Thursday Evening Blog with Pastor Williams (July)
Posted on July 4th, 2006 by TADCCBLOG
Pastor Williams will be active on this blog site THURSDAY evening from 8:30 to 9:30pm. Please suggest topics or questions for discussion.
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Praise The Lord!
Tonight we’re going to open the blog for anyone to share questions, concerns, or experiences that they have had recently or that they would like to discuss.
Everyone please feel free to participate in the blog!
Look forward to hearing from you!
In Genesis12: 2-3 GOD promises Abraham that HE would “bless those who bless you and will curse those who curse you”. There are several charity organizations on TV that quote this passage in an effort to persuade the public to sponsor impoverished jewish persons. Since the majority of jews do not recognize JESUS as the SON of GOD,SAVIOR and LORD; is this passage of scripture still relevant for today?
No. Although, it is good to give to those less fortunate than you are (Luke 6:38). You are correct in intimating that if a person does not believe Christ Jesus is the Son of God, he is an anti-christ. Whether he is of Jewish heritage or the Islamic faith God includes them all together.
Pastor Williams, In Matthew4:12 Jesus hears of John the Baptist’s imprisonment. In Matthew11:2-3, from prison John hears of JESUS’ mighty works and sends two of his disciples to ask JESUS if HE is “the Coming One or do we look for another?” Question: Why is John expressing what appears to be doubt and a lack of belief when he declared in Matthew3:14 that JESUS needed to baptize him instead of him baptizing JESUS? -Also,in Matthew 11:13-14,JESUS states “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to recieve it, he is Elijah who is to come”.-Question: Why is JESUS making reference to John being Elijah? -The reason for John’s imprisonment is not explained until Matthew 14 when Herod the tetrarch hears of JESUS’ mighty works and teachings.-Question:Why is the explanation of his imprisonment and death not clarified until the middle of/halfway though this gospel account? A newly converted believer might become confused by the fact that John was baptizing and preaching about the coming of CHIRST in Matthew 3 and his imprisonment in Matthew 4 (without explanation). -I am truly enjoying “The Blog ” website! Thank you for sharing GOD inspired wisdom, insight and discernment with the cyber community.
John the Baptist is as the disciples were. They saw the miracles and heard the Words of Christ speaking of His resurrection but did not fully understand. It would be as if someone told you 40 years ago that you would correspond by email through a computer. You possibly understood what a computer is, but you would not have understood the full impact of what email is at that stage of your life. This is the same way John and the disciples. They only knew Jesus in types and figures, not fully understanding the message of the resurrection. Remember at Christ Jesus’ resurrection they all but one disciple deserted Him.
Luke 1:17 is the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5. But notices the Gospel of Luke says that John will come in the SPIRIT of Elijah. This is the same thing that happened to Elisha when he saw Elijah caught up in a whirlwind and received the double portion of Elijah’s spirit in 2 Kings 2:9. Immediately after Elisha received the anointing that was upon Elijah he was able to do miracles as Elijah did. John’s ministry was so powerful that Josephus, a Jewish historian in the first century, made mention of him. His anointing was so great that many believed that on him (Luke 3:7). The following that John had is indicative of the following that Elijah had before being caught up in the whirlwind. Matthew chapter 4 you find that a large number of Jews were following John just as a large number followed Elijah. His influence being so great that he would cause the hearts of the children to be turned to the father. This is what baptism represented for which he was called.
This is why Christ Jesus said continue in my Word and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31,32). Cults and heresies start from people not reading the entire Word of God. The suggestion is first to read the entire passage before forming an opinion. If still unclear, read the entire chapter and if you still lack clarity, read the entire book. You can also find clarity from reading Books in the Bible written by the same author (1 and 2nd Timothy, Philippians). Isiah 28:13 says line upon line, precept upon precept. The study of God’s Word is a building block that should never be separated any part of God’s Word. It is important not to make any decision until you have studied all sixty six Books of the Bible.
Thank you for your comments and your continued prayers.
Why is Israel so despised by most of the major world powers? I use to think it was because the nation as a whole do not recognize Jesus as Savior and Lord and the historical account of the jews being responsible for the crucifixtion of Christ Jesus. However, Christianity is not the dominant world religion; so it has to be something else?
