So, by the grace of God you have come to see you are in a church that teaches false doctrine......what now? How should the true believer respond when the Holy Spirit reveals what is really going on? The following is what you should not to. Edited from Rick Becker's A Famine in the Land.

 

 

1.  I’ll ignore the bad teaching – it's not like its an essential...right?
There is no biblical mandate for this argument.  Those who teach contrary to the gospel need to be marked and avoided, not marked and ignored. “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them“ Romans 16:17

In his letter to Timothy, Paul explains that someone approved by God “rightly divides the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)  He then gives an example, of two teachers who did not rightly divide God’s word: “Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” (vs 18)

Finally, Paul tells us what our response should be: “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (vs 19)

 

By sitting under a pastor who twists the word of God, you are submitting yourself to someone God has disqualified and submitting yourself to someone who is responsible for damaging the faith of their followers.  You pastor should in fact be the one rebuking those who teach false doctrine. He “ must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it“  Titus 1:9

 

The church at Thyatira was rebuked for “tolerating that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants..” Revelation 2:20.

We must avoid the irreverent babble of those who distort the word of God to suit their own carnal appetites. False teachers need to be silenced, not supported: “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.  They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach” Titus 1:10-11
 

A wolf has nothing to offer you:  they come to steal, kill and destroy.

 

Don’t fool yourself into thinking the situation is static in the sense that the current level of false doctrine will remain constant.  It begins with singing Hillsong or Jesus Culture songs, and before you can say “heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss” your pastor will be introducing the doctrines of Hillsong and Bethel.

 Soon your leaders will find it necessary to attend a Bethel or Hillsong conference, and then new materials and courses such as sozo or a school of supernatural ministry will be introduced.  You will probably observe new terminology coming from your pulpit, as new teachings come with some catch phrases.  These words, for example, accompany NAR teachings: “shift, alignment, presence, atmosphere, impartation, acceleration”

 

God’s word is ignored or twisted beyond it’s original meaning, resulting in progressive error: “while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom  you learned it  and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.   All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God  may be complete, equipped for every good work.”2 Timothy 3:13-17

 

2.  I’ll just stay and be a witness

That may work for a short while, but at some point you are going to be accused of “sowing division” and your “rebellious spirit” will be dealt with by your leaders.  Your first port of call in any case should be your leaders.  A meeting with them, explaining your concerns, will quickly determine whether your discernment is appreciated.  There were no undercover believers in the early church; they broke away from the various sects and teachings of the pharisees.  If you want to be a testimony then you need to leave and have no fellowship with darkness.  Those who are interested in truth, will come and ask you for the reasons you left and that will be your opportunity to present the truth.

 

3.  I have family members in the church; if I leave I will offend them

This is a difficult case, but one that Jesus warned about: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.  For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”  Luke 12:51-53

You have the advantage of spending time with your family members and giving your reasons for leaving.  I realize there may be some complications, but ultimately your leaving may be the catalyst for their eyes to be opened.  You may offend them if you leave, but you won’t be offending God.  What is offensive, and indeed unloving, is to stay silent when doctrines that may shipwreck the faith of your family members are not addressed.

 

You have a duty to warn your family and friends.  They should not feel at ease among enemies of the cross.  “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.  Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” Acts 20:29-31

 

4.  I stand to lose too much

The opposite is true; you stand to lose much by participating in any ministry that has swerved from the truth, and is deceiving people. Many are heavily invested in their churches.  Apart from the possible loss of friendships that are dear, there are other factors that may come into play. A church I attended had a “business directory” for church members.  We were encouraged to support the businesses of church members, nothing wrong with that.  Some may however find themselves in a situation where their business is largely dependent on the support of fellow church members, or even the church itself.  The choice then is simple – God or mammon. The same God who leads us out of deception, will provide for our needs and make a way when disaster seems imminent.  Your spiritual welfare must be prioritized above any earthly concern.  You can never lose when you obey the word of God.

 

5.  Despite some bad doctrine God still moves

We need to clarify what “God still moves” actually means.  By this argument, people are usually referring to signs and wonders, testimonies from people in the church, or perhaps their own experience.  I’m sure you have heard  similar expressions such as these: “the presence of the Lord was so strong during the service” or “there was such a powerful anointing during the meeting and Holy Spirit was present.”  When subjective experiences take precedence over the word of God, we are dealing with mysticism, not biblical Christianity.  People falling over backwards, gold dust appearing during services, rain falling during a prayer meeting, fire tunnels, goosebumps during worship, and even signs and wonders are not evidence of God moving.  These last days will include many signs and wonders, but they won’t be a result of God moving, but of deception:

“ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24

 

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11

 

In another scenario, people may actually have been saved or even healed in the church they now realize teaches false doctrine. Perhaps the church started off well, but gradually succumbed to the ear tickling doctrines of demons, or perhaps the church has always been rooted in NAR and other false teachings. Be thankful God is his mercy and grace has saved or healed you in spite of people, not because of them. God saved you, God healed you, be faithful to God!

 

6.  I will be without a spiritual covering

You have not been under a spiritual covering in the first place.  The “spiritual covering” that false teachers offer is nothing but a means to manipulate and control their followers.  There is no mutual submission to one another in their vocabulary.  False teachers serve their own appetites, and to get what they want, they will dominate if they have to. True shepherds lead by example with pure motives: ^“shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock”1 Peter 5:2-3

 

We are still experiencing the influence of the heavy shepherding movement of the seventies and eighties, and the fear instilled in many due to “covering” teaching remains.  Those who experienced this will know what I’m talking about.  In some cases leaders had such control over those under their authority, that they had the power to determine who your spouse should be, where to live, and what work to do.  If the leaders did not “have peace” or managed to find a scripture in Jeremiah for example (wrest out of context) contradicting your choice, you had little option but to submit to them.

 

Teachers like John Bevere, are still promoting this aberrant doctrine.  This is a long quote (from one of our previous blogs) but worth repeating: “Another book by Bevere – Under Cover, promotes a pyramid model or hierarchical leadership structure in the church, the very thing Jesus and Peter warned about.  It’s an abusive pastor’s dream reference book, as Bevere basically equates submitting to your pastor with submitting to God.  A far more appropriate title would have been “The Untouchables Manual For Ultimate Manipulation Of Sheep.”  Based on faulty exegesis of Romans 13 which applies to civil authority not church authority, Bevere exalts church authority to a level condemned in scripture itself.  Bevere believes that if we oppose God’s delegated authority, we oppose God Himself.  The consequences are severe: “Not only does it place us under the judgment of God, but it grants legal access to demonic powers. If we want to remain obedient to God and ,we have but one choice when it comes to delegated authority – submission and obedience.” p88

And it gets worse: “Our provision as well as protection could be blocked or even cut off as we disconnect ourselves from the Source of true life”

 

In a conversation with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit said to Bevere:  “John, if I intended for every believer to get all his information, wisdom, and direction only from prayer and communion with Me, then I’d never have instituted authority in the church. I placed authorities in the church with the full intent that My children could not get all they needed just from their prayer life. They would have to learn to recognize and hear My voice through their leaders as well.” p147

God did place leaders in the church; not to dominate people but to instruct them through rightly dividing the word of truth, and setting an example through servanthood.  Furthermore, we are commanded to test all things. The Bereans were commended for comparing Paul’s teaching with scripture (Acts 17:11)   Bevere makes no distinction between leadership under the old covenant with that of the new.  His frequent use of old testament authority examples are out of context and he comes to this shocking conclusion: “..when God places His authority on a person, no matter his private or personal behavior, we may still receive if we look beyond it and honour him as sent from God” p116

 

This is in clear contradiction to scripture: “appoint elders in every town as I directed you –  if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.  For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.  He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Titus 1:5-9

According to Bevere’s teaching, if your pastor is a drunkard, abuses people in his congregation and teaches false doctrine, your job is to submit: “To resist delegated authority is to resist God’s authority. We should not take upon ourselves the pressure to discern beforehand whether leaders are right or not. Nor should we judge after the fact. This is not our burden, but God’s. He alone knows and can change hearts as He so desires.” p147″

The same teachers that want you to be accountable, are accountable to no one. They live in comfort, concoct a new revelation at will, and have established themselves as an intermediary between God and their followers.  Our head is Christ, and he has given his body gifts in the form of pastors and teachers to mature us in the faith.  These leaders need certain qualifications according to scripture.  Their lives need to be an example, and they need to rightly divide the word of truth (life and doctrine).  Jesus Christ is your covering, and while we need to be in fellowship, remain accountable and submit to one another, leaving a church that teaches false doctrine is being obedient to your head – Christ.

