And So All Israel Will Be Saved

All Israel will Be Saved

Romans 11:25-26

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (KJV): 

Their Salvation Will Come After The Great Tribulation

All Nations Will Come Against Jerusalem

Zechariah 12:1-8 actually describes a battle that is the fifth of eight stages that comprise the Campaign of Armageddon. This takes place in the future and begins with the sixth bowl judgment during the middle of The Great Tribulation (Revelation 16:12-16

Jerusalem Will be a Cup of Reeling

Zechariah 12:1-3

1 The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him: 2behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem. 3And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it (ASV, 1901).

Roman Destruction of Jerusalem by David Roberts Cir 1850

God begins this oracle by stating that this particular message that is about to be delivered is heavy, or a “burden” (in Hebrew massa). That is, it is important and burdensome to be given, and to be heard. It is not pleasant but must be heeded in the same seriousness in which it was given. This is the second such massa in this book. The first encompassed chapter 9:1 through chapter 11:17. The first one graphically depicted Israel’s rejection of her Messiah and the rise of the worthless shepherd, which will be the Antichrist. His rise to power must precede Israel’s deliverance. God will use him to plunge the Nation Israel into its most severe time of testing foreseen by the prophet Jeremiah as the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble,” (Jeremiah 30:5-7). The prophet Daniel was given a revelation regarding this time as well; he recorded, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1). Daniel finished this verse by stating that the Jews will be delivered.

God then goes on to describe the attitude of Jerusalem’s enemies. Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel and will be the future capital of the world in Christ’s Millennial reign. The characterization of Jerusalem as the Nation Israel seems to align with the grammatical technique of “merism”, where one name stands for all of a particular subject. In this case it is the capital city representing all of Israel. In Zechariah 11:2 God says Jerusalem will become “a cup of reeling.” (It is called a “cup of trembling” in the King James translation.) “A cup of reeling” means a cup filled with an intoxicating drink that will cause anyone who drinks it to reel or stagger. This particular siege takes place in the future when all nations come against Jerusalem in battle. Further He uses the term “burdensome stone” in His description of Jerusalem to give the reader the sense of lifting a very heavy stone. It will cause grievous injuries to those who try and lift it. The divine penalty for the nations that try and lift this stone (Jerusalem) is that they will suffer sprains or dislocation and tear themselves to pieces.

 God Confounds The Invaders

Belshazzar's Feast by Rembrandt cir. 1635

Zechariah 12:4

4In that day, saith Jehovah, I will smite every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness (ASV, 1901).

All this will happen as the text says “in that day” (Hebrew bayyom hahu). “In that day” refers to the particular time period called the “latter days” or “end of days”. This is the same as the “Day of the Lord” or the “Great Tribulation”. It is important to note that the text says, “and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.” Bearing in mind this prophecy was given in 485 B.C., it was inconceivable that there could be a conflict that engaged the entire world. 135 countries took part in World War I, and more than 15,000,000 people died in the war.[1] World War II, which began shortly after on September 1, 1939, was the second time a large number of nations gathered to battle and this time more that 80,000,000 perished or about 2.5 % of the world’s population.[2] Now that these massive conflicts have occurred it is no longer difficult to accept God’s Word stating that, “and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.”

During the invasion of Jerusalem God will cause the all the military forces coming against Jerusalem to be filled with terror and blindness. His love for the Jewish people is evident as He says, “and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah.” Their enemies will be rendered useless for achieving their goal, which is the destruction of Israel and particularly Jerusalem. The normally brave enemies will suffer chaotic frenzy and they will not be able to see out of their vehicles.

The Jewish Leaders and The People React

Zechariah 12:5-7

5And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their God. 6In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. 7Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah (ASV, 1901).

This verse verifies the change of heart the Jewish leaders will have toward God as the battle rages against Jerusalem. For once they will see what He has done to the invaders for them and they begin to turn to Him. The true strength of the inhabitants of Jerusalem is the Lord of the armies, their God. In verse 6 the unique imagery of a strong fire is used by God when He says, the “chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about”. God will now use them to defeat their foes because of their faith. Finally God says that He will save the Jews who live outside the walls of Jerusalem. He separates them out for special protection first when He says, “Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first,” Then He will protect those inside the walls so that two segments of the population will receive equal protection and blessing.

