Shalom, Mishpachah Elohiym.
Okay, this seems to be a major point of contention on some of the forums on which I discuss; so I wanted to give my definitions of the following terms: abomination and desolation.
It's because of the Olivet Discourse and Yeshua`s words about such an event in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14:
Matt 24:15
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
KJV
Mark 13:14
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
KJV
In fact, we should probably back up a little and also look at their contexts, particularly in all three of the Synoptic Gospels:
But when ye therefore shall see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has drawn near - The Abomination of the Desolation – the [one which] was spoken about by Dani'el the prophet - standing in [the] holy place where it must not be (let the reader understand), then let those in Y'hudah (Judah) flee into the mountains. However, [let] the [one] upon the roof-top not come down into the house nor go inside to take anything out of his house. And [don’t] let the [one] in the field back into the [city]; he is not to return to take his clothes, and let those in [the] middle of it depart out and don’t let those in the countrysides enter into it. For these are the days of vengeance; all things which are written may be fulfilled. But <ooaahee!> to the [one] who is pregnant and to those [who] breast-feed in those days! But pray so that your flight may not be in [the] rainy season (“winter”) nor on Shabbat (the Sabbath); for then those days shall be the huge pressure - no - nor has been its like since [the] beginning of Creation of [the] habitable world which God created until the present - no - nor ever shall be, and if [the] Master had not shortened those days, there would not have been any flesh rescued. But on account of the chosen [ones] whom He chose, He has shortened the days [and] those days shall be shortened.
Of course, this is from a previous post (Olivet Discourse - part 6) which comes from the Greek AFTER the three Greek versions have been harmonized. Then, the harmony was translated into English. The red is from Matthew's account, the gold is from Mark's account, and the blue is from Luke's account. Words that appear in both Matthew and Mark are in orange; words that appear in both Mark and Luke are in green; words that appear in Matthew and Luke are in purple, and those words that appear in all three are in brown.
This portion began circa 70 A.D., probably began close to 66 or 67 A.D. and refers to the attacks by the Roman army on Yerushalayim; however, the couple of sentences at the end are a vision of our time and into our future, because the "shortening of the days" is the limiting of the days of pressure within the last 2,000 years.
The sequence of events, as I see them, is that...
First, the one seven started with Yeshua`s baptism and His Father's acknowledgement: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
Second, the "overspreading of abominations" or the "spread-out wing of abominations" were the rejections, blasphemies, insults, inuendos, and general ill will that the elders of Y'hudah (who were SUPPOSED to be the ones who should have crowned Him) had toward GOD'S Messiah to be King, culminating in the CRUCIFIXION (Matthew 23:1-36)!
Third, Yeshua` was the one who left them "DESOLATE" (which is the midpoint of the seventieth seven, Matthew 23:37-39), and...
Fourth, the tribulation (Greek: "thlipsis" = "pressure") or distress, primarily on the Jews, began at that point.
Fifth, when Yeshua` was crucified, that was their ultimate rejection of the Messiah.
After His resurrection and His ascension, they remain under the desolation and that resultant tribulation promised in Dani'el 9:27 until they can say, "Baruwkh haba' b-shem YHWH" (Matthew 23:39 cf. Psalm 118:26), welcoming Yeshua` back as YHWH'S Messiah. From that point, they were given 40 years to repent (which they WOULD not do), and so, the Times of the Goyim (Gentiles) began in earnest in 68-70 A.D. With the destruction of the Temple, the offensiveness (abomination) stemming from the desolation, predicted by Yeshua` in the Olivet Discourse, came true. During the last almost 2000 years, the actual time of tribulation has been shortened as God has broken up their punishment so as not to overwhelm them completely. As Yeshua` is in the process of returning to earth, the latter half of the seventieth seven will continue, as described in Revelation as the "time, times and half a time," "forty-two months," and "1,260 days." When Yeshua` returns, He will rescue Isra'el from their surrounding enemies, cut off the Gentiles from Yerushalayim, and the Times of the Goyim, when they overran and trampled the streets of Yerushalayim, will be over.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Brief recap, paradise, and angels
Shalom, mishpachah (Peace, family)!
It is now "yowm richown," the "head day" of the week, or "Sunday." Last week, I talked briefly about the "church" and how it is a simple participle that acts like our gerund, meaning that it is treated as a noun. We also covered how it is a COLLECTIVE noun (or gerund), much like our words "flock," "herd," "pack," or "pride" (of lions), and that Yeshua` did NOT give Himself to die for an organization! He gave Himself to die for PEOPLE, like you and me.
In a previous post (long ago), I've mentioned that "heaven" simply means the "sky" or "skies." If anyone talks about "heaven" for any length of time, it usually becomes clear that he or she is actually talking about the "New Jerusalem," "Yerushalayim haChadashah," when they mention the "golden streets," "pearly gates," or the "river of the water of life." That city, in my opinion, is a quite literal city 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wide, and 1,500 miles high, consisting of an outside wall of jasper, the "BLOOD"-stone, with a first foundational level also made of jasper.
