The debate whether the state of Israel and the Jews have the right to forcibly occupy Palestine is the oldest, the most heated and least understood paradigm ever conceived. Sadly, most of Christianity falls on the side of supporting the state and governmental leaders of Israel, based primarily in its inability to comprehend and trust what God's word specifically states in the Bible. Jesus spoke directly to the Pharisees (those who concocted the concept that they are God's chosen peoples) and have ever since been scheming to take away the Kingdom of God that has been given to Jesus Christ for what He did on the cross for humanity.
The following article (posted by permission from Ian Welsh, webmaster of The Overloards of Chaos web site) discusses in great detail the conversation Jesus had with the Pharisees, who they really are and what position should be adopted by all Christians."The Jewish religion as it is today traces its descent, without a break, through all the centuries, from the Pharisees. Their leading ideas and methods found expression in a literature of enormous extent, of which a very great deal is still in existence. The Talmud is the largest and most important single piece of that literature … and the study of it is essential for any real understanding of Pharisaism." Universal Jewish Encyclopedia (1943)
In The Gospel According to St. John there is an account of Christ's meeting with a group ofPharisees that is known as Christ's Discourse with the Pharisees. This fateful meeting revealed the true nature of the Pharisee creed, its true spiritual nature, and its relationship to Christ.
John 8 begins with Jesus going to the Mount of Olives on the evening of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (a celebration both of the general harvest festival and the anniversary of the beginnings of the wanderings in the wilderness). He did this for several good reasons one of which was to the escape the snares "the Jews" might lay for Him in the night having been disappointed and confounded in the daytime. What follows is the story of the woman taken in adultery who Christ delivers from her Pharisee tormentors and the time He declares himself the Light of the World(8:12). Then, after the cavils of certain Pharisees, Christ answers and shows His authority (8:14-20). Then, He properly begins His Discourse with the Pharisees.
Immediately in His altercation with the Pharisees, Christ tells them He speaks with authority to which they reply that they too speak with authority, for, they are"Abraham's children." Christ replied that if they were indeed Abraham's children they would do the works of Abraham, but instead they seek His death. While Christ sets himself to convince and convert them they, the Pharisees, set themselves to contradict and oppose Him. Christ tells them that His teaching is from Heaven, copied out of the counsels of infinite wisdom, and the kind intentions of infinite love; and His revelations are of God and are not grounded upon conjecture and hearsay, but upon direct experience. Consequently, He understands their exact nature and was assured of the TRUTH of all he said. His great task is to be a witness to the people of the TRUTH of what God has done, and therefore, because of His exalted status as the Son of God, His Word is unimpeachable.
Christ by His arguments began to show the vanity of the Pharisee pretensions and the wickedness in the hearts of "the Jews" that did not believe in Him and sought His death. Christ tells them that His teaching is not a farrago of nonsense and conjecture like those given by learned rabbis, but an exact counterpart of the Incontestable Truthslodged in the Universal Mind. Furthermore, it was not only what He had heard from His Father but also what He had seen with Him when the counsel of peace was between them both. Although Moses repeated what he heard from Yahweh, he was not allowed to see the Face of Yahweh. Similarly, although the Apostle Paul had been in the Third Heaven, he also could not say what he had seen. For, such things were the prerogatives of Christ: to have seen what He spoke, and to speak what He had seen.
Christ tells the Pharisees that their works are man-made and error-ridden and are not the Work of God. Moreover:"You do that which you have seen with your father" by which Christ charges that by their malicious opposition to Him and the Gospel they have made themselves as like the Devil, as if they had willingly used him for their model, their father-figure. And thus, by inference, their works came from Hell and the Devil was their "father."
By pleading a special relation to Abraham, that they are "Abraham's children," the Pharisees' intention was to arrogate honour for themselves, and to make themselves look eminent and authoritative. Christ rounds on them for their vainglorious boasts of a relation to Abraham and to God as their "fathers," and shows the vanity and falsehood of their dissembling. Christ said "Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite" (Ezek. 16: 3) thereby alluding to the true lineage of "the Jews" that boasted of Abraham and plotted the death of Him, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Hence, Christ alluded to the true, degenerate ancestors of these scheming, unbelieving "Jews" and in whose steps they trod; for, certainly, they did not follow those of Abraham, the first founder of the Hebrew family.