 

7.  I play a valuable role in the church

All the more reason for you to leave, especially if you are in leadership.  You may be the secretary, lead the worship, teach a bible study group, or as in my case even be one of the pastors.  You might think you will let people down, and the thought of leaving can cause a sense of guilt and betrayal.  This is when you need to step back, and examine the situation in the light of God’s word as well as from an eternal perspective.  When you leave a church that teaches false doctrine, you are playing a valuable role! Your actions alone will be a powerful testimony.  You have made a stand for the faith and you are refusing to betray the word of God.  Rather be guilty in the eyes of carnal men and women, than stand before God and give an account for compromise.  Your choice  is between: contending for the faith, or remaining content with a distortion of the faith.

 

8.   There is no alternative nearby

This is a reality for some, and it’s not just a problem for those leaving a particular church.  People live in isolated areas all over the world and others live in communities with hardly any believers.  Using the “no alternative” argument to remain in a church that teaches false doctrine is choosing to support a false teacher.  At times, we are simply not aware of any alternative churches because we are still looking for a denomination or movement that we are familiar with.  It may take a while to find a fellowship with good sound expository teaching and a body of believers that will encourage you in the faith. God has not forsaken you;  you have forsaken false teaching.  Keep that in mind if you find yourself in limbo as far as finding a fellowship is concerned.  Many people I speak to in South Africa, have unfortunately at some point come under the spell of Bethel church.  Even though they are in a church, Bill Johnson has been teaching them. You know what I’m getting at:  modern technology.  There are literally thousands of good online resources at our disposal.  Not having a home church is not the same thing as not growing in your faith.  Study the word of God, pray, and if possible find fellowship with others who may be in the same predicament: “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25

 

In conclusion, if you know that your church is teaching false doctrine (NAR, word of faith, prosperity gospel, seeker sensitive and other forms of false doctrine) there is no valid reason to stay.  If your church has started introducing these doctrines and promotes any of the teachers mentioned,  you should set up a meeting with your pastor.  Be prepared and make sure you are able to articulate your concerns.  Prayer is part of preparation.  You are not going in to attack an individual, but are going to test their teachings. You should mention specific teachings that you find to be contradictory to the word of God, and give examples.  A pastor worth their weight in salt will want to hear what you have to say.  As an overseer they should be concerned for you, and as a teacher of God’s word, they should be only too happy to let God’s word in context be the arbitrator.  If they ignore your concerns, they will in all probability begin the slippery slope that leads to delusion.

Flee from pastors and churches that do not preach the gospel.  You have nothing in common with an enemy of the cross.  You have no business fellowshipping with those who are “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Come out from among them and contend earnestly for the faith!  Resist, rebuke and run from those who distort the faith.
 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel –  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9

Who's on the team?

“We are on the same team”. I heard this statement recently and it really caught my attention. It was made after a person said “Christianity in this country is disintegrating before our eyes.” As I pondered the comment I began to realize maybe that is the very reason why Christianity is disintegrating. Perhaps the assumption that everyone is on the same team is what is causing the issues.

Imagine if you will the US military. If the supposition was made that everyone who lives in America was on their side and they all went into battle together what would be the outcome? It would be utter defeat by the enemy. Some soldiers would probably even be shot by “friendly fire.” What makes the military strong is unity in purpose, unity under authority and unity in understanding of the objectives and the means to accomplish them. Christianity is absolutely no different.

What we have today is a cancerous ecumenicalism that says as long as you believe in some sort of Jesus it doesn’t matter what your objective is, what your purpose is, whether you submit to the authority of the Bible or are even obeying what it teaches. All that matters is that we get along. “Just go and do your own thing” is the cry. What difference does it make?.......look around, the consequences are tragically evident.

In an effort to bring some clarity here let me bring the scripture into the discussion. In order to be “on the same team” one must first be a Christian. I do not mean one in name but a biblical one as described for us in the word of God. A Christian is a born-again believer by the Spirit of the living God. A Christian is not someone who says they believe in some sort of Jesus and does whatever they want.

Saving faith is not mere assent to truths, even the demons believe and tremble, much less blind submission to a church or a man-made Christ. Faith is trust in the Christ of the Bible. To trust in someone, you have to know something about them and have some confidence that they can do what they promise. The question really is what are the essentials of understanding that a believer should have. In other words, what must I know to be saved? Albert Martin wrote a fantastic piece called “What is a biblical Christian”. I attach a link here for your edification. I would agree with this wholeheartedly. As a matter of fact, I would say if a person does not agree with this then they might not even be “on the team”. https://www.crichbaptist.org/articles/biblical-christian/

Jesus called his disciples to go to the whole world preaching the gospel, baptizing, and teaching them to obey “everything” he had commanded. Please watch this carefully. Jesus mentions things in a certain order: faith comes by hearing the preached gospel (a body of doctrines and truths about who we are, who he is and what he has done). You are not on the team if you reject this or preach something other than this. As a matter of fact, the military would call that person a traitor. The great theologian John Owen said, regarding the content of the gospel: “The clearer the knowledge of the truth and the deeper the denial, the less assurance one can have that the God of truth will save him.” Someone may ask: "Can a person be saved who denies the resurrection"? I've never even seen such a person. The thing to remember is the Holy Spirit does not give defective faith that denies the gospel.

The next step, according to Jesus, is the believing converts are then baptized, and then there is a life of learning “obedience to everything he commanded”. The “learning everything” part of it is not the condition for salvation, but the privilege of unpacking the gifts we’ve been given for the rest of our life.

Once a person is saved there are many exhortations in scripture to go on to maturity, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ etc. Discipleship is first and foremost a humble eagerness to hear, learn and obey every word that comes from the mouth of God. However untaught, and even confused, people have been, all believers are called to grow up by instruction and participation in God’s means of grace. Jesus commands this in the great commission and Paul exhorts us to it everywhere. It is unity to that and submission to his word, as sole authority, that makes true unity and puts us on the same team.

What the church is to be, focus on and do all fall under the “teach and obey everything” command of scripture. Jesus gives the example that we should pray to the Lord of the harvest (that is him) that he would send laborers into his fields because the fields are ripe unto harvest. What if some went into the field and bulldozed down the crops? What if some went in there and built a rec center for the Philistines? Clearly that would be absurd and those would not be considered by Jesus to be faithful servants and would be condemned.

If one wants to do their own thing and call it Christian, again, that is not fruit of being on the team. That is called insubordination by the commanding officer. To teach others to do that is called rebellion. Jesus has told us what we are to be about and do.
How are we to view differences in doctrine? We are to sit down and reason together and come to consensus. The early church had no doctrinal differences at all because they loved and respected the word of God, as do those who are truly saved. They would not tolerate “new” ideas or interpretations. They would not deviate from the mission. They knew that it was the truth that made them one. How far we have fallen in our day where everyone has their own "truth".

Paul warns us of that attitude very clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Notice it is “love” for the truth, not simply rejection of what we do not approve of, that determines who is saved. People on the same team look for unity in the truth they love.