Inhabitants of Jerusalem Receive Supernatural Strength

 Zechariah 12:8

8In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them (ASV, 1901).

God now describes the level of protection He will give to the Jews living in Jerusalem during this battle. He is the defender of Jerusalem to be sure but the strength He will impart to the Jews is supernatural. The Jews will have a marvelous strength to fight the invaders. The weakest of the population will become as strong as their warrior King David. The strong ones, designated as “the house of David” or the household or family of David, are to be like God meaning they will be superhuman beings. They will be like the angel of Jehovah who goes before Israel. The point in making this comparison is that all of Israel will receive supernatural strength from the weakest members to the strongest of the population.

 Destruction of All Nations That Come Against Israel

Zechariah 12:9

9And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (ASV, 1901).

The national regeneration of the Nation Israel is tied to the destruction of Babylon, which will be the world headquarters of the Antichrist (Jeremiah 50:43). Every Jew will become strengthened to fight the enemy as the Lord is incapacitating the foes with blindness and mental panic, and the Nation Israel will prevail.

 The National Mourning Begins

Zechariah 12:10

10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born (ASV, 1901).

Then the Lord pours out His “spirit of grace and of supplication” which causes the Jews to realize that it was them who persecuted Jesus and had Him nailed to the cross at Calvary. The Lord in the first person (“me”) begins to describe the mourning process the Jews will go through when they finally realize that it was God Himself who died for them as Jesus the Messiah. He uses the analogy of losing a child to express the degree of mourning that will be felt. This degree of mourning is unparalleled in the lives of humans because the loss of a child is one of the greatest pains one can experience. He says not only is it the loss of a child, but it is as if it is the parent’s only male child and further defines the situation as losing a son who is their first-born child. Our first-born children are the ones with whom we learn parenting and spend the most time and effort attending to their care. We usually invest more of ourselves into the first-born child than any other child. A loss of this child will give us an immense amount of pain that will never leave us while we are still on this earth. This is the extent of pain the Nation Israel will experience when they finally realize what they have done to their Messiah Jesus.

 Example of Previous Mourning

Nazi Yellow Star Pined on Jews

 Zechariah 12:11

11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon (ASV, 1901).

The extent of the mourning that the Jews will have over their treatment of Jesus is likened to the mourning the nation had when Josiah died. “Hadadrimmon” was a city near Jezreel. It was in the plains of Megiddon where Pharaoh Necho II fatally wounded the good king Josiah, one of the few kings of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) that honored God. He started to reign when he was only eight years old and reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. At the age of sixteen he began to pray earnestly seeking the Lord God. As a result of his relationship with God he began to remove the occultist’s symbols from Jerusalem and forbade their sexual sins. At the age of twenty-six he sent several of his advisors and confidants to repair the Temple. During the repair work, the books of Moses (first five books of the Bible) were found, and taken to the king. When Josiah read them he expressed deep sorrow and realized how angry God was with the Nation Israel for not keeping His Word. He then started worship services again in the Temple. Josiah removed all the abominations in the kingdom and caused all the children to turn to their God. His death and the national mourning are recorded in II Chronicles:

 II Chronicles 35:20-25

20After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. 21But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war; and God hath commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. 22Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. 23And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. 24So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations unto this day; and they made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations (ASV 1901, emphasis added).

 Israel Mourns for Jesus

Zechariah 12:12-14

12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart; 14all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart (ASV, 1901).

These verses describe the extent of the mourning in every family from the leaders of the government and the Temple down to the general population. All will mourn in national repentance for the way they rejected the Lord Jesus when He came the first time.

 The Cleansing of Sin from Israel

Zechariah 13:1-6

1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness (ASV, 1901).

