Category Archives: The Jewish people

Prophecy Practice: David, Jesus and the Righteous in Psalm 69, Part 8

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Jesus says that sometimes people close THEIR OWN minds and hearts, so that they won’t understand, and He indicates that sometimes God helps them close their minds.

“13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. 14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,
‘By hearing you will hear,
And will in no way understand;
Seeing you will see,
And will in no way perceive:
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous,
Their ears are dull of hearing,
They have closed their eyes;”Mtt 13:13-15c

Why did “they” close “their eyes”?

“Or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their heart,
And should turn again;
And I would heal them.’”
Matt. 13:15d-16

The Jews, not all of them, but as a group, did not want this salvation that Jesus offered, in a new heavens and a new earth. They wanted a salvation of this present earth … a worldly savior in a worldly earth. They wanted a worldly kingdom, which Jesus never offered, for Jesus said, “my kingdom is not from here.” Jn 18:36.

The next part applies especially to Judas Iscariot,

“24 Pour out your indignation on them.
Let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate.
Let no one dwell in their tents.”
Psa 69:24-25.

But it is a plural subject: “them,” “their.” The application goes past Judas, but Peter speaks of these things in Acts one as especially applying to Judas.. He stood up among the disciples, and said,

“Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus”
Acts 1:16.

Peter is referring specifically to Psalm 69.

“For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘Let his habitation be made desolate,
Let no one dwell therein,’  and,
‘Let another take his office.’”
Act 1:15-20

And why is all of this?

They persecuted the very Savior of Israel. The One God hit, the God smote, and God did smite Him,

This opposition of the Jews to their own Messiah will NOT LAST. Prophecy clearly tells that they will finally turn to their own Christ as a nation! How this will come to be, is discussed in detail in Neal Fain’s new book Jewish Chronicles which is due for release in the fall of 2020.

“4 Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isa 53:4-5.

God punished Jesus for their sins, that they might be free, yet they persecuted Him.

“For they persecute him whom you have wounded.
They tell of the sorrow of those whom you have hurt.”
Psa 69:26.

So only a curse awaits them. Paul comments on the opposition of the Jews to Christianity.

“Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:”
1Thes 2:15 KJV

Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Prophecy Practice: David, Jesus and the Righteous in Psalm 69, Part 7

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Psalm 69 goes right on talking about Jesus toward the end of the pslam, although we saw early that this psalm is also about David.

So what was the Christ to drink?

When the death sentence had been given, all the soldiers had gathered around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and crowned Him with a crown of thorns, and mocked the King of Heaven and Earth, and spit on him, an beat Him about the head. Then they took Him to the place of execution. Psalm 69 says,

“They also gave me gall for my food.
In my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.”
Psa 69:21.

And that is how it happened. Matthew says,

“They gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.”
Mtt 27:34.

Mark says they tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, Mk 15:23. Evidently these concoctions were intended to dull the pain. John records that a jar of vinegar/sour wine was standing there, and when He said He was thirsty, He was offered some on a sponge.

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.”
Jn 19:30

We can see that this also fit Him. And what then of those who plotted His death? The death of the “one and only son” of God, Jn 3:16?

May their food even be a snare a to them.

It is obvious that bad things can become a snare and a trap for us. Less obvious is it that sometimes even good things can be a snare to us. Such men deserve deserve the very worst, so it says

“Let their table before them become a snare.
May it become a retribution and a trap.” Psa 69:22.

Then it says,

“Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can’t see.
Let their backs be continually bent.” Psa 69:23

Paul quotes these verses of the Jews under a curse
for rejecting their own Messiah, Rom 11:9

These things are discussed in detail in Fain’s new book Jewish Chroniclles, which is to be released in the fall of 2020,

This is speaking of Jews who rejected the “one and only Son” of God, for,

“11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. 12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:”
Jn 1:11-12

And here again, Paul like the author of Hebrews quotes this psalm as being of David, Rom 11:9.

