It was a prophecy. A lot of things God had Israel doing served as prophecies. Better put, were prophetic. This was as well.
That does not change the fact that it was also prophetic. Consider that Moses getting water from the rock of Horeb was prophetic... both times. Consider that Moses raising the viper on a stake in the wilderness was also prophetic. These were also rituals performed, in this case by Moses, for the Israelites.
It was meant to be prophetic for the future. However, since the Israelites had allegorized the true Messiah away, they failed to recognize Christ in those prophetic instances. Jesus didn't fail to recognize Himself, as He Himself brought up some of these instances. He specifically mentioned and underlined the nature of Moses raising the viper on a stake in the wilderness.
"14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who [e]believes will have eternal life in Him."
Yes, the Passover is for the Hebrews. It is not for the Gentiles. I believe it is mentioned in scripture that no Jews were to participate in the Passover with Gentiles. It is solely for the Jews. It was about the Jews salvation by God, before He made them His chosen people. He already considered them, for the sake of the promises that proceeded the covenant, to be His people. However, it does not pertain to Jesus only being the salvation of the Hebrews. It solely has to do with Israel being God's chosen people. You are sinfully adding to this passage. I am leaving it where it is.
No, this was not an atonement for the children of Israel. That is Yom Kippur. The Passover was meant to be in memoriam of God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. That is all. I mean that is specifically what God HIMSELF said "It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses."
Why was it called passover? Because God passed over. It speaks to the salvation of the Hebrews from the Egyptians. The beginning of Israels recognition as God's chosen people. Don't sinfully add to this.
That is not what is being said here. Context is key.
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name as they observed His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, because He knew all people, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify about mankind, for He Himself knew what was in mankind.
You have to take scripture as given, not read your beliefs into it. One point made is that signs don't/didn't save anyone. We are saved by the preaching of the gospel. The signs simply certify the one who is preaching. The reason the apostles had gifts was to certify and validate their message by using the gifts to perform miracles. The belief being, in the minds of the people, if one speaks of God and then performs miracles of God, then they must be speaking truth, or God would reject them and... no miracles. These gifts validated the church by validating the church's message.
God WILL (future) save Israel. He has prophesied to it. He will be their salvation. Israel is not the church, however, there are Jews in the church. Israel is distinct from the church. That is to say that right now there are two distinct groups. The church, made up of non-Jewish Gentiles and Jews, and the nation of Israel, secular, made up of God rejecting Jesus rejecting Jews who will never be saved, and Jews who have not rejected God, but have not yet accepted Jesus, God's elect in Israel. They are not a part of the church because... they aren't saved yet. They will be a part of the church, and it is of the elect that Peter brings up that God isn't being slack or slow in fulfilling the promise of HIs return. He is patiently waiting for the last of the elect that is to be saved prior to the beginning of the end, to enter the fold. Once they come in, God's promise will be fulfilled, and there isn't a film in Hollywood that could ever hope to outmatch the craziness that is to come. (The Great Tribulation, the war between the beast and Jesus, etc.)
Sorry, that isn't how language works. It has already been explained by people who understand the language that it speaks to the world. You can be sure because you have Luke's version of the Olivet discourse that speaks to Israel, and then Matthew's version speaks to the world. Joel also speaks to Israel. In Luke, Jesus doesn't speak of the Great tribulation, but says the time of her (Israel's)torment has come. I'm not sure, but that could probably be linked to the time of Jacob's trouble in the Old Testament. That is said to be the worst time for Israel, from the founding of the people of Israel (so back to Moses getting the Law and establishing the covenant). It ends with the Gentiles trampling over Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled. (Where has something like this been mentioned before? Oh yeah. Paul in Romans. And, he wasn't talking about Jewish Gentiles in Luke, but non-Jewish Gentiles. Paul is the same. Non-Jewish Gentiles. So the Muslims trampled on Jerusalem, the Crusaders really did a job on Jerusalem, etc. However, there will come a time in the future when Israel will once again own Jerusalem. When the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. In Matthew, it says that there is a Great tribulation coming, and does not invoke the history of Israel, but the history of the world. Why? The Great Tribulation will envelope the world. It is both the final tribulation of Israel, but also the whole world, with God pouring out His wrath.