Israel is at the center of God’s plan for the world. Christ Jesus is Jewish. The Ten Commandments, which Western Civilization bases most of its laws on is Jewish. The Oracles or Old Testament and New Testament scriptures came to us from mostly Jewish writers. These scriptures contain God’s plan for salvation and the end of the ages.
The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, many believe is the center of the earth. The world’s concept of the four directions is based on everyone’s relationship to Israel. Western civilation is west of Israel.
Israel is also God’s timepiece. The seven feasts listed in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus speak of future events related to the Nation of Israel, The Church and the World. The word feast translated from Hebrew means appointed time. God is saying at a time appointed by each feast He will visit or manifest Himself in a way to mankind. We see this in the Passover Feast and Pentecost or Feast of Weeks. Christ Jesus was the Passover Lamb. When the Day of Pentecost was fully come the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers. If you study the other five feasts you will see that they too are prophetic and speack of a time when God will reveal Himself to the world.
With Israel being the center of the world, civilized laws based on Ten Commandments and feasts pointing to future manifestations you can see why Israel remains the “Apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8).
Therefore Israel represents to the world, God through His Son Christ Jesus, revealing Himself. The prince of this world is bothered and trying and will continue to try to nullify God’s voice to mankind. Read Revelations 12. Therefore the persecution of Israel.
No other group people has been dispossesed from its land and return to the same land with the same cultures it had before it was dispossesed. Israel as a Nation is special, but the people as individuals still need individual salvation.
Katherine,
As a follow-up to your question on Genesis 12:2-3, Abraham is not Jewish or Israeli. It was his grandson Jacob whose name was changed to Israel that the television commercials are referring to. The promise given to Abraham was before Israel came into being. Also the promise was given to his “seed” (Christ Jesus, Romans 4:12-14, 9:8).Therefore those who use the verse as referring to Israel are being disingenuous.
Pastor Williams
Pastor Williams, In response to your reply about the world’s hatred of Israel, theory says that Sodom & Gomorrah existed in the present day location of The Dead Sea. Biblical account of the destruction of these cities is because of sexual deviance/immorality/ungodliness. With The Dead Sea being the lowest place on earth & considered to be the center of the earth, does the fact that Sodom & Gomorrah once existed at the same location have any relevance/parallellism with today’s rampant immorality and disregard for the teachings of God?
2 Peter 2:6
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
The relevance is that if we live the same ungodly life the results will be the same. Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34).
I think it is very interesting if you compare what happened to New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina and Sodom and Gomorrah (S&G). New Orleans is below sea level as S&G. Katrina hit at the same time New Orleans was preparing for “Decandence Parade”. This is a parade held for the last 3 decades which allows gay men to parade around naked with the city’s approval. Just as S&G was destroyed for “going after strange flesh”. God is warning us but who is taking heed.
I’ve heard that the downfall of the major civilizations of old( Rome, Greece,etc.) was due to the sexual immorality/homosexuality. I’ve also heard that the words sodomy and gonorrhea are words derived from the root words of S&G.Makes sense when you think about. It never ceases to amaze me how the word of God is so timely and current though written thousands of years ago.
We have started our Civil Rights tour. The reason we as the church wanted to go on this tour is related to an age old maxim. “Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it”. To see the success of the African-American/Black man and also what appears to be the diminishing trust in God through His Son Christ Jesus I believe can be traced to the forgotten experience of African-American/Blacks here in this country.
This trip is a desire to revive the fire in the belly to be activist for Christ Jesus as most of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement were. It was very inspiring to read Martin Luther King’s word about his evolving commitment to Christ Jesus. After having his house bombed with his wife and daughter in it, he came to realize that suffering of Christ Jesus was not unique to our Lord and Savior but every believer in God. And that the same zeal Christ Jesus had to right wrongs and injustices in the earth, we as believers should be just as committed.