God sometimes pours a spirit of sleep over people,

Sometimes they don’t deserve to know what will deliver them. Isaiah says that of the Jews.

“For Yahweh has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, has he covered.”
Isa 29:10

Paul also quotes this of the Jews in the context of rejecting their own Christ, Rom 11:8.

Is this failure of the Jews permanent?

Paul says no, in Rom 11:11-12, and that is a grand subject, but not until later in Psalm 69.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Not everyone has Protection. Even from Covid-19.

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There is protection from overwhelming temptation.

“No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
1Cor 10:13

However you can lose that protection, so Paul says,

“Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;”
Rom 1:24

You can have protection and lose it, and be turned over to your sins. So how should we think about these things? If we need protection, we should ask for it, however,

First, if you ask, not believing, you won’t get it!

“6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. 8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Jas 1:6-8

Also at times all of us need correction.

Hard things may come to wake us up, to make us whole at last.

“It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline?”
Heb 12:7

Plainly we can throw away God’s protection!

In Abram’s day, the sins of the Canaanites were still being tolerated by the Lord. Only later would their land be given to others, Gen 15:16. Later Joshua argued with Israel.

“8 If Yahweh delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us; … 9 … for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and Yahweh is with us: don’t fear them.”
Num 14:8-9

Further, if God does not protect us, everything
else is for nothing.

“1 Unless Yahweh builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it.
Unless Yahweh watches over the city,
The watchman guards it in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To stay up late, Eating the bread of toil;
For he gives sleep to his loved ones.”
Psa 127:1-2

And when the righteous are protected
in Psalm 91, who is it that dies?

“7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes,
And see the recompense of the wicked. ”
Psa 91:7-8

Or what would happen if the Jews abandoned God?

“20 Yahweh will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke, … because of the evil of your doings, by which you have forsaken me. 21 Yahweh will make the pestilence cleave to you, until he have consumed you from off the land, where you go in to possess it.”
Deut 28:20-21

“Pestilence”! Like a corona-virus!

Ah! We can indeed lose our protection!

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: There is More Than One Wide Spread Tribulation.

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It is sometimes missed but there are actually several periods of extreme trouble in the Christian Age. This is the way Paul describes the issues.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”
2Tim 3:1 KJV

It is not just a single perilous or difficult or harsh time, but perilous timeS, plural.

Russia, China, and Eastern Europe had an anti-Christian
blood baths in the 20th century,
France in late 18th century.

There have been multiple attempts to bull-doze away Christianity and prepare the way for the worship of Satan and his special seed. Rome and the caesars were so used, until Christianity outright conquered Rome, as in Dan 2:44, and other passages. Islam was used in this way. The French Revolution was another attempt, and was intended to spread from nation to nation, but didn’t have the impact desired. The Communists also attempted world revolution, and did conquer one-third of the world before imploding. Communism still shows some lingering signs of life even in the United States in the early 21st century, and many of the old Communist organizations now seem to want to carry a banner of environmental emergencies to drive the destruction of any who might oppose them.

It seems from Scripture that two special times of tribulation/stress will come.

One is the times of stress in when the Jews turn
to Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth in faith.

And yes, Jesus is called “Rabbi” some thirteen times in the gospels, but it is sometimes translated as “Master” of “Teacher.”

It is clearly prophesied in the Old Testament that this will happen, and is verified in the New Testament, but many gloss over the texts. Moses, after denouncing the stubbornness and sins of Israel, is the first to announce it.

Coming in September, 2020, Jewish Chronicles will be an overview of Jewish history and Scripture as it pertains to these things.

“When you are in distress, and all these things are come on you, in the latter days you shall return to Yahweh your God, and listen to his voice:”
Deut 4:30 nf

This will be an extreme period stress for many nations. It appears to begin with a world-wide persecution of Christians. It is dealt with in detail in Ezekiel 37 and 38, and Zechariah, and also in my forthcoming book, Jewish Chronicles. It will be so severe that is seems it will become yet another “type,” symbolic of the end of this present universe.

