Hello Data Guy. Thankyou for responding.
Evangelion, The quote (page 127 in his book) may appear sick when read outside of the context.
I think we're about to find that it looks just as sick
within the context, as it does out of it.
However david is then commenting on the letter to the church of Philadelphia. In that letter, God says... I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but lie - behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
The quote does not seem to fit this context very well. I would like to see a copy/paste which covers a great deal of room on either side of the quote, please.
The point being made here is that it is possible to claim to be jewish yet not truly be a Jew. See Romans 2:28-29, 9:6-8, Galatians 3:6,7,29.
I agree that it is possible to claim to be Jewish, yet not truly be a Jew. But Chilton does not appear to be saying this at all.
What he says is this:
The god of Judaism is the devil. The Jew will not be recognized by God as one of His chosen people until he abandons his demonic religion and returns to the faith of his fathers--the faith which embraces Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
None of this makes
any sense in the context of
Revelation 2. Chilton refers specifically to "the God
of Judaism", and in the same context, "
the Jew." He is clearly contrasting the unbelief of modern Jews, against the belief of Christians.
References to the Philadelphian
ecclesia are notable by absence.
For even stronger language go to John chapter 8 where Jesus tells the Pharisees (who were 'elite' Jews) that there Father was the Devil!
...by which he clearly does not mean
the Father (i.e. God), and so your point is irrelevant.
Indeed, if he
had been saying what you claim, he would have been guilty of blasphemy.
I'm not neccesarily condoning the language used in David's commentary
Agreed. You're simply trying to find some other way of justifying it.
just that I can understand how he arrived there.
Well, that scares me, and speaks volumes about you.
And that the Bible itself uses rather harsh language at times.
...but not in the way that Chilton has done.