Today there is a seeking of false love and carnal unity that sacrifices truth. I have said for many years, the issue in the church is that people love relationships more than they love the truth of God. Time and time again I have seen people stand with a person instead of standing with God. Even when shown the word of God they simply ignore it and persist in sin.

So, what makes a team of Christian soldiers? What makes a person a co-laborer? Well, it is not a church or religion, but being born again. That is person is described above. Any person that is born-again by the Spirit of God, who knows the Lord’s purposes for the church universal, who is willing to obey and submit to God’s word, who is on board with the objective and means given, who is willing to obey and repent when they fall short, that person I will go into battle with all day, every day………. That person is on the team and that team will never collapse because God will strengthen and uphold them by the word of his power. Their love for him is evidenced by their love and obedience to his word.

So, what are we to make of the many public leaders and dozens who have denied the faith recently? Are they on the team? Not at all. They were never on the team. None of the above was ever true of them. They made up a god they were comfortable with and used the name of our King for their own advantage. John said in 1 John 2:19 “they went out from us because they were not of us”. Solomon said this in Proverbs 22:12 “The eyes of the Lord keep watch over (His) knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.” A true believer can stumble and fall but the Lord will always bring them back into the ranks. Who is on the Lord’s team? The one who when the Bible is open says; “Here I am to do your will. Speak for your servant is listening.” That soldier will never be lost or ultimately fail.

What about those who claim to be on the team but teach things that are not from scripture? Jesus, the apostles Paul, Peter, and John all repeatedly warned that false teachers would rise up among us, and lead many astray, even within the visible church. They warned that not only would there be many false teachers, there would be many followers of them as well ...people "to suit their own desires ...will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Tim 4:3). Sadly, very few people do their homework when considering who they listen to, so the wolves have taken advantage of this fact to keep multitudes in their blinded condition. Obviously, we should not easily call other people a heretic, but if they publicly teach doctrine long recognized by the church as false and dangerous, then we are commanded to call it out.

John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders of his day) "a generation of snakes" (Matt. 3:7). Today, he would be accused of being unloving, unkind, and unchristian. Jesus said to the religious Pharisees, "O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34). To many, this would be unacceptable language, but it is biblical language and it came from the mouth of the Son of God.

So what are we to do with false teachers who are not on the team?

We are to “try or test” them. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4: 1). All doctrine and teachers are to be tried according to the Word of God. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). Every message, messenger, and method is to be judged according to the Word of God. The church at Ephesus was commended because they had "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars " (Rev. 2:2). The church at Pergamos was rebuked because they tolerated those that held "the doctrine of Balaam, " and "the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I hate" (Rev. 2:14,15). It is never right to tolerate false teachers, but they are to be tried by the Word of God, and exposed. Of course those who want to disobey the Word of God under a false understanding of “unity” will seek by every means to avoid and deny this teaching.

We are to “mark” them and “avoid” them. "Now I beseech you, brothers mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them " (Rom. 16:17). Those whose conduct and teaching contradicts the Word of God are to be marked and to be avoided. This requires discernment and judgment in the light of the Bible. Once again, the ecumenical unity lover of our day will reject this scripture and undermine the commands of our Lord Jesus. They cannot be marked and avoided, unless they are judged according to the Word of God.

We are to rebuke them (Titus 1:13), have no fellowship with them (Eph 5:11), withdraw from them (2 Thes 3:6), turn away from them (2 Tim 3:5,7), not receive them into our homes (2 John 10-11) and reject them (Titus 3:10). As for warning about their errors by calling them out by name: Paul did this constantly. He called out Peter by name (Gal 2:11-14), Demas in (2 Tim 4:10), Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim 1:18-20), Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Tim 2:15-18) and Alexander the coppersmith (2 Tim 4:14-15). John named Diotrephes (3 John 9-11). In fact, the whole Bible abounds in examples of false prophets being named and exposed. All this modem day talk about “love”, used as an excuse for not exposing error, is not really biblical love at all but is simply disobedience.

Ultimately, we want all these false teachers to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We seek that by wielding the sword of the Spirit and prayer. Unfortunately, many of them never do. Perhaps it is the fulfilment of what Moses spoke concerning them: Ex 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” This often misunderstood statement does not refer to saying O.M.G. for many reasons. 1st “God” is not God’s name. Most importantly the term “take” means "carry". This means “do not carry the Lord’s name in vain.” Misrepresenting God, and undermining his truth, while carrying his name (saying this is God’s truth) is exactly what this text is about. Notice God says he will not hold those guiltless that do that…. that means he will not forgive. That is the destiny of the false teacher.

Brother and sister, let us consider these things and remember that being on the same team really means being in the same family (God’s) and Jesus says you will know those of the family because they “love one another.” John tells us in 1 John 5:2-3 that what that looks like is not a false unity based on our own ideas but obedience to the commands of God. In other words, make sure the ones you are standing by are standing with God.

The true Christians described above are our brothers and sisters regardless of the sign on the door where they fellowship. Wherever they gather the church is there in all her glory. However, if the building they attend stops abiding by the above they should work to change it or go to another fellowship that does.

What if the church does not do what I want? Check the Bible and see if they are even supposed to and if they aren't then drop it. If they are then praise God that he has called you into the ministry! The evangelism, outreach and discipleship program of any church is given to each member. Matt 28:16-20 are your marching orders private.

Christianity is not disintegrating; God is simply separating the sheep from the goats in anticipation of
the return of Jesus Christ. Look up church for your redemption draws nigh! Go team Jesus!

Out of Tune?

I was asked today why so many Christians are at odds with each other over what a church is supposed to be and do. Why do they disagree about doctrine, worship or outreach? The answer to that question is very simple and I'd like to give it to you in the form of an illustration first and then explain it clearly.

Have you ever considered that 1000 pianos that are all tuned to the same tuning fork are automatically in tune with each other? The general standard of our day is A440. A piano in Germany tuned with that fork with be completely in sync with a piano in San Diego that was tuned that way. Because they are in tune with the tuner they are automatically in tune with each other. I believe you see where I am going.

In our day people are tuning themselves to their own ideas, desires, hearts and comfort levels. Thus, there is simply a lot of confusion and the symphony sounds terrible. Instead of asking why is the sound so bad they just point out that every one else is out of tune except them. They will then find others who are tuned to their warped fork and begin to fault find others.

Jesus prayed for our unity and there is only one way that can happen. The tuning fork of our lives is not "self" but the word of God. When people are tuned to the Bible then there is automatic unity. Everyone will be on same page and work for God's ends, and not their own. The solution is so simple and yet implementing it is so difficult.

If this resonates with you then I would request one thing. Tune yourself to the Bible and not popular ideas, preachers, culture or other social agendas. Reason together with other believers from the scripture to get the right pitch. Don't run off with your sour notes trailing behind you. When you get in tune with the Bible then there is one more instrument in tune with Jesus and we are one step closer to seeing Jesus' prayer answered...... the beautiful music of the symphony of the saints. Ps 101:1
 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. Tune us Lord to you!

                                                      Are we living in the last days?

I am often asked questions about the end of the world. It seems to be a preoccupation to some so I offer the following for consideration. These are sermon notes so don't expect it to flow as a narrative. This is presented this way for your own study.

The doomsday social media presence of Christian “experts” voicing End Times fears reached the point where NASA a few days ago decided it should intervene and provide a note of reason. The space agency issued a statement (per the International Business Times) saying: "Nasa knows of no asteroid or comet currently on a collision course with Earth, so the probability of a major collision is quite small. In fact, as best as we can tell, no large object is likely to strike the Earth any time in the next several hundred years."

Almost every cult and heretic starts from an erroneous view of eschatology.

1 Thess 3:9-10

“For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?”