“In that day” means this is a revelation from the God about the events during Israel’s future salvation as a nation. Israel had been guilty of the rejection of their Savior and had been suffering a substantial amount of guilt over this. Their hardness of heart was keeping them from national belief in the truth of Jesus. Earlier in the text of chapter twelve Israel, as an entire nation from the highest elected officials and the Temple guardians down to the common citizens, realized that their ancestors had caused the death of their Messiah Jesus. They are also guilty of perpetuating this lie. All at once, in one day, those whom the Lord has chosen will be “born again” together. As the text says, “there shall be a fountain opened.” The Hebrew word used here for “fountain” is maqor. Here it is referring to a substantial amount of blessing, which God Himself will pour out on “the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem”. His blessing will essentially gush forth to all Israel (Romans 11:26). We see the same usage of “fountain” used in Psalm 36:9: “For with Thee is the fountain of life”; and in Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13 it is used as the figure of Jehovah Himself, “the Fountain of living waters.”

It is clearly used here to illustrate the abundance of God’s blessings pouring out to remove sin and impurity from the nation Israel. Not only will the purification cover bodily defilement from abominable practices (such as drug and sexual abuse) but moral and the spiritual defilement of idolatry as well. The blessed fountain is none other that our Lord the Jewish Messiah Jesus. On

the day that our Lord was crucified, God’s fountain was opened for all to see and receive it’s blessing. At the Second Coming of Christ the Nation Israel will finally partake in that fountain and finally all Israel’s spiritual regeneration will occur (Jeremiah 31:31–37; Ezekiel 36:25–32; Romans 11:26–27).

Removing Idolatry and False Prophets from Israel

Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicholas Poussin Cir.1594-1665

Zechariah 13:2

2And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land (ASV, 1901).

When God pours out His Spirit upon the Israelites they will immediately realize that the false prophets and their idols are an anathema and God will cause them to be removed from Israel. False prophets lie, and typically promised peace when there was no peace to be had (Jeremiah 6:13-14; 8:11; 14:3; 23:17; 27:14 28:2, 11; Ezekiel 13:10; Zechariah 13:3; Micah 3:5). They deceive the people with their dreams and their visions were drawn out of their own demonically fed hearts (Jeremiah 14:14; 23:16; 29:8; Ezekiel 13:2-3 ; 22:28 ). They prophesy by the alleged authority of pagan gods such as Baal, and threaten the lives of the true prophets (Jeremiah 2:8; 23:13; 26:7). The false prophets gave the people what they wanted to hear and "whitewashed" over every situation, no matter how perverse it appeared (Ezekiel 13:10-12,14-15; 22:28).

The Foundation for False Prophecy

Some false prophets used magic others appeared to use divination, soothsaying, witchcraft, necromancy, and sorcery, which were all forbidden arts and practices in the Mosaic Law (Ezekiel 13:17-23). Deuteronomy says:

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

1 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams: for Jehovah your God proveth (is testing) you, to know whether ye love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4Ye shall walk after Jehovah your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him (ASV, 1901).

Deuteronomy 18:15-22

15Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken. 18I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. 20But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. 21And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? 22when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him (ASV, 1901).

These two sections from Deuteronomy contain at least seven commands regarding prophets:

• Israelites must leave a prophet quickly if he does a sign or a wonder that actually occurs, and at the same time he encourages a belief in other gods.
• Israelites must realize God tests us as to whether we love Him or act according to false prophets.
• Israelites must serve the true God (called here “Jehovah”).
• Israelites must believe that there was a succession of God’s prophets after Moses, then Lord God will rise up a prophet in the midst of Israel that will be as He is, and this will be Jesus the Messiah.
• Israelites must believe the prophets of God will be speaking God’s Word.
• Israelites are not to be afraid of a false prophet if he rose in the midst of the Israelites.
• Israelites must put false prophets to death.

In the Church Age we do not have the legal ability to rid ourselves of false prophets through death. This is because Christianity is not a nation as Israel is; Christians live in every nation on earth. However, we can test what they say by comparing it to Scripture. If what they tell us to do is not Scriptural, we must not listen to them. We are to call them out as false prophets, and do not fear them. If they are the leaders in a particular fellowship we are in, then we must leave it. It is a test of obedience to God. We have the example of the Bereans of Acts 17:11 to provide us with guidance, which says to always test what a prophet, pastor, or teacher says against Scripture. Make sure they live their life in accordance with their teaching (Matthew 7:15-16). Some examples of modern day false prophets are those who:

• Engage in legalism, which is making non-biblical rules binding for salvation and or sanctification.
• Set dates for Christ’s return.
• Encourage immoral behavior, including abortion and sexual deviancy.
• Encourage fellowship with religious groups that do not hold to the inerrancy of Scripture.
• Follow after the occult and occultic groups.
• Deny the deity of Christ.
• Deny the Second Coming.
• Deny the virgin birth.
• Deny the authority of the Bible.
• Deny the substitionary atonement.

