"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." (John 8:58-59)
"I and the Father are one." Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him." (John 10:30-31)
"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." (John 10:33)
"Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy." (Matthew 26:65)
God's temple was holy to the Jews. Who was holier than the temple? Only God Himself was holier than the temple. Yet, Jesus said in Matt. 12:6, referring to Himself, "I tell you that one greater than the temple is here." He was inferring that He was God.
The Sabbath Day was a holy day. The Lord of the Sabbath was God. Yet, Jesus said in Matt. 12:8, "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." He was claiming to be God here.
"For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18)
"Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exodus 3:13-14)
Several times Jesus described Himself, introduced by the term, "I AM." (John 6:35; 8:12; 9:5; 10:7,9,11,14). In the Greek, the words are solemnly emphatic and echo Exodus 3:14. And John 8:58-59 says, "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds."
"Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that are coming upon him, having gone forth, said to them, `Whom do ye seek?' they answered him, `Jesus the Nazarene;' Jesus saith to them, `I am [he];' -- and Judas who delivered him up was standing with them; -- when, therefore, he said to them -- `I am [he],' they went away backward, and fell to the ground." (John 18:4-6, Young's Literal Translation)
[NOTE: The word "he" is not in the original Greek. In the Greek, Jesus merely says, "I am."]
The men who fell backward were those who had come to arrest Jesus before the crucifixion. This shows that Jesus was God, and had power over the soldiers, and could have destroyed them if He wished.
Those Jews understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, and was calling Himself by the Name of God from Exodus 3:14. They wanted to kill Jesus because of blasphemy, because He claimed to be God. This is why they finally manipulated the Romans into crucifying Him.
"Jesus, therefore, said to them, `When ye may lift up the Son of Man then ye will know that I am [he]; and of myself I do nothing, but according as my Father did teach me, these things I speak." (John 8:28, Young's Literal Translation)
"No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." (John 6:46-47)
"Then they asked him, "Where is your father?" "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come." (John 8:19-20)
"Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:25-30)
"You are not my sheep": The unbelieving Jews were not of the Elect; they did not know God. Though the Jews as a nation are God's chosen people, not every Jew will be saved.
"They shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my / my Father's hand": The Elect are secure in Christ.
In John 10:30, Jesus says, "I and the Father are one." The Greek is neuter--"one thing," not "one person." The two are one in essence or nature, but they are not identical Persons. This supports the Trinity---one God, yet three Persons. This great truth is what warrants Jesus' "I Am" declarations.
"I and the Father are one": Jesus was saying that He and the Father are one God (though distinct Persons). Each Person of the Trinity---Father, Son and Holy Spirit---has always existed. With man, one person = one being. But God is not like man. With God, one Supreme Being = three Persons. A human being does not have gills like fish. Neither does a human being have wings like a bird. Similarly, a human being is not made up of three persons. But, just as fish and birds are not human beings, so God is not a human being. So, although man was made in the image of God, that does not mean that man has all the characteristics of God. For example, man is not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent; yet God is.
"Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9)
"He who hates me hates my Father as well." (John 15:23)
"I said, therefore, to you, that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye may not believe that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins." (John 8:24, Young's Literal Translation)
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17 comments:
Whether it is your intention or not (and I don't believe it is)
this repitition of "the jews" only adds fuel to all too human fires of hatred.
You could make your point, and from even more scripture, without this drum beat that WILL arouse ungodly emotions and prejudice in many people.
Techinically you are just quoting scripture, but all too often our adversary speaks like an angel to fool us- take care not to feed our lower nature. Many people see Israel in a bad light without knowing all the facts because it accords with their ancient and "natural" anti-semitism.
Yours in Christ, Cloudia
Thanks, Cloudia.
My intention was to show why Christ Jesus died, not to blame the Jews. Some people think Jesus was killed for crimes against the state, which is not true. Others think that Jesus was not killed at all, which is also not true.
Yes, there are always going to be those people who misconstrue the Bible and twist Scripture for their own gain, or to teach false doctrine. They are being led by Satan to do so. But that should not stop us from speaking the truth.
Nevertheless, you bring up an important point. There has been hatred for the Jews for many, many years. Mel Gibson made a movie about Jesus' crucifixion, "The Passion of the Christ," and he was accused of Antisemitism because of it. Those accusations were absurd and ridiculous.
The Romans were the ones who actually carried out Jesus' torture and crucifixion. The Jewish religious leaders (not the common Jewish people) manipulated the Romans into doing it. Satan manipulated the Jewish leaders into doing it. But God orchestrated it all, Himself becoming the final, perfect, spotless sacrifice for sin, the Holy One dying for sinners...the Lamb of God. The ones who really killed Jesus was us...every human being.
