veteran said:
I'm not attempting anything, except to expose certain deceptions you're on with men's traditions that originated outside God's Word.
Gen 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
(KJV)
There's prophecy for the end even back in Genesis, but I don't expect men's traditions will point that out to you. You cannot argue against what God proclaimed at the end of Jeremiah 33, that IF God has Not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then He would cast off the seed of Jacob and David His servant. Nor can you argue against all the Bible Scripture about God joining the two 'houses' of Israel back to the original inheritances of the land God first gave their fathers. To argue against that Scripture evidence is like what our Lord Jesus said to Saul in kicking against the pricks (prickly pear). And if you keep trying to argue against those easy to understand Scriptures about Israel in final, it shows your real intent here on this forum to deceive and push falsehood.
In pronouncing blessings before his death, Jacob was foretelling tribal traits and conduct that would be displayed in the future by his descendants “in the final part of the days"(Gen 49:1), of the different twelve tribes that came from his sons. Over two centuries earlier Jehovah God had stated to Jacob’s grandfather Abram (Abraham) that his offspring would suffer affliction for 400 years (Gen 15:13), with this "affliction" beginning in the year 1913 B.C.E.
Therefore, in this case, the future time referred to by Jacob as “the final part of the days†could not begin until after the 400 years of affliction ended in 1513 B.C.E. and they were freed from Egyptian bondage. Forty years later were the twelve tribes of Israel now able to enter the land of Canaan. Thus, the "final part of the days" for the twelve tribes of Israel began after they had entered the land of Canaan in 1473 B.C.E.
For example, of the tribe of Asher, Jacob was inspired to say that "he will give the dainties of a king."(Gen 49:20) And Moses was inspired to say that Asher would be figuratively the "one dipping his foot in oil."(Deut 33:24)
Their allotment of territory stretched along the Mediterranean coastal plains from below the town of Dor, south of Mount Carmel, on up to the northern boundary of Palestine at Sidon. (Jos 17:7-11; 19:24-31) This included some of the most fertile land in all Israel, where olive trees would provide abundant oil, while other fruits would provide dainties fit to grace a royal table. Hence, the "final part of the days" was after the twelve tribes had entered the land of Canaan.
The prophetic statement at Genesis 49:10 concerning the scepter ( a baton carried by a ruler as a symbol of royal authority) not ' turning aside from Judah', indicated that significant authority and power would reside with the tribe of Judah until the coming of Shiloh. This descendant of Judah is Jesus Christ, the one upon whom Jehovah God has bestowed heavenly rulership. Christ holds royal authority and possesses the power to command.(Psalm 2:8, 9; Isaiah 55:4; Daniel 7:13, 14)
veteran said:
There you go again wrongly assuming those living in Judea at Christ's first coming were all the people of Israel.
"
Isa 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
(KJV)
The house of Israel is His vineyard (majority of Israelites), and Judah was to be His pleasant plant in guiding them and watching over them. Problem is, the house of Israel was scattered to the nations when the pleasant plant (Judah) fell away at Christ's first coming. The majority of Israel weren't even present to be blamed for Christ's crucifixion. That's per Bible history (1 Kings 11 through 2 Kings 17) and secular history (Josephus and many others). All you're doing is showing your ignorance of that history, and I must say it appears to be on purpose.
Our Lord Jesus was speaking to false Jews in Jerusalem in Matt.23:29, children of the Kenite scribes and crept in ones into the priesthood and Pharisees. Nicodemus was a Jewish leader of the people and a Pharisee, and he brought spices for burial of our Lord's body. Not all the Jews were guilty of our Lord's crucifixion, and you should be able to notice just which ones our Lord Jesus was rebuking in those Matt.23 verses, for He pointed them out specifically. But you appear to want to ostracize a whole people as being responsible for our Lord's crucifixion, and that's bearing false witness.
At Isaiah 5, the entire nation of Israel was the "vineyard" that God ' planted'. As a nation, Israel was "destined for burning down...a breaking down of its stone wall, and it must be destined for a place of trampling."(Isa 5:5) Furthermore, God said that "I shall set it as a thing destroyed." This occurred in 607 B.C.E., when the Babylonian armies came against the land, with Jerusalem being leveled.(2 Kings 25:8-10)
Though Judah was a "plantation of which (God) was fond of ", "but look ! the breaking of the law; for righteousness, but look ! an outcry."(Isa 5:7) Thus, Judah was as guilty as the ten tribe of Israel, "breaking the law" and disregarding "righteousness." These did not "guide" anyone to know God, but rather the religious leaders were called by Jesus "blind guides."(Matt 15:14)
As a nation, the Jews bore the responsibility of blood guilt for the death of Jesus Christ, for the apostle Peter, who was himself a Jew, said that "God made this Jesus, whom
you (impaled), both Lord and Christ!"(Acts 2:36,
International Standard Version) He further told the Sanhedrin that "the God of
our ancestors raised Jesus to life after
you hung him on a tree and
killed him."(Acts 5:30,
International Standard Version)
Peter made no distinction among the various tribes, but lumped them all into "one pot", just as Jesus did, who told the entire nation of Israel that "
your house is abandoned to you" because these turned their backs on God's representative, Jesus as his Messiah or Christ, being the "killer of the prophets and stroner of those sent forth to her."(Matt 23:37, 38)
In addition, the apostle Paul, "an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin"(Rom 11:1), said that "the
Jews...