The greatest tribulation will be right at the end.

It is literally called “the great, the tribulation” in Greek.

… “These are those who came out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes, and made them white in the Lamb’s blood.”
Rev 7:14 WEB

This time Christianity will be “overcome”/conquered.

“It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. ”
Rev 13:7 WEB

The Greek word is nikao, to conquer, to overcome, to have the victory.

Never yet has any one government had authority over every nation. Never yet has Christianity been “overcome” world-wide. But it will happen, for a short while … just before Jesus intervenes.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

nf is my own translation based on the WEB.

Multiple Types of the Christ: Moses

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There are many types/ symbols of the Christ in Scripture. One of them is great lawgiver Moses. The symbolism is very explicit. There is someone all Israel, and everyone will have to listen to

A Special Prophet Will Come.

“Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me; to him you shall listen;”
Deut 18:15 WEB

So Moses says explicitly that his word would be superseded by someone “like me,” “to him you shall listen.” So there were things which were to be told men later.

There are many ways the Christ is
like Moses.

You might says Moses primary trait is that he was a lawmaker and brought a new law. If this special prophet was to be like Moses, and to be listened to, it would seem that this new prophet would bring a new law. And so He does. As Paul says,

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Gal 6:2 WEB

So there is a law which Jesus brings, “the law of Christ.” The center of it is a new commandment.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another.”
Jn 13:34 WEB

It includes instructions for daily life, for prayer, for the meetings and government of the church, instructions for how what we would call formal worship should be conducted, relations to civil government, sex, family relations and on and on.

Further, there were attempts to kill both Moses
and Jesus at birth.

The baby Moses came under the edicts of the Pharaoh that all male children were to be killed at birth, and he was delivered by being given to an Egyptian princess. Herod feared that this new “king of the Jews who had been born, was a baby to be groomed to take over his throne, so he killed all the infant males in Bethlehem (Mtt 2:16-18) trying to make sure he got this would be ruler. Both attempts failed.

Both Moses and Jesus were initially rejected
by the Jews.

Moses had to flee to the land of Midian for forty years, and was later accepted by the Jews. Jesus is overall still rejected by the Jews to this day, but one day the new covenant of Jer 31:31-34 (which Jesus brought) will be accepted, and it say,

“At that time, says Yahweh, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.”
Jer 31:1 WEB

Moses prayed to be sacrificed
for God’s people.

““Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin— and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.””
Ex 32:32 WEB

God declined Moses offer, Ex 32:33.

But Jesus WAS sacrificed for God’s people.

“… even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.”
Eph 5:2 WEB

There are many other parallels, but this is a start.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901s

Which Jerusalem? Part III of III

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I think it is fair to say that most of the references in Scripture to Jerusalem are about Jerusalem of this present earth. That is to say,

“Jerusalem that exists now,” Gal 4:25 WEB

But when you read prophecy you must ask,
“Of which Jerusalem does
the prophet speak?”

Some are obvious, while others are not as clear.

It is true that there are some incredible things yet to happen with Jerusalem that now exists. Zechariah prophesied during the first return from exile (around 520 BC, Zech 1:1), in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Seemingly speaking of what Paul calls “Jerusalem that now exists,” Zechariah sees a day when,

““… ‘Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem.”’””
Zech 1:17 WEB

In context he seems to speak of present Jerusalem. He speaks of it as an abundantly prosperous city, Zech 2:4, and a city faithful to God,

“I will strengthen them in Yahweh;
And they will walk up and down in his name,” says Yahweh.”
Zech 10:12 WEB

That clearly has not happened YET! Zechariah clearly pictures ALL the families of Israel (Zech 12:14) being converted to “ to me whom they have pierced;” Zech 12:10 WEB, and in Zechariah 13. This is spoken in Scripture as bringing a world revolution of righteousness (something Mystery Babylon deeply dreads). Paul says of those times.

“Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? ”
Rom 11:12 WEB

So some incredible good things are yet to happen with present Jerusalem.

But Peter says this present universe will vanish.

“… the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth … will be burned up.”
2Pe 3:10

He goes on to say “we look for new heavens and a new earth in which dwells righteousness.” 2Pe 3:13 WEB.

So when it says in Isaiah 65,

“17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.”
Isa 65:17-18 WEB

… in context, the “Jerusalem” in Isa 65:17 is part of that “Jerusalem that is above” of Gal 4:26, and part of the new universe, the “new heavens and a new earth” of 2Pe 3:13.

The “never again”/ “no more” / “neither … any more,” and
all the “forever” sort of passages

are all about “Jerusalem” above, and what we call “heaven.”

So when the prophet David says of Jerusalem, “I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they … be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first,”
2Sam 7:10 WEB

The prophet really speaks of heaven here. Only heaven is “forever.”

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Which Jerusalem? Part II of III

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Many Great Claims were made for Jerusalem.

“Blessed be Yahweh from Zion,
Who dwells at Jerusalem.
Praise Yah!”
Psa 135 WEB

Or,

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So Yahweh surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore.”
Psa 125:2 WEB

And again,

“For David said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever: ”
1Chr. 23:25 WEB

But this make you wonder. A mere 400 and something years later God rejected His people Israel because of their sins, and had Jerusalem destroyed, in 586 BC. Then there was a return to Jerusalem in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. But a little over 600 years later there was another expulsion from Jerusalem, again as prophesied by God’s prophets (Zech 10:9-10 for example, which was spoken after the first return from captivity). The second fall of Jerusalem was also prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24, etc., and happened in 70 AD.

The Jews were a rebellious people and unfaithful to God, and it did not make Jerusalem a place of peace, all seemingly very contrary to many prophecies.

But Paul says there are two Jerusalems.

Paul says that two women Sarah and Hagar are an allegory of two covenants

“These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar.”
Gal 4:24 WEB

So Paul is saying that Hagar is symbolic of Moses law.

“For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.”
Gal 4:25 WEB

Ouch! But there is another Jerusalem. Jerusalem above.

“But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
Gal 4:26 WEB

So there are TWO Jerusalems!

Present Jerusalem is in bondage with her children. Sad but true. But Jerusalem above is the mother of all true believers in Yahweh and His Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. Jerusalem above is seen coming down out of heaven in Revelation 21.

“1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.””
Rev 21:1-4 WEB

Again, there are TWO Jerusalems

And one of them is not of this world (Jn 18:36), that is, not of this creation. Sorting out which is which is often a major task.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Which Jerusalem? Part I of III

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What we now call Jerusalem was part of kingdom of the Jebusites. When the Israelites first invaded the land they were not able to dislodge the native inhabitants from this almost impregnable mountain fortress, Jos 15:63. David finally took the city in 2 Samuel 5, and it came to be called, “The city of David,” 2Sam 5:7.

It was a very strong position for a
fortified city.

It was over time strengthened, and water sources were added to the city, and it was indeed very strong, although adversaries have taken it several times in history. Then a special series of events led up to Jerusalem being very specifically chosen for religious purposes.

“Then the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to tell David, that David should go up, and raise an altar to Yahweh in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
1Chron 21:18 WEB

This then was official beginning of official worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem. They were told through Moses,

“But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even to his habitation shall you seek, and there you shall come; ”
Deut 12:5 WEB

Then it came about in the time of David that God said,

“but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.”
2Chron 6:6 WEB

It was to be the official city of God, the official place for Yahweh to be worshipped.

Now the key fortress was on Mount Zion.