We must not be unequally yoked together with them and we must separate from them (II Corinthians 6:14). Separation is not an optional part of Christianity; it is a commandment (Romans 16:17-18; II Cor. 6:14-17; I Timothy 6:5; II Timothy 2:16-18; 3:5; Titus 3:10; 2 John 7-11; Revelation 18:4). Separation is not mean or unloving; it is obedience to God. Look at the verbs used in these passages:

• “Mark them . . . avoid them” (Romans 16:17, KJV)
• “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers…” (II

Corinthians 6:14, KJV)

• “Come out from among” (II Corinthians 6:17, KJV)
• “Have no fellowship with” (Ephesians 5:11, KJV)
• “Withdraw yourself from every brother that walketh disorderly” (II Thessalonians 3:6, KJV)
• “Withdraw thyself” (I Timothy 6:5, KJV)
• “Shun” (II Timothy 2:16, KJV)
• “Purge himself from” (II Timothy 2:21, KJV)
• “From such turn away” (II Timothy 3:5, KJV)
• “Reject” (Titus 3:10, KJV)
• “Receive them not into your house neither bid them God speed” (II John 1:10 KJV)

Separation provides a wall of protection against spiritual danger. Failure to separate as commanded leaves one open to the influence of error (I Corinthians 15:33). The reason a shepherd separates the sheep from wolves is to protect them. Likewise, a faithful and godly Bible teacher will seek to separate his flock from spiritual dangers that are even more destructive than wolves.

 God Deals With the False Prophets of Israel

Zechariah 13:3-4

3And it shall come to pass that, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4And it shall come to pass in that day that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive: (ASV, 1901).

During the Great Tribulation, and even leading up to it, there will be a seven-fold increase in false prophets due to the intense demonic prevalence of this era (Matthew 12:43-45). The greatest evidence will be the world’s worship of the Antichrist and the False Prophet culminating with Israel’s treaty with him (Daniel 9:27). At the time of Israel’s national salvation, which rejects any connection to the Antichrist, God will be starting the Millennial Kingdom, which is a Theocracy, and will have His will enacted into Law (see Appendix 4). One of these will be the elimination of false prophets by death. In this verse it is quite clear that even parents who find a false prophet among their children will kill him with a spear-like object at the point. Therefore they, “shall no more be remembered” as stated in verse 2 of this chapter and their parents will not mourn these demonically controlled children.

As a result of this divine pouring out of God’s Spirit many false prophets will feign righteousness, claiming to be ashamed for “every one of his vision”. They will even take off the attire of a righteous prophet, which they wore and described as the “hairy mantle to deceive.” Elijah wore such a mantle of rough sheep or goatskin called an addereth meaning to be “wide or great”. Elijah cast his off and gave it to his successor Elisha (II Kings 19:13, 19). The false prophets of future Israel will act ashamed that they put on the genuine prophet’s clothes as part of their deception, and they will be exposed as the wolf under the sheep’s clothing!

 False Prophets Avoid Detection

Zechariah 13:5-6

5 but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth. 6And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds between thine arms? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends (ASV, 1901)

When the false prophet is confronted with his deception he will claim to be a “tiller of the ground”, or a farmer. He will even claim to have been bound to another as a servant since he was a boy (“made a bondman from my youth”). Because of the laws of the Theocracy that will be set up in Israel, they will do anything to avoid execution. Execution will be the only way to deal with them to end their pollution. The Mosaic Law of the Old Testament described how false teaching is to be dealt with, and only death will eliminate it. The only difference between the Mosaic Law and the Theocracy’s dealing with a false prophet is the manner of execution. The Mosaic Law called for a false prophet to be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 13:5-11). The Theocracy will have them thrust through with a spear.

