What do you think was God`s Purpose in making - the Nations, Israel and the Body of Christ?

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Marilyn C

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So, what do you think (from God`s word if you can) was God`s purpose in making -

1. The Nations.

2. Israel.

3. The Body of Christ.


If you can only comment on one group, then that is fine.
 
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Davy

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So, what do you think (from God`s word if you can) was God`s purpose in making -

1. The Nations.

2. Israel.

3. The Body of Christ.


If you can only comment on one group, then that is fine.

Heb 2:14-15
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
KJV

1 John 3:8
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
KJV


Mal 1:2-3
2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, 'Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.'
KJV

Rom 9:10-13
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him That calleth;)
12 It was said unto her, "The elder shall serve the younger."
13 As it is written, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
KJV

Eph 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4
According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
KJV

Jer 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
KJV



Depends on how deep you want to get with this here. Not everyone is going to understand, because it definitely gets into the subject of election and predestination.
 

Davy

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So, what do you think (from God`s word if you can) was God`s purpose in making -

1. The Nations.

Not easy for many to understand, but God's creation of the "nations" go back to the old world, prior... to Lucifer's original rebellion. This is revealed in parables God gave about Lucifer in the old world per Ezekiel 28 and Ezekiel 31. Most will pass those Scriptures off not understanding how God uses 'types' in His Word, like the "king of Tyrus" used as a symbol for the devil in Ezek.28.
 

Marilyn C

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Isaiah 48:9-11
Isaiah 43:6-7
Jeremiah 13:11
Romans 9:17
Ezekiel 36:22-23
Hi Manasseh,

Interesting scriptures there.

Israel
Isa. 48: 8 - 11. The LORD testing Israel.
Isa. 43: 6 -7. The bringing back of Israel to their own land after being scattered throughout the nations for centuries.
Jer. 13: 11. God desired Israel to cling to Him but they turned away.

Nations
Rom. 9: 17. God raised up Pharoah to show His mighty power. God is in control of the nations.
Ez. 36: 22 - 23. The nations shall know the Lord when He is hallowed in Israel.

Thank you.
 
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Marilyn C

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Heb 2:14-15
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
KJV

1 John 3:8
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
KJV


Mal 1:2-3
2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, 'Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.'
KJV

Rom 9:10-13
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him That calleth;)
12 It was said unto her, "The elder shall serve the younger."
13 As it is written, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
KJV

Eph 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4
According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
KJV

Jer 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
KJV



Depends on how deep you want to get with this here. Not everyone is going to understand, because it definitely gets into the subject of election and predestination.
Hi Davy,

Interesting scriptures there too. Thank you.

God`s purposes - deliverance from the Devil,

Those of the promise - elect in Israel.
The believers in the Body of Christ are also elect when they come into Christ.
God appointed prophets to the nations.
 
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Marilyn C

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It is good for us to think deeper.

So, what do you think is God`s ultimate purposes for the three groups in the time of the New Heavens and New Earth?
 

Davy

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It is good for us to think deeper.

So, what do you think is God`s ultimate purposes for the three groups in the time of the New Heavens and New Earth?

Can we all be priests and kings in God's future Kingdom on earth? I don't think so, as those positions are reserved for those whom God has chosen. We know that Jesus said His 12 Apostles will sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And we know Jesus promised to make kings and priests out of all nations (Rev.5). So the 'ethnos' (nations) also will have their priests and kings too.

I believe in that future new heavens and a new earth time, all will live upon this earth in peace and joy, and the majority will build houses and plant vineyards, like the Isaiah prophecy says (Isaiah 65:21). God did say that He created this earth to be inhabited, to be lived upon (Isaiah 45:18).

The picture of God's future new heavens a new earth I piece together from His written Word. Some brethren do realize that info is actually written, if... one is open by The Spirit to grasp it. A lot of it can be grasped by the conditions of old upon this earth which God ended, and instead His placing the earth in bondage of corruption for this present world earth age. Paul speaks of it; Peter speaks of it; Jeremiah speaks of it; Job speaks of it.

When The Holy Spirit opened those Scriptures up to me, it reminded me of TV programs I used to watch as a kid, like Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. That show highlighted the concept of the 'nature of the fittest', and suggested that's how God made His creation, that being natural. When I discovered Scripture in God's Word that instead showed those things of this world actually represent the earth being in bondage to corruption, that forced me to think of how might have this earth have been when it was not... in bondage to corruption? Who can inhabit the most barren areas of the deserts on earth, or the coldest regions of the earth's Poles? Yet why... are there tropical animal and plant fossil remains found in those barren areas of the earth? The woolly mammoth, found buried in ice in the Arctic region, still with plant vegetation in its mouth and undigested in its stomach, showing it was caught in a lush green field grazing, and then suddenly frozen at an instant. And the roughly 90 mile error between true geographic North and magnetic North? All these things suggest this present world condition is not how God's original creation in the beginning was. Isaiah 11 shows in God's future Kingdom meat eating animals are no longer going to be carnivorous. And Revelation 21:4 tells us there shall be no more death.
 

Spiritual Israelite

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So, what do you think (from God`s word if you can) was God`s purpose in making -

1. The Nations.
Genesis 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

He originally separated people into separate nations and parts of the world because they thought they could get to heaven apart from God. It was a punishment for their rebellion against Him and against His command to populate the earth as He commanded after the flood.

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2. Israel.
I believe the primary purpose of Israel was to be the nation through which God would show His power and sovereignty to the rest of the world and through which the Messiah, Jesus, would come.

It was also Israel's purpose to bring the gospel of Christ to the rest of the world which is why the disciples were originally given that task.

