Muslim & Christian Discussion ForumIsrael & Lebanon at War?Aieno Wrote: I did read all of Matthew 24, however I wonder if you actually understood it. "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be". Matthew 24:32-40 Jesus could not have been prophesying about when "the end" would happen. How could he have, if he said he didn't know when his return would occur? There is no advance sign of Jesus' coming for us to be able to predict. Jesus' comes when he comes, and the people who are then alive will know it when it happens. Jesus asked the disciples to learn a lesson from the fig tree (24:32-34). As soon as the tree's twigs got tender and its leaves came out, they knew summer was near. "Even so," said Jesus, "when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door" (24:33). In the dialogue of Matthew 24, Jesus was trying to get across that the discourse in Matthew 24, is not so much to be taken as a prophecy, but as a living lesson. Jesus is warning that his disciples always need to be spiritually ready precisely because they cannot know when he will return. The parables in Matthew 25 continues that same theme. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Jesus makes a plain statement that he did not know when the end of the age would come. Jesus was not meaning to prophesy about the specific time of "the end" or of his return, since he himself did not know when it would be. Matthew 24 was to be a lesson in spiritual awareness, not awareness of world events nor a "when" prophecy. Studying Matthew 24 in the larger context of preceding chapters will help you avoid future interpretation pitfalls. I wonder if you noticed how verses 3 through 34 contain a number of signs yet verses 35 through 51 feature an absence of signs and explicit testimony that signs will be absent (36, 39, 42, 43, 50). Jesus said, "The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of" (24:50). "Amen, Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20). Aieno Wrote: Zechariah’s message focuses on the future and proclaims that God would send the Messiah to establish His Kingdom through the destruction of the Gentile empires and the salvation of His people Israel. In this chapter, Zechariah looks to the day when the enemies of Jerusalem will be destroyed and the city and nation will be restored. When that day comes, the Jews will mourn for their sins which they have committed, especially when they look on the one they have pierced. Didn't Zechariah also say that Israel shall never again be oppressed? "And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes". Zechariah 9:8 Israel has been occupied and "oppressed" many times since the time of Zechariah. "And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God". Ezekiel prophesies that Israel will reside in their homeland safely and securely, never again to fight neighboring nations. 28:24-26 "And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more". Ezekiel 34:28-29 Ezekiel prophesies God will protect the Israelites from "the heathen". "And they shall be safe in their land." But the Israelites have never lived peacefully with their neighbors, and they've never been safe from attack. 34:28-29 I suggest you get your facts striaght. Lebanon did not "allow" palestinians to launch attacks at Israel from within Lebanon, they did it without Lebanese authority. I think you need to look into the middle east conflict a bit more before you start making such incorrect assumptions. The goal of hizballah is not the "total elimination of all Jews in Israel", there goal is to liberate the rest of Lebanon from illegal Israeli occupation. Israel proved who the real cowards are, they massacred hundreds (over 1,000) innocent Lebanese citizens. The Israeli airforce killed people indiscriminantly with no regard whatsoever to civilan life or property. Search "Qana massacre" in any search engine and see for yourself who are the real killers and cowards. Israel commited a massacre in 1996 and again in 2006 in the same village "Qana". The dead included 42 children. All the prophecies concerning Israel, are about the Israel that the Messiah himself will establish. Otherwise, you are calling God a liar. The U.N. Conciliation Commission estimated that about 80% of the land in what is today Israel is property formerly owned by Palestinians. I am bound by a conviction, that is shared by most Orthodox Jews, that Zionist state of "Israel", is an affront to God and that peace won't prevail until the state of Israel is peacefully dismantled. Peace |
🌈Pride🌈 goeth before Destruction
When 🌈Pride🌈 cometh, then cometh Shame