killed even the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us."(1 Thess 2:14, 15) Even he was "persecuted" by his own countrymen, the Jews, who were "not pleasing to God, but are against the interests of all men...with the result that they always
fill up the measure of their sins."(1 Thess 2:15, 16) Paul now says, in about 50 C.E., that God's "wrath has at length come upon them."(1 Thess 2:16b) Twenty years later, in 70 C.E., ' God's wrath came upon them' when General Titus laid siege against the city of Jerusalem on April 3 and lasted until August 30.
veteran said:
I see a hint of socialism in your idea there, for in Luke 22 our Lord Jesus told His disciples to go buy a sword for those who didn't have one. That means God's People have a God-given right to protect themselves from murderers, and murderous nations, like Iran, Syria (should I keep going?).
Jesus told Peter, after he had cut off the right ear of Malchus, to "return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword."(Matt 26:52) Thus, true Christians would be following Jesus perfect example to "love your neighbor as yourself."(Matt 22:39) Peter further said of Jesus, that "when he was being reviled, he
did not go reviling in return. When he was suffering, he
did not go threatening, but kept on committing himself to the one who judges righteously."( 1 Pet 1:23)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clearly said that "You have heard that it was said, 'You must love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say to you,
love your enemies, and
pray for those who
persecute you, so that you will become
children of your Father in heaven....For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have?....So be
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."(Matt 5:43-48,
International Standard Version)
One who "takes up the sword", following in the nations pattern of fighting or 'protecting themselves from murderers and murderous nations, like Iran, Syria" have failed to imitate Jesus perfect pattern, who himself followed his Father's "perfect" example of love. One
cannot be ' children of the Father' if one takes a militant approach to matters rather than the showing of genuine love.
Jesus never fought against anyone, but rather "kept
committing himself to the one who judges righteously." Those who fail to follow this perfect example and call themselves "Christian" have brought great reproach on God's name. Paul wrote that these "claim to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are
detestable, disobedient, and disqualified to do anything good."(Titus 1:16,
International Standard Version)
veteran said:
No, not just Ephraim, but the ten tribes of the "house of Israel" that Ephraim was, and still is head tribe over. Ephraim was to become "a multitude of nations" (Gen.48), and the only time that could happen was after the ten tribes were scattered out of the lands of Israel. It appears you're not prepared to deal with that, not knowing enough of The Bible to understand it. And the idea of cutting down the fig tree because of lack of fruit is about the "tares" our Lord Jesus warned of in Matt.13. Those "tares" that crept into Judah never were His children, not of His flock.
The tribe of Ephraim was not the ' new nation', for these were thrown into the same "pot" as all the other tribes of Israel. Jesus never made separation among the tribes, but placed all of them as one unit, as one nation that had rebelled against God. As a nation, these were guilty of criminal acts, with the religious leaders at the forefront of this wickedness. Hence, as a result, the entire nation was infected with "wicked reasoning." After Jesus had healed a man on the sabbath and left, the account says that "the Jews went persecuting Jesus...indeed, the Jews began seeking all the more to kill him."(John 5:16, 17)
veteran said:
You simply don't know what you're talking about, because there were many Jewish converts to Christ in Paul's days. The Book of Acts reveals that plainly. Paul in Eph.2 even made it plain that believing Gentiles have become part of the "commonwealth of Israel". That means brought into the original promises to FLESH ISRAEL, and it includes FLESH SEED of Israel that believe on Christ Jesus! You cannot just remove the seed of Israel's heritage God gave them; only He can. And the MULTITUDE of Scripture about God gathering both houses of Israel back to Him in the lands of Israel is major proof of that.
Strange it is that in 1948 Israel became a nation state again, don't ya think? It's because in Jer.24 God promised He would re-establish Judah back to the land, and not drive them out anymore. Guess you must of missed reading your Bible about that, along with many other things in God's Word.
Just because fleshly Israel became a "nation" in 1948, in no way changes what God had already said. Has the nation of fleshly Israel ' produced fruits of the kingdom' (Matt 21:43), that is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" ?(Gal 5:22,23)
Rather, the nation of fleshly Israel has become one of the bloodiest and most militarized nation on earth. Thus, the book of Revelation paints this for the nation of fleshly Israel because of her insistence of militarilism and totally hating God's law of love: "Then I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, "Come! Gather for the great supper of God.
Eat the flesh of
kings, the flesh of
commanders, the flesh of
warriors, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, both unimportant and important."(Rev 19:17, 18)
Furthermore, have you not read that "we do not wage warfare according to what we are in the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful by God for overturning strongly entrenched things...overturning reasonings raised up against the knowledge of God."(2 Cor 10:3, 4)
Has the nation of fleshly Israel applied Isaiah 2:4, that God "will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" ?(
American Standard Version)