I believe it was also Israel's purpose to show the rest of the world how to be God's people so that they could learn from them, but they ultimately failed to live up to that purpose. So, Jerusalem and its temple buildings ended up being destroyed and the kingdom of God was taken away from unbelieving Jews (Matthew 21:43-45) and given to a nation that was faithful and willing to obey God and follow His Son, which is the Israel of God or the church (the body of Christ). What happened to Israel in 70 AD is a lesson for the rest of the world to learn from. Any people who rebel against God will be punished. Jesus will take vengeance on all unbelievers when He returns (2 Thess 1:7-10) because God is serious about unrepentant sin and rebellion and will punish people for it just as He punished the Jews for their rebellion long ago.

3. The Body of Christ.
The body of Christ is the church. It consists of God's people who belong to Christ. Its purpose is to be the people of God and to serve Christ throughout the world now and for eternity.
 

Marilyn C

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Genesis 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

He originally separated people into separate nations and parts of the world because they thought they could get to heaven apart from God. It was a punishment for their rebellion against Him and against His command to populate the earth as He commanded after the flood.

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.


I believe the primary purpose of Israel was to be the nation through which God would show His power and sovereignty to the rest of the world and through which the Messiah, Jesus, would come.

It was also Israel's purpose to bring the gospel of Christ to the rest of the world which is why the disciples were originally given that task.

I believe it was also Israel's purpose to show the rest of the world how to be God's people so that they could learn from them, but they ultimately failed to live up to that purpose. So, Jerusalem and its temple buildings ended up being destroyed and the kingdom of God was taken away from unbelieving Jews (Matthew 21:43-45) and given to a nation that was faithful and willing to obey God and follow His Son, which is the Israel of God or the church (the body of Christ). What happened to Israel in 70 AD is a lesson for the rest of the world to learn from. Any people who rebel against God will be punished. Jesus will take vengeance on all unbelievers when He returns (2 Thess 1:7-10) because God is serious about unrepentant sin and rebellion and will punish people for it just as He punished the Jews for their rebellion long ago.


The body of Christ is the church. It consists of God's people who belong to Christ. Its purpose is to be the people of God and to serve Christ throughout the world now and for eternity.
Hi SI,

As God is omniscient then He would know that the people of the nations would rebel. Can that stop God? And what Is God`s purpose for them ultimately?

Also, as God is omniscient then He would know that Israel (whom He had worked with for centuries) would turn away from Him. So, can Israel stop God`s purpose for them? What is God`s ultimate purpose for them?

The Body of Christ details holds true.
 

Spiritual Israelite

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Hi SI,

As God is omniscient then He would know that the people of the nations would rebel. Can that stop God? And what Is God`s purpose for them ultimately?

Also, as God is omniscient then He would know that Israel (whom He had worked with for centuries) would turn away from Him. So, can Israel stop God`s purpose for them? What is God`s ultimate purpose for them?

The Body of Christ details holds true.
God's purpose for all people is that they would repent of their sins and put their faith and trust in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to be saved and have their sins forgiven while having the hope of inheriting eternal life when Jesus returns in the eternal new heavens and new earth that Peter said we (believers) are all looking forward to (2 Peter 3:13).
 

Marilyn C

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God's purpose for all people is that they would repent of their sins and put their faith and trust in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to be saved and have their sins forgiven while having the hope of inheriting eternal life when Jesus returns in the eternal new heavens and new earth that Peter said we (believers) are all looking forward to (2 Peter 3:13).
So, God had no purpose in making the nations and Israel?
 

Marilyn C

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Are you reading my posts or not? I already addressed that in post 9. You make things far more complicated than they are.
Yes I am. However, you are not saying why God has let men of the nations and Israel stop His specific purposes for them

It seems you are lumping everyone together. If that is all God wanted then He could have sent Jesus earlier and tidied up the whole mess much earlier and not wait over 6,000 years.
 

Spiritual Israelite

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Yes I am. However, you are not saying why God has let men of the nations and Israel stop His specific purposes for them

It seems you are lumping everyone together. If that is all God wanted then He could have sent Jesus earlier and tidied up the whole mess much earlier and not wait over 6,000 years.
"If that is all God wanted"? Why are you acting as if God wanting people to repent and to put their faith in His Son so that they can have eternal life is not very significant to you? I have nothing to add to what I already said. I answered your questions as I see things.

Can you tell us your answers to your own questions and why you asked them?
 

Lambano

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I think....

The Nations are really just the superset of all Humanity. The purpose of Humanity is "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". (That comes right out of the Westminster catechism.) God called Israel out of the Nations to be light to the Nations and to produce Christ. The purpose of Christ is to rescue Humanity. And the purpose of Christians is to represent Christ to Humanity.

But I could be wrong. You won't go broke betting on me being wrong.
 
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jeffweeder

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It seems you are lumping everyone together. If that is all God wanted then He could have sent Jesus earlier and tidied up the whole mess much earlier and not wait over 6,000 years.

All people are in the same boat.

Acts 17
30 Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives], 31 because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”


God didnt send Jesus earlier because he saw you in the distant future.sml
 

NotTheRock

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So, what do you think (from God`s word if you can) was God`s purpose in making -

1. The Nations.

2. Israel.

3. The Body of Christ.


If you can only comment on one group, then that is fine.

That's a great question and one I've pondered. Unfortunately I don't have an answer but thank you for asking it.
 

Marilyn C

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All people are in the same boat.

Acts 17
30 Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives], 31 because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”


God didnt send Jesus earlier because he saw you in the distant future.sml
Thankyou for your comment. Yes all in the same boat, however, each group have a different place in God`s great kingdom.