Israel Is Not The Kingdom

31 augustus 2006, 00:05

a.. August.30. 2006 Israel Is Not The Kingdom by Reuven Schossen

http://www.geocities.com/schossen/kingdom.htm

Ideas, symbols and terms change with time. Especially those that have been with us for thousands of years. The actual Hebrew word for religion originally meant law, a clear sign that it dates back to the times before there were countries or secular law in the way we understand them nowadays. In those times, religion was the law of the the people. Similarly, the modern word for "Gentile" in Hebrew, namely "Goy," originally meant just "People."

Hence, when considering a term used in the Bible, we determine its meaning based on its context and the period in which it was being used. This type of specificity is particularly important when considering symbols whose use spans ages, like "People of Israel" and " Kingdom of Israel ." These terms evolved and changed, however, certain groups, notably the pharisees and their sympathizers, froze their meaning at a certain moment, ignoring later developments which were not to their liking.

In the beginning, the People of Israel was a term referring to a genetic group which had a special covenant with God, namely the descendants of Jacob who was renamed Israel . Even then, not everything went smoothly. The old covenant was broken by idolatry and the worship of gold while Moses was still on the mountain. God's answer was clear and the violators died in a plague. Not all the sons of Israel belong to the People of Israel.

Even in those early days, only those who obeyed God were considered to be a part of the Covenant. Even then, besides the general covenant with the people, a covenant with a single person snuck in: Moses got a special personal covenant in the same way Abraham did before.

The sad truth is that general covenants never work; we are sinners by nature and to expect that everyone in a large group of people will be able to follow a set of religious laws is false by definition. In the larger picture the inability to follow a complex set of religious laws had its purpose: it led us to Christianity, and the simplicity of the golden rule.

Later covenants, such as the ones with Phineas and David, were always personal, and the definition of the term People of Israel kept changing. Most of the Old Testament tells the story of the violations of the general covenant by the People of Israel.

Isaiah and Jeremiah - among others - announced in the clearest possible way that the situation was about to change. They spoke of a new kind of Covenant, a personal pact open to anyone willing to honor it. It would be a Covenant for the Nations, in which every human, regardless his or her genes would be welcome.

Isaiah 53 makes the clearest allusion to Jesus, and maybe that is the reason it is mostly ignored in Israeli schools. Isaiah 58 tells us exactly the kind of compassion God expects from us in our dealings with fellow humans. The Pharisees always create societies which ignore such principles; perhaps that's why they ignore scripture which includes them.

Amos and Hosea warned the Northern Kingdom - the earthly Kingdom of Israel - to return to God but were ignored. The Kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians, and its people scattered to the winds. Just like that, ten tribes ceased to belong to the People of Israel. Even then, not all of Israel is Israel .

Modern Israel is managed by a Phariseo-Rabbinical group that does not provides a social safety net for its citizens. People die in Tel Aviv's streets, there are hungry children. People are officially discriminated against by the State of Israel according to their race and religion. These facts are testimony to the selective implementation of scripture by the religious and political leaders of that country. The State of Israel is not the prophetized Kingdom of Israel .

Isaiah's and Jeremiah's warnings weren't heeded. Jesus came and gave a New Covenant; one in which we are measured by our Faith, one in which our actions are the testimony of this Faith to all. The genetic People of Israel do not belong automatically to this New Covenant. Peter, developing the idea that not all the sons of Israel belong to its People, tells the Jews that unless they accept the new reality, they will cease to belong to the Spiritual Israel. The Followers of the Christ are the spiritual descendants of Abraham and in Galatians 3:28 we learn: "There is neither Jew nor Greek." We are united by Faith in almighty God and not divided by it. There is no racism here, everyone can join.

Jesus tumbled the walls of insane racism. He brought a new covenant based upon spiritual not genetic principles. Faith and Love are the basic prerequisite to be part of the People of Israel and to belong to the Kingdom of Israel . The real Kingdom is a spiritual one without ghetto-like walls surrounding it.

Selective, manipulative interpretation of the Bible - ignoring large sections of the Old and all of the New Testament is the hallmark of the Pharisees. Seeing their dishonesty, Jesus summarized in one word: hypocrites.

