I Never Knew You

[jeremiah1five]

For the sake of those who might be trying to follow the theme of the original post, we don't need to go off on a rabbit trail as to the spiritual world, which is another subject entirely and worthy of its own post.

On target - the theme is identifying just who Christ was speaking to when He said "I never knew you". You claim He was speaking of Gentiles. The Scriptures contradict you in this. The context of this account was dealing with those Jews who had eaten and drunk in Christ's presence, and had seen Him teach in their own streets (Luke 13:26). This was first-century Jewish citizens, to whom Christ then would respond "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23), or "I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." (Luke 13:26-27).

Keep it simple.

There is an obvious contradiction in believing those Jesus says, "I never knew you" are Jews and it is this:

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the LORD:
For they shall all know me,
From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:
For I will forgive their iniquity,
And I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:34.

The whole purpose for Jesus appearing the first time is to deliver and redeem all Israel from sin and death and give them all eternal life. Jeremiah was sent to the southern kingdom (Judah and Benjamin) and although this prophecy of a New Covenant was given to all Israel. The tendency of many members here when they come across seeming contradictions in Scripture is to choose the idea or theology that best fits their pet theories. I hope you are not like that.

The Mosaic Covenant God gave to Israel provided the means of yearly righting their relationship with God through the Ceremonial Laws, specifically through substitutionary sacrifice. This method of worship and atonement has been the one constant in God's relationship with a people on the earth who were to become the children of Israel (Jacob.)
Everything recorded in Scripture pointed to this end even from the Garden when God slay and animal in front of Adam and the woman and provided coats of skin for them. Although short in information, the act itself performed by God in the Garden speaks volumes towards teaching our first parents the method through which God would later expand on in the Mosaic Covenant Ceremonial Laws how His overall plan of redeeming a people He first deemed the day they were created would play out. This is done through substitutionary sacrifice of an animal that would become the meme through which God would save a people contemplated as holy, created sinful, and restored to holiness the moment of their physical death on earth.

As rabbi and Pharisee, Saul spent fourteen to seventeen years searching Scripture to unlock the truth of the New Covenant era Israel found herself in with the advent of the Holy Spirit of Promise manifesting Himself to God's covenant people after Jesus ascended. Saul knew that the two prior covenants (Abrahamic and Mosaic) were given to Israel only, as did every Hebrew adult including youth of the age of accountability. The Mosaic Covenant lends itself to the New Covenant in providing the mechanism required by God to establish the New Covenant in Jesus' blood that would be the basis of Israel's deliverance from sin and death. Jeremiah's prophecy does not include the mechanism of atonement, it only presumes there was a mechanism otherwise God could not "forgive Israel and remember their sin no more." It would be a major hurdle and an outright contradiction for Jeremiah to say Israel is forgiven, and through forgiveness restored to God, and then Jesus to nullify that prophecy given through the Holy Spirit in the words "I never knew you and depart from me."

Jesus is addressing one of two locations the Jews will occupy at the end of Human history. The Promised Land on earth, and the kingdom of heaven above earth. And Jesus must be understood while having Israel's total redemption in hand as expressed by Jeremiah. Jesus' harsh words would seem to indicate Israel has not been forgiven as stated by Jeremiah, but Jeremiah came first and Jesus' words must be interpreted considering Jeremiah's prophecy. I admit Jesus' words are difficult, but we cannot discount the reason for Jesus' death and whether His death accomplished the atonement spoken by Jeremiah and others (Moses, David, Ezekiel, Joel, etc.)

I say again, God had atoned Israel and forgiven her sins through Jesus' cross at Calvary. What's happening in Matthew Jesus' words from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" was a prayer the Father granted. Israel is atoned. "It is Finished!" Do you agree?

 

[3 Resurrections]

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the LORD:
For they shall all know me,
From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:
For I will forgive their iniquity,
And I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:34.

This Jeremiah 31:34 prediction was for the conditions in the post-exilic return for the Israelites under Ezra, Nehemiah, Joshua, and Zerubbabel. Ezra was that "ready scribe" (Ezra 7:6) who prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments (Ezra 7:10). Ezra was directed by Artaxerxes I in Ezra 7:25-26 to "set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God: and teach ye them that know them not..."

God caused a revival in the hearts of all the Israelite people who participated in the post-exilic return, as described in Haggai 1:14.
Also, Nehemiah described the oath that all the returned Israelites made - their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one who had knowledge and understanding - to walk in God's law (Nehemiah 10:28-29). You are mistakenly yanking this Jeremiah 31:34 text from its proper setting for the post-exilic return which Jeremiah was predicting.

