Butch5
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To clarify, I mean Christians, those who are in a saved state by obedience to the gospel. Thats why I keep putting "" around spiritual kingdom. Since Christ mentioned his "kingdom is not of this world", among other scriptures.
Kingdom was used interchangeably in Matthew 16:18-19, with church. The church IS the kingdom. Just this fact alone conflicts with Israel being Gods chosen kingdom now days. Does God have 2 kingdoms at one time? Or did he state one kingdom is to come Daniel 2:44 for example? (I'm assuming for a moment you are not in the "premillennialist belief")
The kingdom is the church, the church is the people who obey the gospel (Christians ie John 3:3 & 5).
Church isnt the building. It is the people. The Greek word for church is ekklēsia. Strongs G1577.
I really honestly dont see where God says there are two kingdoms for us today, one being physical and the other spiritual. I see a OT past physical one, but now a "spiritual" one. A "kingdom not of this world".
If we're going to get technical the church is a gathering of believers. When those who believers separate they are not a church. Ekklesia is literally a gathering. I think you're conflating things. I didn't say Israel was God's chosen kingdom. They are God's chosen people. The Jews had the Kingdom. Jesus told the Pharisees that it would be taken from them. That was a physical kingdom. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this Kosmos. The word Kosoms means an arranged system and is sometimes translated world. I doesn't mean earth. Jesus' Kingdom is not of this worldly system. That doesn't mean it's not a physical kingdom. The word spiritual is an adjective, it simply gives qualities of the noun it's modifying, in this case kingdom. I would be helpful if you'd explain what you think those qualities are.
Yes, I did say that. Jew is not really a race of people but a religion. Hebrew or "Israelites" is the people, Jew is the religion. Hence when Paul states along the lines of Galatians 3:28.
The Israel now days is clearly Jewish religion. Would you agree?
Jewish religion is suppose to follow the OT laws right? However, Christ blotted out the old, and gave a new one.
Basically, being Jewish, is a slap in the face to Christ. However, being a Christian is obeying the gospel. You are neither Jew nor Greek, but Christian in Christs kingdom.
So who are the chosen?
A group of people who hold to an OT law that is not perfect and has been abolished or....
A group of people who obey the gospel and the new covenant promise?
Only one answer is right, and those are the chosen, the people in Christs kingdom. The other is in disobedience and not in a saved state. Therefore, not a chosen elect people.
Lastly, I did prove the point but you failed to see it.
Abraham was not Jewish. He was not an Israelite. Abraham was told of the gospel promise. The gospel promise is for everyone. It stands to reason that if Abraham was told of the gospel promise to come, long before the 10 commandments was established, then it did indeed prophecy the gentiles to be saved etc.
Genesis 12:1-3 - All the families of the earth includes gentiles wouldn't you say?
Galatians 3:8 - God foresaw, gave the gospel to Abraham, foreseeing that he would justify the "heathen". Gentiles that is. Through faith. And all nations will be blessed.
All nations includes everyone on earth right? Not just Israel?
So you can see that this promise was made LONG before Israel was the "chosen physical kingdom" as Abraham was 500 plus years before Israel became a nation and had the 10 commandments and tabernacle and such.
No, you've gone outside of the context of the OP to try to make you're case. I said that God had a plan to redeem mankind and that plan included a man named Abraham. That statement shows that I acknowledged that God had predetermined to redeem all of mankind. That's basically the argument you are making. As you see, I acknowledged that in the first post you quoted. However, that's not what my OP is about. In the OP I said that there are two lines of thought regarding Predestination. One, that God chose who would be saved before the foundation of the world and two, that God knew before hand who would believe and choose them. Then I asked if anyone could prove either of these from Scripture. In the first post you addressed I laid out how both of these idea are wrong and said that Predestination in the Bible refers to Israel. You've gone around that Bible showing how the Gentiles were in God's plan before Israel existed to make your case. However, as I said, that was already acknowledged. The post wasn't about whether or not the Gentiles were included from the beginning, it was that in the Bible Predestination is about Israel. The word Predestinate is in the KJV 6 times, four of those refer to people and all four of those occurrences are about Israel. This you haven't refuted.
You suggested that I misunderstood Romans 9, yet when I further explained it , it seems you ignored that and moved on. In Ephesians 1 Paul states that they were predestined to adoption and in Romans 9 says that the adoption belongs to Israel. Thus, they were the ones predestined to adoption. Do the Gentile also have the option to be adopted? Yes, it has been extended to the Gentiles. However, that doesn't change the fact that it belongs to the Israelites.
Again, in Romans 11 Paul lays out how the Gentiles are grafted into the natural olive tree. He says that some of the natural branches have been broken off that the Gentiles as wild branches may be grafted in. It's your contention that Israel is done away with. What then are the Gentiles grafted into?
According to you its not a thing. God lives outside of time. You live in it.
Isaiah 46:10
"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure "
This is just an arbitrary statement. I've already acknowledged that God knows what He will do in the future. What you haven't established is whether or not God knows today what you will think 6 months from now.