Israeli soldiers forced to remove Bible verse from checkpoint
Those Who Curse the Jews and Those Who Bless the Jews
By Dennis Prager - July 30, 2002
"In 1973, during the Arab embargo on oil exports that followed the Yom Kippur War between Israel and Egypt, many Americans had to deal with embargo-induced hour-long lines at gas stations, gas rationing, and various setbacks to the economy. As a result, some called for our abandonment of Israel for the sake of oil.
Those voices were not heard among evangelical Christians.
In fact, in a television broadcast from his church to his many followers, the Rev. Jerry Falwell said that he would sooner give up his car and ride a bicycle than yield to Arab blackmail. Citing Genesis (12:3), he explained that God "will bless those who bless the Jews and curse whoever curses the Jews."
I have since heard this over and over from lay Christians calling my radio show and from Christian leaders with whom I have shared platforms.
I heard this again this past weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Focus on the Family, where I spoke to a few thousand supporters of that influential evangelical organization. There are many reasons for the support of conservative Christians for Israel – along with social conservatives, the only group giving such support – but their belief that God blesses those who bless the Jews and curses those who curse the Jews plays a central role.
When I first heard this verse cited by the Rev. Falwell, I certainly found it encouraging to hear a major Christian figure say this to fellow Christians. But perhaps because I had just completed graduate work in the social sciences, my rational faculties simply dismissed the idea as more quaint than believable.
(cont.)
(cont.)
There is a legendary story concerning an agitated Frederick the Great who, in frustration, demanded from his cabinet that somebody provide him with proof of the existence of God. There was a momentary silence before one of his counselors spoke up: "Have you considered the Jew, your Majesty?" he asked.
The continuing existence of the Jew is proof positive of God's existence, just as the existence of a Jewish state is proof positive that we are living in the last days of human government as foretold by the Bible prophets of antiquity.
There are three distinct statements made within the Divine promise of blessing given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The first is that God will bless those who bless the Jews.
When the United States wrested its seat at the council of nations from England, it became the first nation on earth to grant full citizenship to Jews.
It was the first nation to allow the Jews an unrestricted vote. It was the first nation to recognize the incomparable blessing the Jewish people have been to humanity.
America's second president, John Adams, said, "The Jews have done more to civilize men than any other Nation. They are the most glorious Nation that ever inhabited the earth. The Romans and their Empire were but a bauble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of Mankind more, and more happily than any other Nation, ancient or modern."
And no nation on the face of the planet today, or at any time in recorded history, has been more greatly blessed than the United States of America.
The second is that God promised that in the Jews "shall all families of the earth be blessed."
(cont.)
(cont.)
Without the Jews, there would be no Bible. Jesus came to earth as a Jew. Without the Jewish Jesus, there would be no Christianity.
Apart from the theological argument, a quick look at the last hundred years or so proves the promise isn't confined to religious blessings alone.
From 1901 to 2001, the world's 6 billion people competed for the scarce 844 Nobel Prizes that have been awarded. Among those 6 billion people are nearly 2 billion Muslims – roughly 20 percent of the global population.
Of those 2 billion Muslims, eight have been singled out to receive the Nobel Prize –(seven if you consider that one of them was a politically motivated award mistakenly given unrepentant terrorist Yasser Arafat).
In any case, Muslims account for less than 1 percent of the total Nobel Prizes awarded in the last hundred years.
In the middle of the 20th century, the Nazis exterminated some 6 million Jews, more than half the world's Jewish population. There are today about 14 million Jews left.
Even with half their number exterminated at the century's midpoint, 159 of the remaining 836 Nobel Prizes were awarded to Jews, or roughly 18.8 percent of all the Nobel Prizes awarded in Nobel's history.
(If you're keeping track, that is about 20 times as many prizes divided among 14 million Jews than were shared by the 2 billion Muslims worldwide)
In America, the influence of American Jews is hugely disproportionate to their numbers. Conspiracists point darkly to the "Jewish influence" in education, banking, law, medicine, government, media and entertainment as evidence of a Jewish conspiracy to control the world.
They accurately point out that American Jewry accounts for less than 2 percent of America's general population, but then draw their conclusions without the benefit of Scriptural discernment.
The "Jewish influence" in American life is part of God's blessing on America – the "Jewish conspiracy" canard given them in reward is part of God's curse on Israel.
