Redemption & Salvation

Good day to each of you reading this column as I have been reading and studying the book of Revelation.

Yes, this is a very intriguing book for this is “one giant puzzle” of history from the past to the “now”.

Bible scholars have various thoughts on this wonderful book, but many scholars fail to distinguish between the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of salvation.

Our present-day pastors speak genuinely of the gospel of salvation, yet they speak very little of the gospel of the kingdom, the roots of the kingdom, who and how the kingdom will be established.

It is wonderful to accept personal salvation and to be reconciled to both God and Jesus Christ, but the journey does not end for each one must be prepared to enter and have citizenship of Jesus Christ kingdom.

Jesus was very clear on both subjects for he said in John 10:9 (NIV) ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

This is a command from Jesus saying that Jesus is the “I am” and offers personal salvation to anyone who enters through him and him only to be saved. But Jesus does not stop there, as he says those saved will come in and go out and like sheep will find pasture.

Let’s tie the word sheep for who are the sheep? Jesus answers this question not once, but twice as a double witness: Matthew 10:5-7 (NIV) ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

It is so important to read verse 6 & 7 –. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 

Who is the lost sheep of Israel? Gentiles? Jews? Samaritans? Israelites? Any of these? The kingdom of heaven message specifically is aimed for the lost sheep of Israel.

Jesus makes mention of being sent to the lost sheep of Israel in Matthew 15:21-24 to a Canaanite woman as a second witness.

The lost sheep of Israel ARE NOT the Jews of Israel of Today—Jesus was not a Jew. Abraham was not a Jew, nor was Issac, nor was David.

Shocked—you shouldn’t be if you READ your Bible—Take off your blinders and read no further than Matthew 1:1-16 of the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was a Hebrew as was Issac—the word Jew as we know or someone born as a Jew was not introduced in the Bible until many centuries later in the book of Kings.

I am reminded of the verse—Matthew 5:18 (KJV) 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Here Jesus says that not one iota (jot) or dot (tittle) will pass away from the law. These most likely refer to the smallest strokes of the Hebrew alphabet, indicating that the Old Testament is completely trustworthy, even to the smallest detail. This is consistent with Jesus’ attitude elsewhere. Nov 12, 2016

Fellow Christian, we are the lost sheep of Israel for we believe that Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth and life and no one cometh to the Father except thru Jesus! What other religion believes this?

As I have been reading Howard Rand’s Documentary Study Volume 1, he poses a very interesting question—Why did Israel, of all peoples, need to be redeemed? When reading the Bible, what country is focused in the Bible? What one country is singled out?

Let’s answer the above question as we establish the redemption of Israel and the proclamation of salvation to all peoples.

Mr. Rand supplies the necessary Biblical history as to when organized Israel into his kingdom nation at Mount Sinai supplying the commandments, laws, statutes to Moses. Each Israelite was charged with the responsibility of following every jot and tittle as the letter of the law.

Moving forward in time, we come to time when, under Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, where the House of Israel separated from the House of Judah along with the rule of the House of David.

This separation was the reason for the deportation of Israel into Assyria while Judah stayed in the land. Why the separation? Look no further than 2Kings 17.

As you begin with verse 7, the Israelites sinned against God by worshipping other gods and following practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them?

Stop right there—Look no further than America today where we have fallen away from God by allowing other religions of other nations to be a part of our country. How many other gods are we worshipping than the one true God?

The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord—Look no further than today where evil was introduced in the form of abortions, transgenderism and homosexuality under education and now an accepted lifestyle.

The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers—just like today where we have men and women who are warning the people to humble themselves and repent, but the answer is the same until our backs are against the wall.

Verse 14-17 says: ¹⁴ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

¹⁶ They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. ¹⁷ They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

Fellow Christian, do you see the similarities today? Idols, Abortion, Murder, Deceit, Sorcery and the stiff-neckedness of people not to follow the commandments, statutes and laws of God.

The verdict: Verse 18-23 (NIV) ¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, ¹⁹ and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. ²⁰ Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

²¹ When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. ²² The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them ²³ until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

First, Jesus loves each of us so much greater than we will ever know, but HE HATES SIN! Israel had to be removed from Jesus’ presence for their sin was so great and placed into exile.

A better explanation is found in Jeremiah 3:8 (NIV) ⁸ I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.

Upon reading the above verse, note that Israel is receiving her certificate of divorce— let’s explore the marriage and divorce between the House of Israel and God.

Turn to Hosea to shed some necessary light—Hosea 1:9 (NIV) Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

As one looks further into Hosea 2:7-8 (NIV) She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’⁸ She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold— which they used for Baal.

Divorce and Adultery, two things that God frowns upon, so how does one, under the law of divorcement and the husband has put away his wife. Wait, the wife goes after another, even though the second husband may die, she can’t return to her first husband.

Paul, in Romans provides the solution: Romans 7:1-2 (NIV) 7 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? ² For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 

We have established Israel was God’s people and that Israel and its people had sinned, thus God wrote Israel a bill of divorcement and making him “not his people”.

Here is where the word, “redemption” must be introduced for redemption must be accomplished by his death. Remember that Jesus said ¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was more than just the saving of our souls and the payment of sin for all. Redemption by Christ had to be made to fulfill the law as noted by Paul in Romans 7:1-2.

Israel and its people were in a hopeless state, a bill of divorcement and sent away for her idolatry. What could the bride do? Redemption by Christ would bring salvation to all who through Christ would be reconciled to God.

Look no further than the nail imprints on Christ’s hands and thrusts to his side. Agonizing suffering for the sin of the world from the past, to the present and into the future in order to redeem His people.

As we conclude, let us recognize that when Israel, in the Old Testament, did not turn from its sinful ways and by breaking its covenant with God that the result was a certificate of divorce. Enter Romans 7:1-2 and the law—Israel must and will be redeemed as written in Isaiah 49:8-13.

Redemption came in the form of Jesus bearing her transgressions thus fulfilling the law so Israel could again become His people.

Before concluding, please turn to John 12: 37-43 (NIV) Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

³⁷ Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes
    and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
    nor understand with their hearts,
    nor turn—and I would heal them.”

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

Jesus stands by his message that the lost House of Israel is not the Jew or the Pharisee as shown in the above verses. Paul, as a double witness, in Acts 28:17-28, identifies the Jews as those who believe not in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and why—look no further than Acts 28:26-27 or John 12:37-40 which fulfills the word of Isaiah the prophet.

Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear? The Bible is very clear as to who is the lost house of Israel. The question is, as you read this, are you a part of the lost house of Israel?

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May you bless God in all that you say and do!

 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Best

Jeff