Just as it is common for once great and eminent families now fallen into decay to boast of their pedigree, so too is it common for corrupt and depraved churches to value themselves according to their antiquity and the eminence of their founders. Thus, boasted the Pharisee of their perceived lineage to Abraham and so pleaded the nobility and advantages of their birth. The Pharisee assertion that they were "Abraham's children" was also designed to insinuate that by attacking them by speaking of their father as one they had learned evil from, Christ attacked the patriarch Abraham.
Christ overthrows this argument and exposes the vanity of it by a simple argument:
"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" (John 8:38).
Christ makes it clear that if these Pharisees were truly "Abraham's children," after the flesh, and thus could claim an interest in the Yahweh Covenant made with him and his seed, it would indeed put an honour upon them. Furthermore, if this was the case, then the Pharisees would do the works of Abraham, for, it was only to these of Abraham's House,who followed God's laws, as Abraham did, that God would deliver what He promised (Gen. 18:19). Only those, who tread in the steps of his faith and obedience are reckoned to be the Seed of Abraham, to whom the Yahweh promise belongs (Rom. 4 12).
The "Jews" had genealogies and kept them exact and they could use them to make out their relation to Abraham, yet, to take the advantage of the ancient land promise they were perforce obliged to walk in the same spirit as Abraham. For, Christ said, those who would claim to be of Abraham's seed must not only be of Abraham's faith, but do Abraham's works (James 2: 21-22) and must come at God's call, as Abraham did. Moreover, they must resign their dearest comforts to him, they must be strangers and sojourners in this world and must maintain worship of God in their families and always walk righteousness before God. These were the works of Abraham and these are works the Pharisees did not do. They did not do the works of Abraham and although they were Abraham's offspring, after the flesh; they were notin a spiritual sense. The Pharisees were not followers of the faith of Abraham because they opposed everything Christ represented:
"I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham." (John 8:37-41).
The Pharisees showed their true nature by seeking the life of a man, a mortal man like themselves, who had done them no harm, nor given them any provocation. Their enmity was boundless in seeking the life of one that had told them the TRUTH, had done them no injury but had done them the greatest kindness that could be, by instructing them in the most necessary and important truths. Moreover, the Pharisees were so impious as to seek the life of one that told them the truth, which He had heard from God. Who were a messenger sent from God to them, and thus their attempt against Him was an affront to God. This was their wicked work, and they persisted in it even when He, Christ, counselled against such iniquity. Such actions do not become the children of Abraham, the great patriarch who was filled with humanity, piety and a complete belief in God.
Whereas the Pharisees, who boast of their forebear, were obstinate in unbelief. Where Abraham followed God, they fought against Him, to such a degree that Abraham would not recognise them and would not acknowledge them as his children, for, they were so unlike him. Moreover, Abraham would not have done these things the Pharisees had done if he had lived now. Nor would he have behaved so abominably towards Jesus Christ had He lived in Abraham's time. For, he would have easily recognised His God when He stood before him.
Whatever the boasts and pretensions of the Pharisees were, Christ, assured them that they were not Abraham's children in the spirit, but that they spiritually come from another family. There is a "father," Christ told them, whose deeds they did and whose spirit they were of, and whom they resembled. Christ said that there are "two fathers"according to the "two families" into which the sons of men are divided: God and the Devil. And, without argument, these are inimical to each other. The Pharisees, said Christ, were the Devil's children. Thus, Christ described the essence of the Pharisee creed:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (John 8:44-45)
Christ here meant that they, the Pharisee and those like them, had given themselves over to the Dark Side and did the bidding of Evil. Here is the concept of the Two Seeds or Two Vines threading their way through human history: the Seed of the Women and the Seed of the Serpent - the followers of God and the followers of Satan. That the Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees were predominantly of the Seed of the Serpent was evident in their hostility to Christ and the manifest hate they had for Him:
"If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." (John 8:41).
Christ had disproved the Pharisees' spiritual relation to Abraham by recording their great enmity for Him and their repeated attempts to have Him killed. But, now, He disproves their relation to God by their hostility and hatred of Him and God.
