The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

[TrevorL]

In some contexts the "Kingdom of God" speaks of the replacement of the present kingdoms of men with the Kingdom of God when Christ returns. Daniel 2:44 (KJV): "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."

Jesus did not deny this teaching, or replace these expectations with a new hope or promise such as heaven going at death. Rather this promise of the Kingdom of God on earth is the basis of much of his teaching and many of his parables. For example from the Sermon on the Mount and the Parable of the Nobleman
Matthew 5:5 (KJV): "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Luke 19:11-17,27 (KJV): "11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds , and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money , that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities."
"27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me."
This teaches that even the Apostles thought that the kingdom would immediately appear. They looked to Jerusalem as the place of David's throne where Jesus would reign as promised to David and Mary. The parable speaks concerning three classes, good and bad servants and others called citizens. Jesus was to go to Heaven, receive the authority to rule in his kingdom, and then return to establish this kingdom.

When Jesus preached, this teaching concerning the literal Kingdom of God on earth was evident, but Jesus also taught and demonstrated within himself the moral character of the kingdom and demonstrated the blessings of the kingdom when he healed.
Luke 8:1 (KJV): "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,"

After Christ's death and resurrection the preaching included the aspect of the death and resurrection of Christ, the things concerning the Name. Acts 8:5,12 (KJV): "5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."
These two elements are also mentioned in Acts 28:30-31. A careful examination of Acts 3 also shows that these two elements are a summary of Peter's preaching, the things concerning the Name of Jesus Christ Acts 3:12-18 and the things concerning the Kingdom of God Acts 3:19-26 (both aspects of the gospel are included within this second section).

An example of Paul's preaching shows that both Abraham and the believer in Christ partake of the same inheritance, God's Kingdom on earth. Galatians 3:16,26-29 (KJV): "16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Paul's comments are based upon the promise of the land to Abraham and his seed in
Genesis 13:14-15 (KJV): "14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."

The hope of heaven going at death is a false hope based on pagan philosophy. The promise of the Kingdom of God on earth is a better hope based upon the teaching of the Bible.

Kind regards
Trevor

[Provoker]

Hello Trevor:
According to the scriptural story, covenant Israel split into two enemy nations, which remained enemies till their respective destructions. God's laws required the children of Israel to love Him, and love one another, and the two enemy nations of the children of Israel, did not love one another, and never repented before their destruction.
Since God's everlasting plan for blessing all the nations of the world, is dependant on covenant Israel repenting, and going on to become a great nation, then the first order of business, for those who have the spirit of Israel in their hearts(spiritual Israel), is the resurrection of the covenant nation(kingdom) of Israel.
When Israel broke God's laws, and by extension the covenant, God was obliged by the terms of the covenant, to turn His face away from Israel and all the nations of the world, but since the old covenant is everlasting, God has simply been waiting for some 2900 years, for covenant Israel to be resurrected, so that His everlasting plan for all the nations of the world can continue.
And...just so Israel won't do it again, God will, by His grace, make a new everlasting covenant with resurrected Israel, whereby He will write His laws forever on Israel's hearts and minds, and Israel will forever do by nature the things contained in the law, thus forever fulfilling the everlasting old covenant.
The kingdom of Israel must be resurrected to repentance, without God's help, and that is why the messiah cannot be God.
What do you think?

[TrevorL]

Howdy Provoker,

Greetings. I was interested in your article and I think I agree with what you say up until the last statement:
"The kingdom of Israel must be resurrected to repentance, without God's help, and that is why the messiah cannot be God." Firstly, the Scriptures reveal that the Messiah is Jesus, and he is not God in our English sense of the word, but the Son of God.
John 20:30-31 (KJV): "30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

I disagree with your statement ""The kingdom of Israel must be resurrected to repentance, without God's help ...". There are many scriptures that teach that Israel will be converted and this will be by God's help, and Jesus will accomplish this at his return.

A few examples:
Romans 11:25-26 (KJV): "25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:"

Ezekiel 39:23-29 (KJV): "23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. 25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; 26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. 27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; 28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. 29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD."

Micah 4:6-8 (KJV): "6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem."