That was the fortress David and his men had taken in 2Samuel 5. That is where the temple and the kings palaces were built. Even so there were other associations. So it says,

“Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh appeared to David his father, …”
2Chron 3:1 WEB

God tested Abraham in Genesis 22

Abraham was told to go to Moriah to sacrifice his son, Gen 22:22. It was of course only a test to see if Abraham would trust God and His word, no matter what. The would-be sacrifice was stopped, and ram was supplied for the sacrifice. Abraham said at that time,

“Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh-jireh [Yahweh is my provider]. As it is said to this day, “In Yahweh’s mountain it will be provided.””
Gen 22:14 WEB

And this was evidently Mount Zion in Jerusalem that is called Mount Moriah. All in all is speaks great things of this place

And when David spoke of Jerusalem and the temple,

the appointed place God had set, he says,

“I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first,”
2Sam 7:10 WEB

Powerful claims, which make you wonder!

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Real and the Type of Circumcision, Part III of III

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The real circumcision is of the heart. That is what really counts, that is what will make it so you can live, as it says in Deut 30:6.

God will one day punish ALL those uncircumcised
in in heart.

“Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will punish ALL those who are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off, who dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart. ”
Jer 9:25 WEB emphasis added.

Jeremiah warned the people, and told them it was circumcision of the heart which counted.

“Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”
Jer 4:4 WEB

These prophets speaking by the Holy Spirit of God should have been enough.

But some later wanted physical circumcision for all.

There was a big fight in the early church, as described in Acts 15, but physical circumcision was never required. The real circumcision was always of the heart.

So what is a real Jew, if not about physical circumcision?

“28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.”
Rom 2:28-29 WEB

And how would this work out with the Gentiles?

Paul says they were,

“11 in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,”
Col 2:11-13 WEB

It is the inner man of the heart that counts.

That is true even of our initial test of faith, baptism.

“Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38 WEB

But it is not just about a bath. Peter compares it to the waters that floated Noah’s ark.

“This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you – not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
1Pe 3:20 WEB

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Real and the Type of Circumcision, Part II of III

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So we know that circumcision is symbolic of being clean even in your private parts, even to the extent of cutting off parts of yourself, if they are opposed to holiness and sanctification in the Lord.

If a “type” is involved, often there will be indicators.

I cannot say it is always that way, but it is often that way. If one thing in history is a type, a shadow, a pattern of something else; the clues that symbolism is involved will often come soon in history. Sometimes the tip-off will be little inconsistencies between the text and the example. In the present case, one tip off is in the clear statement made in Deut 10:16.

Israel was early very hard-hearted and stubborn.

She was not even open to what God Himself might command. She wanted to do everything her own way. She trusted not in God, but in herself, and in her ability to do and to perform. Moses commented on these things.

“For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against Yahweh; and how much more after my death?”
Deut 31:27 WEB

Moses of course was right, and this true even to this day. Moses commented on their character.

“ They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, it is their blemish;
They are a perverse and crooked generation.”
Deut 32:5 WEB

What can you say but “Ouch!” This is a judgment of Israel that we hear repeated by both the prophets and the Christ Himself in passages like Mtt 17:7, and many others.

And an important prophecy was given about Israel.

One day God Himself will purify the hearts of Israel after the flesh.

“Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.”
Deut 30:6 WEB

There are many conditional promises in God’s Word.

“and he said, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, … I will …”
Ex 15:26 WEB

And so on. However, Deut 30:6 is NOT a conditional promise. It is rather a statement of what God WILL DO. God WILL perform heart surgery on the Jews.

“and he said, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.””
Ezek 36:26 WEB

And this is for the purpose “that you may live,” Deut 30:6.

Now the Jews have practiced physical
circumcision all along.

But that is not the circumcision that is necessary for life. Circumcision of the heart is the real essential, even in Moses Law. Circumcision was from the first symbolic of cleansing the most private parts of our being: our hearts.

But this circumcision of the hearts of the Jews is yet to happen. But it will. Both Jew and Gentile should look forward to those days.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901