(cont.)
(cont.)
"Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of My land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for My Name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations" (2 Chronicles 7:20).
The curse was partially lifted, beginning in 1948, but will not be entirely lifted until the close of the Tribulation Period.
"And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong" (Zechariah 8:13).
The Jews have returned to the Land, but they remain a "proverb and a byword among all nations" to this day.
Finally, God promised that He would "curse them that curse you." The precision with which God kept this promise is nothing less than astonishing.
During the Crusades from 1095 to 1270, Jews in Southern Europe fled to Spain, England, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe as the result of severe persecution and wholesale massacres of the Jews.
England turned out to be the wrong place to go, because in 1290 King Edward I expelled the Jews. King Charles II did the same thing in 1394 by forcing all Jews from France. Interestingly, Spanish Jews found peace and security in Spain and Portugal while those countries were under Muslim rule. [NOTE: SEE "ISLAM: JEWS"]
At that point in history, Europe was fractured, ignorant and in constant turmoil, while that same period of time is known to history as the Golden Age of Islam.
The Moors were world-renowned for their knowledge of astronomy, medicine and science, and the Islamic world boasted the most extensive libraries that had ever existed to that time.
In the 1400s, the Moors were kicked out of Spain by the Papal forces of Europe. In 1492, on the same day Columbus set sail for the New World, Spain expelled any unconverted Jews who had survived the Spanish Inquisition. This time they fled back to England where the Protestant reformation now welcomed them.
(cont.)
(cont.)
Spain's global empire lasted less than a century after it expelled its Jews, to be replaced by the Jew-friendly British Empire whose reach extended to every corner of the globe. In 1917, the British captured Palestine from the Muslims. The British Crown offered the Jews a homeland via the Balfour Declaration, and a year later, England won the First World War.
After the war, the British broke most of their promises to the Jews, restricted Jewish immigration to the Holy Land, and in the years since have increasingly turned their backs on the Jews that brought them such great blessings for more than 300 years.
The British Empire upon which "the sun never set" in 1900, had, by 1948, lost its last colony when Burma declared independence, and the British Empire was no more.
In 1933, Germany was among the most cultured and sophisticated nations in Europe. Old Berlin was Europe's Crown Jewel. The Nazis turned on the Jews, together with most of Eastern Europe, and 12 years later, Europe's Crown Jewel was a pile of burning rubble.
The Arab world, which had been so blessed during its Golden Age, collapsed into its present state of affairs, with most of it still operating as if electricity had never been harnessed.
The Arab Muslims supported Hitler, opposed Jewish immigration, waged repeated wars against Israel, deny Israel its rightful territory, and now mount a global jihad to finish Hitler's goal of total extermination. The backward nature of modern Islamic culture and society are the fruits of those efforts.
Historically, wherever the Jews were welcomed, that nation flourished and prospered. Where the Jews were persecuted, those nations floundered.
It is more than just coincidence; it is an identifiable historical pattern that has continued, without deviation, since the days of the Babylonian captivity.
Babylon prospered when its Jews prospered, it fell to Persia when Neboplasser turned against them. Persia prospered until it turned on the Jews, whereupon it fell to Alexander's Greece. And so on, throughout history, up to and including the impending collapse of the rabidly anti-Semitic United Nations.
(cont.)
(cont.)
God's Word is true, and Bible prophecy is always 100 percent accurate. Jesus said that before He returned, ALL Bible prophecy would be fulfilled – to the tiniest "jot and tittle" –(the two most insignificant characters in the Hebrew alphabet).
In tracing Israel's history from Babylon to the present, we see the incredible detail with which God keeps His Word. Although America continues to be Israel's principle protector, and continues to enjoy the concomitant blessings that come with it, America's good fortunes began to wane about the same time the White House forced Israel into the Oslo Agreement.
The "land for peace" formula called for Israel to give up some of the land of Promise in exchange for peace. In other words, it was a form of blackmail whose terms were drawn up in Washington and forced upon Israel for the express purpose of undoing what God had already done, including dividing Jerusalem and taking part of it from the Jews.
"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it" (Zechariah 12:3).
People can certainly deny any biblical connection, but the hard reality marches on with the growing shadow now falling across global society. Now it is America's turn to discover just how serious God was about the whole "blessing and cursing" thing.
And by the time circumstances force America to recognize the danger it faces, it will be too late to do anything to affect the outcome.
"So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My Mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it " (Isaiah 55:11)."