A man may pass for Abraham's seed and be accepted as one of Abraham's biological descendants if he does not appear to be an enemy to Christ. However, a man cannot confirm himself a child of Godunless he was a faithful friend and follower of Christ. This is because all that have God for their Father have a true love of Christ. Thus, children of God will not only esteem Christ, have a grateful sense of His love and a sincere affection to His cause and kingdom, but also have utter certainty in the salvation brought by Him and in the method and terms of it. Moreover, they would also ensure that they to keep His Commandments, which is the surest evidence of love for Him. Mankind is on Earth in a state of probation, and how we conduct ourselves towards our Maker will ultimately be with us in the act of Final Judgement. God has repeatedly used various methods to test us in our trial on Earth, and the Incarnation of Christ was one. The past Incarnation of Lucifer and the future Incarnations of Lucifer and Ahriman in human form are others still to come.
God had sent his Son into the world, with sufficient proofs of His status and mission, and all who called God, "Father,"would kiss his Son, and welcome Him as the Representative of Man who was the first-born among many brethren. Hence, proof of the real nature of a person and with whom they spiritually belong revolves around this simple question: Do we love Christ, or not?
"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him" (1 John 5:1).
If the Pharisees were the true spiritual heirs of Abraham they would love Christ, for, He said:
"I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." (John 8:42).
They, the Pharisee and those like him, will love Him if they believe that Christ was the Son of God. They will love Him if they understand that He came, as was the command of God on the matter, to be the source of their redemption. They will love Him if they understand His Divine exeleusis, or origin from the Father, and also the union of the Divine Logos (Christ) to his human nature (Jesus), were bound in His Person: the Divine Person of Jesus Christ. A union that is not abstract or figurative but a union that is physical, a union of two substances or natures to make one substance, one person. A union that means that God is man and man is God in the Divine Person of Jesus Christ. Understanding this could not but lead all those who are born of God to an indisputable conclusion: Christ is King.
And, being the Beloved of the Father, Christ is thus called the "beloved" and is therefore the most beloved of all the saints. Furthermore, God sent Christ as an ambassador to the world of mankind, but not only as a Divine Emissary but also to be the Representative of Man and the Redeemer of us all. False prophets have neither their mission nor their message from God: Christ had both, for, He did not come of himself but was sent to us by God. Christ possessed both His credentials and His instructions from God who came to Earth to gather together in one the children of God (John 11:51), to bring "many sons unto glory" (Heb. 2:10).
Proper understanding of all this would compel all God's children to warmly welcome such a Messenger sent from their Father on such errands. But, these Pharisees, these apostate "Jews," made it quite clear that they were not of God, by their hostility and hatred towards the Messenger from God, towards Jesus Christ. This was because the Pharisees' alienation from God and their immersion in the spirit of Ahriman meant that they were spiritually blinded to God and could not perceive or understand Christ's message.
"Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word." (John 8:43).
This incomprehension was a sign they did not belong to God's family since they did not understand the language and dialect of the family. Although Christ's speech was divine and heavenly it was phrased and rendered intelligible by Him so that all those who heard it or was acquainted with the voice of Christ in the Old Testament, could apprehend the truth of His message. All those who have the love of God in their hearts needed no other key to the dialect of theDivine Emissary, the Messenger from God, the Representative of Man and the Redeemer of us all. But, those who secretly hated God and served different masters found Christ's words unwelcome and disturbing and some mischievously, like the Pharisee and Sadducee, attempted to pervert their meaning. Some even dared called the Son of God a barbarian even when He spoke the Will of God in the words of the Spirit of God.
The Pharisees, who ostensibly practised the religion of Abraham, were far removed from the spirit of this great Patriarch. They pretended to belong to the Kingdom but its spirit eluded them and consequently they were unable to understand the dialect of the Kingdom of God and the message in the Words of Christ. The Pharisee understood the works of men inspired by Ahriman and not the idioms and properties of Divine Speech. And, when spoken to by Christ they, strangers to it, ridiculed it and despised it. They not only failed to hear but also consciously made the effort notto hear. Moreover, this deep resentment and refusal to listen to God is an endemic trait of those who have immersed themselves in the spirit of Ahriman and whose corrupted hearts are hardened to the Message of Christ.
