| >This man, who wore a gray martial uniform, cited John 8:44 and Revelation
>2:9 to support denunciation of the Jews as the children of the Devil.
>
>I looked these verses up, and at face value what he is saying is true.
Yes, this is a common approach for a group which takes a position, then
goes looking for some evidence to back it up. In this case, as often
happens, the verses need to be taken out of context to make any sense
in the way they're used by the group in question.
>If one takes the "God said it - I believe it - And that's all there is
>to it" stance on the Bible, I can see how easily one could arrive at
>this man's conclusion.
One would need to take the above view, and avoid reading any of the
surrounding context (and any of the rest of the Bible) to come away with
such a view.
-Steve
|
| I'm sure even the context could be explained away to coincide with
one's predominant belief about the "correct" biblical point of view.
It's no secret that, more than the synoptic gospels, John's Gospel
is particularly harsh on the Jews.
Peace,
Richard
|
| I don't have a Bible handy but I think I recall the context. When
Jesus told them their father was the devil, wasn't he addressing this
toward the PHARISEES directly? I'm almost positive this is the case.
Jesus being a Jew himself didn't say the Jews were of the devil. He
said, "...you are of the devil" directing this toward the religious
leaders.
In this case, Jesus spoke correctly.
-Jack
|
| According to my instructor in New Testment History in college, except
for the Pharisees, all the Jewish parties were wiped out during the
destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. If true, and except for new converts,
nearly all the Jews of today are descended from the Pharisees.
Yes, Jesus was directing his words to a particular group of people at
that time and in that place. I do not take Jesus' words in this instance
to be an eternal condemnation for failure to embrace Jesus' Messiahship.
Some do though.
Shalom,
Richard
|