They even had more reason then most other nations to disappear. They have been hunted down and killed and persecuted in many of the countries they found themselves. If they had just melted into the rest of the population they would not have sustained so many problems. Yet they remain Jews. Go ahead and explain the Jews without using God, I don't believe you can.
But the children rebelled against me; they did not walk in my statutes, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance man shall live; they profaned my sabbaths. "Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. Ezekiel 20:21-22 This is the very reason that there will always be Jews. If anyone could ever manage to destroy them completely it would prove that either God is not real or He has no real power. He will not allow His witness to be destroyed. God predicted in His word that they would again become a nation and that they would be a thorn in the world's side. If you don't believe God got it right, you haven't been following the news very closely. The Jews remain God's witnesses to the world. Again not because they are a holy nation, in fact most modern day Jews have little concern for God. They are God's witness to the world because there is no human explanation for them and their continued existence. Since becoming a nation again in 1948, God has preserved the nation of Israel from defeat by it’s enemies. Outnumbered by the nations all around them and attacked on all sides, the nation of Israel has not only defended itself three times, but regained more of the land that God promised Abraham each time they were attacked. It is heartbreaking to see the nation of Israel so willing to give up the land God promised them in return for peace which will never come, until their Messiah, whom they have rejected comes back. Replacement theology has become very popular today. It teaches that God is done with the Jews and has replaced them with the church. This is unbiblical and very dangerous for anyone who believes it.
Dangerous because by trying to take the place of the Jews they are despising God's very special witness to the world. God is not done with the Jews. The year 1948 should have put this theology to rest but it didn't. 1968 should have put this theology to rest, but again it didn't. 1973 should have put this theology to rest, but again it didn't. In the book of Ezekiel we read about some of God's promises to Israel. He promises to bring them back to their land from all the nations where He scattered them. That is happening before our eyes. He promises them that He will take out their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh and that they will follow Him. This has not happened yet, but it will. We also read about the Temple that Ezekiel saw and was told to describe in detail. This Temple is yet to be built, but it will be. God is not done with the Jews and the nation of Israel and they as a people are completely different from the church as believers. Yes there are Jews who believe in their Messiah and are part of the church, but the nation of Israel still has promises from God that will take place. Not all the promises are pleasant to contemplate. There is a time coming called the time of Jacob's trouble. It will take place during the tribulation and it will be very unpleasant for the Jewish people. But the very fact that it is coming and was prophesied in the Bible means that God is not done with the Jewish people as a whole. Don't be fooled into the false doctrine of replacement theology, it is not true. We should pray for the Jews and Israel as a nation. We should demand that our nation support them and help them. God's promises are not dead, they are alive and well. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." Genesis 12:2-3 This is a promise to Abraham and to the whole world. The whole world has been blessed through the nation Israel by the coming of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. The promise and the warning are still valid. God will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. And Israel will remain God's witness to the world.
If you call yourself a Christian and think that you have replaced the Jews because you are a Christian, you have placed this curse on your own head. Repent and turn from this sin today! - Samuel Ludvicek
from:
http://www.topix.com/forum/topstories/TCMPL6HG5JAACKKVV
If you don’t understand covenant you cannot understand God.
God operates by covenant.“I will establish my covenant with you”
In Genesis 12:3/15:5-21 God establishes a covenant with Abraham and His descendants through the line of Isaac and Jacob who becomes Israel per God Himself. God promises the Messiah (Christ) through Abraham, a great nation, and that through Abraham all the Gentiles (nations) of the world would be blessed. Genesis 17:19-21/32:28/49:28
In this covenant God says to Abraham and His descendants that “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you”. The word curse the second time literally means revile or esteem lightly. Those who not only persecute but esteem lightly the Jews will be cursed by God Himself! Zechariah 2:8 says that anyone who touches the Jews touches the apple of God’s eye.
(ibid)
Thx Jeff, Russ in Phx.:)
New post on satire blog...
There is a part two to my latest...yet another theology discussion here in the SW USA.
"He who hates me hates my Father as well." (John 15:23)
And so many in the world miss this point. Russ in PHX.
Thanks, Russ.
In that 2002 article I included in comments above, Dennis Prager pointed out that "Among those 6 billion people are nearly 2 billion Muslims – roughly 20 percent of the global population." He also pointed out that "There are today about 14 million Jews left." Two billion divided by 14 million is 142.857143. Therefore, as of 2002, there were almost 143 times as many Muslims on earth as Jews! And what is one of the Muslims' main goals? To exterminate Jews! Yet, after 1400 years of Islam, the Jews have not been exterminated! Yet another proof of God's existence, if you ask me!
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