Supply = repair, adjust, mend what was broken or torn. The Thessalonians had their eschatology broken and twisted so Paul in two letters seeks to correct it. That is what I want to do today. To straighten out how one looks at the Bible prophetically.

THE BEST ESCHATOLOGY IS A PROPER CHRISTOLOGY

Let’s not start out with a particular view we want to defend nor with a view we want to destroy.

Ø “Eschatology rules your biblical interpretation”  Your eschatology will necessarily interpret scripture.

Understanding languages: not just Hebrew or Greek but genres, such as Apocalyptic Language. “Moon turned to blood” =  Does this “refer to a time in the future when nations fight over mineral rights on the moon”..... of course not!

“Day of the Lord” occurs 18 times in the OT 5 times in the NT (1 quoting the OT) It did not mean in the OT the end of the world but simply a day God intervenes!

 
Ezek 32:7-8  A prophesy that Babylon will destroy Egypt

“When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord God.”

Babylon subdues Egypt in 568 BC but slaughtered their army earlier at Charchemish in 607 BC which made Egypt a Babylonian province by tribute. 

A day of the Lord

Now the destruction of Babylon

Isaiah 13:9-11 “Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity”

Cyrus in 538 BC and Xerxes in 482 BC finished the job on Babylon.

Isaiah 34:4 (against Edom), Jeremiah 4:23-31 (against Judah and Jerusalem), Exekiel 32:7-8 (against Pharaoh and Egypt), Joel 3:15-16 (against the nations), Amos 5:20; 8:9 (against Israel), Micah 1:2-16 (against Israel and Judah), Zephaniah 1:14-15 (against Judah, Jerusalem, and Judah’s enemies). In these instances same apocalyptic language, but nobody saw God, but certainly saw the effects of his coming.

Now that you understand that the OT and 1^st century understood apocalyptic language not as a literal sun darkening and moon darkening or stars falling what do you think Jesus means?

Now what about Matt 24? Don’t assume the end of the “age” is the end of the world!

“sun will be darkened, the moon will not give it’s light and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” V29

Matt 24:30 “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matt 24:34 “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

"This" = this one present here

16 times used. Every other time it means the people right there at that time. The son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation” Lk 17:25

Couldn’t it be a two fold prophesy of the destruction in ad70 plus the second coming?

Matthew 24:21, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." There is a future after this…..
A few days later Jesus (at His trial) said the High Priest & the Sanhedrin, "shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26:64) Josephus, Tacitus, Eusebius and the Talmud all record the FACT that God's presence was perceived at that awesome destruction. They even record that angelic armies were seen in the clouds.

Josephus The Wars of the Jews book 6 “Besides these signs, a few days after that feast, on the one-and-twentieth day of the month Artemisius, a certain extraordinary and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. Moreover, at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner court of the temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a great quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, ‘Let us remove them.’”

Lesson 1 is know the language. Lesson 2 is the NT ALWAYS interprets the OT.  The bible interprets the bible. Many times the bible says a particular event “fulfills” what was spoken in the OT. When it says that it means that.

Jesus said above in Matt 24 that the destruction of Jerusalem is what was spoken of by Daniel the prophet. Certain camps may not like it but what Jesus says settles it.

Acts 2:14-21

“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  But this is what (not is like) was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.  And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

That is Joel 2:28-32. Interestingly Peter’s quote omits the last half of V 32 Joel 2:32 “For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”

Peter says that what the people saw fulfills all of this. For someone to go back to Joel and say it means something else is to flatly deny scripture. There is nothing here that indicates that Peter is saying only some of this quote applies and the rest is for the future.

 

A.T. Robertson a renowned scholar of the Greek New Testament - “It is worth noting that Peter interprets these "portents" as fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, though no such change of the sun into darkness or of the moon into blood is recorded. Clearly, Peter does not interpret the symbolism of Joel in literal terms. This method of Peter may be of some service in the Book of Revelation.

 

                                                            OLD TESTAMENT

JACOB HAS HIS NAME CHANGED TO "ISRAEL"

The first time the name "Israel" is used in the Bible is in Gen 32:27,28. After Jacob wrestled with the angel and Jacob would not let go until he received a blessing, the angel said "What is your name? and he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called nor more Jacob, but Israel (meaning Prince of God), for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed."

So the name "Israel" was given to Jacob as a Spiritual name. Jacob's self-sufficiency was gone, he was willing to give up self and follow God. His new Spiritual name referred to his character. The name Jacob means deceiver. So the name change symbolizes his transformation in CHARACTER.

"ISRAEL'S" (JACOB'S) SONS ARE ALSO CALLED ISRAEL-ITES (Heirs of Israel)

The Children of Israel went into Egypt

Ex. 1:1 "Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob." And then the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel) are named. These are the literal "children of Israel" (children of Jacob) who went into Egypt.

Israel is called "My son, My firstborn"

Ex 4:21,22 "And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goes to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. Vs 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, Israel is My son, even My firstborn. . . "

NOTE: The whole NATION is NOW called "Israel," not just Jacob (Israel).

The nation of Israel is called a "vine."

Ps 80:8 "Thou has brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it."

The nation of Israel is called a "servant."

Isa 41:8 "But thou, Israel, art My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend."

Isa 49:3 "And said unto me, 'Thou art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified."

Isa 42:1-3 "Behold My servant . . . " This chapter outlines God's original plan for Israel which they failed to follow.

Hosea 11:1 "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt."

NOTE: The Nation of "Israel" is called:

1) "My son",
2) a "vine",
3) the "seed of Abraham",
4) God's "servant", and
5) "My son" that God "brought out of Egypt."


NOTE ALSO: Joseph (whose father was JACOB/ISRAEL) had dreams and went into Egypt.

NEW TESTAMENT

Matt 1:1 "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ. . . "

The New Testament is about Jesus Christ - NOT about Israel!

Joseph, the earthly "father" of Jesus, also had a father named Jacob (Matt 1:16). Joseph also had a dream and went into Egypt.

Matt 2:13 "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him."

Matt 2:15 "And (he) was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying "Out of Egypt have I called My son."

* * * * * This New Testament text (Matt 2:15), is a DIRECT QUOTE of Hosea 11:1, which was originally spoken of the Nation of Israel, but NOW it refers to Christ as the FULFILLMENT of the prophecy of the Hosea text.

Jesus is NOW the NEW "Israel." The prophecy is FULFILLED in Jesus!

"BAPTISM"

Israel came out of Egypt and was "baptized" in the Red Sea

1 Cor 10: 1,2 Paul is speaking, "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea: And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea."

Jesus came out of Egypt and was baptized in the Jordan.

Matt 3:16 "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him.

INTO THE WILDERNESS

Israel, after being "baptized" in the Red Sea, went into the wilderness for 40 years

Jesus, after being baptized, went into the wilderness for 40 days. (Matt 4:1)

In the wilderness Jesus was tempted THREE times. Each time He responded to Satan with a text. ALL three texts that He quoted, are from the book of Deuteronomy, the book given to Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness: Deut 8:3, Deut 6:16, Deut 6:13.

Jesus is REPEATING the history of Israel. Jesus, the NEW "Israel", is overcoming where the nation of Israel had failed!

Israel:

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, they were brought to a mountain, Mt. Sinai, where God gives them the law.

Christ:

Matt 5: After Jesus had been in the wilderness, He goes to a mountain to teach the beatitudes - a practical explanation of the law.

Israel:

God made a covenant with the twelve tribes with the blood of animals.

Christ:

Matt 26:28 Jesus meets with the 12 apostles and makes a NEW covenant with His OWN blood - a New covenant with a NEW Israel.

Matt 12:15-18 "Behold my servant..." This Old Testament passage applied to Israel, but now it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

John 15:1 Jesus said, "I am the TRUE VINE.

Gal 3:16 "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith NOT 'And to seeds, as of many, but as of ONE, and to thy SEED which is Christ."