The other foundations I believe are foundational LEVELS to the city separated from each other by 125 miles of vertical building space, part of which is taken up by the thickness of each foundation.
The 144 cubits, or 72 yards, mentioned, I believe, is the THICKNESS of the walls, particularly at the gates. Only the foundations of the city are in the form of a square for the city "LIETH foursquare" or "covers a square area" or "has a square footprint." If the walls of the city are "great and high," literally "huge and high," then 72 yards or 216 feet or 65.8 meters hardly seems "high" compared to a city that is 1,500 MILES high!
If all four of the walls go all the way to the top of the city, 1,500 miles up, and meet at a point, the structure would be that of a four-sided pyramid, much like the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The "cube" theory of the New Jerusalem doesn't quite do it. The basic shape of the cube is a square on each of its six sides and a square, architecturally speaking, can be "squashed," that is, formed into a rhombus, by pushing in on one of its corners.
The basic shape of the four walls of a pyramid is a triangle, the most stable of the simple polygons. The triangle can't be "squashed" without breaking a side or an angle. This is why there are triangles embedded within rectangular-shaped buildings we have today. Strength is increased by cross beams, which break up the rectangle into two triangles, in such a structure. The more triangles, particularly 60-60-60 triangles, the more stable the structure.
This New Jerusalem is called an "epouranios" city meaning a city "of or from above-the-sky" or a city currently in space. That is where it is being constructed, and we have learned from our experiments in the orbital space lab, that crystals grow better in zero-gravity. When Yeshua` (Jesus) said, "I go to prepare a place for you," I believe He was talking about this city. Yochanan (John) then told us that he saw the New Jerusalem coming down from "ouranos," meaning the "sky," which would suggest that it will land upon the New Earth, whose surface is re-created after the Fire.
Thus, we are not instructed to anticipate "going to heaven" because "He will dwell with us and be our God." Instead, we are always admonished to anticipate the RESURRECTION of our bodies, and we are told to expect the resurrection (after the Fire) of a creation that currently "groaneth and travaileth in pain together" to be re-created!
Now, as far as the word "paradise" is concerned, if one were to look the word up in a Strong's Concordance, he or she would find that it is defined as...
NT:3857 paradeisos (par-ad'-i-sos); of Oriental origin [compare OT:6508]; a park, i.e. (specifically) an Eden (place of future happiness, "paradise"):
KJV - paradise.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
... and that the word is found in three places within the New Testament: Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; and Revelation 2:7:
Luke 23:39-43
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
KJV
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
12 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
KJV
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
However, notice, too, that Strong's says to "compare OT:6508." So, we look this word up and we find...
OT:6508 pardec (par-dace'); of foreign origin; a park:
KJV - forest, orchard.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
If one does an Englishman's Concordance search on this word, one would find an additional three verses: Nehemiah 2:8; Ecclesiastes 2:5; and Song of Solomon 4:13:
Nehemiah 2:7-8
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
KJV
Ecclesiastes 2:5
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
KJV
Song of Solomon 4:12-15
12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
KJV
So, what is a "paradise?" It's simply a "garden of trees" or an "orchard," much as was the original Gan-Eden or Garden of Eden.
I think I've said this before, but I had a pastor once who gave us a really rudimentary outline of the Bible:
I. What ought to be - Genesis 1, 2
II. What is - Genesis 3
III. How to get from what is to what ought to be - Genesis 4 through Revelation 22
If a perfect God looked at all that He had made on the six days of Creation and declared it all "very good," then why would we expect anything different for eternity than what He gave us in the Creation? If He started with mankind in a garden, the Garden of Eden, then why wouldn't we expect to find mankind in a garden in our future state of happiness?
Now, I know I've talked about this before, but look again at Revelation 2:7:
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
So, where is this "tree of life" to be found? Well, Yochanan also said about the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:1-2:
Rev 22:1-2
22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
KJV
So, the tree of life is also within the New Jerusalem. Therefore, if the tree of life is "in the midst of the paradise of God" and it is also "in the midst of the street of [the city], and on either side of the river [of water of life]," then either the "paradise of God" is within the New Jerusalem or it IS the New Jerusalem! I believe that it is the PARK SYSTEM that exists within the structure of the New Jerusalem and will "spill out" onto the New Earth, once the gates of pearl have been opened after the city lands.