This zeal leads him to start the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. A group made up of ministers and churches that were at the forefront of the civil rights struggle. How can we forget the fire hoses, dogs, separate but equal, lynchings and murders. It was all within my generation. But we have not passed along legacy of God interceding in the affairs of this country to right such injustices. At no other time in history have slaves risen so quickly to some of the most prominent positions in the world. Kofi Anan, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and others are fulfilling the dream that I believe God gave to Martin Luther King. However, instead of us rejoicing in where God has brought us from we are instead falling behind.
Black on black crime leads the nation in violent crimes. Only one third of Black families have both parents. Rap music that disrespects women and the struggles that the leaders one generation endured so that the disrepectful could have a better life.
Oh how we have forgotten what God has done for us. We need to come back to God. We do not need entertainment in the church. We need a zeal and a commitment that the civil leaders of old had to bear the cross of Jesus with conviction and commitment. And it seems the only way this zeal can be restored is that we remind the upcoming generation of how God brought us through difficult times. We did not always have the right to vote in every city, but God brought us. We did not have the best of books to read or schools to attend, but God brought us. Often the law was not on our side when we were right but God brought us. Look what the Lord has done.
Instead of being bitter about the past we need to rejoice in knowing that God through His Son Christ Jesus delivered us against all odds. And why did we suffer so much. It is because it is only the person that has suffered that can restore the inflictor of pain. This is the example Christ Jesus gave us. It is through the suffering that we went through as a people that gives us the right to offer forgiveness and healing to the instigators of such pain.
The Martin Luther King Center as a reminder of such historic deeds has interesting articles and facts on the lives of Martin Luther King and his wife Coretta Scott King. The church in which he sat under the preaching of his grandfather and father still stands. Their home is only a block away is where he learned to stand against the odds through trust and hope in Christ Jesus.
There has been controversy in the media as to who should the overseer of historical landmarks. The King family or National Parks and Recreation. A Park Ranger gave us a tour and brief history of the King family, so I assume National Park and Recreation are the caretakers.
Tomorrow we will visit the Montgomery, Alabama historical site. There is a historical site for Rosa Parks. We also hope to see the church where Martin Luther King pastured before going back to Atlanta to assist his father in pasturing Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Hopefully after seeing such sights we will have a greater appreciation of the power of God to help even the most downtrodden and forgotten in life to rise up and be somebody in the Heavenly Father through His Son Christ Jesus.
Pastor Williams, Your Civil Rights tour sounds not only educational but inspirational as well. Were you aware that the first day of the tour just happened to be the day that the U.S. Senate renewed The Voter’s Rights Act for another 25 yrs? I’ve often wondered why my inalienable right to vote required renewing. I realize as a black woman that as a people we have not always had this privilege. My parents often speak of having to enter stores through the back of the store, not being allowed to try on clothes or shoes before purchasing them; if you tried them on you HAD to buy them regardless of fit. Today we take so much for granted.The freedoms and privileges not enjoyed by our parents and grandparents during their youth, we now assume have always been available to us. Your church’s Civil Rights tour should become an event that other churches of color aspire to attend. Through research on the internet,I discovered some interesting facts about The Voting Rights Act. Here is some background info on the federal government’s attempt to correct an injustice. Prior to The Voting Rights Act of 1965; blacks, poor whites and the illiterate were being intimidated and threatened from participating in the voting process. Some Southern Democrats(Dixiecrats) argued that primary elections were an internal affair, a “private club”, so the government had no authority over factors relevant to participating in primary elections. The campaign to bring about federal intervention culminated in the Selma to Montgomery marches. The Voting Rights Act outlawed the requirement that people of color or other would-be voters had to take literacy tests and/or pay a poll tax to qualify to register to vote. It also provided for the Dept of Justice to oversee registration and approval of changes in voting laws in districts whose populations were at least 5% black. In addition to; it provided for the federal registration of voters instead of state and local registration that often denied minorities and the poor voting privileges. This bill has been renewed four times and remains in force. In 1982, Congress amended and renewed the Act ; making Section 2 permanent. Section 2 prohibits voting discrimination and any voting practice or procedure that has a discriminatory result. Sad