Jesus is called:

1) "My Son" 2 Peter 1:17
2) The "vine" John 15:1
3) the "seed of Abraham" Gal 3:16
4) "servant" Matt 12:15-18
5) "My Son" God "brought out of Egypt" Matt 2:15


"Israel" was one man, and his heirs became the nation of "Israel".

Jesus (Israel) is one Man, then His heirs are ALSO Israel.

Jesus' followers (those in Christ), now become the New Testament Spiritual Israel. "If you are Abraham's seed, then you are heirs according to the promise." Gal 3:29

Gal 3:29 "So if you be Christ's THEN are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."


The name Israel, was expanded to include all of Israel's (formerly called Jacob) offspring. And as his descendants increased, they became a nation - the nation of the same family name - - - Israel. God called this new nation of Israel, "My son. . . My firstborn."

Steve Wohlberg, in his excellent book Exploding The Israel Deception, points out the many parallels between the history of Israel and the history of Jesus Christ. In Hosea 11:1, the prophet writes, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." Matthew declares this text "fulfilled" in Jesus (Matt 2:15)

**When God called Israel out of Egypt, He called the nation "My son." Ex 4:22. When Jesus came out of Egypt, God said, "Out of Egypt I have called My Son."

**When Israel left Egypt, they were "baptized" by crossing the Red Sea - then they spent 40 years in the wilderness. When Jesus began His ministry, He was baptized, then immediately went into the wilderness for 40 days.

In the Gospel of Matthew, "Jesus is repeating the history of Israel, point by point, and is overcoming where they failed. Jesus becomes the new Israel, the one victorious Man who overcomes all sin." (Wohlberg, pg 21)

In Galatians 3:16, Paul wrote, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He says NOT, And to seeds, as of many; but as of ONE, And to thy seed, which is Christ."

Paul explains that Abraham's seed does not refer to "many," seeds, but to "One, . . . which is Christ." Paul is opening our minds to realize that what originally applied to the nation of Israel is now applied to Jesus Christ. The Messiah is now the "seed." Therefore, Jesus Christ is "Israel!"

But as, in the Old Testament, the name Israel was first applied to one man - and then to his offspring, so in the New Testament the same principle applies. "The seed" is Christ, and Paul then tells his Gentile converts "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed." Gal 3:29.

So the name "Israel" not only applies to the True Seed, Jesus Christ, but also the believers in Jesus become part of "the seed." The true Christians are now God's Spiritual Israel.

Paul continues to drive this point home throughout his writings. In Gal 3:6,7, he wrote, "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

"Behold, thou art called Jew, and you rest in the law and make your boast of God." "For circumcision verily profits, if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision (the Gentiles) keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?" "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Roman 2:17,25,26,28,29

Paul is saying that if one only has the outward appearance of being religious without being changed in the heart, then the circumcision of the Jew means nothing.

Two Israels

Romans 9:3-8: There are two Israels in the New Testament.

A) Vs 3 & 4: "Israelites according to the flesh and

B) Vs 6 & 7: For they are NOT all Israel (of God in Jesus Christ) which are of Israel (some who DON'T have the disposition of Christ), neither because they are seed of Abraham, are they all children (even if they are direct blood descendants of Abraham, it doesn't make them "children" of Abraham.)

C) Vs 8: That is they which are the children of the flesh (literal nation of Israel), these are NOT the children of God: but the children of the promise (who have faith in Jesus Christ) are counted as the seed." (This means ALL who truly believe in Jesus Christ, whether they are a Jew or a Gentile makes no difference, it all depends on their spiritual belief in Jesus Christ. If they believe in Jesus Christ, they are children of Abraham!)


Question: Which "Israel" is Revelation referring to in which the promises will be fulfilled?

Rev 11:8 ". . . . spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified (Spiritual Jerusalem.)

Rev 11:19 ". . . temple of God was opened in HEAVEN - Ark of His Testament inside (law of God)."

Rev 7:4 144,000 of tribes of children of Israel
Rev 14:1 144,000 standing on Mt Zion.

Hebrews 12:22,23 Mt Zion - " . . . the city of the living God, the HEAVENLY Jerusalem." ". . . church of the firstborn on Mt Zion."

Rev 21:10 "Carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

Rev 16:12 River Euphrates dried up. (Babylon's support system will dry up, the people that support deceptions of spiritual Babylon) preparing the way for the Kings of the east.

Rev 16:16 Armageddon, a Spiritual war between the followers of Christ and the followers of the Beast power and Satan.

Rev 17:1,3,5 Spiritual Babylon

Rev 17:15 Waters (symbolic for) = people

Rev 11:19 Temple of God opened in heaven - ark of Testament seen

Rev 14:9 3rd angel

Rev 14:12 Keep Commandments of God

Rev 16:13 3 unclean (counterfeit) spirits of devils like frogs.

Rev 16:14-16 3rd frog (false prophet) manifestation of false prophet - counterfeit 3rd angel's message. False prophet = false prophecy ". . . go to the WHOLE WORLD to gather them to battle of the great day of God Almighty."

Rev 16:17 Heavenly temple - - - NOT earthly temple

Rev 16:19 3 parts: dragon, beast and the false prophets

Rev 16:15,16 "watch" out for deceptions. Keeps his garments (symbolic for) . . . (righteousness of Jesus).

These are ALL spiritual terms, showing a SPIRITUAL Israel, NOT a literal Israel.

Here is the KEY: 1 Cor 15:46,47: "Howbeit that was NOT first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.


The first man is of the earth, earthly: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Explanation: The FIRST is natural or the physical representation. And the SECOND is the Spiritual.

The Old Testament is, in general, the description of the physical events that actually took place.

The New Testament is the SPIRITUAL reality of what the physical Old Testament illustrations looked forward to.

The Old Testament testifies of JESUS - Jesus says so HIMSELF!

How can ANYONE be a "New Testament Christian" and disregard the

Old Testament, when Jesus says the Old Testament is about HIM?


NOTE: Jesus does NOT say that the Old Testament is about Israel!

John 5:39, 40 (NIV) Jesus said, "You diligently search (study) the Scriptures because you think that in THEM you possess eternal life. (But) these are the Scriptures that testify about ME, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life."

Jesus was talking about the Old Testament Scriptures! Those were the ONLY Scriptures available when Jesus was on the earth. "The Old Testament speaks about ME," Jesus said. That is the ONLY focus of the Scriptures. The Scriptures, including the Old Testament, only have meaning when referring to Christ, the Messiah.

The Old Testament is CHRIST-CENTERED! NOT Israel-Centered!

The Old Testament must ONLY be interpreted in a Christ-centered manner.

Jesus said, "More than Jonah is here, more than Solomon is here, more than the Temple is here." The whole Old Testament points to Christ, to His fulfilling the Messianic prophecies.

Zephaniah 3: 9, 12,13. "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples (everyone), that ALL of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder...

"But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."

Joel 2:18-32 (NIV)

"And afterward, I will pour out my spirit on ALL people....And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls."

Gen 12: "ALL people will be blessed through Abraham." Abraham was called out of Babylon. ALL people have been blessed through Jesus who came through the line of Abraham.

This is a WORLD-WIDE plan, NOT a plan just for one group of people!

Rev. 6: Describes end time events, centering in the Judgement.

Rev 6:12 - 17 - Six Seals.

vs 14: "The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Then the KINGS OF THE EARTH, (meaning Universal - worldwide) the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us' and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! (They are afraid) For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (They think NO ONE can stand, because they are afraid and they are the leaders.)

Rev 7: 4 "And I HEARD the number of those who were sealed; 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. (John did not SEE the number, he HEARD the number)

From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000 ...

