What is a Biblical Jew?

Did you know the Bible refers to God's covenant people using Jewish distinctions even though they are not Jewish by nationality or ethnicity?

We see in Esther 8:17, "And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them." Likewise, Paul wrote in Romans 2:28, "A person is not a Jew who is one outwardly." Many other examples could be given.

The word “Jewish” or “Jew” is often used in the Bible as an idiom for God’s covenant people.

Today, the nation of Israel is often confused as God's chosen people, when in fact, God's chosen people have ALWAYS been one covenant people from every tongue, every tribe, and every nation under heaven. The New Testament church did not replace Israel (replacement theology). The New Testament Church is Israel (covenant theology), and always has been. Biblical Israel is not a piece of land in the Middle East.

Ruth was a Moabite, the archenemy of Israel, and yet she was part of True Israel because she believed in Yahweh, the God of Israel. Ruth as well as Rahab the Harlot are both included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew’s Gospel. They were not Jewish! They are part of True Israel, because they had faith in The God of The Bible!

The people spoken of in The Book of Esther didn’t change their birth mother, or nationality, but they believed in Yahweh, the God of Israel. So again, this has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with serving God.

In the verse below, The Apostle Peter takes the same language Moses used in Exodus and applies it toward New Testament Christians.

Exodus 19:6 (Moses), "You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

1 Peter 2:9 (Peter), "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession."

The Bible does literally state that Jesus was a Jew. As a hermeneutical rule, we must distinguish as to whether a word is to be taken literal, or as a figure of speech, such as the idiom I introduced in my prologue. Being familiar with the art and science of biblical interpretation, defining words in their context, provides the assurance for biblical fidelity.

Romans 9:6, “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.”

What does "God is Love" mean?

God is love (1 John 4:8). What does it mean? Let's define human love first. We love because we see the best, the most beautiful, the greatest. Our love is drawn out of us by the object of our love. I love you, because of this, or because of that. When we say "we fall in love", it sounds like we've fallen into a ditch or something, and cannot get up. God's love is of a different nature to human love. If God's love only goes out to the best, to the most beautiful, to the greatest, then no one even qualifies to get to first base. God's love isn't drawn out by its object. His love flows from Him freely and spontaneously, and out to the lowest, and to the worst, and to the filthy, even unto His enemies. God doesn't love us because of who we are. God loves us because of who God is. God is love! God does not have any love, He is love. Big difference! Love is not attached to God as an emotion, that gets hot when we are good, or gets cold when we are bad. God is love. He is what love is. It's as if I shared a glass of water with you. I can share a little, or I can share much. Still, it is me sharing the water with you. It's nothing like this with God. With God it's as if I come to you and say "I AM WATER!" God is love! He is the very essence of what love is! If you hear Him call you today, turn not away! He'll change you forever!

Talking about "This, That, and The Other"

Talking about "This, That, and The Other"

I've had some sort of writer's block for a couple of months it seems. Maybe not block, perhaps just an absence of the grace that feeds a mind to pen an article of encouragement. I'm looking at a lot of things. I've read the Bible through 24 times, but have not read it through for around 12 years now. Still, I am in the Bible every day, researching, cross referencing, memorizing, and so on. I am hoping to get back on a full read, God willing.

This week it has been reported that The Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland, has discovered that Albert Einstein's theory of relativity may be incorrect in some aspects. The repercussions could have an enormous effect on physics, and how we view our universe. The World's Largest Super Collider recorded sub-atomic particles going at speeds faster than the speed of light, which goes against Einstein's theory. This is not the first time this allegation has been made, and Einstein's theory has stood the test of time so far. Many are saying that is what they expect again this time.