Kind regards
Trevor

[Provoker]

Howdy Provoker,

Greetings. I was interested in your article and I think I agree with what you say up until the last statement:
Firstly, the Scriptures reveal that the Messiah is Jesus, and he is not God in our English sense of the word, but the Son of God.
[color=#0000ff]John 20:30-31 (KJV): "30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

I disagree with your statement ""The kingdom of Israel must be resurrected to repentance, without God's help ...". There are many scriptures that teach that Israel will be converted and this will be by God's help, and Jesus will accomplish this at his return.

A few examples:
Romans 11:25-26 (KJV): "25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:"

Ezekiel 39:23-29 (KJV): "23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. 25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; 26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. 27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; 28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. 29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD."

Micah 4:6-8 (KJV): "6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem."

Kind regards
Trevor
Hello Trevor:
They are good verses Trevor, but there is not enough context contained in any one verse, or passage, to prove anything. The fact that there is a story in the bible, which maintains continuity from Genesis to Revelation, means that that story is the key...not selected single verses. The bible was written in context, but it was not written in verses.
Our bibles are paraphrased, interpretive translations, of paraphrased, interpretive translations, and no "one word" can be relied on as the key to any verse, or doctrine. The only reasonable method of understanding the bible, is to read it for it's continuity of story, and let that story interpret the "verses".
There are many, many, scripture fundamentals which orthodoxy either does not know about, or does not consider, and without undertanding the fundamental story of the bible, the selected verses only mean what we are told that they mean.
Can you explain to me, how a God who cannot lie, can get around His covenant promise, so that He can help Israel become a nation/kingdom again?

[TrevorL]

Howdy Provoker,

Greetings again. "They are good verses Trevor, but there is not enough context contained in any one verse, or passage, to prove anything. I am not sure if you are saying that you reject the obvious message of these verses, that teach that Israel will be restored and converted when Christ returns.

"Can you explain to me, how a God who cannot lie, can get around His covenant promise, so that He can help Israel become a nation/kingdom again? " I do not understand on what you base your question. Where does it say that "His covenant promise" does not include Israel?

Kind regards
Trevor

[Provoker]

Hello Trevor:
I get the feeling that we are missing each other's points...LOL
According to bible context, Israel does not now exist, and has not existed since it split into two other nations at Solomon's death. Israel has only existed **in spirit** since then, and whosoever is converted to belief in the gospel of the kingdom, will become part of "spiritual Israel". He will watch, wait, and prepare for, the coming of the messiah, who will lead spiritual Israel to the successful re-possession of the promised land.
When the final trump sounds, indicating that the promised land has been taken, spiritual Israel will, in the twinkling of an eye, be changed into literal, covenant Israel, resurrected from the dead.
There is no race, genealogy, or ethnicity, which defines Israel, and there never was, so there is no race, genealogical, or ethnic, group to be converted. The converted are already Israel in spirit, waiting to become literal Israel, resurrected from the dead.
God's everlasting(old) covenant was made with a mixed national assembly, which broke the covenant 2900 years ago, and never did repent. Personal salvation is simply joining up with that **mixed national assembly in spirit**, with a committment to it's resurrection, from the dead, to repentance.
The religio/ethnic group we know today as Jews, is nominal, and not "true" Jews as defined by Paul, who was making "true" Jews out of gentiles and nominal Jews.
The religious group we know today as Christians, is also nominal, and not "true" Jews, as Jesus and his apostles were making.
Sound pretty far out? It is my opinion that it is what the bible teaches:-)
What do you think?

[Provoker]

