenchable, so we can read the Scriptures over and over but discover new truths every time. Truth based on HIS Word, not our opinions or thoughts on a matter. The human mind is flawed and biased, but it is capable of understanding the basic principles and precepts God presents. Here are just a few of the numerous verses that talk about the return (as in second time, not first arrival as in the Exodus) of the Jews to the Land God promised them:
Amos 9:14-15 – “I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.”
Isaiah 66:7-8 – “Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.“ – Amazing. The nation of Israel was, quite literally, born in a day. But before that, in the 1800s, there was something called the “Zionist movement,” encouraging Jews to make a trek back to the Holy Land that God, in His eternal covenant, gave to them.
Jeremiah 16:14-15 - “‘However, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ”when men will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,”’ but they will say, ”’As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.”’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers.’”
Jeremiah 31:10 – “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’”
Ezekiel 37:10-14 – “So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet–a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, `Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
Ezekiel is actually a very interesting book as it speaks figuratively of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. Everything points toward the reformation of the nation. How OBVIOUS can it get? The book was written for a reason. If it isn’t talking about Israel (even though it specifically says “house of Israel,” then what is it talking about? Do we just ignore this book because we are afraid of prophesy? What’s the deal? I don’t get it.
In Leviticus, as well as other books, God talks about inflicting SEVERE punishment on the Jews for refusing to obey Him. However, He promises that He will bring the people back to their land, “never again to be uprooted.” Why? Because the covenant He made was eternal. Eternal means forever – no special conditions or fine print. God is a God of His Word. Newsflash: He’s not a human, He doesn’t go back on what He says. Humans = finite, God = infinite.
So how many times have the Jews, in mass numbers left Israel? And how many times have they, in mass numbers, returned to Israel? Well, the exile began with Babylon. Most Christians – as well as the world – accept that, I’d hope. If not, history can prove the Bible’s legitimacy in that matter. But where is this return that is talked about? The rebuilding of ruined cities? I can only think of one event: 1948. Prophesy fulfilled. Birth of Abraham, rebirth of his children as a nation. Why is everyone so afraid to call that a fulfillment of prophesy when it clearly is? Scripture all throughout the Bible points to this event with fervency, MULTIPLE times, as the key fulfillment before Christ can return again. Are people really too afraid to notice prophecy? I know that many are turned off by the nut cases out there who set precise dates for Christ’s return. I agree – that is ridiculous and wrong. But that doesn’t mean the myriad of prophesies which compose the majority of the Bible should be ignored or treated like a bunch of gibberish that cannot be deciphered! People twist the Scripture ALL the time. They’ll take portions of it, and leave out certain parts to try to show that they are right and everyone else is wrong. But if you look at it as a whole, you will see it is not contradictory at all. God says He made an eternal covenant with the Jews and He said He would punish them and later bring them back to their land. Is that really confusing? It’s quite literal and I’m not reading into it and making it look like it says something it doesn’t. It’s just there. That’s what it says, that’s what happened.