31 augustus 2006, 00:05	#1
Salah Jafar Berichten: n/a	Israel Is Not The Kingdom a.. August.30. 2006 Israel Is Not The Kingdom by Reuven Schossen http://www.geocities.com/schossen/kingdom.htm Ideas, symbols and terms change with time. Especially those that have been with us for thousands of years. The actual Hebrew word for religion originally meant law, a clear sign that it dates back to the times before there were countries or secular law in the way we understand them nowadays. In those times, religion was the law of the the people. Similarly, the modern word for "Gentile" in Hebrew, namely "Goy," originally meant just "People." Hence, when considering a term used in the Bible, we determine its meaning based on its context and the period in which it was being used. This type of specificity is particularly important when considering symbols whose use spans ages, like "People of Israel" and " Kingdom of Israel ." These terms evolved and changed, however, certain groups, notably the pharisees and their sympathizers, froze their meaning at a certain moment, ignoring later developments which were not to their liking. In the beginning, the People of Israel was a term referring to a genetic group which had a special covenant with God, namely the descendants of Jacob who was renamed Israel . Even then, not everything went smoothly. The old covenant was broken by idolatry and the worship of gold while Moses was still on the mountain. God's answer was clear and the violators died in a plague. Not all the sons of Israel belong to the People of Israel. Even in those early days, only those who obeyed God were considered to be a part of the Covenant. Even then, besides the general covenant with the people, a covenant with a single person snuck in: Moses got a special personal covenant in the same way Abraham did before. The sad truth is that general covenants never work; we are sinners by nature and to expect that everyone in a large group of people will be able to follow a set of religious laws is false by definition. In the larger picture the inability to follow a complex set of religious laws had its purpose: it led us to Christianity, and the simplicity of the golden rule. Later covenants, such as the ones with Phineas and David, were always personal, and the definition of the term People of Israel kept changing. Most of the Old Testament tells the story of the violations of the general covenant by the People of Israel. Isaiah and Jeremiah - among others - announced in the clearest possible way that the situation was about to change. They spoke of a new kind of Covenant, a personal pact open to anyone willing to honor it. It would be a Covenant for the Nations, in which every human, regardless his or her genes would be welcome. Isaiah 53 makes the clearest allusion to Jesus, and maybe that is the reason it is mostly ignored in Israeli schools. Isaiah 58 tells us exactly the kind of compassion God expects from us in our dealings with fellow humans. The Pharisees always create societies which ignore such principles; perhaps that's why they ignore scripture which includes them. Amos and Hosea warned the Northern Kingdom - the earthly Kingdom of Israel - to return to God but were ignored. The Kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians, and its people scattered to the winds. Just like that, ten tribes ceased to belong to the People of Israel. Even then, not all of Israel is Israel . Modern Israel is managed by a Phariseo-Rabbinical group that does not provides a social safety net for its citizens. People die in Tel Aviv's streets, there are hungry children. People are officially discriminated against by the State of Israel according to their race and religion. These facts are testimony to the selective implementation of scripture by the religious and political leaders of that country. The State of Israel is not the prophetized Kingdom of Israel . Isaiah's and Jeremiah's warnings weren't heeded. Jesus came and gave a New Covenant; one in which we are measured by our Faith, one in which our actions are the testimony of this Faith to all. The genetic People of Israel do not belong automatically to this New Covenant. Peter, developing the idea that not all the sons of Israel belong to its People, tells the Jews that unless they accept the new reality, they will cease to belong to the Spiritual Israel. The Followers of the Christ are the spiritual descendants of Abraham and in Galatians 3:28 we learn: "There is neither Jew nor Greek." We are united by Faith in almighty God and not divided by it. There is no racism here, everyone can join. Jesus tumbled the walls of insane racism. He brought a new covenant based upon spiritual not genetic principles. Faith and Love are the basic prerequisite to be part of the People of Israel and to belong to the Kingdom of Israel . The real Kingdom is a spiritual one without ghetto-like walls surrounding it. Selective, manipulative interpretation of the Bible - ignoring large sections of the Old and all of the New Testament is the hallmark of the Pharisees. Seeing their dishonesty, Jesus summarized in one word: hypocrites.