CoreIssue
02-03-2006, 09:54 AM
Quote:The Remnant of Israel
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!
God has not dismissed Israel. They have not been replaced by Gentiles. Nor have Gentiles and Israel been merged into one eternal covenant group.
Quote:I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
While Church Paul still claims distinction from Gentiles for Israel.
Quote:2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
God foreknew the Jews would do this. He also foreknew that in the future covenant yet to come they would finally fulfill their roles.
Quote:Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel: 3"Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"[1] ? 4And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."[2]
No matter how low Israel sinks God always has a Jewish remnant that carries on.
Quote:5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
And now, after the close of the 69th Week of Daniel, when Israel as a nation has turned its back on God and rejected Christ there is still a remnant.
Even now God's grace accepts the few who trust in him by faith.
Quote:6And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.[3]
Grace means gift. You cannot earn it in any way. It must be accepted by faith.
Yet at the time of Paul and even today the majority of Jews are trying to earn their way to Heaven by Law.
Quote:7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did.
Israel worked in firm resolve to gain God and salvation by works. And have continued to do so to this very day.
But their resolve was a false hope and when the true hope Christ was presented to them they had to choose Law or grace by Christ. They chose Law and rejected Christ thus grace.
But the elect of Israel, the remnants, and Gentiles chose grace and thus were saved. Their hearts were opened to Christ while the mass of Jews closed their hearts to Christ.
Quote:The others were hardened,
There is no middle ground. You either open you heart to Christ or you shut and bolt it from him.
When one hardens their heart to God he cannot enter. And he will stop trying and harden his heart to those who will not allow him in.
Quote:8as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day."[4] 9And David says:
"May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever."[5]
When the Holy Spirit stops reaching out to a person or group and they will not listen to the preachers of Christ they have no hope of hearing, seeing or even desiring Christ.
Their own religions become the traps they are caught in without hopes of escape.
Jews have been prisoners to their own religion so long their own history has become a trap for them as well.
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!
God has not dismissed Israel. They have not been replaced by Gentiles. Nor have Gentiles and Israel been merged into one eternal covenant group.
Quote:I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
While Church Paul still claims distinction from Gentiles for Israel.
Quote:2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
God foreknew the Jews would do this. He also foreknew that in the future covenant yet to come they would finally fulfill their roles.
Quote:Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel: 3"Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"[1] ? 4And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."[2]
No matter how low Israel sinks God always has a Jewish remnant that carries on.
Quote:5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
And now, after the close of the 69th Week of Daniel, when Israel as a nation has turned its back on God and rejected Christ there is still a remnant.
Even now God's grace accepts the few who trust in him by faith.
Quote:6And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.[3]
Grace means gift. You cannot earn it in any way. It must be accepted by faith.
Yet at the time of Paul and even today the majority of Jews are trying to earn their way to Heaven by Law.
Quote:7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did.
Israel worked in firm resolve to gain God and salvation by works. And have continued to do so to this very day.
But their resolve was a false hope and when the true hope Christ was presented to them they had to choose Law or grace by Christ. They chose Law and rejected Christ thus grace.
But the elect of Israel, the remnants, and Gentiles chose grace and thus were saved. Their hearts were opened to Christ while the mass of Jews closed their hearts to Christ.
Quote:The others were hardened,
There is no middle ground. You either open you heart to Christ or you shut and bolt it from him.
When one hardens their heart to God he cannot enter. And he will stop trying and harden his heart to those who will not allow him in.
Quote:8as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day."[4] 9And David says:
"May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever."[5]
When the Holy Spirit stops reaching out to a person or group and they will not listen to the preachers of Christ they have no hope of hearing, seeing or even desiring Christ.
Their own religions become the traps they are caught in without hopes of escape.
Jews have been prisoners to their own religion so long their own history has become a trap for them as well.