veteran said:
You're just showing more of your Biblical ignorance.
Here is some more from Isaiah regarding
descendants of Jacob-isreal being a bloodline and not some imaginary spiritual concoction by western Christians.
Isaiah 8:17 I will wait for the Lord,
who is hiding his face from the
descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.
18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.
We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on mount Zion.
Isaiah 41:8 “But you,
Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you
descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have
chosen you and have
not rejected you.
Isaiah 44:1 “But now listen,
Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen..... 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit
on your offspring,
and my blessing
on your descendants. ...... 5 Some will say,
‘I belong to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by
the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and will
take the name Israel.
Isaiah 45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to
Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
20 “Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
25 But
all the descendants of Israel
will find deliverance in the Lord
and will make their boast in him.
Isaiah 46:3 “Listen to me, you
descendants of Jacob,
all the
remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
and have carried since you were born.
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he,
I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you. .........
13
I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.
dragonfly said:
Hi Arnie,
I need to clarify something I said in my last post. The following comment was specifically in reference to the verses from Hosea.
'Peter is referring to Israel, not to the Gentiles, although from Ephesians 2 we see that Gentiles are given equal place in 'the commonwealth of Israel'.'
What I mean is, God had divorced 'Israel', and He maintains this stance, so that it's not until they begin to be restored through the Messiah who came out of Judah as prophesied, that they become 'my people' again.
The Gentiles were always on God's radar, though, as we see from Genesis to Revelation.
Many times I have heard it put forward that the people who were 'not a people', were the Gentiles, but it's impossible to read Hosea and take that meaning, as Israel is specifically named as 'not my people' right there, in the verses which Peter quotes.
God references Hosea's divorce and re-marriage as a parallel to God divorcing israel and bringing her back into the fold later .... I see a mention of that in Isaiah as well
Isaiah 54:6 The Lord will call you back
as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,
only to be rejected,” says your God.
7 “For a brief moment
I abandoned you,
but with deep compassion
I will bring you back.
I think that summarizes my whole point in this thread ..... God brings back all Israel some day.
dragonfly said:
What I mean is, God had divorced 'Israel', and He maintains this stance, so that it's not until they begin to be restored through the Messiah who came out of Judah as prophesied, that they become 'my people' again.
I think what dragonfly said in the above quote is the exact answer to the Israel question in this thread.
Ever since they rejected Christ 2000 years ago ..... God "divorced" Israel .... but he will reconcile with them again some day.
And it will be literal Israel .... He does not have to reconcile the church.
I do not pretend to know the mechanics of how He does it
It remains a mystery to us who have Christ.