From a letter written by the apostle Paul
to believers in Rome
Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.-Romans 2:17-24***King Ahaz was the 11th king to rule Judah, the southern nation in the Promised Land. During Ahaz's 16-year reign, King Rezin, ruler of Syria (Aram) captured Elath (Eloth) and pushed the Israelites (Hebrew/Jews) from the seaport town. Over 800 years earlier, Elath was associated with the Edomites. The Edomites descended from Noah the ark builder, his son Shem, Shem's son Arphaxad, Arphaxad's great-great-great-great-great-grandson Terah, Terah's children Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), their son Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and Isaac and Rebekah's oldest fraternal twin son Esau (Edom). The Israelites descended from Isaac and Rebekah's youngest fraternal twin son Jacob (Israel). The Syrians (Arameans) descended from Shem's son Aram. King Hoshea was the 19th king to rule over all of the Israelites in the northern nation of Israel in the Promised Land, the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. During the 9th year of Hoshea's reign, the Assyrians conquered Samaria, the royal city, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Less than 140 years after Samaria was conquered, Ahaz's great-great-great-grandson Zedekiah (Mattaniah) became the 19th king to rule Judah. During the 11th year of Zedekiah's reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) conquered Jerusalem, the royal city, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, were born. John the Baptist was born into the tribe of Jacob's 3rd born son Levi to Zechariah (Zacharias) the priest and his wife Elizabeth (Elisabeth). Jesus the Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Elizabeth's relative Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Jacob's 4th born son Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ were born, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world, and testified that Jesus is the Son of God. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot the disciple and apostle, and Jesus was arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, seen by over 500 people, and returned to heaven. Paul (Saul) was an Israelite from the tribe of Jacob's 12th and last son Benjamin and did not believe Jesus to be the Christ. Throughout Jerusalem, Paul persecuted and imprisoned Israelites who believed Jesus to be the Christ of God. When Paul was journeying to the synagogues in Damascus, Syria, to find, bind and take to Jerusalem any Israelite believers he found, Paul and those with him saw a light from heaven flash around them. Paul heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him, and Paul spoke to Jesus, and obeyed Jesus. In Damascus Paul was baptized. From thenceforward Paul the apostle journeyed and wrote divinely inspired letters, teaching Israelites and Gentiles, people not born into the Israelite tribes, the good news of Jesus the Christ, and everlasting life, and the relevance of the Ten Commandments that the Israelite ancestors heard the voice of the Lord God proclaim to them, and the judgments, statutes and laws that the Lord God gave Moses for the Israelites. Paul's reputation and activites in Damascus, Syria and Jerusalem are described in several of the letters.-Genesis, Exodus, Numbers 13:1-14:45, 20:1-29, 26:1-27:23, Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:22, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra 1:1-11, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Reference Information:
blasphemed = blasphemeitai/blasphemeo/blasphemos = slander, revile, vilify, speak evil of, refuse to acknowledge good
sacrilege = hierosyleis/hierosuleo/hierosulos = rob temples, plunder sacred places or things
Reference Scripture:
Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.-Isaiah 52:5
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.-Ezekiel 36:22-23
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