Finally, I'd like to talk about one more "holy" word: "angel." This is not that difficult; so, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it. The word is TRANSLITERATED from the Greek instead of being TRANSLATED from the Greek. When a word is totally changed from Greek to English, like "agapee" to "I love," that is translation, but when a word is changed letter by letter from Greek letters to their English equivalents, that is transliteration. Another word that was transliterated from the Greek was the word "Christ," stemming from the Greek word "christos," spelled "chi-rho-iota-sigma-tau-omicron-stigma," meaning "anointed." The "chi" is usually transliterated as a "ch" since it sounds like the "ch" in the Scottish word "loch." The "rho" is like our "r"; the "iota" is like our "i"; the "sigma" is like our "s"; the "tau" is like our "t"; the "omicron" (which means "small o") is like our short "o"; and the "stigma," and ending "sigma," is again like our "s." So, I transliterate the word as "christos." Recognizing that the "-os" ending was purely to identify a noun, the original transliterators dropped that ending and derived the word "Christ," capitalized out of respect because it refers to the Son of God.
In much the same way, the Greek word is "aggelos," meaning a "messenger," spelled "alpha-gamma-gamma-epsilon-lambda-omicron-stigma." In transliteration, the "alpha" is like our "a"; the "gamma-gamma" makes the "ng" sound and so was transliterated that way as an "ng"; "the "epsilon" is like our short "e"; the "lambda" is like our "l"; the "omicron" is like our short "o"; and the "stigma" is like our "s." So, I transliterate the Greek word as "aggelos," and again, the original transliterators dropped the "-os" ending, deriving the word "angel."
I bring all this up because it is important to remember when seeing the words "angel" or "angels" in the New Testament ("aggelos" or "aggeloi" in the Greek respectively) that they simply mean "messenger" or "messengers" and may be referring to HUMAN messengers as easily as supernatural messengers. In fact, if it was obvious to the translators, they would translate the words as "messenger" or "messengers" instead, as in the case of Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) and others in Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; 2 Corinthians 12:7; and James 2:25. In my opinion, they should have ALL been rendered as "messenger" or "messengers" because there are a number of times when I feel that the words should have referred to HUMAN messengers instead of assuming they were supernatural messengers. An important instance is in 1 Peter 1:12:
1 Peter 1:6-12
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
KJV
How many time have you heard messages preached in which the preacher says, "When the saints sing about salvation, the angels have to fold their wings." Or, he will say, "the angels desire to look into the things about the gospel and salvation." Both of these statements and statements like them stem from verse 12.
HOWEVER, let me give you another interpretation, using the word "messengers" instead of "angels." Look at verse 10 above! WHO "have inquired and searched diligently" about "salvation?" The PROPHETS have! So, what is a "prophet" if not a "messenger from God?" Thus, I believe that, in keeping with its context, verse 12 is about the prophets, not about the supernatural messengers! And, they desired to look into the "rescue of your breathers" ("salvation of your souls") not so much because they couldn't participate, but because the matter INTRIGUED them! They were given visions of the future about the RESCUE of Isra'el when Yeshua` returns ahead of schedule, and they wanted to see its fulfillment!
I believe that there are MANY more instances when the words "messenger" or "messengers" should have been used for translation than "angel" or "angels" because they refer to HUMAN messengers, like prophets, rather than supernatural messengers. Not all, but many more.
That's all for today.
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
It is now "yowm richown," the "head day" of the week, or "Sunday." Last week, I talked briefly about the "church" and how it is a simple participle that acts like our gerund, meaning that it is treated as a noun. We also covered how it is a COLLECTIVE noun (or gerund), much like our words "flock," "herd," "pack," or "pride" (of lions), and that Yeshua` did NOT give Himself to die for an organization! He gave Himself to die for PEOPLE, like you and me.
In a previous post (long ago), I've mentioned that "heaven" simply means the "sky" or "skies." If anyone talks about "heaven" for any length of time, it usually becomes clear that he or she is actually talking about the "New Jerusalem," "Yerushalayim haChadashah," when they mention the "golden streets," "pearly gates," or the "river of the water of life." That city, in my opinion, is a quite literal city 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wide, and 1,500 miles high, consisting of an outside wall of jasper, the "BLOOD"-stone, with a first foundational level also made of jasper.
The other foundations I believe are foundational LEVELS to the city separated from each other by 125 miles of vertical building space, part of which is taken up by the thickness of each foundation.
The 144 cubits, or 72 yards, mentioned, I believe, is the THICKNESS of the walls, particularly at the gates. Only the foundations of the city are in the form of a square for the city "LIETH foursquare" or "covers a square area" or "has a square footprint." If the walls of the city are "great and high," literally "huge and high," then 72 yards or 216 feet or 65.8 meters hardly seems "high" compared to a city that is 1,500 MILES high!
If all four of the walls go all the way to the top of the city, 1,500 miles up, and meet at a point, the structure would be that of a four-sided pyramid, much like the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The "cube" theory of the New Jerusalem doesn't quite do it. The basic shape of the cube is a square on each of its six sides and a square, architecturally speaking, can be "squashed," that is, formed into a rhombus, by pushing in on one of its corners.