The Pharisees did not hear Christ's words because they had closed their ears, narrowed their minds, hardened their hearts, content in the falsity of their man-made construct, the Talmud; a work ultimately inspired by the Dark God,Ahriman who the Bible calls Satan. That is why, Christ, after disproving the Pharisee boast of their relation to both Abraham and to God, condemns them as Satan's seed. For, they are of the Serpent's Seed and thus "are of your father the Devil." Then, after this shocking charge, Christ proves it by a disputation that leaves no doubt of His knowledge of them and whom they truly worshipped. Christ condemns them as the willing tool of Evil.
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (John 8:44-45).
The very actions and words of the Pharisees condemn them. They satisfy their lusts that are the Devil's lusts, and compelled by this Evil, gratify and please Satan, who is also called Ahriman, who is their true god of worship. And, by yielding to Ahriman's temptation, they are not only led captives by him, compliant to his will, but also they do those lusts, which Ahriman himself carries out. Ahriman is a spiritual being of immense power but he cannot himself satisfy fleshly and worldly lusts which he must enjoy vicariously by corrupting mortal men to commit them for him. Spiritual wickedness is Ahriman's forte. He induces men to crave intellectual power but an intellect devoid of Divine Wisdom. Acorrupt reasoning that ultimately leads to alienation of the spirit and the denial of mankind's spiritual nature and so his true spiritual inheritance. Also, such craving of the intellect cultivates pride and envy, arrogance and jealousy, wrath and malice, and thereby a fostering a great enmity to that which is "good." Moreover, it nurtures a great desire to entice others into this corruption.
Consequently, those who are in thraldom of these intellectual lusts resemble Ahriman/Satan, as the child does the parent. The more men contemplate the nature of reality and of God with an abiding intellectual arrogance and in self-satisfaction the more their constructs fall into error and the more it resembles the lusts of Ahriman. And, when sin is committed by choice and not by accident, with pleasure and not with prudence, when it is persisted in with effrontery and resoluteness, then, as Christ told them: "the lusts of your father ye will do."
The Pharisees revelled in two great sins by whose possession they manifestly resembled Evil: murder and lying, For,Evil is the enemy of Life while God is the God of Life and life is the happiness of man; similarly, Evil is the enemy toTruth, because God is the God of Truth and truth is the bond of human society. .
Posted with permission from Ian Welsh, web master of this great web site, The Overlords of Chaos. <<<Click to visit their magnificent web site.
For more information about the author, his books and web sites, please click on Joe Ortiz
Joe Ortiz, the message you have just shared with us on your great blog is truly an important one. Where Abraham's seed has come from, where it is now, and where it will be in the future cannot be ignored by anyone. Interestingly, and I feel significantly, two incredible things happened today: not only did I find this message but in the mail I received a small Christian paper from Chicago that had an amazing and relevant article by Tom Adcock titled "Has God Blessed America Since 1948 Because of Our Support of Israel?" Allow me to quote the key portion of it:
ReplyDelete"We backed Israel since 1948. How has God blessed America for this? Abortion has increased. Homosexuality has increased. We have much higher taxes and big brother government in America now. We've been in wars - Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc. Drug addiction and violent prison and street gangs have increased. The prisons in America are overflowing. The economy is so much worse than in 1948 it's sickening. Pornography has increased exponentially, divorce and evil problems, too many to list, have increased in America greatly, especially the war against biblical Christianity in our culture, since we supported Israel in 1948. (Is God supporting China financially because they don't support Israel?) I'm not saying the reason for America's problems is because we support Israel. It's because America has no real fear of God! I am saying that the promise to Abraham was to him. All God's promises to Israel were conditional upon their obedience to Him."
All of this is to me extremely fascinating. I am wondering what other readers of this blog may think about the Jews, Israel, Abraham's seed etc. I hope they write and share what's on their mind. Thanks, Bro. Joe, and Lord bless.
Gregorio
Thanks, Joe and Ian, for bringing us what we need to know about the land of Isreal - its inhabitants past and present. It is my earnest belief that no one can afford to ignore what is happening and will happen in that controversial spot. It would be great if all over there could open their eyes to see spiritual things. Keep writing, dear brothers. Nathan
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