Yahcubs777
Active Member
This is Matthew probably a Jewish Christian writing to other Jewish Christians, so they are probably very well conversant with Leviticus and are catching his allusion to Leviticus 26 which says "If you are careful to keep my commands etc." then "I will grant peace in your land...and the sword will not pass through your country." He's not actually talking about them killing each other which would be unthinkable for them. Keep in mind, too, that 'Earth' is Israel to them, not a planet or a continent. It may even refer to the tribes scattered wherever they are. They aren't talking about planets or continents, so the division is in Israel itself over this decision. I think its a choice about circumcising new converts who aren't Jewish, but whether I'm wrong about that or not Matthew alludes to Leviticus 26, he's not talking about them killing each other, and its a decision that will divide families. He's also implying that something is not right in Israel, or there would not be a sword but peace instead. Remember also that later in the story when the guards come to arrest Jesus he makes sure that Peter has a sword, just as a prop, just Peter and only one sword. That sword is a prophecy prop, like the time Ezekiel lies upon his side. With the sword Jesus is making a statement alluding to Leviticus 26.
The reason it doesn't conflict with 1John is that its not actually suggesting real hate or violence but this pivotal disagreement which Jesus implies has come because of a failure in some way to keep the Torah. The Torah has in some way not been kept, so the world is out of balance. Strife will result.
1Kings made me scratch my head, but its not authoritative. Its in the canon to learn from, and some things in it are good and some demonstrate bad on purpose. Prophets shouldn't lie, but there is a story here about what happens when they do. Who is to say whether these prophets of the LORD actually lied? It could just be a story, but its here for our benefit. Its like eating watermelon. When I eat watermelon I spit out the seeds. I don't force myself to eat them though they're part of the melon. The seeds and the rind are both important even though they are not tasty.
Prophets of Baal are not prophets of the LORD and say it, so that does not confuse me.
Nimrod (mentioned in Genesis) is not well explained in the canon, however some people say he is this or that. There are legends about him, but I don't know the legends. A 'Mighty hunter before the LORD' is not necessarily a compliment. It likely is a derogatory phrase. Elsewhere in Genesis when Jacob contends with his brother Esau, the LORD chooses the poor hunter (Jacob with feminine features) who is second born instead of the good hunter (Esau who has manly features) who is firstborn. By calling Nimrod a 'Mighty hunter before the LORD' the author of Genesis is probably singling him out as undesireable. Jews are herdsmen, and they aren't allowed to eat hunted game. Its considered unkosher. The implication is more than just that Nimrod is a hunter but that he is somehow displeasing the LORD.
Great. You are not a literal minded person to the point that we can converse. And you also are able to see how things are linked together; how the scriptures interlock. The only thing that is a hindrance is the natural mind. This passage is speaking of the Word of GOD being the sword, not a literal sword. And that there are people born into the family that are not able to receive HIS WORD. Put simply, they are tares. Just as Jesus His Pre-Eminence in speaking to the pharisees said:
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
And in Matthew 13:24-30 HE revealed it in a certain parable.
I know its not speaking of killing each other, but that it means that households will contain tares in them... This is huge because HE is speaking to Jews who are the children of the kingdom. Simply this means: There are those born in your familes, that I did not send into the womb of the mother. For GOD is the giver of children.
Yes, nimrod was a wizard, and what he hunted was souls. The whole thing with Jacob and Esau, was the same as the parable wheats and tares. Jacob is a child of the kingdom, Esau is a tare. And it happened that way for a reason. A tare cannot become a wheat, and a wheat cannot become a tare. They are determined by where their Spirit being came from. This is another deep revelation. Put simply, there is the lambs book of life, and it contains the names of all the children of the kingdom from the foundation of the world. All names were there before Cain and abel were born. Which means there are those whose names are not there. Those people are tares. And tares can be born into any nation. Children of the kingdom are sent by GOD, tares are not.
This is why the Word came: Jacob I loved, Esau i hated. And that whole life story was revealing something about the recovering of the stolen birth right. But i won't go into detail now about it.