Many Arab Christians residing in Israel today take the “New Covenant” stance. I can totally understand why, too. They’re definitely between a rock and a hard place, and I sympathize with the difficult position they are in. In a discussion with such a person, I was told that the Old Testament was basically irrelevant to modern life. So verses such as: Genesis 12:3 and Duet. 7:6 (saying that the Jews are the “apple” of God’s eye) meant something at the time, but mean nothing now. He used the example of pork, saying that because we now eat it and no longer follow some of the Leviticus laws like the Jews so strictly did, God’s covenant is now void. This is wrong. When God said “I will make the old new,” He did not mean all the promises and prophesies of the Old Testament would become invalid. How could this be? There are many Old Testament prophesies that have been fulfilled (I will get to that later). If that was the case, then the Ten Commandments should be considered “old” and no longer necessary. What Jesus DID OBLITERATE when he came and died as a perfect living sacrifice was our need to follow a set of specific customs (For example: refraining from eating pork) in order to achieve purity. What He did make new was man’s capability to be saved by GRACE, not the following of a bunch of rules. This is supported ALL throughout scripture. Therefore, I cannot turn a blind eye to it. The laws of the Old Testament were merely a tutor to show us that we couldn’t achieve salvation, purity – or ANYTHING – on our own. We may have been capable of abiding by a handful of the laws, but our efforts would never be enough. Sin is unavoidable… just as it was for Adam and Eve. Therefore, while God made our salvation new, He did not make His precepts and laws wrong. He merely fulfilled them for us and brought about something much better: Grace. In Luke 16:16-17 Jesus confirms this very statement in His own words:
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”
And even more blunt:
Matthew 5:17-19 – “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. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Okay, let us step back for a second: Jesus said that He DID NOT COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS. That would include prophesies in the Old Testament relating to Israel and God’s dedication to His people. Yes, He fulfilled the law. Yes, he fulfilled prophesies of His arrival. BUT, He continues and says that nothing will “disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” All will be accomplished when Jesus comes again as He promised he would. Do I even need to provide the verses pertaining to His coming again?! The Bible is full of them. Usually when the Bible talks about stuff a lot, it’s quite important and quite significant. Not meant to be read as a relatively unimportant side-note. Therefore, there is still more that must be fulfilled. Christ coming again, for the final time, being one example. I find it very frustrating that people accuse me of picking and choosing verses to support Israel when they themselves completely ignore significant portions of Scripture. Fulfill – not abolish. There are TWO parts to that verse. Those who argue against what I’m saying skim over the part about Him not abolishing the law or the prophets. This is not a gray verse. It is very black and white. God didn’t set out to confuse us, He made His promises simple and presentable. I’m not confused here. Why do so many people like to play finger paint with the Word of God? I’m not trying to choose and distort verses so I can wave around a flag of righteousness and say my viewpoint is better than everyone’s. I’m simply reading God’s word, accepting it, and trying to apply it to my life. Obviously there’s no way I can know everything, but I can take what God did make very stark as an absolute. Why is it so hard to do that? Is it because people doubt the truthfulness of the Bible? If that is the case, why are you a Christian? I understand that people can come to faith in Jesus without reading the Bible. But everything in the Bible pertains to what it is to be a believer. So if that’s unreliable, then God could be a tree, or the sun, or the moon… whatever.
Jesus was the accomplishment of the law. There was nothing wrong with the law. So why would there be anything wrong with the Jews still being God’s chosen people? The fact that Jesus came and offered salvation to all of mankind does not eliminate the promises He made to the Jews – promises that have been fulfilled in the New Testament as well as in this modern day and age. Do you forget that the covenant He made with them in the Old Testament was an ETERNAL covenant?! It is crucial that you do not forget the fact that it is BECAUSE of Israel that we have this salvation and fulfillment of the Law. After all, Jesus was a Jew. Here is a NEW TESTEMENT verse confirming that:
John 4:22b – “…for salvation is from the Jews.”
In Luke 1:67-69, the prophet Zechariah was overcome by the Holy Spirit:
“His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.’”
Zechariah was prophesizing about the coming of the Messiah. God had told him earlier that Jesus would come and bring with Him Salvation. Zechariah had also, undoubtedly, read the prophets of the old. That came true, didn’t it? Everything prophesied MUST come true. All promises REMAIN true. Therefore, I cannot accept any claims that the verses from the Old Testament regarding Israel are “out of context.”
Here is another New Testament verse regarding this topic. You will see that it is similar to John 4:22 AND proves the relevance of Genesis 12:3 (“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”):
Galatians 3:6-10 – “Consider Abraham: He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Now that we have established…
1) Salvation is from the Jews.
2) All nations are blessed through the Jews – we can be grafted into the olive tree because of them. We, as Christians, cannot explain our existence without Judaism.
3) Not the smallest letter or stroke from the law shall pass until ALL is accomplished.