Those confronting the false prophet will view the scars on his arms and chest as evidence that he is indeed a false prophet (“What are these wounds between thine arms?”). He will only be able to put forth a feeble lie saying he got them from his friends (“Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends”). Incisions on the body were characteristic of pagan cultures in ancient Canaan. In response to this sign of paganism, God warned the priest, prophets and people of Israel to not do such things in the interests of maintaining pure faith (Leviticus 19:28; Deuteronomy 14:1). The purpose of these self-lacerations associated with pagan rituals was to induce certain actions by their gods. Consider the contest between Elijah and the Baal prophets at Carmel described in 1 Kings chapter 18. After those false prophets had prayed and pleaded for Baal to ignite their sacrifices, with no success, they became frenzied and began to cut themselves until the blood poured from their veins and arteries (I Kings 18:28). In the latter days of the Church Age, and with the rise of neo paganism, we see an abundance of body markings including the cutting and scaring of skin to make symbols. This is additional evidence of drawing closer to the practices of the pagan cultures that are removed from God.

Daniel E Woodhead

[1] http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/casualties.htm accessed November 16, 2013

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties accessed on November 16, 2013

The Biblical Meaning of the Term "Our Neighbor"

WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR?

Frequently we see the word neighbor in Scripture. Just as frequently it seems there is some confusion as to exactly who this word refers to when it appears. Some teach that neighbor is narrowly defined as another believer. Others teach that it is broadened to include all of humanity that are in close proximity to believers. The issue can be clarified with an examination of the various contexts that the word appears as well as the different forms.

Jesus Healing the Mother of Simon by Peter John Bridges Cir 1818-1954

In the Old Testament the word appears in four different Hebrew forms. They are Strong’s #’s 5997; 7138; 7934; 7453; 7468. In the New Testament there is only one form in the Greek. It is Strong’s # 4139. Generally, the various Hebrew forms refer to someone that is extremely close to you. The Jewish usage of the term neighbor always means any member of the Hebrew nation and commonwealth. That is, another Israelite. It can refer to a brother, lover, companion, friend, or husband. Some forms include a general member of the human family, a person that lives in close proximity or even an enemy. The Greek usage is similar but with only one word it does not have the subtle individual usages found in the Old Testament Hebrew.

Perhaps the verses which exemplifies its usage the most is  Jesus' words recorded in Matthew. In this section of Scripture the Lord is responding to a challenging question from one of the lawyers trying to trap Him in a theological issue related to the Law.

Matthew 23:38-39

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ‘This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (KJV).

Christ in His teaching here is referring them back to the Mosaic Law in Leviticus 19:18 where the neighbor is narrowly defined as another Jew.

Leviticus 19:18 

" 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD (KJV).

The New Testament was written by and first given to the Jews. In fact Christ made the declaration early in His ministry that He had come only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 10:6; 15:24). Paul tells us that the Gospel is to go to the Jew first and then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16). It is important to consider the Jewish roots of Christianity in order to properly understand the Biblical text. Stephen in his dissertation to the High Priest in Acts presents the term neighbor as a fellow Hebrew.

Acts 7:24-25 And seeing one [of them] suffer wrong, he defended [him], and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not (KJV).

Here Stephen speaking of Moses’ issue attempting to defend another Jew against an Egyptian calls the Jew a neighbor (brethren). Fellow Christians are referred to as neighbors in the New Testament (Romans 15:2; Eph. 4:25; James 4:11-12). This is consistent with the context of which Jesus referenced Leviticus 19 talking about fellow Christians. He means other Christians are neighbors. Christ in the same passage of Matthew told the lawyers that we must love God first and then love our neighbors the same way we love ourselves. We must consider the context also of Christ’s commandment to love one another as related in John’s gospel.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (KJV).

As Christians we are commanded to have a love for one another. This is consistent with Christ’s usage of loving our neighbors in Matthew 22:39.  Here He narrowly defines the love we are to have for others is to be first directly to others in the Body of Christ. Others being those outside the Christian community will see our special relationship to God. The apostle John captures this subject in his first epistle. He demonstrates that a true believer loves the brethren (other believers) otherwise stated as our neighbors.