The basic shape of the four walls of a pyramid is a triangle, the most stable of the simple polygons. The triangle can't be "squashed" without breaking a side or an angle. This is why there are triangles embedded within rectangular-shaped buildings we have today. Strength is increased by cross beams, which break up the rectangle into two triangles, in such a structure. The more triangles, particularly 60-60-60 triangles, the more stable the structure.
This New Jerusalem is called an "epouranios" city meaning a city "of or from above-the-sky" or a city currently in space. That is where it is being constructed, and we have learned from our experiments in the orbital space lab, that crystals grow better in zero-gravity. When Yeshua` (Jesus) said, "I go to prepare a place for you," I believe He was talking about this city. Yochanan (John) then told us that he saw the New Jerusalem coming down from "ouranos," meaning the "sky," which would suggest that it will land upon the New Earth, whose surface is re-created after the Fire.
Thus, we are not instructed to anticipate "going to heaven" because "He will dwell with us and be our God." Instead, we are always admonished to anticipate the RESURRECTION of our bodies, and we are told to expect the resurrection (after the Fire) of a creation that currently "groaneth and travaileth in pain together" to be re-created!
Now, as far as the word "paradise" is concerned, if one were to look the word up in a Strong's Concordance, he or she would find that it is defined as...
NT:3857 paradeisos (par-ad'-i-sos); of Oriental origin [compare OT:6508]; a park, i.e. (specifically) an Eden (place of future happiness, "paradise"):
KJV - paradise.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
... and that the word is found in three places within the New Testament: Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; and Revelation 2:7:
Luke 23:39-43
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
KJV
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
12 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
KJV
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
However, notice, too, that Strong's says to "compare OT:6508." So, we look this word up and we find...
OT:6508 pardec (par-dace'); of foreign origin; a park:
KJV - forest, orchard.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
If one does an Englishman's Concordance search on this word, one would find an additional three verses: Nehemiah 2:8; Ecclesiastes 2:5; and Song of Solomon 4:13:
Nehemiah 2:7-8
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
KJV
Ecclesiastes 2:5
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
KJV
Song of Solomon 4:12-15
12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
KJV
So, what is a "paradise?" It's simply a "garden of trees" or an "orchard," much as was the original Gan-Eden or Garden of Eden.
I think I've said this before, but I had a pastor once who gave us a really rudimentary outline of the Bible:
I. What ought to be - Genesis 1, 2
II. What is - Genesis 3
III. How to get from what is to what ought to be - Genesis 4 through Revelation 22
If a perfect God looked at all that He had made on the six days of Creation and declared it all "very good," then why would we expect anything different for eternity than what He gave us in the Creation? If He started with mankind in a garden, the Garden of Eden, then why wouldn't we expect to find mankind in a garden in our future state of happiness?
Now, I know I've talked about this before, but look again at Revelation 2:7:
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
So, where is this "tree of life" to be found? Well, Yochanan also said about the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:1-2:
Rev 22:1-2
22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
KJV
So, the tree of life is also within the New Jerusalem. Therefore, if the tree of life is "in the midst of the paradise of God" and it is also "in the midst of the street of [the city], and on either side of the river [of water of life]," then either the "paradise of God" is within the New Jerusalem or it IS the New Jerusalem! I believe that it is the PARK SYSTEM that exists within the structure of the New Jerusalem and will "spill out" onto the New Earth, once the gates of pearl have been opened after the city lands.
Finally, I'd like to talk about one more "holy" word: "angel." This is not that difficult; so, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it. The word is TRANSLITERATED from the Greek instead of being TRANSLATED from the Greek. When a word is totally changed from Greek to English, like "agapee" to "I love," that is translation, but when a word is changed letter by letter from Greek letters to their English equivalents, that is transliteration. Another word that was transliterated from the Greek was the word "Christ," stemming from the Greek word "christos," spelled "chi-rho-iota-sigma-tau-omicron-stigma," meaning "anointed." The "chi" is usually transliterated as a "ch" since it sounds like the "ch" in the Scottish word "loch." The "rho" is like our "r"; the "iota" is like our "i"; the "sigma" is like our "s"; the "tau" is like our "t"; the "omicron" (which means "small o") is like our short "o"; and the "stigma," and ending "sigma," is again like our "s." So, I transliterate the word as "christos." Recognizing that the "-os" ending was purely to identify a noun, the original transliterators dropped that ending and derived the word "Christ," capitalized out of respect because it refers to the Son of God.
In much the same way, the Greek word is "aggelos," meaning a "messenger," spelled "alpha-gamma-gamma-epsilon-lambda-omicron-stigma." In transliteration, the "alpha" is like our "a"; the "gamma-gamma" makes the "ng" sound and so was transliterated that way as an "ng"; "the "epsilon" is like our short "e"; the "lambda" is like our "l"; the "omicron" is like our short "o"; and the "stigma" is like our "s." So, I transliterate the Greek word as "aggelos," and again, the original transliterators dropped the "-os" ending, deriving the word "angel."