Hello Trevor:
I don't "reject" the obvious message of these verses, I simply disagree with the orthodox interpretation of them...LOL
God made His everlasting(old) covenant with a mixed national assembly called the children of Israel, which was defined entirely by fact that it was an assembly, not by any race, genealogy, colour, or creed. National Israel remained a mixed people until it fell into oblivion when it split into two other nations after the death of Solomon. That spit made it impossible for Israel to repent, and those with the spirit of the kingdom of Israel in their hearts and minds, have been preparing ever since, to resurrect the kingdom of Israel from the dead, to repentance.
Those with the spirit of the kingdom in their hearts, "spiritual Israel/the spiritual kingdom", are watching, waiting, and preparing, for the messiah who is coming to resurrect the kingdom of his father David(the gospel of the kingdom).
Paul made it quite clear that religio/ethnic Jews were not necessarily "true" Jews, and that Paul was converting both gentiles, and nominal Jews, to "true" Jews.
The point is that there is no specific religio/ethnic group of people which represents Israel, so there is no specific group of people to be converted.
Those who convert to faith in the gospel of the kingdom, become "Israel" in spirit, or "true" Jews.
Christianity was not new in the first century. Judaism began as a nationalistic movement in 6th century BC Babylon, when it was prophesied that a messiah would come to resurrect the kingdom of his father David. Original Judaism was "Messianic", which translates to "Christian" in first century Greek.
By the first century, the Jerusalem Jews had long since given up on the messiah, and they taught about kingdom resurrection as a religious myth. They had become the backslidden lost sheep of the house of Israel, precisely the people who Jesus came to, with the gospel of the kingdom. The same gospel of the kingdom, which he commissioned his apostles to preach to everyone in the world.
The bible teaches that the kingdom of Israel will be resurrected when the messiah comes, but it is only told by the bible story, not according to selected individual verses and passages.
God's covenant promise was entirely to the mixed national assembly Israel, but it concerned all the nations of the world, so the salvation of Israel, and all the nations of the world, is dependant on Israel's continuation in the everlasting(old) covenant. This means that Israel must be resurrected, from the dead, to repentance, so that God's plan, for all the nations of the world, can continue.
God defines His new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34, where He says He will make it with Israel...both houses, indicating resurrected Israel. His new covenant will be completely unilateral, requiring nothing from Israel, so it will be completely by God's grace. God will write His laws forever on the hearts of resurrected Israel, so that Israel will forever do by nature the things contained in the law, ***thus fulfilling forever, the everlasting(old) covenant***.
God's promises are to Israel only, and personal salvation is simply becoming part of Israel...in spirit now, and in actuality at the resurrection.
The promise you asked me about, is God's promise to make Israel a great nation, and become a blessing to all the nations of the world...**As Long As** Israel keeps God's commandments. Israel does not now exist, except in spirit, and before Israel can pick up where it left off in God's covenant plan, it must exist again(resurrection from the dead), and God cannot help in the resurrection, because He has specificly promised that He will only help Israel, nationally, when Israel is keeping His laws. Sort of a catch 22...LOL
This is why I say that the messiah cannot be God, or even be sent by God.
Passages which suggest that the messiah will be sent by God, are simply metaphores, because the messianic result will be that God's plan for all the nations of the world, will continue once more.
What do you think?

[TrevorL]

Howdy Provoker,

Greetings. I appreciate some aspects of your thoughts on spiritual Israel, but the amount of literal detail in the prophets and the NT should not be swamped by this aspect of interpretation.

Yes, a true Jew is one who is not a Jew outwardly.
Romans 2:28-29 (KJV): "28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
Yes, context is important, and the above passage has an important context.

In another context Paul is talking concerning natural Israel, and their failure to respond to the gospel in the time of Apostles:
Romans 11:25-32 (KJV): "25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all."
Here Paul calls natural Israel "Israel", unless you believe that spiritual Israel is blind. They are blind and ungodly, and yet the Deliverer will in the future "turn away ungodliness from Jacob", again natural Israel, descendants of Jacob, unless you think spiritual Jacob is ungodly. At the time when the Apostles preached the gospel, natural Israel were enemies, they opposed the preaching and opposed those who had received the gospel. Natural Israel called "Israel" in this passage were enemies to spiritual Israel in the time of the Apostles. And yet, in the future natural Israel will receive mercy when they are converted.
"According to bible context, Israel does not now exist, and has not existed since it split into two other nations at Solomon's death." Your definition of "Israel" is not consistent with Bible usage of the term "Israel". Paul also speaks of natural Israel in the following:
Romans 10:1-3 (KJV): "1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
This is clearly not spiritual Israel, but natural Israel. Context is important, and so are the words in their simple, clear meaning. We should not impose our definitions on top of any passage, but allow the Word of God to speak, both from the words and context.
"The religious group we know today as Christians, is also nominal, and not "true" Jews, as Jesus and his apostles were making." I can agree with this in general, God alone knows the hearts and minds, God knows who are His true servants.
"Israel does not now exist, except in spirit, and before Israel can pick up where it left off in God's covenant plan, it must exist again(resurrection from the dead), and God cannot help in the resurrection, because He has specificly promised that He will only help Israel, nationally, when Israel is keeping His laws. Sort of a catch 22...LOL" This statement may appear to have some Scriptural backing, when pieced together out of context, but it ignores the many Scriptures that speak of God converting and saving natural Israel in the future.