As a new born Christian, thirty years ago, I accepted a young-Earth position when it came to creation models. However, I have slowly moved over to an old-Earth view, and have done more than usual in researching this recently. Pertaining to the young-Earth view, people try and read the Book of Genesis, the genealogies in particular, then attempt to try and date the time of Creation. This cannot be done, and I even tried it myself about 10 years ago, but the gaps in the genealogies preclude this possibility. Furthermore, almost all good science militates against a young Earth. Young-Earth or old-Earth, the actual age of the Earth does not jeapordize the veracity of God's divine special revelation, we know as the Bible. When the Bible and science synergize, we naturally develop trust, as logic and fundamental principles come into play that can give our intellect an understanding of the harmony between "The Book of Nature" and "The Book of The Bible". When things conflict and are contrarian to one another, we are forced to try and pick the one that makes the most sense. Until next time, God bless you all! brian><>craig.

Bread † The Mystery

Do you remember in scripture, where Jesus says, "I Am the Bread of Life?" Have you ever pondered what He might have meant? If God needed to make Bread out of you, would you be willing? In Bible days, the breaking of Bread was sacred! Bread was present at every meal much like today, and to share a meal with another person or family, was to "cut a covenant of salt." Oh the wonders of Bread! You can smell, and almost see, a fresh loaf of Bread coming out of Grandma's oven. Wait! But first, the Bread must go into the furnace! The furnace causes the Bread to rise; to grow bigger! The Bread is actually becoming what God made Bread to be! But that cannot happen, without first spending time in the fire! At last the Bread is ready. But Wait! What is the purpose of all of this? Bread is of no use, until the knife breaks it! It may smell so good, fresh out of Grandma's oven, but just wait as the knife releases the heart of the Bread! The aroma increases exponentially! The Bread serves absolutely no purpose, until the fire, then the knife, are drawn upon it! Once broken, now the Bread can feed and nourish hungry souls. The body quickly sends the Bread's nutrients to needy and waiting parts of the body that need its nourishment to survive. I'm asking you now, has God made Bread of you lately? When He puts you in the fire, and He begins to break you, do you wish it weren't you? Do you run off crying, "the Devil's after me!?" God is making Bread out of you Man! Are we so blind, not to see the world's bleeding hearts, and wounded souls, that God is planning to invade through our testimony? If you belong to God, He is going to make Bread out of you! You might as well write it down! He is going to mature you by fire! He is going to break you! For in the breaking of God's own, a multitude can be fed the precious Bread they so desperately need! Certainly, Christ Jesus is The True Bread of Life! There is none Fairer, none Grander, than The Paragon of Virtue; Our Lord! But Father made Bread of Him, to save untold millions that would otherwise be lost forever. So when we see the oven heating up, When we see the knife laying there on the table, let us not shrink back and doubt the faithfulness of God! Instead, let us sit back in wonder, thanking Almighty God, that we are being counted worthy to suffer for His name! brian†craig

How we should long for the Resurrected Body!

You are driving at night. You see a little rabbit crossing the road. You hope you miss it, then, clunk, you realized you ran over the little rabbit. It makes you feel so bad, and at times it makes you wonder why such useless accidents happen. It almost appears to be a random, meaningless, tradegy. But wait, The Creation is cursed because of you and me! Adam committed The Original Sin that is passed on to all of humanity, but hundreds and thousands of times, you and I have ratified Adam's decision, to act independent of God! We are the reason the little rabbit got killed! Just as we are the reason, we too will die one day! We cry for this world, and we continually look for perfection in a world that knows no such thing. We deny it, but we are looking for heaven, on earth! It doesn't work that way! People look for riches. People look for healing. Nations look for peace. If you could just win that million dollar lottery, all your troubles would be over. But there's no peace, healing is at best temporary or unattainable, and riches grow wings and fly away. Christ died to give us Divine Health, but that will NEVER happen in your current body! brian†craig

WHERE ARE THE CONTRITE HEARTS?

