“What Still Unites Us”
Aug 26, 2017 20:15:51 #
in the recent article, “What Still Unites Us”, you wrote that the NEOCONS expropriated the biblical mandate, “Go forth and teach all nations.” It is very unlikely that the neocons, primarily Jewish in their background and belief, would have cited any reference by Jesus, as this comment comes from the hated New Testament, from the Book of Matthew 28:19.. You must know that these were the last words of Jesus to His disciples, spoken to them after the 40 days He was on earth after the resurrection and just minutes before He departed the earth from the Mt. of Olives. This is an important point to remember, as it is key to His return and what had been said of Him back in the Old Testament by the prophet Zechariah…More on this further on.
What we must question is the implication that many have adopted from these last few words, about “going to all nations,” making these words appear as universal, applicable to all of humanity, when such an assumption runs counter to all of His previous instructions made to these same disciples. In Matthew 10: 5-6, Jesus is advising His disciples about their mission, about where and to whom they should go.
He tells them to avoid the Gentiles and the cities of Samaria, but to “go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, those dispersed earlier by the Assyrian captivity between 744-721 B.C. Similarly, in Matthew 15: 24, Jesus tells the woman seeking a cure for her ailing daughter, that “I am sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
There are other verses that present the same exclusivity and affinity for Israel and confirm that the focus of Jesus’ mission was only to these 12 tribes of ancient Israel, extant in great numbers in His day, as the “dispersed,” and as they are yet today, but kept “lost” by the Lord over the ages until the 2520 years passed, as well as by opposing religious sects and churches, yet Divinely “promised” to be eventually restored to nationhood as they were first established in Covenant when all were co-located at Mt. Sinai and accepted His laws.
These words of Jesus to His disciples in His last few minutes on earth - directing them to “go to all nations”, can only be applicable to the “nations”, the tribes of Israel, they cannot be made to apply to a world universal. After having been so emphatically direct earlier, about where and to whom these disciples should go, would Jesus have changed His instructions to them in these last few minutes on earth? Hardly, He did not, but the translators and religious leaders have!
I made note above of Jesus departure from the Mt. of Olives. This event is more elaborately depicted in the Book of Acts 1: 9-12. Note that two angels appear at the same time as He departs and tell the disciples that “He will return in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.”
This is the 2nd prophetic comment that speaks of His return, in like manner, as the prophet Zechariah in Ch. 14: 3-4 tells of His return, saying “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mt. of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, . . .” “In that day” refers to the future. These prophetic words are confirmed by the words of the two angels of Acts 1 - that He would return to the same site from which He departed, only His return to the Mt. of Olives is not one that the inhabitants of old Jerusalem will welcome, as any and all things “put under His feet” suffer for it.
The words of Zechariah Ch. 14:4 reveal that when His Feet touch down on the mountain of Olives, it splits into two halves, creating a huge valley. Apparently, a massive destructive earthquake. Again, In Acts 2: 34 things put under His feet are considered: there it repeats an Old Testament comment, “until I make thy foes thy footstool”, and I Corinthians 15: 25 confirms this point about being under His feet, “For He must reign, til He hath put all enemies under His feet.”
His return to Old Jerusalem is destructive and only confirms the point that God made in Jeremiah 7: 12 & 14, about making Old Jerusalem, “like Shiloh”—divinely abandoned forever.
J. Richard Niemela
Reston, VA.
What we must question is the implication that many have adopted from these last few words, about “going to all nations,” making these words appear as universal, applicable to all of humanity, when such an assumption runs counter to all of His previous instructions made to these same disciples. In Matthew 10: 5-6, Jesus is advising His disciples about their mission, about where and to whom they should go.
He tells them to avoid the Gentiles and the cities of Samaria, but to “go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, those dispersed earlier by the Assyrian captivity between 744-721 B.C. Similarly, in Matthew 15: 24, Jesus tells the woman seeking a cure for her ailing daughter, that “I am sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
There are other verses that present the same exclusivity and affinity for Israel and confirm that the focus of Jesus’ mission was only to these 12 tribes of ancient Israel, extant in great numbers in His day, as the “dispersed,” and as they are yet today, but kept “lost” by the Lord over the ages until the 2520 years passed, as well as by opposing religious sects and churches, yet Divinely “promised” to be eventually restored to nationhood as they were first established in Covenant when all were co-located at Mt. Sinai and accepted His laws.