The following teaches that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
John 20:30-31 (KJV): "30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Jesus will return and convert the existing nation of Israel who are in the land today, who are there in unbelief of Jesus as their Messiah, and they will become the first dominion of the Kingdom of God:
Micah 4:6-8 (KJV): "6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem."

Kind regards
Trevor

[Provoker]

Hello Trevor:
There are a few principles which should be understood before accepting doctrines based on single verses, and one is that even though Paul does not consider nominal Jews to be "true" Jews, he still refers to them as Jews, because that is how they happened to be identified at the time. You will also find the first century Jews refered to as a nation, but that also is simply using nominal Jewish terminology, because the Jews had never been a nation. Judaism began in Babylon.
Another important point is that the Jews were not Israel, even though the nominal Jews saw themselves as Israel, and are still often refered to as Israel. Israel was a sovereign nation which ceased to exist 400 years before Judaism existed.
The first Jews were those who believed the prophet when he told them that a messiah was coming to resurrect the Davidic kingdom, and they probably saw themselves as "future" Israel, and so refered to themselves as Israel, but in fact, they were simply Israel "in spirit".
I'm sure that most Christians and Jews would argue the point, but that is because their preconceived orthodoxy is based on the specific wording of selected single verses or passages, and the greater context, which is the continuing story, has been ignored.
When we assume that one word means the same thing every time it is used, we will come to the wrong conclusion at least some of the time, and it is only the greater context of the whole bible story, which will tell us which meaning to take.
The 10 tribe northern kingdom was called Israel, but it was just one non-covenant nation which held part of the land which had been David's kingdom, and it remained in contravention of the covenant right to it's destruction. God's laws required that the one nation of the children of Israel, loved God and loved one another, and that does not describe either of the enemy nations of the divided children of Israel. Quoting a single verse which contains the word "Israel", means nothing without having the greater context applied to it.
Christianity is not even aware of **the** one and only continuous bible story which runs from Genesis to Revelation, and which is the most honest context one could find for the purpose of interpreting scripture.
Another thing that must be considered, is the fact that the pre-first century scriptures were well known before the Romans became involved with Judaism, but the scriptures of the common era, were completely under the editorial control of non-Jews, virtually from the time they were written. The universal Roman religion has taught us to interpret pre-first century scriptures in the context of the common era scriptures of the universal Roman religion, but to me, that is putting the cart before the horse. The old testament is basicly the history of a specific people, and Roman Christianity divides those millenia, into allegory, metaphore, and types, to confirm doctrines which are not actually found in the old testament, but suddenly appeared after 66AD, when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews and Christians dispersed, or driven underground.
Don't get me wrong...I don't want to throw out the new testament, because even though we know that it was doctrinally edited by the early church fathers, the continuous background story which runs through the old testament, continues through the background story of the new testament, confirming the old, and exposing the spurious editing in the new.
This is not a message from God however...LOL, but just my honest opinion:-)

[TrevorL]

Howdy Provoker,

Greetings again. "I don't want to throw out the new testament, because even though we know that it was doctrinally edited by the early church fathers, the continuous background story which runs through the old testament, continues through the background story of the new testament, confirming the old, and exposing the spurious editing in the new." I believe that the New Testament writings are inspired and despite a few minor mss textual variations, have not suffered doctrinal editing by the early church fathers. Take a few of my favourites, do you disagree with the teaching found in Matthew, Luke, Acts, Romans and Galatians? How much of these books do you claim have been altered - give a few examples please. To me the teachings of these books are profound, yet simple and clear eg Matthew chps 5-7.

I also suggest that your use of "Israel" in an absolute sense is confusing and does not help in many passages where the word "Israel" occurs. "When we assume that one word means the same thing every time it is used, we will come to the wrong conclusion at least some of the time, and it is only the greater context of the whole bible story, which will tell us which meaning to take." I do not take "Israel" to mean the same thing in every context, and each usage must be considered in its own context. As a start the name first appears when Jacob's name was changed, and this and the reason for the change must be one of the most relevant passages on the meaning of the word "Israel". Israel is the name of one individual, Jacob and this is a foundation for other usages.
Genesis 32:27-28 (KJV): "27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."

