Bible Studies

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There are those today, and this includes most church pastors, who teach that the nation of Israel is in the Middle East and that we the United States must unreservedly and enthusiastically support the Zionists or else God will curse our country America.

In Genesis 12:3 we read: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Upon a closer examination of scripture and all that it teaches we will find that Genesis 12:3 is not talking about the physical descendants of Abraham today. That promise was to the nation of Israel which was in a covenant relation to the LORD under the O. T. In fact it includes all the spiritual seed of Abraham who by faith trust in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. This can hardly be the case today as most of the modern nation of Israel is in unbelief.

As Matthew Henry comments below on this passage we see things in a different light than modern day pastors who follow the Premil Dispensational eschatology:

. I will bless those that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee. This made it a kind of a league, offensive and defensive, between God and Abram. Abram heartily espoused God's cause, and here God promises to interest himself in his. (1.) He promises to be a friend to his friends, to take kindnesses shown to him as done to himself, and to recompense them accordingly. God will take care that none be losers, in the long run, by any service done for his people; even a cup of cold water shall be rewarded. (2.) He promises to appear against his enemies. There were those that hated and cursed even Abram himself; but, while their causeless curses could not hurt Abram, God's righteous curse would certainly overtake and ruin them, Num. xxiv. 9. This is a good reason why we should bless those that curse us, because it is enough that God will curse them, Ps. xxxviii. 13-15.

In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. This was the promise that crowned all the rest; for it points at the Messiah, in whom all the promises are yea and amen. Note, (1.) Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world was blessed with. He is a family blessing, by him salvation is brought to the house (Luke xix. 9); when we reckon up our family blessings, let us put Christ in the imprimis--the first place, as the blessing of blessings. But how are all the families of the earth blessed in Christ, when so many are strangers to him? Answer, [1.] All that are blessed are blessed in him, Acts iv. 12. [2.] All that believe, of what family soever they shall be, shall be blessed in him. [3.] Some of all the families of the earth are blessed in him. [4.] There are some blessings which all the families of the earth are blessed with in Christ; for the gospel salvation is a common salvation, Jude 3. (2.) It is a great honour to be related to Christ; this made Abram's name great, that the Messiah was to descend from his loins, much more than that he should be the father of many nations. It was Abram's honour to be his father by nature; it will be ours to be his brethren by grace, Matt. xii. 50.

Then there are those who teach that Israel is the root and Gentiles in order to be saved must follow and submit to the Jews. They base this on Romans 11

Actually the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the root and both carnal Jews and Gentiles have been grafted into Christ as the head.

We read in Isaiah 11:1-5, 10 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins……..In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.“

Root of Jesse” stood as a sign for the people. All people, Jews and Gentiles will look to Jesus Christ, “of him shall the nations inquire”.Paul re-stated Isaiah in Romans 15 and pointed to Jesus Christ as the “Root of Jesse”.

In Rom 15:12 “And again Isaiah saith, “There shall be a Root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him shall the Gentiles trust.” Paul reminded Christians, as non-Jews were not the original receivers of the Abraham’s Covenant, by faith trusting in the “Root of Jesse”, we are now saved from His wrath and graciously grafted by Jesus Christ to into His body: “you,although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree” Rom 11:17.

All born again Christians are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ and are the spiritual children of Abraham and by God’s sovereign grace enjoy God’s blessings promised to Abraham.Rom 11:8 “Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy; as it is written: “For this cause I will confess to Thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto Thy name.” And again he saith, “Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud Him, all ye people.”

I recently viewed a video trying to refute the idea that the only Israel in the Bible is the nation of Israel. It went on to say that "There is no spiritual nation." I asked the question: "Do you not understand that the true seed of Abraham are Christians or children of the promise? Only those who have the faith of Jesus Christ are the seed of Abraham not physical descendants. A physical descendant of Abraham is NOT ENOUGH to get one into the Kingdom of God. Christians make up the church or Israel of God and this is a spiritual nation or people. Only a spiritual nation or people can offer up spiritual sacrifices.

1 Peter 2:5-6 is the closest we get to a "spiritual nation." Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

Further into the video I found the additional error of the Premill which in it's false eschatology think the thousands years of Revelation 20 is a literal number. No, this is the intermediate state of the witnesses who reign with Jesus in heaven during the binding of Satan. The millennium is taking place right now. The souls of the saints in heaven are reigning in a real sense in heaven. There is no mention of an earthly reign in Rev. 20:4.

Some Biblical numerology is helpful in this regards to showing that 1,000 doesn't necessarily have to be a literal number no more than the Beast rising out of the sea in Revelation 13 is a literal Beast.

10x10x10=1,000 is purely figurative language. It is 10 to the third power. The number 10 in the Bible represents perfection and so multiplying 10 by 10 by 10 gives us 1,000 or the entire completeness of God's kingdom. Just as the 144,000 is not a literal number representing only carnal Jews but the completeness of the body of Christ which is comprised of the 12 tribes from the O. T. and the 12 disciples in the N. T. If you multiply 12x12x1000=144,000. These are the elect of God both O. T. and N. T. saints redeemed by Christ.

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