The Thoughts of Wesley son of Cornelius

There is something unique about the Jews. As stated earlier, Paul asked the question: “What advantage is there in being a Jew?” (Romans 3:1) Paul answers that the Jews are the people who were given the Law, the prophets, the covenants, and eventually Christ. The Jews were the physical descendants of Abraham. But the Bible has always been clear that being an Israelite (nationally) never guaranteed you salvation. Only by faith is one saved. This concept has been true since the beginning. For the following could be considered full Israelites but I doubt could claim citizenship in God’s family: Korah, Manasseh King of Judah, High Priest Annas, or High Priest Caiaphas. Many others could be added to this list. My conclusion is that Israel is God’s people. However, they are a picture or symbol of God’s People. The temple and temple sacrifices were pictures of something higher. Likewise, baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection we share with Christ. However, sacrificing at the temple or being baptized is not needed for salvation. So the question arises:

“Did God reject his people?” (Romans 11:1 NIV)

Paul answers: “By no means!”

Here Paul is referring to the Jews, God’s people. Paul goes on to create a beautiful analogy of olive branches being broken off of the root and wild branches being grafted in. But he ends with a very powerful statement.

“… how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved …” (Romans 11:24-26a NASB)

This final restoration is taught throughout most of the Old Testament prophets. It is far beyond the scope of this discussion to cover the ideas taught in those passages. I believe God will fulfill his promises of restoration to his people. But the fulfillment will be a picture of the higher: the restoration of his People.

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its [P]eople a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my [P]eople; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” (Isaiah 65:17-19 NIV my capitalization)

Who are God’s People? Paul says it beautifully in his letter to Titus:

“… Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:14 NIV)

God’s People are the saved, the redeemed, the purified, the elect. His family, his assembly, is His People. The concept of who was a part of God’s People and what are God’s People required to do were very important questions to the early assembly. The apostles and elders met in Jerusalem to discuss these questions. Here was the answer given by James, the half-brother of Jesus:

“After they [Barnabas and Paul] stopped speaking, James answered, saying, ‘Brethren, listen to me. Simeon [Peter] has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, “After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.’” (Acts 15:13-18 NASB)

James, a Jew, agreed that God took the Gentiles to be a part of his People.

Throughout the Bible, God’s People have been pictured as a family—one body. As seen in the earlier passages, one key aspect of the family of God is the promise. The promise was first clearly stated to Abraham.

“The LORD said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV)

Peter would quote part of this promise to his Jewish listeners at the temple.

“And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your father. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:25-26 NIV)

However, Paul would also apply the promise to the Gentiles.

“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:8-9 NIV)

Paul continues in his letter to the Galatians by saying:

“He [Christ] redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” (Galatians 3:14 NIV)

And could Paul be any clearer that the family of God, the assembly of God, is the People of God in the following passage?

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29 NASB)

With this said we can now return back to a previously quoted passage and understand it more completely.

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: ‘through Isaac your descendants will be named.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” (Romans 9:6-8 NASB)

If you are not convinced yet that the assembly and God's People are related, look at the following passage in Isaiah.

“And they will call them, ‘The holy people, the redeemed of the LORD’; and you will be called, ‘Sought out, a city not forsaken.’” (Isaiah 62:12 NASB)

At first glance, this passage does not seem to directly support the connection between God’s People and the assembly. However, I have already quoted from this passage earlier. Chapter 62 of Isaiah is talking about the Day of the Lord and the marriage. I applied verses four and five of this chapter to the assembly when I asked who the bride of Christ was.

Let’s return back to 1 Peter. Peter continues:

“… for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” (1 Peter 2:10 NASB)

Peter is referencing a passage in Hosea 1:10. The passage in Hosea can be directly applied to the Israelites of that time. But Paul quotes this passage in Romans to refer to how the Gentiles are also apart of God’s People. Interestingly, following Paul’s quotation of Hosea, he quotes the passage in Isaiah about how a rock will be a stumbling block for the Jews. Peter uses the same quote in Isaiah prior to quoting Hosea. However, Peter seems to apply the stumbling block to all non-believers. Even though they are approaching the topic slightly different, they are developing the same idea: the description of God’s family. A people who were not a people are now God’s People.

This idea of exclusion from God’s People and now being a part of God’s People was seen earlier in Ephesians.

“… at that time … strangers to the covenants of promise … But now … you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” (Ephesians 2:12, 13, 19 NASB)

To the assembly in Ephesus, Paul continues the idea of Gentiles now being included with God’s People:

“By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:4-6 NASB)

Because of the clear statements, the assembly of God must be God’s People.