One of my favourite passages concerning Jacob / Israel is:
Isaiah 29:22-24 (KJV): "22 Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. 23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. 24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine."
This seems to be based upon the incident of Joseph in Egypt, when Jacob was anxiously waiting for the return of his sons including Benjamin, and the outcome when he realised that even Joseph was alive, and God the creator, the work of God's hands, had humbled and corrected his sons. All of this a pattern of natural Israel in the future coming into acceptance with Jesus through the time of trouble soon to be experienced.
Jeremiah 30:7 (KJV): "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."

Kind regards
Trevor

[Provoker]

Hello Trevor:
When "the children of Israel" exodused Egypt, they were not all Jacob's descendants. The bible says they were a mixed assembly of people, so they were simply identified as "the children of Israel", because Jacob was the patriarch(founder) of the mixed national assembly which grew out of Jacob's family.
There is no doubt that the nation/kingdom of Israel, was named after Jacob, and God was the God of Jacob, but the only requirements for being an Israelite, were to ***live within the law, within the nation***, and whosoever met those condiditions was an Israelite.
If actual descendants of Jacob would not accept those conditions, they were forced to leave the nation and they were no longer Israelites, so when "Israel" refers to a people, it either refers to (1) the one nation of the children of Israel, which God made his everlasting covenant with...(2) the northern division of the children of Israel, after the civil war which destroyed covenant Israel, which simply kept the name...(3) The backslidden Judean Jews who considered themselves to be Israel, even though they were aways under the ultimate national rule of foreigners, and did not love one another, because they were enemies with the other half of the children of Israel, and did not love God, because they did not love one another...(4) The assembly of "true-Jews"(who had it in their hearts to resurrect the nation/kingdom to repentance), who were "Israelites-in-spirit(spiritual Israel)". Then of course, there is the modern state of Israel, which uses the name, but is not the covenant nation, because it has no national propensity to love God and love one another.
The story which runs in the background, through the bible, describes the people, the covenant, the covenant conditions, the rise to greatness, and the fall of Israel, around 900BC. Then the bible tells the story of the unrepented, divided, children of Israel, as they go down, down, to destruction. Then comes the prophesy that a messiah would come and resurrect the Davidic kingdom, followed by the efforts of the tiny faction of Judean Jews who did not backslide, and did not leave the fold which is the gospel of the kingdom, to convert as many people as they could to the gospel of the kingdom, to build a body of people which would be viable as the citizens of the resurrected nation/kingdom, Israel.
If one recognizes the story which runs right through the whole bible, then he will automaticly know, as he reads, which "Israel" is being refered to at any given time, but that distinction cannot always be made from the quotation of a single passage which contains the word "Israel".
I believe that the reason that there are so many doctrinally disagreeing denominations, is because people look for "context" which they can use to confirm their preconceptions, but no one seems to care about the greater context, which is the story which runs with continuity through the bible.
I believe it was Clement who confessed in a letter to one of his contemporaries, that he removed a portion of scripture from one of the gospels(probably John), because it could be construed to imply the homosexuality was endorsed by Jesus. The passage came after the resurrection of Lazarus, and it said that Lazarus came to Jesus wearing nothing but a sheet, and he spent the night with Jesus, where he learned many wonders of the kingdom.
Clement clearly describes the passage in the letter, and that passage is definitely not in our bibles, but we know that it did exist, because it still exists in one of the "gnostic" gospels which was rejected by the cannonizers.
Proof of even the smallest amout of editing of the new testament, means that we really have no idea of the type, or amount, of doctrinal editing the early church fathers did.
Since the cannonizers accepted, or rejected, new testament writings according to how well they fit with the preconceived orthodoxy of the time, then any editing which may have taken place, would have been for the same doctrinal purpose.
We all agree that God could certainly maintain the integrity of His word, but there is nothing in the bible which says that the bible is God's word, or that He would maintain it's integrity.
We cannot make doctrine out of what we believe God could do if He wanted to...LOL