I bring all this up because it is important to remember when seeing the words "angel" or "angels" in the New Testament ("aggelos" or "aggeloi" in the Greek respectively) that they simply mean "messenger" or "messengers" and may be referring to HUMAN messengers as easily as supernatural messengers. In fact, if it was obvious to the translators, they would translate the words as "messenger" or "messengers" instead, as in the case of Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) and others in Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; 2 Corinthians 12:7; and James 2:25. In my opinion, they should have ALL been rendered as "messenger" or "messengers" because there are a number of times when I feel that the words should have referred to HUMAN messengers instead of assuming they were supernatural messengers. An important instance is in 1 Peter 1:12:
1 Peter 1:6-12
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
KJV
How many time have you heard messages preached in which the preacher says, "When the saints sing about salvation, the angels have to fold their wings." Or, he will say, "the angels desire to look into the things about the gospel and salvation." Both of these statements and statements like them stem from verse 12.
HOWEVER, let me give you another interpretation, using the word "messengers" instead of "angels." Look at verse 10 above! WHO "have inquired and searched diligently" about "salvation?" The PROPHETS have! So, what is a "prophet" if not a "messenger from God?" Thus, I believe that, in keeping with its context, verse 12 is about the prophets, not about the supernatural messengers! And, they desired to look into the "rescue of your breathers" ("salvation of your souls") not so much because they couldn't participate, but because the matter INTRIGUED them! They were given visions of the future about the RESCUE of Isra'el when Yeshua` returns ahead of schedule, and they wanted to see its fulfillment!
I believe that there are MANY more instances when the words "messenger" or "messengers" should have been used for translation than "angel" or "angels" because they refer to HUMAN messengers, like prophets, rather than supernatural messengers. Not all, but many more.
That's all for today.
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
More definitions to avoid daffy-nitions.
Shalom, mishpachah.
Okay, let's move on. Another definition will be a "sacred" word to some. "Sacred" words are those words that one can use respectfully, but NEVER let someone hear you attack those words! Such words fall into the same classification as a revered pastor, a "reverend." The Scriptures admonish, "Touch not the Lord's Anointed!" Well, in the case of these words, these are irrationally and superstitiously said to be SPECIAL words that no one should touch!
But, I'll dare to touch them. Let's look at the word, "church," for instance: There are two ways to go with this word. First, the etymology of the English word "church" is, according to Random House Webster's College Dictionary, "before 900; Middle English chir(i)che, Old English cir(i)ce, borrowed from Greek kuri(a)kon (dooma) the Lord's (house); akin to Dutch kerk, German Kirche, Old Norse kirkja. See KIRK."
The second way to go is the Greek word usually translated as "church" in the King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible, "ekkleesia." This Greek word is a compound word coming from the small prepositional word "ek," meaning "out of," and "kaleoo" meaning "I call." The word itself is a participle, not a noun; however, used AS a noun, it more resembles our gerund. Thus, it is a "called-out (group)" of people. Looking at how the word was used in the New Testament, it was used not only for individual groups of people in various cities and towns, such as Korinth and Ephesus, but was also used for the congregation of Isra'el at the foot of Mount Sinai in Acts 7:38 and the "town council meeting" at Ephesus in Acts 19:32, 39, and 41. Theologians will also point out that the word was used for the congregation of ALL believers in heaven in Hebrews 12:23, but there are qualifications to this concept. Remember that "heaven" means "the sky." Therefore, the "general assembly (Greek paneegurei, meaning 'to a mass-meeting') and called-out (group) of the firstborn (ones) in the sky" is a reference to the actual collecting of the believers as described in 1 Thes. 4:13-17.
The mere fact that the word is usually used in the plural for multiple groups of people is proof enough that there is no such thing as a "universal body" of believers called the "Church" (note the capitalization). They were always "churches!" Indeed, the word "catholic" means "universal." Therefore, for a protestant to claim there is a "universal body" is a MAJOR backpedaling! They are saying they are once again part of the "Catholic Church" or "Universal Church," usually and particularly the "ROMAN Catholic Church" (as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox or the Greek Orthodox Churches)!
Furthermore, if the "church" is said to be a body of members that work together and can share each other's pain and burdens (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31), then it doesn't even make sense for the "church" to be a "universal body." How does a "finger" in Albuquerque scratch a "nose" in Timbuktu?! They must be able to interact and instantly react to one another, as in a local body of believers can. It's hard for a "congregation" to be "gathered together" if they're still all over the world!
Therefore, I conclude that the "church" is a LOCAL body of believers. As the Complete Jewish Bible puts it, it is a Messianic Congregation, a congregation of members who believe in the Messiah Yeshua` - that Yeshua` is the Messiah of God.