These words of Jesus to His disciples in His last few minutes on earth - directing them to “go to all nations”, can only be applicable to the “nations”, the tribes of Israel, they cannot be made to apply to a world universal. After having been so emphatically direct earlier, about where and to whom these disciples should go, would Jesus have changed His instructions to them in these last few minutes on earth? Hardly, He did not, but the translators and religious leaders have!
I made note above of Jesus departure from the Mt. of Olives. This event is more elaborately depicted in the Book of Acts 1: 9-12. Note that two angels appear at the same time as He departs and tell the disciples that “He will return in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.”
This is the 2nd prophetic comment that speaks of His return, in like manner, as the prophet Zechariah in Ch. 14: 3-4 tells of His return, saying “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mt. of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, . . .” “In that day” refers to the future. These prophetic words are confirmed by the words of the two angels of Acts 1 - that He would return to the same site from which He departed, only His return to the Mt. of Olives is not one that the inhabitants of old Jerusalem will welcome, as any and all things “put under His feet” suffer for it.
The words of Zechariah Ch. 14:4 reveal that when His Feet touch down on the mountain of Olives, it splits into two halves, creating a huge valley. Apparently, a massive destructive earthquake. Again, In Acts 2: 34 things put under His feet are considered: there it repeats an Old Testament comment, “until I make thy foes thy footstool”, and I Corinthians 15: 25 confirms this point about being under His feet, “For He must reign, til He hath put all enemies under His feet.”
His return to Old Jerusalem is destructive and only confirms the point that God made in Jeremiah 7: 12 & 14, about making Old Jerusalem, “like Shiloh”—divinely abandoned forever.
J. Richard Niemela
Reston, VA.
Aug 27, 2017 13:08:32 #
Aug 27, 2017 14:45:12 #
fredlott63 wrote:
So what unites us?
The fight against Satanism.
Some have not figured that out yet; some may never.
Aug 27, 2017 21:19:40 #
eagleye13 wrote:
The fight against Satanism.
Some have not figured that out yet; some may never.
Some have not figured that out yet; some may never.
May I humbly ask, why was Paul made an Apostle to the Gentiles if what you are saying is true?
Aug 28, 2017 09:24:54 #
Armageddun wrote:
May I humbly ask, why was Paul made an Apostle to the Gentiles if what you are saying is true?
You may want to tell me.
A thought:
Yahweh showed that all can be forgiven.
Yahweh showed there was no limit to who could be used.
The Disciples were almost all common folk as an example.
BTW; IMO, There are those that preach, that may not be very good biblical scholars, and also without the spirit of Yahweh.
That is why Christianity can come off as being filled with air heads.
Not for me to decide who is who; but I do have my opinions.
Just hope/pray to be on the right side. There will be no hiding.
Sep 2, 2017 02:39:21 #
eagleye13 wrote:
You may want to tell me. br A thought: br Yahweh s... (show quote)
Sometimes answering a question with a question gives answers, however, most often it causes confusion. I totally agree with your last line. My point being, it seems that you doubt that the command to go to all nations does not include non-Jewish people. If that is the case we as none Jews have been fed the biggest lie ever. Please correct me if I am getting the wrong idea from your post, and I ask for your forgiveness for challenging you. I mean no disrespect.
Sep 2, 2017 09:48:39 #
Armageddun wrote:
Sometimes answering a question with a question gives answers, however, most often it causes confusion. I totally agree with your last line. My point being, it seems that you doubt that the command to go to all nations does not include non-Jewish people. If that is the case we as none Jews have been fed the biggest lie ever. Please correct me if I am getting the wrong idea from your post, and I ask for your forgiveness for challenging you. I mean no disrespect.
Here is a direction you may consider.
The New Testament was written in Greek
The word gentile is Ethnos in Greek.
Ethnos could/should be translated as "nations" instead of Gentile
Substitute Nations for gentiles, and more sense is made.
Then you have to take in context who is being spoken to and about who.
The command was to go seek the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel.
A whole study in itself.
IMO; A really big problem in understanding the Bible, is a lack of understanding the term "Gentile".
A couple articles on this:
http://sheldonemrylibrary.famguardian.org/Books/Gentile%20-%20Ewing.pdf
http://lostisrael.com/gentile_key_word.htm
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