How to Treat a Rebellious Israel
You say, "God was merciful and allowed Israel to remain in the Land despite her unbelief. … Why could God not act the same in our present day situation?" I answer: He not only can. He is. Israel is in the Land. And it is all mercy. All I am saying with the term "no divine right" is that the promise of God that Israel will someday rightfully possess the Land carries no leverage among the nations while she is rejecting her Messiah.
With regard to the final inheritance of the Land, you suggest that my handling of the promise to Israel "effectively makes its original meaning null." The reason is that I said,
Jewish believers in Jesus and Gentile believers will inherit the Land. And the easiest way to see this is to see that we will inherit the world which includes the Land. Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians will not quibble over the real estate of the Promised Land because the entire new heavens and the new earth will be ours. 1 Corinthians 3:21–23: "All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." All followers of Christ, and only followers of Christ, will inherit the earth, including the Land.
Does this way of seeing things nullify the promise that God will give Israel the Land? I don't think so. Israel will get no less than promised because the Gentiles get more than imagined. For all I know, in the millennium and in the new earth redeemed and glorified ethnic Israel will locate mainly in the new Palestine. But she will also own the world, and no saint will begrudge her emigration, or any Gentile's immigration.
In the present situation in Israel, I agree with your wise counsel: "we must avoid … drawing a moral equivalence between acts of terrorism against citizens and the efforts of a government to defend its people and territory."
My prayer is that the good news of Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah, would flood Jewish communities around the world, that the veil would be lifted, and that we would see a massive turning of Israel to the Lord Jesus. "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'" (Rom. 10:12–13).
Star Trek Into Darkness
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ROBERT DI GIORGIO
Elizabeth, why should we talk to any non-Christian Jews, except to win them to Jesus? Oh, it might be very interesting, but not very useful, because the Mosaic covenant is dead, buried under the ruins of the Temple. The Jews rejected their Messiah when He came, and crucified Him on a Roman cross. But on the third day He was resurrected, not as the Messiah of the Jews, but of all peoples who accept Him, including Jews. Jewish skill in blooming the desert and the many other things they do well is not a substitute for faith in Jeshua, the Christ. Prophecy indicates that in the end, the Jews will be saved. Whether that refers only to the Jews of that time or all Jews is debatable. Believing Christ now, Jew or Gentile, is the only sure way to His blessings now and an eternity in God's presence.
jim wallace
As per Ms. Levesque's desire, I have consulted rabbis. Rabbis confirm all Israelites aren't Jews. Also true for ancient times before Jesus. Brickner and apparently Piper either disbelieve, deny or ignore this. In the NT, "Jew" rarely, if ever, acts as a corporate term for Jacob/Israel. Many NT Jews were Israelites, and many were not; consider Herod as an Idumean (Esau) Jew. In the NT, "gentile" simply conveys non-Jew, but as a poor interpretive translation for a word that should always translate 'nations' or an equivalent. Without doubt, the vast majority of Israelites, both Jews from so. Judah and Israelites from no. Israel/Ephraim, are scattered among the nations. Respectively, they are no longer called Jews or never have been and likely will not be. Modern, scarce and multi-ethnic Jewry comes from the limited Baby. captivity of Judah. Where is the vast multiplicity and nations promised to Ab, Sarah and each tribe, especially Ephraim and Manasseh? All must come from Jacob!
Jeff Millenson
I appreciate Dr. Piper’s statements about God’s dealings with Israel throughout history. However, I disagree with his assertion that God “sent Jesus, the Messiah, to Israel, knowing they would crucify him, so that the Gentiles might ‘receive mercy because of their [Israel's] disobedience’ (Rom. 11:30).” Does Romans 11:30-32 support the notion that Israel’s disobedience is equated with her supposed responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion? No, the ultimate disobedience Paul is speaking of is the failure of ALL unbelievers, Jew and Gentile, to acknowledge their sins and to receive Jesus as sin-bearer. We can more accurately say, “God sent Jesus, the Messiah, to Israel, knowing that some of His people would reject Him, that a remnant would receive Him, and that to all who would receive Him, Jew and Gentile, He would give the right to become children of God and to inherit eternal life.” Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, indeed!