The BIG Picture (Q&A)

"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you." — Zechariah 8:23 (KJV) A Prophecy of Israel’s Future Prominence This verse reveals a profound prophecy concerning Israel’s restoration and role in the future millennial kingdom . It describes a time when people from all nations will seek out Israel , recognising that God’s presence and blessing are uniquely upon them . The image of Gentiles taking hold of the skirt of a Jew is symbolic of their desire to be associated with God's chosen people , acknowledging His divine favour upon Israel. The phrase "In those days" refers to a future period , distinct from the current dispensation. This is not a reference to our present age of grace , but rather to the time when Christ establishes His earthly reign as ...

In one of my posts I mentioned the following, Peter and the 11 preached that physical circumcision was necessary for salvation —God clearly stated that He wanted nothing to do with a physically-uncircumcised Jew in Israel's program, for physical circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant, Gen 17:7-14. The following question/statement came in as comment on the post, Where did Peter and the 11 preach that circumcision was necessary for salvation? Read Acts 15:4-20 and you won't find anything regarding this. Nothing here from Peter and the 11 says one must be circumcised. I thought it a great opportunity to write a reply to provide clarity. MY REPLY: Of course there is nothing in this passage. This passage concerns the Jerusalem council meeting where decisions were made on how to manage the new Gentile converts that were in the assemblies. Some concessions were made to limit the friction between the law-abiding Jewish members and the ‘free-range’ Gentiles. So, this passag...

The following is a reaction to this post:  https://thebigpicturelink.blogspot.com/2024/02/why-were-baptisms-required-for-israel.html POST REACTION: I don’t think you can connect the ministry of John the Baptist to the Old Testament priesthood. Only the priests needed to be washed, not every Israelite. And John the Baptist’s imagery had nothing to do whatsoever with priestly cleansing. Just read the accounts in the four Gospels. It was a sign of repentance. And Israelites before John were not baptized. It was a ritual that started with him. And Christian baptism has a totally different symbolic meaning and was done for both Jews and Gentiles alike. In your article, your thoughts on priestly rituals are interesting, but there’s no biblical evidence that John’s baptism has anything whatsoever to do with that. ANSWER: One cannot just isolate John’s ministry as something that just appeared out of the blue. In the Bible EVERYTHING has meaning and purpose. The entire bible interprets itse...