After this I LOOKED and there before me was a GREAT MULTITUDE that no one could count, from EVERY NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE AND LANGUAGE standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

John HEARS the number of 144,000, but he SEES a GREAT MULTITUDE that no man could count. The number 144,000 is NOT literal, it is symbolic for a Great Multitude that no one can count.

(The 144,000 AND "the great multitude that no one could count" are the SAME.)

(The 144,000 are NOT Jews - they are from ALL nations, tribes, peoples and languages.)

Rev 1:10-12 ("I heard - then I turned around to see...") What John sees is a further explanation of what he hears.

Rev 5:2: And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?"

Vs 5: " Then one of the elders said to me (I heard), "Do not weep! SEE, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

Then I SAW a Lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders." (The Lion and the Lamb are the same.)

CONCLUSION: What John sees is an explanation of what he first hears. He hears about the Lion, but he SEES the Lamb. (The Lion and the Lamb are the same.)

By the way, all of these terms in Revelation are from the Old Testament:

Lamb (from the sanctuary)

Lion (from the tribe of Judah)

Israel = the Israel of Christ, Matt 16:16-18 (How does God call His own people?)

When Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said, "FLESH AND BLOOD HAS NOT TOLD YOU THIS." (This has NOT been a revelation from man, from a church, but it has been a direct revelation from God to you.) Jesus continued, "On this rock (this doctrine) I will build my CHURCH." "On THIS Rock - the doctrine that GOD will be our teacher rather than organized denominations and churches.

The Israel of the Old Testament has now been replaced by the "Church" (ecclesia = the called ones) of the New Testament.

Literalism would make the "Lamb" in Revelation, literal. But the "Lamb" is Christ. The Lamb is symbolic.

And the 144,000 are NOT Jews, they are from "ALL nations."

All of this must be interpreted in relation to Christ.

The interpretation must go "through the Cross" and when it does, it leaves all the geographic and ethnic restrictions in the Cross, and they become all spiritual, universal, world-wide terms.

Revelation is FULL of Old Testament terms: Jezebel, Baalam, Babylon. But these terms which were LITERAL in the Old Testament, are NOW SPIRITUAL in the New Testament!

Mt. Zion:

Hebrews 12: 18 "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words, that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded... (This is talking about Mt. Sinai where the Ten Commandments were given).

Vs 22-24: "But you have come to (a better mountain) Mount Zion, to the HEAVENLY Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the CHURCH of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God... to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." (Abel's blood speaks of revenge, but Christ's blood speaks of reconciliation.)

"Mt. Zion" means salvation.

Christ incorporates the whole human race because He is the second Adam, the human father of the whole human race.


Revelation corresponds to Genesis: There is Paradise, the Tree of Life, the River.

We understand the Old Testament THROUGH the New Testament.

Christ is NOT Jewish, He is Divine! He is God! "He is the Savior of ALL mankind."


Jesus is gathering us to HIM. "If I be lifted up, I will draw ALL to ME!" They will NOT be drawn to Palestine - or to the Temple - or to Jerusalem - - - but to JESUS!

Jews and Gentiles: What do the terms mean?

Let's stop right here and discuss the terms "Jew" and "Gentile." I'm sure you will be astonished to learn that NEITHER of these terms EVER appears in the Bible, in the original Scriptures. These are actually propaganda words placed there by the translators to support their own preconceived theological ideas.

Let me give you the documentation for this statement.

The word "JEW" NEVER appears in the Original Scriptures

The word "Jew."

Look in a Concordance, Strong's Concordance is a popular, commonly used one. The word "Jew" (#2453 in the Greek) is actually short for the word Judean, or more accurately Ioudas, pronounced ee-oo-dah-yos. The letter "J" is not present in the New Testament Greek alphabet. The English alphabet had no "J" prior to the 14th century, and it wasn't predominantly used until the 17th century.

Since the word "Jew" is an English concoction that did not exist at the time of the writing of the New Testament, we know that it actually is the word "Judean."

The King James Bible in 1611, for example, used the word Iudea, not our present "Judea", and it was pronounced you-dee-a.

So the word "Jew" is short for the word "Judean", meaning a resident of a particular area - Judea, the southern part of Canaan, later known as Palestine. Jerusalem was in Judea, and the temple was in Jerusalem. The word "Jew" did NOT mean an ethnic background.

The English word Jew evolved phonetically from the prefix 'Iou, from the Greek word 'Ioudas which means Judean.

Judea is the same as Judah, and Judah was the tribe of Israel that inhabited that geographical area when the twelve tribes conquered the inhabitants of Canaan about 1400 B.C. The Tribe of Judah was the largest of the twelve and the most influential. God said that the Messiah would come through that Tribe.

The word "Judean" (later shortened to "Jew) MEANS -
those who had knowledge of the God of heaven.

In addition, study of the Scriptures, particularly the Old Testament, makes it clear that the designation "Judean" or "Ioudas" refers to those who had a knowledge of the God of heaven, as opposed to those who had NO knowledge of the God of heaven or those who worshiped pagan gods, referred to as the "Nations."

The word "Gentiles."

Now look up the word "Nations" in the Greek (#1484) and the Hebrew (#1471). Now look up the word "Gentiles." You will see that the numbers are identical to the word "Nations" both in the Greek (#1484) and in the Hebrew (#1471).

This shows that the Bible translators used the word "Gentiles" at their own arbitrary discretion, when it would have a theological or sociological impact, rather than using the word "Nations" in every instance, as unbiased translation would dictate. There is NO instance in the Bible, where the word "Gentiles" is appropriate. The word should ALWAYS be "Nations."

The Hebrew word (#1471) translated "Nations" or sometimes "Gentiles", is the word "goy" or "goyim", a present-day derogatory term used by Jews to describe non-Jews, and means a troop of lowly animals, such as cattle, or a heathen people.

Isa 37:12 "Have the gods of the nations delivered them..."

Ps 96:5 "For all the gods of the nations are idols..."

Isa 9:1 "...Galilee of the nations."


Again: The Scriptural meanings of the two terms are the following:

Judeans (mistranslated "Jews" in the Bible): Those who were aware of, or who worshiped, the God of heaven. (Even though often they had wandered far from the God of heaven they were supposed to know.)

Nations (mistranslated "Gentiles" in the Bible): Those who did NOT know, nor worship, the God of heaven, but instead worshiped pagan idols.

Neither term was a designation of ethnicity or blood line. Both terms were defined in relation to their religion - their worship which, in general, correlated with their geographical location.

The center of the worship of the God of heaven in the entire inhabited world, was Jerusalem which was in the region of Judea. Everywhere else was referred to as "the Nations."

"There were no nations until after the flood. God did not "select" Israel and Judah (and the Pharisees) because of their superiority to other nations, God "created" them for one purpose, to be His bond slaves, so that through that nation all the other nations should come to know Him. The idea that Israel was a magnificently developed type of nation is a mistaken one. Israel was a despised, and a despicable nation, continually turning away from God into idolatry." Complete works of Oswald Chambers; Discovery House Publishers pg 1317

                                                         Was Jesus a Jew?

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, so He was a Judean by birth location (NOT a "Jew" by genetics), but he lived his life in Nazareth, in "Galilee of the Nations (Gentiles)" so He was a Nazarene. Isa 9:1

Jesus was a child of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:34,35). He had no lineage from His stepfather, Joseph. Yes, His earthly parents, both His earthly mother and His earthly father, were from the line of David. David was an Israelite, He lived in Israel in the area of Judah, but did that make him "Jewish" genetically?

The prophecy of Jesus' lineage through His earthly parents was given so those who were searching the Scriptures and watching for the Messiah would be able to identify Him appropriately when He came. Even then, the greatest scholars and the wisest in the synagogues STILL did NOT recognize the Messiah.