1John 3:14

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren (KJV).

This follows directly from the Matthew passage in that Christ said the first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second as mentioned is to love your neighbor the same way you love yourself. This is not a commandment to engage in loving oneself. He knows that with the sin nature still in us we already love ourselves. The sin nature obviates the need for this commandment.

These passages do not refer to us loving, in a humanistic sense, the whole world’s population. The love Christians have for each other is to mark us as Christ’s disciples. If the commandment to love others were to the general population then there would be nothing significant about the passage in John 13. We are commanded to love other believers. That is real believers, not pretenders or those that hate us. They that hate us are depicted as being non-believers in the 1 John passage. Notice that we are not commanded to hate back. In fact Christ tells the listeners of His sermon on the mount to love those that hate and curse you. (Matthew 5:43-44) What does that mean? It is important to realize the nature of Christ’s statement so as not to confuse it with the passages commanding us to love other believers.

The Sermon on the Mount is Christ’s interpretation of the standard of righteousness, which the Law demanded, put in contrast with the Pharisaic interpretation of the kind of righteousness, which the Law demanded. The Pharisees interpretation was treating the Levitical passage as license to hate everyone that was not a Jew and particularly not a Pharisee. The Mosaic Law never intended this commandment to be carte blanche to hate any enemy. Rather, the Mosaic Law was given in the sense that one must love God and love those whom God loves and conversely hate those who God hates. As an example God hated the Canaanites because of their extreme wickedness and He commanded the Jews to exterminate them. Therefore the O.T. commandment was never meant to hate individuals through personal animosity or enmity. The proper interpretation is to hate what God hates and love what God loves. We must first love God and hate what God hates.  God hates sin and we must hate sin. As far as loving our neighbor we must first love other believers. We are not commanded to hate those that harm us or do not believe. Then we are to extend our love to the unbelieving community in that we would like to see them become children of God as we have become. In fact when we encounter (not go looking for) unbelievers that need our help we should treat them as our neighbor and help them, Jesus taught this in the parable of the good Samaritan. All people are made in the image of God and a have worth. We should treat them with respect and concern. The love Christians have for each other is unique and a special living testimony to our connection to the Lord Jesus and the salvation that He has given to us. Our first love must be for God then to other believers. Finally we should not hate the rest of the world and extend the love of God to them given the opportunity. The term neighbor is narrowly defined though as other believers.

The sequencing of our love is:

1. Firstly, realizing that other Believers (Christians) are our neighbors.
2. Our primary love is to be directed to God.
3. Secondarily our love is directed to other believers.
4. Lastly our love is directed to those outside the church that need our assistance.
5. We are to love those people first that God loves.
6. We are to hate sin.
7. We are to offer God’s love to sinners in hope that God will choose to save them. This stage is only after we have offered love and assistance to other believers. We are not commanded to first offer God’s love to those outside the church.

FINALLY

The Greatest Love is:

John 15:13

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (KJV)

He did it for the entire world. Most of which either hate, deny or ignore Him. He did it anyway.....

View From The Cross by James Tissot Cir.1886-94

Jesus Reveals His True Nature and Mission to an Inferior Samaritan Woman

         Jesus Reveals His True Nature and Mission to an Inferior Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-4

¹ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, ² (though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) ³ he left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.  ⁴ And he must needs go through Samaria (KJV).

The Lord Jesus needed to go through Samaria on His way back to Galilee. He had previously told His disciples not to go the way of the Gentiles or to enter into any city of the Samaritans. (Matthew 10:5) His first mission on earth was to present Himself to National Israel. (Matthew 10:6; 15:24) He wanted Israel to have the first chance at the gospel and He did not want the disciples time diluted with trying to reach the Gentiles along with the Jews. Even now the gospel is to go to the Jews first then the Gentiles. (Romans 1:16; 2:10) The Lord did not create foreign missions and domestic missions. He simply said “go to the Jew first and then the Gentiles.”

When the Israelites divided into two kingdoms, because of the civil war after the death of King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel was established in the northern section of the Promised Land, in accordance with the lands allotted to the ten tribes in that area.