…a conclusion must be made based on the Truth of the Word:
When Jesus came and died for our sins on the cross, He fulfilled the law. The law and prophets, as stated in Luke and Matthew, MUST NOT FAIL. He knew we were incapable of fulfilling it ourselves. What He made new was man’s way to Christ. No longer do we need to offer burnt sacrifices and follow strict dietary rules (I know I’m being really repetitive). But you cannot say that because he made the Law new that it is wrong OR his promises in the Old Testament no longer apply to life today. Because God clearly states that those were not abolished.
It is true. The Jews screwed up, big time, in many areas. In Romans, Paul talks about how they did not keep the law of God, nor did they believe the promises of God. But God’s devotion to his people still remains. He loves them, and they remain his chosen. Paul says in Romans 11:1-5:
“I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendent of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom he foreknew. Or do you not know what the scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ‘Lord they have killed your prophets, they have torn down your alters, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.’ But what is the divine response to him? ‘I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.”
Wait? Did Paul just make a reference to a promise God made in the OLD Testament?!
2 Kings 19:31 – “For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
The remnant is mentioned many times in the Old Testament as well as the New. And wow, God wasn’t lying when He promised this!
Jeremiah 23:2-3 – “Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: ‘Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,’ declares the LORD. ‘I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.’”
Paul was a Jew. He urges the church regarding the Jewish people in Romans 10:1-3:
“Brothers, my hearts desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know that righteousness comes from God and sough to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
AND
Romans 11:11-12 - “I say then, they did not stumble as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles [[Wait – Newsflash?! – “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through you.”]] to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.”
We MUST remember that we are grafted into the olive tree. I am sure most Christians are aware of this analogy. Since salvation is from the Jews (Jesus coming from the Jewish line), as Gentiles, we are wild olive shoots. The root (referring to the Jews) supports us. Paul says:
Romans 11:17-18 – “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.”
Yes, it is important that we reach out to ALL non-believers. Because of Christ, anyone can be grafted into the olive tree if they put their faith in Him. However, DO NOT forget the Jews! As proved by the fulfilled Old Testament prophesies/promises, the words God spoke to them remain as true as ever. They are still His chosen people, as misguided as many of them are.
And here is something that I find very, very interesting and IMPORTANT. If you ignored everything else I wrote, please pay attention to this:
Isaiah 43: 4-7 – “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 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-everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
As stated in Isaiah (A VERY relevant Old Testament book of prophesy – full of prophesies that have been fulfilled, by the way) Israel was created for God’s glory. Wow. Have you ever considered that? God took a group of underdogs – a people that had been enslaved for years – and used them as a testimony to His gracefulness, splendor, power… and wrath. Their existence today is proof that God is great and faithful! His promises never remain unfulfilled! He is a God who does not forget. So why, oh WHY, would He forget the “apple” of his eye – the Jewish people? Don’t try to deny an all powerful God the glory of His living and breathing testimony. It doesn’t matter how badly the Jews have screwed up. We are not the judges here. We have no right to say the Jews are no longer special in God’s eye because all of Scripture refutes such an argument.
Israel, to me, is an absolute confirmation that God’s Word is completely reliable. The reason why I am so against supporting those who urge Israel to give up land or divide their capital is because of the verses I have just presented. Really – do the math: God obviously wanted them to come together again as a nation for a reason. It is silly to focus too much on prophesy to the point where you are freaking out and thinking that with every bad event it is “the coming of the Lord.” But it is also very silly… even dangerous, to ignore prophesy and focus only on the other elements. The Bible works together as whole. Every piece is very important and very relevant. The reason why I write so much about Israel is because I find that most Christians today don’t have an understanding of the importance of this nation.
I will end this with a challenge to anyone who disagrees with what I have just presented: Don’t tell me I’m taking Scripture and twisting it for my agenda. I want a real answer, not some lame opinion based on a personal bias or idea. You saw the verses. They are straight forward. I didn’t take them out of context or change their wording and interpret it to my own liking. If you still don’t agree it’s because you have issues with the Word of God, so perhaps you should take that up with Him and not me. But if you think you can take all these passages and show me why they’re irrelevant… have at it.