The Greek word ekklesia has been shown to be best translated assembly. We have seen how the assembly was rebuilt with the inclusion of Gentiles. Furthermore, just as a man and woman become one on their wedding day, Christ becomes one with the assembly on the Day of the Lord. Likewise, the members of the assembly are to become unified as the human body is unified. But is the assembly the family of God or the People of God? In this dialogue I hope to develop the idea of God’s People in comparison with God’s people. The capitalization of the word people will become more evident later. To investigate this idea, let us examine the first letter of Peter.

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” (1 Peter 1:1-2 NASB)

“… To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia …” (1 Peter 1:1 NIV)

“… To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia …” (1 Peter 1:1 ESV)

Peter says to these elect,

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has call you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NASB)

Peter prescribes his recipients with four titles: chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and an owned people. The last three titles would remind the Jews of what Moses wrote.

“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6 NASB)

One might be quick then to assume Peter is only writing to the Jews. However, one needs to be careful not to come to that conclusion too quickly. The idea of a royal priesthood is found in Revelation and is applied to the assembly.

“John, to the seven [assemblies] in the province of Asia … To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:4, 5b-6 NIV)

Jesus then tells John to write to the assembly in Thyatira:

“And to the angel of the [assembly] in Thyatira … The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” (Revelation 2:18, 26 ESV)

If the assembly at Thyatira perseveres, they will be given authority over the nations. The four living creatures and the 24 elders will later sing:

“… and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10 ESV)

Near the end of Revelation, John writes:

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6 ESV)

The assembly seems to correspond to the priesthood. If that is so, it appears that Peter is calling the recipients of his letter God’s People. Who are the recipients? The recipients are the assemblies throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.

Still thinking (but unlike this guy, I wear clothes when I think)!

I have been working on the second half of my discussion on the assembly. This time I am looking at the assembly as the People of God. I just need it to be proofread by the resident English teacher (to make sure I use the same verb tense) and the resident Theologian.

Prior to WWII Jewish immigration to Palestine increased. This increase was due to the rebirth of anti-Semitism in Europe, primarily Germany, and the Zionist movement. The increase in Jewish population in the region created much Arab resentment. In 1936-1939 the Great Uprising (or Arab Revolt) took place. Both sides would take part in violent acts such as marketplace bombings. The revolt died down with the beginning of WWII. The Arabs’ mistrust of the Germans prevented any close alliances. However, the Holocaust created an even larger immigration of Jews into the British Mandate of Palestine. The British eventually forbade entry into the region from fleeing Jews. WWII in Europe came to an end in May 1945. A few months later, two nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan, ending the war. As an aside, these nuclear bombs were envisioned and developed through the science of many Jewish scientists: the most notable being Einstein, Bohr, and Oppenheimer.

In 1947 the United Nations passed a resolution to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The Greater Jerusalem area would be under international control. The British government and the United Nations failed to implement this plan. This failure was mainly due to the rejection of the Palestinian Arabs. Shortly after the resolution, Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq attacked the Israel State. The Jewish forces proved to be militarily stronger than the Arabs expected. The British terminated the British Mandate of Palestine on May 15, 1948. On May 14 the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel was publicly read before the official expiration on the next day. The United States recognized the independence moments after the reading. The Arab-Israeli War lasted until 1949 when the badly beaten Arabs called for a truce. Due to the war, Israel claimed 50% more land than originally given and several Palestinian refugees were left with no where to go.

Since the creation of Israel, the state has not seen any rest. From the War of Attrition to the Lebanese Civil War to the Gulf War and now the Israel-Lebanon conflict, a once uncommon anti-Semitism in the Arab world has become their trademark.

We have now covered 2000 years of Jewish history and ended up in the present with you sitting in front of a computer screen reading this blog. Now I ask the hard question: are the Jews God’s people?

We now jump through time quickly. Large nations have broken into smaller ones, communication with areas like China and Russia have been open, now the once called East is now the Middle East, and the United States has spread from sea to shining sea. We now stop around 1914. The world is tense. Alliances of unusual kind have been made. Many thoughts and plans are hidden. In June of that year one man assassinates the heir to the Austrian throne. Quickly the world is ushered into The Great War (now called World War I). Strangely, the country that reflected the Old West—Germany—allies with the country that reflected the Old East—the Ottoman Empire. In 1918 the war would come to an end, and Germany would be beaten, tired, and in disarray and the Ottoman Empire would be no more. The Ottoman Empire would be divided five ways: Turkey would claim its independence, Lebanon and Syria would be under the mandate of France, and Iraq and Palestine would be under the mandate of Great Britain.