The above is not true except the first sentence. However Yom Kippur is NOT the Passover. Gentiles are saved... by faith. Cornelius (who was one who fears God, a term only used for non-Jewish Gentiles.) Someone of dual nationality parents who chooses to follow Judaism and be Jewish is a CONVERT. Not even a proselyte. That is used only for non-Jewish Gentiles. While Jesus sacrifice most certainly atones, it is NOT the same as the sacrifice of atonement, which did not wash away sin, but only served as a covering. And it did not cover sin for everyone. It also did not cover all sin. So, unlike Christ's sacrifice, the sacrifice of atonement Yom Kippur was... imperfect. Hence the need for Christ. By the way, I tell you again, Saul changed his own name to Paul in his writings, which is the non-Jewish Gentile form of his name. HE did it, because he was called by God to bring the gospel to the non-Jewish Gentiles. And he did. I showed it before in scripture. The covenant does not save. We are saved through faith. There is no merit in salvation. There is no boasting. There is no "I'm saved because I'm Jewish". That's boasting. We are saved by faith.
Where i the context? Why did you cut this out? Is this because you know verse 3 changes everything?
" 3 For I could [a]wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and daughters, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, and the promises; 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed [c]forever. Amen.
What comes next?
"6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed." (I can quote mine too). Paul is saying that though it clearlly appears that the word of God has failed Israel, though (key word) it appears that way, that isn't what has happened.
"For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
Wait a minute. They aren't? Why have you never brought this up? (I know you have, but you completely ignored the significance.
7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s [d]descendants,"
Isn't that like saying they aren't all a part of the covenant even though they are Abraham's descendants? Doesn't that mean that it DOESN'T MATTER?
"but: “[e]through Isaac your [f]descendants shall be named.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh [g]who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as [h]descendants."
So it is not enough to simply be... Jewish. It is not simply enough to be a child of Abraham. (Jesus Himself made that clear.) Even for all your bleating, this is not the case.
Paul never states it as this. John the Baptist said that He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World. Salvation would go beyond Israel, but it has it's START in Israel, and, by God's great mercy, it will also have it's END in Israel, when Jesus, their Messiah, rescues them from the schemes of Satan, destroying the armies of the beast, and ultimately destroying the beast, and throwing Satan into the lake of fire.
You ignore Galatians 3
"6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God [j]would justify the [k]Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with [l]Abraham, the believer.
would justify the non-Jewish Gentiles. Notice would is future tense. So this is not part of the Old Testament times, but the New Testament, and is in line with the testimony of the New Testament. It doesn't say these non-Jewish Gentiles are saved by the covenant, or by the Law, but by faith. As God had decided. And Paul says that the Old Testament testifies to that in the promise made to Abraham. It does not say they are part of the covenant, but are blessed in Abraham the believer. That is, through the same faith that Abraham showed when he was going to sacrifice Isaac. The same faith that looked forward to Christ, of which Jesus Himself said that Abraham rejoiced to see His day. The saved come out of the world, first from the Jews, then from the Greeks/Gentiles. Salvation is of/from the Jews. If it doesn't go anywhere, as you say, then why does the Bible bother to say this. It should say Salvation is for the Jews, but it does not. It says Salvation is of/from the Jews. A big difference. That is why the prophecies have the Gentiles coming to the Jews in search of knowledge of God and salvation. (I believe that is the Millennial Kingdom, where the world is populated by people who don't know God, due to be born during the millennial kingdom, who seek out God through the Jews.) There are those Gentiles who will know God, but I believe that life continues as it had through the Millennial kingdom for those who survive the Tribulation. Those who accept Christ during the Tribulation and survive.
But Saul says that some become a law unto themselves, by practicing the law without knowing the law. He also says something about these Gentiles judging the Jews. That is, by their actions.
The Gentiles are being saved now, along with individual Jews. Why? Paul says that Israel is facing a partial hardening and blindness from God, until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. And then all Israel will be saved. (I believe that salvation is recorded in Zechariah, and elsewhere.) The passover does not atone sin. That is Yom Kippur. The saving relationship between God and non-Hebrew Gentiles is grace and faith. Ephesians 2:8-9. You really do need to learn. You ignore, twist, and outright deny things God has said. Israel is special, and there is no denying that. Scripture is clear. However, Jesus sacrifice was as Paul said, a propitiation for not only the Jews, but for the whole world. That is, available for the whole world, but only for those who believe in Christ by faith.
Apparently you don't know what Yom Kippur is. That is a serious issue. Yom Kippur is the sacrifice of atonement, not the passover.
Again, the Gentiles do not need a covenant with God, for scripture has foreshadowed that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. God wins this one. You lose. Though Peter mentioned something about Jews being saved the same way, by faith. Which happens to be what we see today with Jews joining the church. By faith. (And I mean joining the body of Christ, not becoming Gentiles or acting like Gentiles.)
