Originally Posted by One Baptism View Post
Brother Darrell C, before, getting to Revelation 12 and other, I must ask you, if you agree, based upon the Scriptures cited, Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:13-15 and etc* (see below), that Jesus Christ, Himself, is Israel, as given here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by One Baptism View Post
According to Scripture, then as we have already noted, that Jesus Christ Himself is the True Israel:
Hosea 11:1 - When Israel [was] a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
This passage is directly cited by the Gospel of Matthew and clearly stated that it was "fulfilled" in Christ Jesus ...
Is there anything specific therein, that you Darrell C disagree with, and please be specific, that our time may be fruitful. If you do not disagree with anything therein, I may move from this onto the next points raised (after a bit more time).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell C View Post
Probably easiest for us to address this first issue by considering what the Church, the Body of Christ is, and whether or not that Body was found among the Old Testament Saints....
God bless.
Brother Darrell C, after reading your response to the questions directed to yourself, based upon Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:13-15, and that which followed (see original response) texts, I could not locate in your latest response your direct reply to the questions (now Bolded and Highlighted in Blue above), though it is possible I may have simply missed it/them, and if so, please direct me to those answers in your latest reply, and I will consider them immediately, for the questions are most easily answered in the affirmative or negative, simply based upon what they (the texts cited) themselves state.
All of this has been addressed. I have made it clear that we have to maintain everything in it's context. There is a physical Israel, and a True Israel, neither being negated from reality by varying application and context.
Did God bring physical Israel out of Egypt? Did God apply the quote to Christ coming out of Egypt?
Before continuing to any other portions of Scripture, I must know if you are in harmony with those texts as cited.
Actually you must know if I am in harmony with your view of what the texts mean, lol.
There is no question I am not in contention with any text you have provided.
In post#100 I said...
Equating the "church" in the Wilderness to the Body of Christ overlooks some very basic truths revealed in the New Testament.
For example, we understand that imagery concerning the "Tree" and the "Vine" which is Israel is clearly stated to be a parable (if you will) of the True Vine. I agree that Israel relied heavily on her heritage, which was the Lord's point in conveying the truth that He was the true source of provision.
Christ is the "true" for which Israel stands as a picture, which I view to represent the provision of God given to men. So in that sense we can say "Christ is the True Israel," providing we do not negate the physical Israel.
The fact that both Israel and Christ came out of Egypt does not negate the reality of both events, which are separate, and speak of separate people. The "Israel of God" is of course true believers, however, that does not negate physical Israel's role in the past, nor her role in the future.
Hope that answers the question.
Those texts combined, declare Jesus Christ, Himself, to be Israel,
And that is a conclusion I see as misleading. There is still National Israel, who were the People of God, a Witness Nation created that pictures the Church. That the Church has been established in no way denies Israel as the People of God, nor God's promises to her, which are fulfilled in the New Covenant. We must keep in mind that most of the Old Testament is temporal in nature, the spiritual truths contained in the New being revealed at their proper time.
Here is another passage testifying to this truth:
Colossians 1:25-27
King James Version (KJV)
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
As I said before, study of this mystery is a great beginning to understanding the temporal versus the eternal, which knowledge we have access to, though the Old Testament Saint did not.
and those which followed Him as His children.
So which is it?
As I said, depending on the text, context, and teaching...both are true.
But we don't make Christ "Israel" in the sense that believers are excluded. Under Old Testament Economies, one did not have to be Israel by heritage to have faith in God or be obedient to the revelation He had provided at that point.
For this very reason we again see justification to disregard a teaching that the Church was found in the Old Testament.
Understand?
In Christ the twain are made one, which is independent of the fact that true believers have existed among Gentiles since day one. Okay, day six.
There were no Hebrews, no Jews, prior to the creation of Israel the Witness Nation. The first Jew was a...Gentile.
Understand? And I'm not being a smart-aleck, lol, I am really trying to get this point across. This is the first point of contention I took with your post, and the premise of the thread as I have understood you teaching it.
If I may ask you again, more directly and yet kindly, charitably, Do you believe that to be so, according to the Scripture, or no? if No, why no.
Yes, no, sometimes...
We have to be contextually specific. If the above has not answered the question yet, let me know.
In John 15 the Lord teaches "I am the True Vine." Israel is the contrasted vine. Israel is the vine the Lord brought out of Egypt...
Psalm 80:8
King James Version (KJV)
8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
...the general premise pointing to the provision of God in establishing Israel. Israel came to embrace a temporal and fleshly understanding of being that vine, distorting and negating the fact that the provision was of God, and looking to themselves as representing that provision. The same mentality is seen in those guilty of that which Paul rebukes in 1 Corinthians: some feel their denomination is the source of blessing...rather than the result.
Understand?
If yes, I will continue to the next points in Revelation, etc.
Take your time. Better to hash this out so we both understand each other. Until we do that, there is no progression, though we throw much Scripture at each other, lol.
Let me just say that we have to understand the distinction between the source and the result of the provision of God. For Israel, being of Israel was thought to be the provision for relationship with and to God. But the provision for relationship to God has always been, and always be God Himself.
When Christ said "I am the True Vine," what He was telling the disciples was basically, "Heretofore you have trusted that you receive relationship with God by being of Israel." Hereafter know...I am the True source of relationship to and with God. Being Jew benefits no-one apart from me.
Abide in me."
Was Peter abiding in Christ when he denied Christ? For that matter, even after Peter was born again, was he teaching the Galatians the meaning of abiding in the True Vine when he played the hypocrite? Making a distinction, as did the circumcision, between Gentile and Jewish believers.
In Romans 11 we have the same imagery, a tree. Those in the tree, or, in relationship with God through the provision of God, called branches. In John 15, those branches that produced no fruit, thus evidencing they were not part of the True Vine (and this speaks to a future time when those branches were actually cut out), are cut out. Those that are in the True Vine are said to bear fruit, the implication being that true branches will not fail to bear fruit (which is substantiated by numerous teachings of Christ, evil trees/good tree, wheat/tares, et cetera).
It boils down to genuine salvation, and the provision for that salvation. Christ does not equate Himself to Israel, the beneficiaries of the grace of God, but declares Himself the source of the provision.
Again, hope this better explains my position, and that we might move on. But, however long it takes to wrangle this issue, that is okay with me.
God bless.