Shechem was the original capital, until Jeroboam moved it to Tirzah. Later, in approximately 880 B.C., Omri, the sixth king of Israel, established the capital at Samaria, a new town built on a hilltop about 7 miles (11 kilometers) northwest of Shechem.

"Samaria" came to be used interchangeably for both the city, and the region. After the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722 B.C., the region then known as Samaria was reduced in size. The Assyrians in their conquest raped women and repopulated the area with other people groups causing the next generation to become half-breeds. This group of Samarians worshipped Jehovah the same as the Jews and followed the Torah. Because of their arrogance the Jews would not talk or deal with the Samaritans in any way except to sell to them.

By the time of Jesus Christ, Samaria was bounded by Galilee to the north, The Mediterranean Sea to the west, Judea to the south (in which Jerusalem was located), and the Jordan River to the east. Today, it is in the so-called "West Bank" area.

John 4:5-6

⁵ Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour (KJV).

 Picture the Lord in His humanity resting by this special and providential well. He makes an opportunity to begin to reach the Samaritans with His message about who He actually is. He waited for a fallen poor woman whose story He knew well. This is one example of His divine grace reaching out to sinners with compassion. The greater the sin in our lives the greater then is the value of the forgiveness, which He offers. Only God can truly forgive sins. (Luke 5:21) For it is to Him that all sin is directed, whether we realize it or not. (II Samuel 2:13)

John 4:7-9

⁷ There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. ⁸ (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) ⁹ Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans (KJV).

She realized that He was Jewish and astonished at the same time that He would have anything to do with her. He simply asks her for some water. It was just she and He alone. He realizes that she is ignorant and exhibits much patience with her in His desire to reach her with the truth of who He is. This is a much different way He treats her than He does with the Jewish religious rulers. For them, he had little patience and heaped upon them much condemnation. (Matthew 23) They should have known better. She was an innocent bystander so to speak on religious matters.

John 4:10-13

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. ¹¹ The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? ¹² Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? ¹³ Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again (KJV).

Now she is perplexed. Jesus begins to bring up water that she is not aware of, for she is thinking of actual water. But Jesus is speaking of a much greater water that that. He is speaking of the Holy Spirit, which is known as the water. (John 7:37-38) Jesus is always answering a different question than what was asked. In this instance Jesus is telling the woman that the water He brings will not quench thirst but would provide eternal satisfaction.

John 4:14-15

¹⁴ but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. ¹⁵ The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw (KJV)

She was probably still thinking of actual water and not realizing the spiritual lesson He is teaching her. Never thirsting is a description of the fulfillment that saving grace knowledge of Christ brings to a human being. It provides purpose to our lives and gives us certainty of life eternal and allows us to endure the hopelessness that many on this earth are saddled with. This Christ satisfies the inner longing that each person on this earth has for significance and inner peace. Many try to find it through money, sex, intoxicants, work etc. But until we accept Christ and are filled with His Spirit we are continually longing for something that we can’t quite define.

John 4:16-19

¹⁶ Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. ¹⁷ The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: ¹⁸ for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. ¹⁹ The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet (KJV).

Jesus now enters a phase of the conversation where He is going to uncover her sin.  This is a self-realization that one must make. We are sinners by our very nature. When the Jews came to the Tabernacle and the Temple the very first step in that ancient worship process was the brazen altar. This was where the sacrifice took place. They were required to offer sacrifice to God so as to admit their sin and receive the temporary atonement. The same is true today. We must admit our sins in front of God to Him alone so we can draw close to Him.

  

John 4:20

²⁰ Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship (KJV).

The new worship is going to be introduced in the next verse. She was thinking He was going to tell her that the Temple in Jerusalem was where she should worship. The Samaritans worshipped on Mt Gerizim. She was pointing to that mountain as the place where their fathers had worshipped. This was the mountain where Sanballat had built a temple that was eventually destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 129 B.C. Sanballat was one of the chief opponents of Nehemiah when he was building the walls of Jerusalem and carrying out his reforms among the Jews. "Sanballat," is connected with the Assyrian "Sinballidh," and means, "Sin has vivified." He was called also "the Horonite," and was associated with Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arabian (Nehemiah 2:19, 4: 7). But his home was at Samaria. When the Jews threw off the yoke of the Greeks under John Hyrcanus that temple was destroyed.

