Who are the lost sheep of Israel?
- these of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms only?
- these of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms only?
Simon Yap is with Lightman Chum - 2022 March 5 at 2:51 PM ·
Every time you tell someone that gospel was meant for Israel and Judah they will quote to you John 3:16. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Let me show you something. Before John 3 there is John 1. This .. John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Now notice how John uses the word “world”. See .. John 1:31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Note. Israel. Now read this.. Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance —now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. Do you see that Jesus died only for people who lived under the first covenant? Look at this as well.. Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was the law which required the blood. Hence. Jesus was the Lamb to Israel. Why the world? You see Israel was divided to Judah and Israel during the reign of Rehoboam. Israel then was invaded by Assyria. Many Jews and Israelites were sold to Greece as well as around the world. This event is call the diaspora. Joel 3:6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland. John 7:35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? Jeremiah 16:16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the LORD, “and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks. Who are these fishes? Jeremiah 16:15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. Now look here. 1 Peter 1:1 1 Peter Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 1 Peter 1:1 Greeting Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, The “world” here meant all Israelites including those scattered to the whole world. Now. Am I trying to say God loved Israel only? No. I am saying God loves everyone. But. Only the Israelites needed saving. From their mindset. A mindset which was placed on them by the Law. You see. Jesus did not save them from their sins. Jesus save them from the old covenant. That’s how Jesus saved them from their separation and unified them and made them one into a new humanity by disposing off the temple. This unified Israel is called the new creation, the new heaven and earth. The new world. It has nothing to do with you. |
John 6:60 [One of them chosen by Jesus is a DEVIL]
Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” John 5:45-47 [Your ACCUSER is Moses] 45“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” John 8:44 [Your father, the DEVIL, a LIAR and father of LIES] You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. |
Simon Yap - 2022 March 10 at 8:09 AM ·
The Gentiles here are not you and me but northern Israel.
Ephesians 2:11-20
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” (only Judah cared about whether anyone was circumcised because they kept the Law whereas the North didn’t) by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (these are the Jews from the south) (which is done in the body by human hands) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel (the exclusion can be seen in Hosea 1:10, where in God called Israel “not my people) and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. (You cannot be excluded if you were never included in the first place).
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away (this also talking about how the northern kingdom was scattered all over the world by the Assyrians) have been brought near by the blood (Hebrews 9:22 tells you it’s the Law that needed the blood, only Israel and Judah were under the Law) of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, (we were never in any war with the Jews but this enmity was made worse when Ezra and Nehemiah rejected the norther Israel’s help to rebuild the temple because they accused the north as unholy due to their mixed bloodline and their pagan practices) who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law (as such, it was the Law that drew the dividing wall between the north and south. You can also see from John 4 the north build a temple of their own in Samaria, and through the years tried to desecrate the temple in Jerusalem to make their temple “holier”) with its commands and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you (Jesus constantly said he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, he never came to us) who were far away and peace to those who were near.
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people (Judah, note the reference to “people who are “not my people” will be my people” in Hosea 1:10 are referring to Israel) and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
So please.
Read this.
Hosea 1:10-11
“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
This is the exact same verse Paul used to address the “Gentiles” in Romans.
Romans 9:24-26
even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
and,
“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
This is about the unification of Israel and Judah.
You were never under the Law why should the Law seperate you and the Jews?
Only people who broke the Law were considered enemies of the people who keep the Law.
You and I are not Israelites. We never had any covenant with God.
We never needed one.
Hope that clarifies the confusion.
The Gentiles here are not you and me but northern Israel.
Ephesians 2:11-20
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” (only Judah cared about whether anyone was circumcised because they kept the Law whereas the North didn’t) by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (these are the Jews from the south) (which is done in the body by human hands) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel (the exclusion can be seen in Hosea 1:10, where in God called Israel “not my people) and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. (You cannot be excluded if you were never included in the first place).
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away (this also talking about how the northern kingdom was scattered all over the world by the Assyrians) have been brought near by the blood (Hebrews 9:22 tells you it’s the Law that needed the blood, only Israel and Judah were under the Law) of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, (we were never in any war with the Jews but this enmity was made worse when Ezra and Nehemiah rejected the norther Israel’s help to rebuild the temple because they accused the north as unholy due to their mixed bloodline and their pagan practices) who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law (as such, it was the Law that drew the dividing wall between the north and south. You can also see from John 4 the north build a temple of their own in Samaria, and through the years tried to desecrate the temple in Jerusalem to make their temple “holier”) with its commands and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you (Jesus constantly said he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, he never came to us) who were far away and peace to those who were near.
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people (Judah, note the reference to “people who are “not my people” will be my people” in Hosea 1:10 are referring to Israel) and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
So please.
Read this.
Hosea 1:10-11
“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
This is the exact same verse Paul used to address the “Gentiles” in Romans.
Romans 9:24-26
even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
and,
“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
This is about the unification of Israel and Judah.
You were never under the Law why should the Law seperate you and the Jews?
Only people who broke the Law were considered enemies of the people who keep the Law.
You and I are not Israelites. We never had any covenant with God.
We never needed one.
Hope that clarifies the confusion.
Acts 13:44-14:7 New International Version
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was sayingand heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first.Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you[a] a light for the Gentiles,
that you[b] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[c]”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
In Iconium14 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews,together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was sayingand heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first.Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you[a] a light for the Gentiles,
that you[b] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[c]”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
In Iconium14 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews,together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.
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