I read your post, I actually have the Hendrickson commentary set. He still doesn't deal with some other verses and prophecies in scripture. It is easy to say the church replaced Israel, and then fit everything into that statement, but the church hasn't replaced Israel in the overall scheme of things. Remember, I'm talking about God taking a people and choosing them to glorify Himself, can He not do that to Israel once again? Would that not make the nations take notice? I believe Deut. 30:1-8 is a point in fact.

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NASB Deut. 30:1-8
30:1 “So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you,2 and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons,3 then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.4 “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back.5 “And the Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.7 “And the Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.8 “And you shall again obey the Lord, and observe all His commandments which I command you today.

OR

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NASB Ezekiel 36:17-38
17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.18 “Therefore, I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols.19 “Also I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them.20 “When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land.’21 “But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.22 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.23 “And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.24 “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.27 “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.28 “And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.

My point is, that I do not believe God is through with the Israelite nation yet. There are additional verses that could be mentioned but these show why I say this. We end up making the same mistake that they made if we think that we stand without any outward change taking place in the church. Rom. 11:18. The church is asleep just as Israel was, and I believe trouble is on its way. Does that mean we lose salvation? of course not, but we can definitely lose our privileged position as bearers of the gospel. Also, I'm not saying all the church is asleep, but I believe the majority of it is, as I mentioned in my first post, how many truly HOLY people do you know? Not the declaration of holy, but LIVING holy lives!

As for the gates of Hell not prevailing against His church, that is a different point, speaking of the church losing their salvation, the true church is forever in the hand of Christ.

Last edited by hisalone; Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:23 PM.
Hisalone
Matt. 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. KJV