to say that here we are 40 yrs later, still struggling for the right to cast our vote without the threat of intimidation and tricks. Section 5 requires “preclearance” of states and/or local governments by the Dept of Justice. States or local jurisdictions seeking to obtain preclearance must demonstrate that a proposed voting change does not have the purpose or effect of discriminating based on race or color. They must also show that proposed change does not discriminate against a “language minority” group(American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives or of Spanish heritage. There are eight states with preclearance status. While N.C. is not one of them, it does however; have forty counties that do(including Guilford, Person, Cumberland, Franklin, Granville, Vance, Harnett and Rockingham). I agree with you, Pastor Williams, that this present generation indeed is in need of a history lesson. The struggles of our forefathers ; all the way back to our fight for freedom from slavery, to the fight for the right to vote, a decent education, equitable housing and the right to just live in peace with one another. We, as a race of people, are our own worst enemy. Gang violence is destroying our communities, fathers absent from the home leaving children without the benefit of a positive male role model. No wonder there is a lack of and disrespect for authority and life itself. Dr King’s non-violence movement was not embraced by all African Americans, but following the teachings of Christ Jesus has never been a popular viewpoint. Ephesians 4:31-32 says “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Hatred not only destroys externally but also from within. That is why so many of us are physically sick and spiritually bankrupt. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus commands us to “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” The churches of America are failing our youth by placing more emphasis on entertaining the congregation and propagating prosperity teachings rather than the doctrines of Christ. Once again, thank you for this marvelous website. I’ve begun reading your Bible Study syliabus on biblical prophesies related to Israel. This is indeed a timely study of the Word of God given the crisis situation in the Middle East.
AMEN!!
Pastor Williams on Dance Ministry:
Interesting you should ask. From my research dancing was not done in the Temple. However during major festivals dancing was done. The point being that dance should be celebratory. The Bible contains numerous references to dancing. E.g., Ecclesiastes 3:1,4, Lamentations 5:15, Exodus 15:20, 1 Samuel 18:6, etc. This is what you get with David after the victory over the Philistines and the return of the Ark.
Dance is in three forms: social, ritual and ecstatic. Social is what you see in the night clubs, ritual is the marching of the saints as done in Catholic churches and on St James singing anniversary. Ecstatic is the one we more accustomed to. Ecstatic dance is celebratory. This is what David did and what we do in Pentecostal Holiness Churches. Dance is considered any body movement. The clapping of hands, stomping of feet, swaying of the body and any part of the body that involves movement to music.
I am in agreement with ecstatic dance because it usually encompasses praise toward God. There is profane dance as witnessed by the false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:26. If the praise is not directed to the Heavenly Father through His Son Christ Jesus then it is profane.
However, after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. the nation of Israel stopped all dancing because they were in a state of mourning instead of celebration with the destruction of the Temple. During the interim period up until now, all form of dance was lost for the nation of Israel. What you see now amongst Jewish people is an attempt to restore the celebratory nature of the dance during the times of the First Temple and the Second Temple.
The church fathers, or those who were mentored to by the Apostles (Peter, Paul, etc.) , e.g., Polycarp, were of the opinion that not only was dance taboo, but musical instruments as well. Since Israel no longer had a sacred dance, any other dance was considered pagan in origin, along with the musical instruments. Therefore the church fathers, who we turn to for information on the operation of the church immediately after the death of the Apostles, were very much opposed to dance and musical instruments in the church.
I think what we see today is a trick of the enemy. Too much emphasis is placed on instrumentals and the individuals and not enough on God. I was truly dismayed when I saw the young people could not praise the Lord for a sustained period of time. They can perform, but they cannot praise the Heavenly Father through His Son Christ Jesus. What good is a choir, dance team or any other ministry in the church if it does not incorporate or lead to prayer and praise.
We are busy trying to win people without giving them the basics for being won to God. Christ Jesus our Lord, said that the Temple of God should be called a house of prayer. How much time do we spend recruiting people for prayer and praise teams. I mean praise teams without the music as the children praised the Lord in Matthew 21.
Dance ministry should not be used as a tool to attract people to church. The ones who are dancing, whether ecstatic or otherwise, should be Spirit filled, love the Lord Jesus and able to praise the Lord without musical instruments.
