Saturday, November 10, 2018

How Many Lost Tribes will be Restored?

I like Peter Hiett's Sermon interpreting the Parables of Luke 15 from a Universal Salvation perspective.
http://www.thesanctuarydenver.org/sermons/sin-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Now I would never start with these parables in building a Doctrine of Universal Salvation since I know to most Christians the Coins/Sheep/Sons never represented all of Humanity to begin with, but just Believers or "The Elect" (whatever that means). But here I'm mainly addressing various forms of Two House Theology and Lost Tribes focused theories and the Hebrew Roots Movement, who would view these parables as just Israel and the Lost as Ephraim.  So it's interesting then that in none of those parables is the total number 12.  (Also it doesn't fit many places where Samaria/Jospeh is the first born, like Ezekiel 16 and Jeremiah 31:9, and the North had 8 out of 12 tribes, two thirds inheritance.  No the Older Brother here is Israel as a whole as God's Firstborn among the Nations, Exodus 4:22).

Michael Heiser does not technically seem to be teaching any of those Soteorlogies, but he is obsessed with viewing The Bible, especially The Old Testament from an "Ancient Near East perspective", and even connects that to his rejection of Universal Salvation.  Well I don't believe in The Bible because I want to worship an ancient local near eastern tribal deity, I believe in The Bible because I believe it's god is the True God who created ALL of Humanity..

We tend to summarize the history of God's chosen people as Him first choosing Abraham in Genesis 12, but then the chosen line gets narrowed down to Isaac and then Jacob.  And then the 12 Tribes are the chosen people until Solomon's failures cause the North to break off and it falls into sin repeatedly until it is carried away in captivity in II Kings 17.  But Bible Prophecy says that Ephraim will be restored, and so Christians have frequently disagreed on how that fits into The New Testament.

However the Book of Genesis doesn't begin with Chapter 12, it begins with Chapter 1, where Adam is made in God's Image and Likeness and given Dominion over The Earth, something reaffirmed in Psalm 8, so the Chosen line begins with Adam and Eve who's Seed was chosen to Crush The Serpent.  But then because of the Fall and various subsequent Sins it was narrowed down to Seth and Enosh, and then to Noah and Shem and Heber and then Abraham in chapter 12.

And so likewise perhaps Ephraim/Samaria isn't the only disinherited branch that is going to be restored.  I already talked on my other blog about how Esau, Jacob's Brother, is not as cut off as people think.  There are Prophecies of the coming Millennium and/or New Heaven and New Earth that mention Nebojath and Kedar, the first two sons of Ishmael.  Jeremiah foretells how Moab and Ammon will be brought back from their captivity, and there are also Prophecies of the Messianic Era mentioning Sheba.  Jeremiah 49 has Elam being restored from their captivity, and Isaiah 19 speaks of Asshur showing that Semites not form Aprhaxad are still part of the plan.  And there are also references to Javan and Tarshish showing Japheth isn't left out, and Isaiah 19 mentions Mizraim, Isaiah 18 and Zephaniah speak of Cush bringing Gifts to the Messiah's Kingdom, and Ezekiel 16 says even Sodom will be restored, which means Ham and even Canaan isn't left out.  1 Peter 3&4 tell us Jesus Preached The Gospel to the very same men who rejected Noah when He went down into Sheol.

Romans 5 tells us all who became Sinners in Adam are made Righteous in Christ, and this is backed up by 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Timothy 2&4.  And Romans 11 says the Fullness of the Gentiles will be grafted into Israel and then All Israel shall be Saved.

This is also the point of Robin Parry's First Fruits and The Nations study.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ybft7WMgXY&t

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