Many claim that Jesus had to have had genes from His mother, Mary, or He wouldn't have been able to fulfill the prediction of the Scriptures - - to be "tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin." (Heb 4:15) Yet Adam and Eve were created by God, with no genes from an earthly mother or father, and they were not only "susceptible" to sin - - - they ACTUALLY sinned!

So Jesus did NOT have to have earthly genes in order to be susceptible to sin. But when He was tempted, He overcame!

There is an additional compelling reason why Jesus had NO earthly genes from either of His earthly parents, including NO genes from His earthly mother, Mary. He could NOT have had ANY of Mary's human genes, because if He had, it would have been a case of the creature (a human being - Mary) CREATING the CREATOR (God in the human form of Jesus), it would be a case of humanity CREATING God! That could NOT be! Jesus had NO genes from a human parent. He was "born of the Holy Spirit." Matt 1:18

Jesus was placed in Mary's womb to grow in her body, to symbolize Jesus coming from "outside" of us, from "outside" of this world to come into us and become One with us. Jesus came into this world to become One with humanity, to live in us.

"Christ in you, the hope of glory!" Col 1:27

"Let this mind be in you which is in Christ Jesus." Phil 2:5

Paul said, "I died, yet I live, but not I, but Christ lives in me." Gal 2:20

                                            Is Salvation "OF the Jews?"

Is "Salvation of the Jews" as the King James Bible translates John 4:22? The prepositions in the Greek are far more specific. The Greek word used here is "Ek" (#1537) which means "origin."

Since Jesus was born in Judea and since He identifies Himself as the "Savior of ALL mankind" (1 Tim 4:10), the phrase should be translated, "Salvation is OUT OF Judea." (John 4:22) Salvation is found ONLY in Jesus, Who was born (came OUT OF) Judea!


It's ALL ABOUT JESUS - NOT about Israel or the "Jews!"


Look at Matt 2:6 "And thus Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for OUT OF ("Ek" #1537) thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."

Micah 5:2 "And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, art few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Judah; yet OUT OF ("Ek" #1537) thee shall one come forth to me, to be a ruler of Israel; and His goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity." (From the Greek O.T.)

Heb 7:14 "For it is manifest that OUT OF ("Ek" #1537) Judah has sprung our Lord..."

Jesus NEVER identified Himself as a Jew

In fact, He was ALWAYS at odds with Jewry.

Jesus was taunted, baited and hated by the Jewish Rabbis because He taught a TOTALLY DIFFERENT religion from what the Pharisees and Rabbis taught. Christ's message was the ANTITHESIS of that day's Jewish religion.

Jesus NEVER identified Himself with the "Jews." He always referred to them as separate from Him.

John 7:1 "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He would not walk in Jewry (Judea), because the Jews sought to kill Him."

Luke 11:47, 48 "Woe unto you! for you build the sepulchres of the prophets, and YOUR fathers killed them."

John 6:58 "I am the Bread which came down from heaven; YOUR fathers ate manna and are dead."

John 8:56 "YOUR father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it and was glad."

Mk 7:9 "And He said unto them, Full well, you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep YOUR OWN tradition."

Matt: 15:3, 6 "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by YOUR tradition?...."Thus you have made the commandment of God of none effect by YOUR traditions."

The designation "Judean" (shortened in the King James Version to "Jew), was NOT a genetic designation, it was a religious and cultural designation. Jesus was the ANTITHESIS of EVERYTHING Judean or "Jewish!"

Jesus was definitely NOT a Jew!


Galilee was an Ethnic "Melting Pot"

The area of Galilee had been conquered by foreign invaders twice and each time the majority of the population were killed or taken prisoner to the conqueror's homeland. The area was then repopulated with people transported in from the conquering nation.

The first conqueror was Assyria, which came against the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Samaria was captured and its people exiled, bringing the northern Kingdom to an end. The area was then repopulated with people from the conquering Kingdom.

2 Kings 17:5,6,17,18 "Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes...

The Lord was "provoked to anger because Israel "caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments... Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight; there was NONE left but the tribe of Judah ONLY."

2 Kings 17:24 "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof."

The second time was by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, in 586 B.C., when Daniel and his three friends were taken into captivity along with thousands of others. The area of Israel was ravished and became almost a wasteland.

2 Kings 24:1,2,14,15 "In his days, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. And the Lord sent against him (Jehoiakim) bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the Word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servants the prophets.

"And he carried away ALL Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land."

2 Kings 25:11 "Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carry away."

So Judah, as well as Galilee, had been repopulated with non-Jews.

In addition, we are told repeatedly in the Bible that when the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, they inter-married with the Canaanites, rebelling against the Lord's directions not to do that.

Also, Rahab, the (NON-Jew) Canaanite prostitute, was an ancestor of Jesus. Rahab was Boaz' mother. (Matt 1:5) Boaz married Ruth and they were the grandparents of Jesse, the father of King David, through whose line Jesus came. (Rahab was King David's great grandmother! Rahab was NOT "Jewish!")

One more thing, when the Israelites initially left Egypt, when they were an infant nation, they were already a MIXED MULTITUDE! Ex 12:38 says, "And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a MIXED MULTITUDE went up also with them;..."

It's abundantly clear that there was no ethnically pure "Jewish" heritage in Israel hundreds of years BEFORE Jesus was born, much less when He arrived. Even MORE so today, with all the intermarrying, there is really no such thing as a "Jew" by heredity, only by social culture.

This is dramatically confirmed by Arthur Koestler, a "Jew", in his amazing book, The Thirteenth Tribe. Koestler reveals that approximately 80% of all the "Jews" in the world today, the Ashkenazim "Jews", are really Khazars, originating from Khazaria, an area that later became Russia. The vast majority of "Jews" in the world today, have NO semitic blood in them. They are "Gentiles", if you will.

In his book, Koestler "traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire, a major but almost forgotten power in Eastern Europe, which in the Dark Ages became converted to Judaism. Khazaria, which flourished from the seventh to the eleventh century, was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan, but evidence indicates that the Khazars themselves migrated to Poland and formed the cradle of Western Jewry. . ."

"The Khazars found themselves in a precarious position between the two major world powers: the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium and the triumphant followers of Mohammed. As Mr. Koestler points out, the Khazars were the Third World of their day, and they chose a surprising method of resisting both the Western pressure to become Christian and the Eastern to adopt Islam. Rejecting both, they converted to Judaism. . . The story of the Khazar Empire, as it slowly emerges from the past, begins to look like the most cruel hoax which history has ever perpetrated. Alas, "anti-Semitism" can no longer be "anti-Semitism" if the "victims" are NOT "Semitic" - - - if the "Jews" are NOT "Jewish"!

Under his chapter heading RACE AND MYTH, author Koestler states: "The Jews of our times fall into two main divisions: Sephardim and Ashkenazim. The Sephardim are descendants of the Jews who since antiquity had lived in Spain (in Hebrew Sepharad) until they were expelled at the end of the fifteenth century and settled in the countries bordering on the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and to a lesser extent in Western Europe. They spoke a Spanish-Hebrew dialect, Ladino, and preserved their own traditions and religious rites. In the 1960s, the number of Sephardim was estimated at 5000,000.

"The Ashkenazim, at the same period, numbered about eleven million. Thus, in common parlance, Jew is practically synonymous with Ashkenazi Jew....Summing up a very old and bitter controversy in a laconic paragraph, Raphael Patai wrote:2

"The findings of physical anthropology show that, contrary to popular view, there is no Jewish race. Anthropometric measurements of Jewish groups in many parts of the world indicate that they differ greatly from one another with respect to all the important physical characteristics - stature, weight, skin color, cephalic index, facial index, blood groups, etc."

According to Koestler, a "Jew" himself, as well as other "Jewish" authors, there is no such thing as a Jewish race. There is no such thing as a Jewish ethnicity. There IS a Jewish culture - a way they look at the world, a way they treat others who they consider Non-Jews, a way they raise their children to think of themselves, a way of doing business - a Jewish culture, but NOT a Jewish race.