So, it makes much better sense to see the "church" NOT as an organization or a corporation, but as a COLLECTIVE NOUN (GERUND)! It's the same kind of word as our words "flock (of sheep), school (of fish), pack (of wolves or dogs), pride (of lions), gaggle (of geese), or even murder (of crows)!"
The only passages of Scripture that SEEM to be saying something otherwise are Ephesians 4:4 and Colossians 3:15, but one should notice and remember that each of these verses is talking to ONE group of people in each town, Ephesus and Colosse, and each passage is referring to those who can "forebear one another in love," and can "teach and admonish one another in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs." These are intimate encounters that require close fellowship as in a LOCAL assembly.
Now, that being said, what does that do to our understanding of Ephesians 5?
Ephesians 5:17-33
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
KJV
Well, at the least, Paul is talking about each LOCAL body of believers, but I believe that there are a couple of other interpretations possible:
First, it is possible that the "ekkleesia" in these verses is a two-person "called-out (group)." Here's why: When Paul said that "Christ also loved the church (ekkleesia) and gave himself for it," did the Messiah love and give Himself for some organization or corporation? OR, did He love and give Himself for PEOPLE, for INDIVIDUALS? He loved and gave Himself for INDIVIDUALS! Also, in talking of the "body," Paul includes verses 28, 29 and 31 above. And, we might call a "two person called-out (group)," a "UNION." Thus, Paul may have been referring to the importance of the marriage union and why the husband and the wife should remain monogamous.
Second, another possibility that may be applicable to this passage as well as others is that the "ekkleesia" is first and foremost the SAME congregation as in Acts 7:38!
Remember that Paul said in Romans 11,
Romans 11:1-32
1 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that God has repudiated (disowned) his people?” Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Isra’el, from the seed of Avraham (2 Chron. 20:7; Ps. 105:6), of the tribe of Binyamin. 2 God has not repudiated his people (1 Sam. 12:22; Ps. 94:14), whom he chose in advance. Or don’t you know what the Tanakh says about Eliyahu? He pleads with God against Isra’el, 3 “Adonai, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I’m the only one left, and now they want to kill me too!” (1 Kings 19:10, 14) 4 But what is God’s answer to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt down to Ba‘al.” (1 Kings 19:18) 5 It’s the same way in the present age: there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 (Now if it is by grace, it is accordingly not based on legalistic works; if it were otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.) 7 What follows is that Isra’el has not attained the goal for which she is striving. The ones chosen have obtained it, but the rest have been made stonelike, 8 just as the Tanakh says,
“God has given them a spirit of dullness —
eyes that do not see
and ears that do not hear,
right down to the present day.” (Deut. 29:3; Isa. 29:10)
9 And David says,
“Let their dining table become for them
a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a punishment.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can’t see,
with their backs bent continually.” (Ps. 69:23-24)
11 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?” Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy. (Deut. 32:21) 12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world — that is, if Isra’el’s being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter — how much greater riches will Isra’el in its fullness bring them!
13 However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work 14 in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! 15 For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!
16 Now if the hallah (a piece of the Jewish egg bread) offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you — a wild olive — were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. 19 So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! 22 So take a good look at God’s kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! 23 Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. 24 For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!
25 For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; 26 and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved. As the Tanakh (a Hebrew acronym for the OT, the Torah or Instruction, the Navi'iym or Prophets, and the Ketuviym or Writings) says,
“Out of Tziyon (Zion) will come the Redeemer;
he will turn away ungodliness from Ya‘akov (Jacob)
27 and this will be my covenant with them, . . .
when I take away their sins.” (Isa. 59:20-21; 27:9)
28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, 29 for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. 30 Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; 31 so also Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy. 32 For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.
CJB
(Here, I've chosen to use the Complete Jewish Bible, simply because it is more readable and easier to understand what is being said here.)
The point I'm making is this: The "church" is not the combination of believing Jews and Gentiles, although many would like to believe that. Rather, the root of the Olive Tree, the true Isra'el, found in the Person of the King, Yeshua` haMashiach, contains both believing Jews and believing Gentiles who have both been grafted in. The Gentiles were grafted in for the first time, but the Jews were grafted in AGAIN into THEIR OWN Olive Tree, the Isra'el of King David! The Isra'el as it was MEANT to be!
And, while it is true that within the Messiah there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same cannot be said for those outside the Messiah! There is still a difference between the Jews and the Gentiles outside the Messiah. They have different histories, and they have different prospects for the future, because it was the Isra'elites who were given the prophecies, and the promises, and the Torah, and the Messiah Himself!
