Justified112
Well-Known Member
- Jan 15, 2019
- 526
- 276
- 47
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Baptist
- Marital Status
- Single
No one says that they did not receive the land God promised. And if the history of Israel ended with Joshua and if the Bible never said anything more about Israel after Joshua, that would be one thing. But what the Bible goes on to say is that Israel, due to disobedience, would not be allowed to enjoy the promised land and God would judge Israel in exile. However, the Bible goes on to say that Israel would be restored back to the land and that process is being carried out in front us.People hold the Jewish nation as significant just like you mention. One reason for this, even if they know it or not, is that they think the Jewish nation never received its promised kingdom. However, we know thats not true because the book of Joshua tells us they received ALL their land promise.
The terms "Israel" or "Jew" are never spiritualized in the Bible. Christians try to spiritualize those terms to fit an anti-Israel theology that they try to project on to the Bible, but the Bible, especially the NT treats Israel and the Church as radically separate.People also get confused I suppose because they think a literal Jewish nation is mentioned in the NT. It's not. It is a "spiritual" one. The church IS the kingdom that Jesus was putting in place Matthew 16:18-19 (church and kingdom are used interchangeably). "There is neither Jew nor Greek" is even more support to the "spiritual" kingdom of Israel and not a physical.
There is neither Jew nor Greek in Christ. But that is not an attempt to spiritualize "Israel." The point that Paul makes when he says that is that neither Jew nor Gentile has an advantage, nor is set at a disadvantage where access to the grace of God is concerned. It is an attempt at defining "Israel."
The Church is not the Kingdom. The Kingdom is not the Church. Matthew 16:18-19 does not use "Church" and "Kingdom" interchangeably. That is nonsense if you read the passage. He told Peter that He was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. That is not the "Church." Nowhere in the Bible is the Kingdom of Heaven equated with the Church.
We have not yet arrived at the book of Revelation. I led a study on the book of Revelation and what it describes as coming upon the earth has never happened. Symbolism is used, but you cannot just relegate that to the entire book. The book of Revelation basically covers the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period, the wrath of God and what symbolism is used points to a literal, horrific reality that is coming on the earth.We could go all night into the book of Revelation. People want to make literal what shouldnt be literal. The book is heavily riddled with symbolic talk, almost all of it complete except of course Christs return in the clouds to take everyone and the world and heavens burning with fervent heat.
Upvote
0