Who is this "nation"???

[wavy]

Deuteronomy 32:21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Notice that it is singular, and therefore cannot be referring to the "nations" (improperly translated as "gentiles" in many places).

 

[wavy]

i really do want an answer...i have no hidden motive...

 

[Imagican]

Is the answer you are looking for: the 'Roman' nation?

 

[PDoug]

Deuteronomy 32:21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Notice that it is singular, and therefore cannot be referring to the "nations" (improperly translated as "gentiles" in many places).

God is distinguishing the physical nation Israel, from the spiritual nation Israel, or the true Church:

Romans 9

1 I speak the truth in Christâ€â€I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spiritâ€â€
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,
4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.

 

[PDoug]

I agree with you Pdoug.

Wow! This event should be recorded!

 

[wavy]

God is distinguishing the physical nation Israel, from the spiritual nation Israel, or the true Church:

Can you prove tis with scripture, or is that what the Romans 9 quote was supposed to do? I see it as very vague and misinterpreted because Isaac still was a physical descendant of Abraham. We have to look at the context of the chapter. How the "spiritual Israel church" is taken from this is not good enough for an answer for me.

And no, Imagican.

 

[tim-from-pa]

Deuteronomy 32:21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Notice that it is singular, and therefore cannot be referring to the "nations" (improperly translated as "gentiles" in many places).

There were "two" nations of God's people: the house of Israel and the house of Judah (the Jews). The Jewish people are the tribe with the kings, hense Messiah, but the Israelites, namely, the tribe of Joseph had the birthright. They were to be two separate people with two different destinies until the end of time. There is a dualistic theme there--- Law and grace.

Israel, which "follows after the Law" as Paul said in Romans means the part of Israel (Judah) which follows the Law (the Jews) would become jealous over a people that are "not a people". Well, who are these? Hosea chapter one gives the answer:

Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

Note here that the Israelites (not the Jews) were called "not my people"--- the greatest sense of loss of national identity ever (due to their exile) but these same people would become "sons of the living God". Now who are these? John chapter one answers that:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

In other words, the nations today that are predominantly Christian are in fact physically related to the Jews and Abraham thus fulfilling the promises of "many nations". However, due to the fact that they are from the house of Israel, collectively can be referred to as a nation in regard of their origins.

Or again as Paul said:

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall [ie. all Israel] salvation is come unto the Gentiles [the house of Israel, which is Gentile], for to provoke them [the house of Judah] to jealousy. The house of Israel represents God's grace part of His work and the house of Judah retains the Law part of His work.

God would not entrust the gospel to non-Israelite Gentiles or else that defeats the whole purpose of Israel altogether and cancels the whole bible story making God's word to no effect. Rather, through exile, the house of Israel became as Gentiles to that Israel could be a light unto all the Gentiles c.f. Isaiah 49:6

 

[Vic C.]

It all sounds good at first, but now what do we do whis this?

Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

 

[tim-from-pa]

It all sounds good at first, but now what do we do whis this?

Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

In this passage, Jesus identified who they were to go to (the ten tribes) specifically as opposed to just any Gentile people. That does nothing one way or the other as to whether or not the house of Israel appeared as Gentile people, and indeed, the bible indicates that they would appear to be Gentiles (Hosea).

Only the apostle Paul understood that the gospel was to include non-Israelite Gentiles to which the others later accepted, and expanded the "great commission" to be more than to the Israelites in all the nations, but to non-Israelite people as well.