Rom 9:1-5
9:1 I am speaking the truth — as one who belongs to the Messiah, I do not lie; and also bearing witness is my conscience, governed by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit): 2 my grief is so great, the pain in my heart so constant, 3 that I could wish myself actually under God’s curse and separated from the Messiah, if it would help my brothers, my own flesh and blood, 4 the people of Isra’el! They were made God’s children, the Sh’khinah (Presence) has been with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah (Instruction), the Temple service and the promises; 5 the Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah, who is over all. Praised be Adonai (the Lord) for ever! Amen (Truth).
CJB
Eph. 2:1-22
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ (a Messiah), being aliens from the commonwealth (citizenship) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (two) one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
KJV
So, I believe that the True Isra'el, the Kingdom over which David reigned, IS the "ekkleesia," the "church!" It's not that "the Church is the True Isra'el," as some claim, but quite the opposite! It's not that "the Church is the Kingdom of God," but again, the opposite: God's Kingdom should be recognized as the "called-out (group)" of believers who will be among His loyal subjects when the Messiah returns.
Oh, yes, and to show that there are not just two groups of people (believers and non-believers), we also have this passage in which Paul lists all three in the town of Korinth:
1 Cor. 10:32-33
32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
KJV
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Okay, let's move on. Another definition will be a "sacred" word to some. "Sacred" words are those words that one can use respectfully, but NEVER let someone hear you attack those words! Such words fall into the same classification as a revered pastor, a "reverend." The Scriptures admonish, "Touch not the Lord's Anointed!" Well, in the case of these words, these are irrationally and superstitiously said to be SPECIAL words that no one should touch!
But, I'll dare to touch them. Let's look at the word, "church," for instance: There are two ways to go with this word. First, the etymology of the English word "church" is, according to Random House Webster's College Dictionary, "before 900; Middle English chir(i)che, Old English cir(i)ce, borrowed from Greek kuri(a)kon (dooma) the Lord's (house); akin to Dutch kerk, German Kirche, Old Norse kirkja. See KIRK."
The second way to go is the Greek word usually translated as "church" in the King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible, "ekkleesia." This Greek word is a compound word coming from the small prepositional word "ek," meaning "out of," and "kaleoo" meaning "I call." The word itself is a participle, not a noun; however, used AS a noun, it more resembles our gerund. Thus, it is a "called-out (group)" of people. Looking at how the word was used in the New Testament, it was used not only for individual groups of people in various cities and towns, such as Korinth and Ephesus, but was also used for the congregation of Isra'el at the foot of Mount Sinai in Acts 7:38 and the "town council meeting" at Ephesus in Acts 19:32, 39, and 41. Theologians will also point out that the word was used for the congregation of ALL believers in heaven in Hebrews 12:23, but there are qualifications to this concept. Remember that "heaven" means "the sky." Therefore, the "general assembly (Greek paneegurei, meaning 'to a mass-meeting') and called-out (group) of the firstborn (ones) in the sky" is a reference to the actual collecting of the believers as described in 1 Thes. 4:13-17.
The mere fact that the word is usually used in the plural for multiple groups of people is proof enough that there is no such thing as a "universal body" of believers called the "Church" (note the capitalization). They were always "churches!" Indeed, the word "catholic" means "universal." Therefore, for a protestant to claim there is a "universal body" is a MAJOR backpedaling! They are saying they are once again part of the "Catholic Church" or "Universal Church," usually and particularly the "ROMAN Catholic Church" (as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox or the Greek Orthodox Churches)!
Furthermore, if the "church" is said to be a body of members that work together and can share each other's pain and burdens (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31), then it doesn't even make sense for the "church" to be a "universal body." How does a "finger" in Albuquerque scratch a "nose" in Timbuktu?! They must be able to interact and instantly react to one another, as in a local body of believers can. It's hard for a "congregation" to be "gathered together" if they're still all over the world!
Therefore, I conclude that the "church" is a LOCAL body of believers. As the Complete Jewish Bible puts it, it is a Messianic Congregation, a congregation of members who believe in the Messiah Yeshua` - that Yeshua` is the Messiah of God.
So, it makes much better sense to see the "church" NOT as an organization or a corporation, but as a COLLECTIVE NOUN (GERUND)! It's the same kind of word as our words "flock (of sheep), school (of fish), pack (of wolves or dogs), pride (of lions), gaggle (of geese), or even murder (of crows)!"
The only passages of Scripture that SEEM to be saying something otherwise are Ephesians 4:4 and Colossians 3:15, but one should notice and remember that each of these verses is talking to ONE group of people in each town, Ephesus and Colosse, and each passage is referring to those who can "forebear one another in love," and can "teach and admonish one another in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs." These are intimate encounters that require close fellowship as in a LOCAL assembly.
Now, that being said, what does that do to our understanding of Ephesians 5?