France would establish Lebanon and Syria, and Britain would establish Iraq. Palestine was a different story. The British had guaranteed the establishment of a national Jewish home and the safeguard of current Palestinian inhabitants. Due to the Zionist movement, (the Jewish belief that the Jews need a homeland) many Jews moved to the British Mandate of Palestine. The immigration increased rapidly with the increase of anti-Semitism in the desolate country of Germany.

Germany was in chaos. The Great Depression starting in 1929 was another blow to the region. What would fill the void? One man and his ideology: Adolf Hitler and Nazism. Hitler would spark the nationalism that was lacking by teaching the superiority of the Aryan race. The other people groups would be spotted out. The Jews would be the largest group not tolerated and eventually persecuted. I note five reasons the Jews were persecuted the most of any minority by the Nazis.

1) The Jews were strong nationalists, not necessarily German nationalists, however. The Nazis accused the Jews of stabbing the country in the back during World War I. Ironically, many Jews joined the Germany army during WWI.

2) While Germany plunged into economic disaster, the Jews remained financially secure due to the fact most of the Jews were bankers (see possibly why in earlier post). The Nazis accused the Jews of keeping the interest rates on loans high.

3) The Jews were not apart of the Aryan race. The teachings of social Darwinism were well rooted in the philosophy of that time.

4) The Europeans had a history of anti-Semitism. This belief was spread initially by the corrupt Church. The belief that the Jews killed Christ was a thought that never completely went away with the passing of time.

5) The largest population of Jews in Europe was in Poland (see previous post as well). Poland would be invaded by Germany in 1939 …

the beginning of World War II.

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.’ So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.’” (Numbers 20:7-12 NIV)

Today Mom came home from school. She was shocked, frustrated, and saddened by decisions made by her administrators. They were clearly making poor decisions. Being the knowledgeable engineer I am*, I had a solution. However, by analogy of the above passage, my solution was strike the rock, Mom. Strike it hard. Go to the administrators and say, “Listen, you rebels!”

“A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.” (Proverbs 12:23)

I was wrong. I gave bad advice. But God says,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

*-Please pray for my VBM (verbal bowel movement)

The division of the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD appears to establish the idea of the West and the East. The eastern half of the Roman Empire had its capital in Byzantium (renamed Constantinople) and would later become known as the Byzantine Empire. The West would have the Roman Catholic Church, and the East would have the Greek Orthodox Church. Where the West was facing the change due to Germanic kings, the East was still fighting the Roman Empire’s ancient foes—the Persians. But a powerful beast was maturing in the shadows. The Arab kingdom of the Lakhmids in southern Iraq allied with the Persians. The Arab kingdom of the Ghassanids in southern Syria allied with the Eastern Romans. In addition, the Arab kingdom of the Kindites in central Arabia (modern day Saudi Arabia) allied with the Himyarite Empire of South Arabia. The Arab kingdoms were polytheistic and overshadowed by the world powers. Nevertheless, in 630 a man by the name of Muhammad conquered his home city of Mecca in Arabia. He ushered in the new religion of Islam. His ambition was that all of Arabia would be unified and ruled by the laws of Islam. Under Muhammad and his successor and father-in-law, the Arab kingdoms would become a single state. Islam was successful because it established five tasks a man must accomplish in his lifetime to reach paradise. Furthermore, war under the title of jihad (holy war) brought wealth and prestige to a once ignored region. The Persian and Byzantine Empires were tired; therefore, the Arabs won quickly and often. By 720 AD the Arabs and their religion would stretch from Central Asia through North Africa and to Spain.

Middle Ages: Middle Eastern Jews

Oddly, this conquest was an improvement for Jews under Muslim rule. The Muslims saw Jews and Christians as fellow People of the Book. A few Jews even converted to Islam. But most Muslims did not want Jewish converts, primarily because non-Muslims paid a higher tax which enabled the finances of the many battles. Along with the Muslims, Jews saw great advancement in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and chemistry. Not to be mistaken, the Jews were not considered equals. They were prohibited from several social and legal rights and sometimes required to wear clothes that distinquished them from Muslims.

Political conflicts developed in the Islam world. Who should be the rightful successor? The group later to be known as the Shiites thought Muhammad’s grandson should rule. The Sunnites wanted someone else. The Jews would experience different changes in authority. The biggest change in authority is when the Mongolians under Genghis Khan in the beginning of the 13th century terrorized the regions around Iran. The Mongolians did not care if you were Muslim, Jew or nothing at all. You were just best dead. But as Attila the Hun in the 5th century came and went, so did the Khan family. The last Mongol conquerors would convert to Islam and take the religion with them as they retreated back home.