John 4:21-24

²¹ Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²² Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. ²³ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. ²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (KJV).

Jesus now begins to tell her of the dawning of the Christian era. Now we have no need for a Temple. Our bodies are now the holy Temple. This is where the Spirit takes up residence after a person accepts Christ and becomes “saved.” He is telling her that she will not have to worship the Father on any mountain or in Jerusalem. This only pertains to “true” worshippers. That is, those that love God and have accepted His salvation that He offers through Christ alone (John 14:6) Since God is spirit we worship Him in spirit too. We don’t have to go to some particular location to worship God. Anywhere will do so to speak.

Salvation comes through the Jews. It was given at the time of the Abrahamic Covenant. This is one of the unconditional covenants that God made with Israel.  The Abrahamic Covenant promised a seed, land, and blessings. The three major promises of this covenant were personal promises to Abraham, national promises to Israel and universal promises to all the people of the earth. God promised that He would bless him and make him a blessing to others, to make his name great, to give him many descendants, to make him the father of a multitude of nations, to give him the land of Canaan for always and to bless them that blessed Abraham and to curse them that cursed him. (Gen 12; 13; 15 & 17)  God also made national promises concerning Israel. They are: to make a great nation of his descendants; to give land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates to his descendants forever; and to give the Abrahamic covenant to his descendants for ever. Finally, God made universal covenants to Abraham that would affect everybody on the earth; it would affect all families of the earth who would be blessed. This promise is intended to be applicable to Israel regarding the blessing and cursing effects. Parts of the covenant have already been fulfilled. For example God did bless him with wealth. His name is great and Israel is a great nation. The blessings to all have been given to all through the oracles of God they received and they brought forth the Messiah.  The promise of the land has not been completely fulfilled yet. His descendants are in the land but, in unbelief and do not have the boundaries set forth in Scripture as of yet.

John 4:25-26

²⁵ The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. ²⁶ Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he (KJV).

Jesus answers her about this Messiah that she knew was coming. The Jewish writings were rife with a God-Man that would appear on the planet some day and remove all of Israel’s problems. Jesus tells her that He is the long awaited Jewish Messiah.

Some of the prophetic writings about Him are in the Old Testament, which is the Jewish Bible at the time of Christ. They have been fulfilled in Jesus just as He told this Samaritan woman.

Some OT Messianic Prophecies and their New Testament fulfillment:

1. Born in Bethlehem:                 Micah 5:2 Fulfilled in Matthew 2:1
2. The Son of God:                     Psalm 2:7 Fulfilled in John 3:16-17
3. Of the tribe of Judah:              Genesis 49:10 Fulfilled in Hebrews 7:14
4. Of a virgin:                              Isaiah 7:14 Fulfilled in Matthew 1:18-22
5. A prophet like Moses:           Deuteronomy 18:15 Fulfilled in John 7:15-17
6. The King of Israel:                  Zechariah 9:9 Fulfilled in John 12:12-15
7. Rejected:                                 Isaiah 53:3 Fulfilled in John 1:11
8. Beaten:                                    Micah 5:1 Fulfilled in Mark 15:19
9. Silent:                                      Isaiah 53:7 Fulfilled in Matt 27:12-14
10. Betrayed:                                Psalm 41:9 Fulfilled in Mark 14:17-20’
11. Tried and condemned:             Isa 53:8 Fulfilled in Matthew 27:1-2
12. Crucified:                                Psalm 22:16 Fulfilled in John 19:17-18
13. His garments divided:             Psalm 22:18 Fulfilled in John 19:23-24
14. Given vinegar and gall:            Psalm 69:21 Fulfilled in John 19:31-36
15. His bones not broken:             Exodus 12:46 Fulfilled John 19:31-36
16. He is our sacrifice:                  Isaiah 53:5-6 Fulfilled in 1 Peter 2:24-25
17. And raised from death:           Psalm 16:10 Fulfilled in Luke 24:1-7, 47

Daniel E. Woodhead