Pastor Williams,
If Abraham was neither Jewish nor Israeli, then what was his nationality? Also, who are the present day descendents of Ishmael and Esau? What actually happened to set off the fighting between Israel and Hezabollah in Lebanon? Do you beleive that this is the beginning of WW3?
Pastor Williams,
If Abraham was neither Jewish nor Israeli, then what was his nationality? Also, who are the present day descendents of Ishmael and Esau? What actually happened to set off the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon? Do you believe that this is the beginning of WW3?
Genesis 14:13
One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.
Genesis 14:12-14 (in Context) Genesis 14 (Whole Chapter)
The Arabs like most people in the Middle East other than Israel constantly intermingled with other people. The Arabs, Ishmael and Esau did not keep genealogies as Israel. In other words the Middle East was a melting pot. Therefore you could say that the Arabs are the Ishmaelites and Edomites (Esau) since they lived in the general location of present day Arabia.
2 Chronicles 17:11
Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.
2 Chronicles 17:10-12 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 17 (Whole Chapter)
2 Chronicles 21:16
The LORD aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites.
2 Chronicles 21:15-17 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 21 (Whole Chapter)
Hezbollah like most militant Muslims have antagonists of Israel since they were created as a nation in 1948. Genesis 12 and 14 details the land God gave to Abraham’s seed. With Jacob being a descendant of Abraham, the Orthodox Jews believe that all of Palestine should belong to Israel. Muslims traces their line through Ishmael. They believe they are the owners of the land. As I stated, Muslims did not keep track of their lineage. This saying that Muslims descended from Ishmael only started with the coming of Muhammad which was about 2000 years after Moses. This is where part of the dispute is.
Zionism which started the latter part of the 19th century created conflicts. Initially Jews were given a quota to settle in what was at the time barren land fit for nomads. However, they continuously exceeded the quotas given to them. It was only after WWII that a cry for a homeland for Israel began to resonate with the world powers. Since Israel had already begin setting up homes in what was once barren land occupied by Muslims, the natural next move for most Jews and the U.N. was to give this land to the Jews with limitations. The boundaries given to Abraham in Genesis stretch from borders of modern day Syria to Iraq to Egypt. Israel has never fully occupied the Promised Land as given to Abraham due to disobedience.
The Muslims, who were mostly nomads when Israel first settled in modern day Israel, were initially good neighbors. It was the Israeli that did the very same things extremist Muslims are doing now, e.g., assassinations, murders and intimidation. Once the boundary lines were settled on in 1948, there were forces in Israel that wanted to exceed those boundaries. This is what started the skirmishes. Israel trying to reclaim all of Jerusalem which had been sub-divided and the Muslims trying to rebuff them. The culmination was the Six Day war in 1967, when the surrounding Muslim nations attacked Israel. As was stated the war only lasted six days and Israel was victorious. They recaptured all of Jerusalem including the location of where the last Temple was built. However, pressure from the U.N. forced them to give it back and that is the reason Jerusalem is divided today.
However, the skirmishes and war totally embittered the Muslims to the Jews. Number one because of the subversive means the Zionist first used when they entered the Promised Land and number two because of the humiliating defeat suffered at the hands of the Israeli.
WWI and WWII were only announced as world wars after some time had past. The Bible in the Book of Revelation speaks of global conflicts but not as we see it now.
Some people believe that we have already been through WWIII, which was the Cold War with the Soviet Union and other communist nations. They also believe that the next war will be one of ideologues. Not total conflagration, but one based on ideas. Pretty much what you have now with the Muslims and their ideas on total global domination and the rest of the world that believes everyone is better off with freedom of religion.
Pastor Williams,
Okay, so you’re saying that Abraham was Hebrew, considered the father of the Jewish people through Isaac and through Jacob(whose name was changed to Israel)? And per your Bible study syllabus; Hebrew, Israelite and Jew are used interchangeably -thus Abraham was a literal Jew?
Also, are you saying that Abraham is likewise considered the father of the Muslim/Arabic people through Ishmael and through Esau?
Genesis 28 details how Jacob sought a wife from amongst his mother Rebekah’s brother Laban’s daughters and how Esau sought a wife from amongst his father Isaac’s brother Ishmael’s daughters. Both Jacob and Esau took their first cousins as wives.