My pen has been silent for some time. I've found myself lately, with little or nothing to say; very uncharacteristic of my usual routine. But God let me take a seat on the back shelf. When we really connect with God, when we eat and breathe God, when we truly have those moments of visiting with The Master, the world cannot accompany us where we are. Subsequently, other Christians can't go where we are either. And, we are there but momentarily at this special level, connected to God. Our stay is brief, for If we were able to continue past these few succinct and poignant moments, I almost believe we would be translated, like Enoch. Why? Because our lowly, earthly, physical and metaphysical existence, could not tolerate it. God shows us His love, He shows us His plan, He shows us His loyalty toward us, then, He places us on the back shelf. I feel often He puts us there, just to see how we will act towards life's oncoming circumstances. He gives us our one-on-one boot-camp of love with Him, then He takes us to the warzone, dropping us off at the frontlines. Sometimes we act religiously like a fool, trying to command our will be done. Other times we just flee into the dark, to places where God would never go. Father watches us from a distance, as we trek on through the night, His hedge there to protect us from life's arbitrary assualts, curbing Satan's desires of our annihiliation, and His access to us, which is often granted in controlled doses by God. Last nights was one of those nights. God called me from the back shelf. Tears flowed, as forgiveness was corroborated and received by a soul much in need of The Divine Touch. Mercy flowed from the nail scarred hands, and pierced side, to vagabonds, drifters, and me; the least deserving of society's whole. When God puts you on the back shelf, remember the love and The Lover of your soul that set you there. He'll surely be back to tell you how much you mean to Him. God bless you. brian†craig

THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS

In the Old Testament, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. After being carried off to Egypt, and being passed over in prison, he eventually rose to be in charge of all of Potiphar's household. Finally, as his brothers and Father were nearing starvation, and had traveled to Egypt to obtain food, Joseph revealed an essential part of the providence of God. When Joseph's brothers discovered that Joseph had risen to power under Potiphar, they were afraid for their lives, for they had sold him into slavery. But Joseph told them, "You meant it for evil, BUT God meant it for good." There are three powers behind the events in our lives, and those three powers are humans, Satan, and God.
God did not create evil, but God did create the potential for evil, when He created beings with free will. Because humanity believed Lucifer's lie in the Garden of Eden, God has allowed that lie to be continually there for us to follow, if that is the way we choose to follow. Lucifer said, "You shall be as God" if you take eat of the fruit that God has forbidden you, and mankind believed Lucifer. Things are no different today. Our kids go off to college, and we call them to see if they are alive. We call to see if they have money. We call, and we call, because we think "we shall be as God". We didn't raise our kids right the first time, and we would be better off to get out of the way and let God do it right. But we call, and we butt in, and we interfere. When our married daughter calls and tells us she had a fight with her husband, we are quick to agree with her that he is a rotten creep. Sometimes we need to just get out of God's way!
God foresaw what would happen to Joseph, and He used it for His glory. Joseph was a man that glorified God mightily!
Let me take you to a strangely similar passage in Luke 22:31-32, the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."
Here we see like in the Book of Job, that Satan specifically requested that God give Him access to sift Peter. Access was allowed, just as it was with Job.
Job 1:12 "And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord."
Job 2:1, "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down on it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fearest God, and shuns evil? And still he holdest fast his integrity, although thou movest me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life."
Now I return to Luke 22:31-32, "the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Has God allowed Satan to sift you? If not I would question my salvation. God will allow such testing, but He will walk with you through the fire. Satan is God's chosen authority for those who follow sin. And, we are all under sin, even those who have been reborn.
The main difference is that the reborn will not suffer the second death. They will suffer the first death, if the Lord tarries.
I am persuaded that God chooses our afflictions, and through those afflictions, He carves His character in us. If we suffer no pain, we would never call God's name. We would disown God, thinking instead that we are God. But "pain" is one tool that God uses very affectively to get our attention. If it takes God knocking you to your knees to save you from a hell fire, God does not mind knocking you to your knees. His desire is for you to discover, that in Him, you truly live, move, and have your being, in which you will find ultimate purpose.
Psalm 119:67, 71, 75, Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept Thy word. It is good that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes. I know, Oh Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou, in faithfulness, hast afflicted me." brian†craig