I find it hard to understand how anyone can read the Bible and state their is no Sin, or Jesus does not exist, or that we are Gods, or Satan does not exist ect........ Why not just say you do not accept the Bible period without all the Games.... This is not directed towards you Mark since you seem to step back and not really show your convictions other than to respect others....... Well how about respecting the Bible for what it is......... Emile and myself differ on the Jewish thing and I do have a real problem with it... I also have a very low opinion of him but thats my problem and I accept that. But to be honest the dilly dally with regards to the Bible is nonsense. This is not a question whether Jesus did in fact exist or whether their is sin or whether Satan is an evil entity the fact is if you take the Bible literally they all exist it states it over and over again. So why is it that Sam and others even toy with it suggesting that we are all brainwashed why not simply say I do not believe in the Bible and leave it at that. If he or Darrin has a problem that we feel we must ask for forgiveness for redemption of sins so WHAT..... I know some Christians play this Judgmental game and say believe or go to Hell Emile being one..... This I do not agree with but what Sam and Darrin is doing is no better....... What if in fact Jesus was the blood sacrifice. Sam and Darrin can not say this is not true either can you nor can they prove what they believe other than pulling out all sorts of books and transcripts that were written by mortal men. Bible history is playing out right before your eyes and you and some others seem not to even see it. Jews are no better than anyone else but at the same time God chose them to deliver his word and Sam comes of with the wild idea that the Romans fabricated Jesus which is preposterous. Why would the Romans pick a Jew its laughable. Jews went from a Holocaust to establishing an independent State (Israel) all will tell you the 67 war was a Miracle they were out numbered both in man power and weaponry. Look at Russia they hated Israel thus the ties to the ones that wanted Israelis destruction and look were they stand economically. The United States has been a supporter of Israel and they are far better off at present than the rest but that is slowly changing and it may get interesting. Wake up people Israel is Israel and it is playing out before your eyes. These books were written thousands of years ago the focus was Israel THE FOCUS TODAY IS ISRAEL......... All one has to do is listen to the news.......... The Jews had NO HOMELAND for a long long time and by some sort of chance they do today WHY??? Because it is written in Gods word...............
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (English-NIV)
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1
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2
He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
3
He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
4
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5
This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [1] enter you, and you will come to life.
6
I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"
7
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8
I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"
10
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.
11
Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'
12
Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13
Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.
14
I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.
Zechariah 12:2-3 (English-NIV)
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2
"I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.
3
On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
Because of the Holocaust, world sympathy for Jewish people was awakened. There was a sense everywhere that it would be fair to give these persecuted people a homeland. This sentiment was expressed by the British government in a statement known as the Balfour Declaration in 1917. After World War I, The British received control of portions of the Mid-East in 1920. This was known as the British Mandate. As Zionism grew and hostilities increased between the Jewish immigrants to Palestine and Arab Palestinians, the British found themselves increasingly unable to maintain order in the area. They announced their intention to end the British Mandate as of May 14, 1948.
This portion of modern Israel's history is like the muscles and the skin being re-created over the skeleton of dry bones.
Independence Day for Israel was May 14, 1948. On the very first day of their independence, all of Israel's neighbors declared war against them. They had to fight them off, and amazingly, they won this first war with practically no resources. At the end of this war Jordan occupied the "West Bank", most of the land on the West side of the Jordan River, and other sections extending inland, including the western portion of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount area. Previous residents of the land were invited to stay if they were willing to become Israeli citizens. Approximately 130,000 Arabs remained and did indeed become citizens of the new nation. There were about 750,000 Arabs who fled Israel and became refugees in neighboring countries and in the areas occupied by Jordan. The Arab countries would not assimilate them. Thus they continued year after year as poor, disgruntled people, and enemies of Israel.
There have been several other wars fought and won by Israel. they include:
The Suez Canal War of 1956 --
This was started by Egypt and her allies, but it resulted in the loss of the whole Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal to Israel. These were later given back.
The 6-Day War of 1967
Israel responded quickly to attack by her neighbors, and occupied the Golan Heights and the West Bank. This was an amazing war! Israelis destroyed the aircraft of their hostile neighbors before they even had time to launch them. They even knew which planes of their Arab neighbors were decoys, and didn't bother to bomb them.
The Yom Kippur War of 1973
This is the one war they almost lost because even the non-religious Jews observe Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. The nation was not in readiness.
The PLO and the Peace Process
The Palestine Liberation Organization is an alignment of Palestinians who feel that they were unfairly deprived of their land by the establishment of the nation of Israel. They are led by Yasser Arrafat. In 1992 they negotiated an agreement in principle with the government of Israel to occupy and control, under self-rule, portions of the land, including the Gaza Strip and Jericho with a view to further negotiations in the future. There has been continual fighting among the Palestinians and Jewish settlers in these areas, as well as other terrorist activities. There is a great deal of hesitation among Israeli citizens and leaders to continue the peace process. It has been very fragile, and has often nearly ceased to exist. On September 28, 1995, in a historic moment in Washington D.C., a document was signed granting self-rule to these areas. Since then there have been repeated terrorist bombings by an organization known as Hamas, which is trying to derail the peace process.
The peace process may take a different turn since the elections of May 29, 1996 when Benjamin Netanyahu was narrowly elected Prime Minister of Israel. Netanyahu is more conservative that his predecessor, Shimon Peres. This may may result in less concessions to the Palestinians, but it should not derail the peace process.
The Breath of life -- Ezekiel 37:14 -- The one part of this prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled is the breath of life entering into the re-constituted body. The body has been brought back together, but is not yet spiritually alive. In Israel, most people do not follow the Lord even in the old way of Judaism. The future fulfillment of this portion of the prophecy will be during The Tribulation when Israel will be spiritually alive. The Rapture will probably play a part in bringing about their awakening.
According to Romans 11:7-8, and 25-26, the Jewish people are hardened, and blinded spiritually during the Church Age. During this period of time, God has allowed this condition, partly as a punishment. Individual Jewish people may see and believe, but Israel as a whole is still blind. There are a growing number of "completed Jews," those who have accepted Christ as their Messiah and Savior. The Bible says that the Jewish people will return to the Lord. The Apostle Paul called this "grafting" Israel back into God's plans (Romans 11:17-24). This is necessary for the fulfillment of Daniel's seventieth week, a seven year period of Israel's history which must still be fulfilled. When the Church is removed at The Rapture, Israel will live out this last "week."
According to Revelation 7:1-9 there will be 144000 sealed "servants of God" There will be 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. These are not "Jehovah's Witnesses", but they are witnesses of Jehovah. Some say this would be impossible because of the ten "lost tribes" of Israel dispersed by the Assyrian invasion in 722 BC, and because records were lost in the destruction of Jerusalem when the Romans burned the Temple in AD 70. Actually, not all records were lost, but even if Jewish people do not know their "tribe", God knows. We are not told why they are sealed, or what they do, but since this is the last 7 years of their special history, it is probable that they are sealed so that they can boldly proclaim the Gospel and not be put to death.
Alan |