So the long and short of it all appears to be; all the skirmishes, disputes and killings are really one collossal “family fued” with one brother’s (Isaac) descendants (Jews/Israeli) fighting against the other brother’s (Ishmael) descendants (Muslim nations)?
By the way, the pictures and virtual footage of your Civil Rights tour are great! Surely this will inspire others to sojourn to Georgia and Alabama to partake of/rediscover the sacrifices made by our most recent ansectors.
The names were used interchangeably to show the connection of one generation to the next. However each name represents a different epoch in the mind of God. Hebrews are the class of people from which Abraham descended. Abraham’s epoch was one of faith and the promise from God. Jacob is Israel with the birthright but without the power. Remember he had to flee for his life. Israel represents Jacob with the birthright and now with power. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel because he proved that he had power with men and with God after wrestling with the angel all night.
No. Abraham was not a literal Jew. He was a Hebrew, Jews (Israel has a son named Judah from which we get Jew) came along later with the law.
The point being is that the promise was given before the law. Abraham represents the promise and Israel represents the law. It was not through the law that we are saved but through the promise that comes by faith.
As stated in the previous comments records of relationships and lineage were not kept for the surrounding nations, only Israel. People and races freely intermingled. Consider Moses who was married to an Ethiopian woman and Joseph who married an Egyptian. God said that Abraham would be the father of many nations. This would include not only the Jews but Gentiles too. Look at the list of nations given in Genesis 10 and you will see the co-mingling of the nations. The term Gentile is not exclusive to Arab Muslims.
The term Islam and Muslim only came about 2000 years after Moses had penned the Torah or the first five books of the Bible. Therefore to try to equate them to being brothers/relatives from a book that Muhammad dictated that also denied the divinity of Christ Jesus I believe is spurious.
It is no more a family feud than any other nation of people fighting each other. Acts 16 states that God made all nations of people from one blood. Therefore we are all brothers and sisters fighting each other.
The true difference that separates is those that have accepted Christ Jesus and those that have not. This is where the true war is.
Thank you Pastor Williams. I guess I’m looking at this subject matter with a “natural eye” instead of a “spiritual” one. Thanks for clarifying.
Another question: Is there a difference between Zionism and Judahism?
I am so thankful for having access to a true man of God. Someone who does not mind answering what probably seems like basic beginner’s Bible study questions.
Pastor Williams says;
Zionism is the return of Jews to return to the promised land. Modern day Zionism arose out of the persecution that Jews received in European countries that culminated in the Holocaust. This persecution resulted from the belief that Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ Jesus. Many so-called Christians felt it their responsibility to convert or eliminate the Jews.
Therefore there were pogroms and inquisitions that required a Jew to convert to Christianity or be punished and/or die. This is a partial fulfillment of Matthew 27:25. Also Deuternomy 28:63 says that God will rejoice over Israel to destroy them if they do not heed His Word.
However it was also this persecution that led to the Jews wanting to return to Israel/Promised Land. A place where they would not have to worry about internal persecution.
As an aside, Israel is the only nation ever on the face of the earth to leave its birth land and return thousands of years later with the same faith/religion. Isaiah 11:12 speaks of the nation of Israel being gathered from the four corners of the world. Also Ezekiel 36:21-24 states that God will regather the Nation of Israel for His Name sake. He will not regather them for their goodness or because they have a special right. He will only regather Israel to magnify His Great and Awesome name
After King Solomon died God split the nation of Israel into two nations. The Northern Kingdom was given to Jeroboam I Kings 11:31. The Northern Kingdom was comprised of ten tribes. These ten tribes were called Israel. The Southern Kingdom was led by the tribe of Judah. Since it was the predominant tribe the Southern Kingdom was referred to as Judah.
The Assyrians later came to remove the Israelites from the Northern Kingdom to foreign lands due to their disobedience to God. This left only Judah, the Southern Kingdom. It was from the remnant’s name that Judaism and Jews orginated.
Judaism is the religion of the Jews. This is where we get the term Judeo/Christian. It speaks to the combining of the two faiths.