Ephesians 5:17-33
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
KJV
Well, at the least, Paul is talking about each LOCAL body of believers, but I believe that there are a couple of other interpretations possible:
First, it is possible that the "ekkleesia" in these verses is a two-person "called-out (group)." Here's why: When Paul said that "Christ also loved the church (ekkleesia) and gave himself for it," did the Messiah love and give Himself for some organization or corporation? OR, did He love and give Himself for PEOPLE, for INDIVIDUALS? He loved and gave Himself for INDIVIDUALS! Also, in talking of the "body," Paul includes verses 28, 29 and 31 above. And, we might call a "two person called-out (group)," a "UNION." Thus, Paul may have been referring to the importance of the marriage union and why the husband and the wife should remain monogamous.
Second, another possibility that may be applicable to this passage as well as others is that the "ekkleesia" is first and foremost the SAME congregation as in Acts 7:38!
Remember that Paul said in Romans 11,
Romans 11:1-32
1 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that God has repudiated (disowned) his people?” Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Isra’el, from the seed of Avraham (2 Chron. 20:7; Ps. 105:6), of the tribe of Binyamin. 2 God has not repudiated his people (1 Sam. 12:22; Ps. 94:14), whom he chose in advance. Or don’t you know what the Tanakh says about Eliyahu? He pleads with God against Isra’el, 3 “Adonai, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I’m the only one left, and now they want to kill me too!” (1 Kings 19:10, 14) 4 But what is God’s answer to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt down to Ba‘al.” (1 Kings 19:18) 5 It’s the same way in the present age: there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 (Now if it is by grace, it is accordingly not based on legalistic works; if it were otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.) 7 What follows is that Isra’el has not attained the goal for which she is striving. The ones chosen have obtained it, but the rest have been made stonelike, 8 just as the Tanakh says,
“God has given them a spirit of dullness —
eyes that do not see
and ears that do not hear,
right down to the present day.” (Deut. 29:3; Isa. 29:10)
9 And David says,
“Let their dining table become for them
a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a punishment.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can’t see,
with their backs bent continually.” (Ps. 69:23-24)
11 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?” Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy. (Deut. 32:21) 12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world — that is, if Isra’el’s being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter — how much greater riches will Isra’el in its fullness bring them!
13 However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work 14 in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! 15 For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!
16 Now if the hallah (a piece of the Jewish egg bread) offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you — a wild olive — were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. 19 So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! 22 So take a good look at God’s kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! 23 Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. 24 For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!
25 For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; 26 and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved. As the Tanakh (a Hebrew acronym for the OT, the Torah or Instruction, the Navi'iym or Prophets, and the Ketuviym or Writings) says,
“Out of Tziyon (Zion) will come the Redeemer;
he will turn away ungodliness from Ya‘akov (Jacob)
27 and this will be my covenant with them, . . .
when I take away their sins.” (Isa. 59:20-21; 27:9)
28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, 29 for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. 30 Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; 31 so also Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy. 32 For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.
CJB
(Here, I've chosen to use the Complete Jewish Bible, simply because it is more readable and easier to understand what is being said here.)
The point I'm making is this: The "church" is not the combination of believing Jews and Gentiles, although many would like to believe that. Rather, the root of the Olive Tree, the true Isra'el, found in the Person of the King, Yeshua` haMashiach, contains both believing Jews and believing Gentiles who have both been grafted in. The Gentiles were grafted in for the first time, but the Jews were grafted in AGAIN into THEIR OWN Olive Tree, the Isra'el of King David! The Isra'el as it was MEANT to be!
And, while it is true that within the Messiah there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same cannot be said for those outside the Messiah! There is still a difference between the Jews and the Gentiles outside the Messiah. They have different histories, and they have different prospects for the future, because it was the Isra'elites who were given the prophecies, and the promises, and the Torah, and the Messiah Himself!
Rom 9:1-5
9:1 I am speaking the truth — as one who belongs to the Messiah, I do not lie; and also bearing witness is my conscience, governed by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit): 2 my grief is so great, the pain in my heart so constant, 3 that I could wish myself actually under God’s curse and separated from the Messiah, if it would help my brothers, my own flesh and blood, 4 the people of Isra’el! They were made God’s children, the Sh’khinah (Presence) has been with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah (Instruction), the Temple service and the promises; 5 the Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah, who is over all. Praised be Adonai (the Lord) for ever! Amen (Truth).
CJB
Eph. 2:1-22
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ (a Messiah), being aliens from the commonwealth (citizenship) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (two) one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
KJV
So, I believe that the True Isra'el, the Kingdom over which David reigned, IS the "ekkleesia," the "church!" It's not that "the Church is the True Isra'el," as some claim, but quite the opposite! It's not that "the Church is the Kingdom of God," but again, the opposite: God's Kingdom should be recognized as the "called-out (group)" of believers who will be among His loyal subjects when the Messiah returns.
Oh, yes, and to show that there are not just two groups of people (believers and non-believers), we also have this passage in which Paul lists all three in the town of Korinth:
1 Cor. 10:32-33
32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
KJV
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
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