But by the time Christ's generation arrived, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." (John 1:11). Isaiah had predicted that, though the Israelites should be as the sand of the sea, yet only a remnant would be saved. (Rom. 9:27). Paul spoke of this Israelite remnant, present in his own days - "even so at this present time also there remaineth a remnant according to the election of grace." (Romans 11:5). The majority of the Israelites in those first-century days were blinded in not recognizing their own predicted Messiah.

God has always allowed the Gentile sojourners among the ethnic members of the tribes of Israel to have a shared inheritance among them, as long as they obeyed the same laws and participated in worship of Himself as the one true God (Numbers 15:14-16 and Ezekiel 47:22). This was intended to be an OT foreshadowing of the revealed "mystery" of God having included ALL nations among the children of faith along with faithful Abraham - regardless of ethnic background.

"Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants and handmaids, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for ALL people." (Isaiah 56:6-7)

 

[jeremiah1five]

This Jeremiah 31:34 prediction was for the conditions in the post-exilic return for the Israelites under Ezra, Nehemiah, Joshua, and Zerubbabel. Ezra was that "ready scribe" (Ezra 7:6) who prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments (Ezra 7:10). Ezra was directed by Artaxerxes I in Ezra 7:25-26 to "set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God: and teach ye them that know them not..."

God caused a revival in the hearts of all the Israelite people who participated in the post-exilic return, as described in Haggai 1:14.

So, the New Covenant took place during Haggai's life? Before Christ?

Also, Nehemiah described the oath that all the returned Israelites made - their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one who had knowledge and understanding - to walk in God's law (Nehemiah 10:28-29). You are mistakenly yanking this Jeremiah 31:34 text from its proper setting for the post-exilic return which Jeremiah was predicting.

But by the time Christ's generation arrived, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." (John 1:11). Isaiah had predicted that, though the Israelites should be as the sand of the sea, yet only a remnant would be saved. (Rom. 9:27). Paul spoke of this Israelite remnant, present in his own days - "even so at this present time also there remaineth a remnant according to the election of grace." (Romans 11:5). The majority of the Israelites in those first-century days were blinded in not recognizing their own predicted Messiah.

Did you know Saul took a prophecy and changed the meaning by changing a word? What does God say about someone that does that? Do you know?

6 Add thou not unto his words,
Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:6.

Let's see what that liar, Saul, did:
Here's Isaiah:

22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea,
Yet a remnant of them shall return:
Isaiah 10:22.

Saul:

27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: Romans 9:26–27.

Saul changed a word in the original prophecy and added to God's Word. He lied. The original prophecy has Isaiah saying "return", but Saul changed it to "saved." What does God say about someone who would manipulate the Word of God? God calls him a liar. Saul cannot be trusted. If he lied about what Isaiah said where else does he lie?
Do you know?

God has always allowed the Gentile sojourners among the ethnic members of the tribes of Israel to have a shared inheritance among them, as long as they obeyed the same laws and participated in worship of Himself as the one true God (Numbers 15:14-16 and Ezekiel 47:22). This was intended to be an OT foreshadowing of the revealed "mystery" of God having included ALL nations among the children of faith along with faithful Abraham - regardless of ethnic background.

Those that "sojourn" with Israel are the descendants of Ishmael and Esau. That's why it is easy for them to receive the religion of their host people of God. But that's how hospitality worked in the desert dwellers of a middle eastern people. I think you are infected by false Constantinian Gentile theology that lies about what the Word of God says for a Gentile perspective and replacement theology. You follow a liar named Saul who thought to change God's Word in order to manipulate others into thinking that only a remnant is saved. How can a remnant be the only ones saved when God told Abraham his descendants would be as countless as the stars of heaven and innumerable as the sand on the seashore? Which is it? A remnant? Or billions and billions of Hebrews saved?

"Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants and handmaids, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for ALL people." (Isaiah 56:6-7)

You are believing lies from Gentile replacement theorists. You follow an apostle who thinks it's OK to change what was originally written in Scripture to teach false teachings that have no Biblical basis. You believe Jesus died for everyone which is what Gentiles teach called Universalism. You believe that on the day Jesus died He didn't save anyone, merely made salvation possible if someone later would believe. You take the covenants of the Hebrew people and make them Gentile and make them to be inheritance stealers and replacement theologians who teach Jesus didn't save anyone on the day He died but made salvation possible to anyone if they would only exert "faith" in Christ to be saved. Let me guess, you also believe in altar-calls and in Universalism, that Jesus died for everyone and everyone is saved.