Therefore, three Islamic States would develop: the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and the Balkans, the Safavid Empire in Persia, and the Mughal Empire in India. Jews would prosper in the Ottoman Empire, and an influx of Jews would enter the Empire due to the persecution of the West.

As set up in the last post, two Jewish communities developed: European Jews and Middle Eastern Jews. In this post I wish to follow the history of the European Jews during the Middle Ages. In 330 AD Roman Emperor Constantine transfers the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople. In 395 Roman Emperor Theodosius divides the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western administrative units. The Roman Empire is never the same again. The two divisions separate further and further because of Germanic Barbarian invasions from the North, economic strain, and political struggle. Around the time of Constantine, Christianity is declared the national religion. The Roman Church is the only institution to fill the new void in the west. The unequipped Germanic kings slowly find common ground with the new powerful Church. At this point I take a quick aside. The Church mentioned from this point forward is not the church/assembly I defined in earlier posts. Likewise, I am hesitant to refer to the west as Christian. I am not implying that genuine Christians were not misled or did not carry out heinous crimes; however, I believe the majority of the Church leaders were not true Christians, and many of the citizens were not allowed to think for themselves (and may not have had the ability too). The West was now ruled by the Church and the State.

Middle Ages: European Jews

The Catholic Church was quick to establish regulations—which the State was expected to enforce. Relationships with Jews were almost entirely forbidden; therefore, a chasm was created between the two religions. Other laws prevented Jews from participating in most economic activity and land ownership. Ironically, the Church prohibited usury, that is charging interest, in the Christian community. Therefore, most citizens of Christendom avoided money lending because of the inability to make a profit. Due to the need and the limitation of other trades, the Jews became very influential in loan issuing and interest.

Throughout the early Middle Ages isolated events of anti-Semitism were common. This hatred would be elevated once again in 1096: the First Crusade. Oddly, the Crusades were between the two largest religions. The battle was the West vs. the East, Christianity vs. Islam, the Cross vs. the Crescent, or the battle of the infidels. Unfortunately, the Jews were dragged in. Sadly, it was the West who did most of the persecution. In 1290 Jews were banished from England. Propaganda went wild. “The Jews killed Christ.” “The Jews was responsible for the problems of the world.”

In 1347 the devastating Black Plague would attack Europe. Many Jews would fall victim of the plague. However, due to Jewish health regulations, the Jew usually had a cleaner lifestyle. Plus, many Jewish communities were isolated due to earlier persecution. So the logic, or illogic, was that the Jews poisoned the drinking wells or God was punishing Europe because of the Jews. Many Jewish communities were exterminated. Several fled east.

Throughout the remainder of the Middle Ages the Jews would be banished from France in 1394; Germany, Italy, and the Balkan peninsula between 1350 and 1450; and after the Spanish Inquisition of 1478, the Jews would be finally banished from Spain in 1492. Where did many of the Jews end up? Poland. Overtime Poland had become sympathetic of the Jews. They were not free of persecution; however, the harassment was limited.

As noted in Acts, Jewish Christians spread throughout the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Persecution and the spread of Christianity were the two drivers of the Jewish dispersion. However, most of the Jewish community (who had not accepted Christianity) was dispersed by Roman force. Many Jews were taken to Rome as slaves; there they would be sold cheaply. In areas as far away as Gaul and Spain, Jews would earn their freedom. The freed Jews would start small communities and several might become Roman citizens. The Jewish community experienced little resistance early on. They enjoyed the benefits of citizenship and a quiet life. However, this peace would slowly fade in many areas as Christianity was adopted as the national religion.

As Western Europe was heading one way, Eastern Europe and the Middle East were heading a different way. After the destruction of Jerusalem, many Jews fled to Babylonia—modern day Iraq. This region was not under the rule of Rome but under the rule of the Parthians (Persians). These Jews and Persians had one thing in common: they both hated the Roman Empire. The Jewish refuges remained under the Parthian protection for several centuries. During these years, two Jewish academies were started. Here in Babylon, the Jews were allowed to prosper and compile many expositions on the Law. At first, the Jews felt little change when the old Persian Empire was over-run by the new Sassanian Empire in 226 AD. Ironically, persecution increased by the 600s and the Jews gladly welcomed the conquest of Arab Muslims in 632.

REF: see last post