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Israel was No Fluke
I'm a laid-back White Sox fan. All my life, I have had to deal with being out-numbered by Cubs fans. Both Sox and Cub fans have long dreamt of a City series, where the two teams are competing during the World Series. That could happen this year. Statistically speaking, we could expect this to happen sometimes.
But for an entire nation to believe in Jesus like this, that is not a mere statistical flukes. People do not get saved by statistical chance, but by the plans of a sovereign God!
PROOF OF DIVINE INSPIRATION
The story is told that Frederick the Great of Prussia once asked a court chaplain for proof of divine inspiration of the Bible. The response was simply, "The Jews, sire."
Dr. Adrian Rogers has written that "Israel is God’s yardstick, His blueprint for the world." And, "as Israel goes, so goes the world."
(From a sermon by Jerry Watts, "Reasons To Be Thankful" 2/8/2009)
WHERE IS THE ARK
The Ethiopian legend described in the "Book of the Glory of Kings," relates that Ethiopians are descendants of Israelite tribes who came to Ethiopia with Menelik I, alleged to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba...The legend relates that Menelik, as an adult, returned to his father in Jerusalem, and then resettled in Ethiopia, and that he took with him the Ark of the Covenant.
[source: Wikipedia]
JEWISH PEOPLE STATS
Of the 6 billion inhabitants of the earth, only 13 million are Jewish. That is less than 1% of the world’s population, and yet, Jewish people have received more than 22% of the Noble prizes awarded. Roughly, 41% of the 13 million reside within the land of Israel and 40% live in the United States. Another 20% of the Jewish population are scattered throughout the remaining countries of the world.
(Source: Jeremiah,...
THE NOAHIDE COMMANDS
A Pagan could become > An Alien Believer > A God-fearer > A Jew (proselyte)
A pagan would be an idolater or worship many gods, or one not serving the true God.
An alien believer would be a gentile who wanted to be saved, repented from his sins and turned to the God of Israel in faith; he was expected to abide by the Noahide commands
A God-fearer was an alien believer who also observed the Sabbath, abided by the dietary laws of Israel, and participated in synagogue training and worship.
A Jewish convert (proselyte) to Judaism was a God-fearer who submitted to circumcision and was immersed (baptized). He would be expected to have sacrifices offered in the Temple and pay the Temple tax.
The Noahide commands deduced from the Covenant with Noah and all mankind after the flood (Genesis 9). The Rabbis stretched the text to imply the following standards: (1) no idolatry, (2) no incest/adultery, (3) no murder, (4) no blasphemy (profaning God’s Name), (5) no theft, (6) justice toward others, and (7) no eating flesh with blood in it and/or cutting off flesh from a living animal.
[Source for above, The Enduring Paradox: Exploratory Essays in Messianic Judaism by Dr. John Fischer, editor, pp. 176-178].
UNCLEAN GENTILES
The Mishna says, "The dwelling places of Gentiles are ritually unclean (Ohalot 18:7). David Stern summarizes other passages in the Mishna, "…Jews may not remain alone with Gentiles, leave cattle at their inns, assist them in childbirth, suckle their children, do business with them when they are traveling to idolatrous festivals, drink their milk or vinegar or wine…or eat their bread or oil or pickled vegetables or…their cooked food."
[Source: Jewish New Testament Commentary by David Stern, p. 258.]
WHAT MAKES JERUSALEM SO GREAT?
"Archaeologists and historians have long wondered why Jerusalem should have been established where it was, and why it should have become great. It enjoys none of the physical features which favored the advancement and prosperity of other important cities in the world.
"It stands at the head of no great river. It overlooks no great harbor. It commands no great highway and no cross-roads. It is not close to abundant sources of water. …It possesses no mineral riches. It was off the main trade routes. It held no strategic key to the conquest of vast areas ...
"Indeed it was blessed with neither special economic nor topographic virtues which might explain why it should have ever become more than a small, anonymous mountain village with a fate any different from that of most contemporary villages which have long since vanished."
(From work by Teddy Kolick and Moshe Peariman. William MacDonald, Enjoying the Psalms)
ABOUT GALILEE
According to Guzik, “The region of Galilee was a fertile, progressive, highly populated region. According to figures from the Jewish historian Josephus, there were some 3 million people populating Galilee, an area smaller than the state of Connecticut.”
(Ref: Preceptaustin.Org; Guzik, David. David Guziks Commentaries on the Bible. Luke Chapter 4. )
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