There is NO evidence that any "Jews" can trace their ancestry to Abraham.

                                                      Blessing Abraham's "Heirs"

Christians base their support of the present-day State of Israel and the present-day "Jews" on Genesis 12:1-3,

"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from they kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curse thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Not just "Jewish" families).

This is interpreted by many Christians to mean that God will bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse the Jews. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have just shown that Abraham's "seed" are those who follow Christ! The Jews. in general, and the Jewish religion HATE Christ!

First of all, the present day "Jews" CANNOT trace their ancestry to Abraham as has just been shown.

In addition, the Bible clearly states that being the "offspring of Abraham" is based on spiritual, NOT physical, factors.

In Romans 2:17,25,26,28,29,, Paul points out that someone who is "called a Jew" because he is a physical descendant of Abraham, and yet who lives as a breaker of God's law, "is NOT a Jew."

Romans 9:7 "Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall by seed be called." Abraham had two sons. The first, Ishmael, was born after the flesh. He was a son of "unbelief." Abraham didn't believe that God could give a son to his wife, Sarah, and himself in their very old age.

The second son was Isaac, who was born when Abraham had faith in God's promise (Gen 16:1-3, 15; 21:1-3; Rom 4:18-21) In Galatians 4:22-31, Paul reveals that Ishmael represents unbelieving Jews, while Isaac represents both Jews and Non-Jews who have faith!

In Romans 9:8, Paul concludes by saying, "That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are NOT the children of God; but the children of the promise ARE COUNTED for the seed."

But Galatians 3:16 says: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds, as of many, but as of ONE,' And to your Seed,' who is Christ."

Again Paul says in Galatians 3:29 "And if you are Christ's, then YOU ARE Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

So CLEARLY what God is talking about when He says, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee" are the TRUE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, those who have an intimate relationship with Jesus - THESE are the "True Children of Abraham!" NOT the residents of present-day Israel - - who hate Jesus!

Another text often quoted is Matt 25:40 where Jesus says, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," claiming that Jesus is referring to His "Jewish" brethren.

Jesus is GOD. God is NOT Jewish. Jesus wasn't, and isn't, Jewish. Here Jesus, as a human being, is speaking of His brothers (and sisters) of the human race. Paul, considered to be a Jew of ALL Jews, writes to the "Gentiles" in the books of Romans, Corinthinians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and the other epistles, and over 100 times refers to them as his "brethren." That DOESN'T mean they were "Jewish." They were his brethren in Christ.

Jesus explains this plainly in Matt 12:46-50: "While He talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him.

"Then one said unto Him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

"But He answered and said unto him that told him, 'Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

'And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, 'Behold my mother an my brethren!

"For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the SAME is My brother, and sister, and mother."

The present-day State of Israel is populated by a group of people who are NOT the descendants of Abraham and have NO right to the area of Palestine based on Bible promises nor any factor, other than their indiscriminate use of military force.

I have found no such evidence regarding the Arab population, including the Palestinians. It appears that they may well be able to trace their lineage back to Ishmael and thus to Abraham, Ishmael's father, who was a descendant of Shem, Noah's son. A descendant of Shem is a Shemite or semite.

They (the Palestinians) then are the TRUE semites - and ANY words or actions against THEM (the Palestinians), must be considered Anti-semitism! It would follow then that the State of Israel and the "Jews" around the world are guilty of the most intense and abhorrent anti-semitism against the Palestinians.

Who was the FIRST Jew?

If there is a Jewish race, with "Jewish genes", then WHO was the first "Jew"?

Abraham is often called the "father of the Jewish race," but Abraham was NOT a Jew! He was a Chaldean, from Ur of the Chaldees in the area of Babylon. So was Abraham's wife, Sarah.

Abraham was a "Hebrew" which is NOT synonymous with the word "Jew." The word "Hebrew" means "to pass or to cross over." Abraham "crossed over" the River Euphrates to get to the land of Canaan, but in doing so, his genes DID NOT change into "Jewish genes." Abraham was NOT Jewish! He was a Chaldean, from the area of Babylon!

Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac but neither one could have "Jewish genes" since neither Abraham nor the mothers of the two sons were "Jewish."

Isacc's sons were Jacob and Esau - and NEITHER one was "Jewish." If they were, then when did their "genes" suddenly become Jewish?

Esau became the father of the Edomites - they were definitely NOT Jewish!

Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt, then came out in the Exodus to the wilderness and on to Canaan, 40 years later. But their genes didn't change into Jewish genes along the way.

In fact, the group that came out of Egypt, the Israelites, were called, in the Bible, a MIXED MULTITUDE, meaning that there were others in the group BESIDES the offspring of Jacob.

Then when the Israelites reached the Land of Caanan they intermarried, against God's explicit command, with the pagans who were NON-Israelites, . Obviously, THAT didn't suddenly make them "Jewish."

SO - - - who was the FIRST Jew?

And HOW did ANYONE ever become "Jewish" genetically?

CONCLUSION: There is NO SUCH THING as a Jewish race! There is only a Jewish culture, the culture of the Talmud!

THE PRESENT-DAY"JUDAIZING" OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Over the recent years, there has been a progressive "Judaizing" of the Christian church with claims made that Christianity originated out of Judaism and that Christians owe their religion to the Jews - not only their religion, but their Messiah, Jesus Christ, who, it is claimed, was (is?) Jewish.

We have already addressed the issue of Jesus' ethnic background. Jesus is God! God is NOT Jewish! Jesus wasn't, nor is He now, "Jewish."

As for the question of the origin of the Christian church, Christianity is the absolute antithesis of Judaism. Judaism is Talmudism, the Talmud being the written-down traditions of the Pharisees, the VERY THING Jesus constantly denounced. (Mark 7:6-8) Everything Jesus taught was diametrically opposed to what was taught by the Pharisees, Rabbis and scribes. That's why they were constantly plotting to kill Jesus.

So Christianity did not originate from Judaism. Christianity was a CLEAN BREAK from EVERYTHING Judaism stood for. Christianity owes NOTHING of its beginnings to Judaism.

There is NO SUCH THING as "Judeo-Christian" anything! Judaism and Christianity are ABSOLUTE OPPOSITES!

God doesn't play favorites. He is "the Saviour of ALL mankind." (l Tim 4:10) He came to "seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10) which means EVERYONE, since everyone is lost at one time or another, irrespective of their ethnic or cultural background.

Paul writes that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are ALL ONE in Christ Jesus." Gal 3:28

God loves EVERYBODY the same!


IN CONCLUSION:

1) The "Israel" of the New Testament is composed of the TRUE FOLLOWERS of Christ. It is NOT the literal Israel in Palestine.

2) There is no such thing as a "Jew" in the New Testament. The word is Judean and refers to those, of whatever nationality, who worship the God of heaven, most of whom in Bible times lived in the area of Judea.

3) The word "Gentiles" does NOT appear in the original Scriptures. It is a mistranslation of the word "Nations" meaning those who do not worship the God of heaven.

4) The modern word "Jew" is not a racial or ethnic designation. It refers to a culture or religion.

5) Jesus was (is) NOT a "Jew." Jesus is God! God is NOT Jewish!

6) The promise to Abraham, "And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curse thee" does NOT apply to the Jews! It applies to blessing or cursing the TRUE followers of Christ - the "seed of Abraham." (Rom 2:17-29, 9:8)

7) The majority, if not all of, the "Jews" in the world today are NOT Semitic, nor can they trace their ancestry to Abraham. They are "Gentile" Khazars, so they have no right to the area of Palestine based on ANY Biblical promises!

8) There is NO such thing as a Jewish race, ONLY a Jewish culture - the culture of the Talmud.

9) Christianity does NOT have its roots in Judaism. Christianity was in Christ's time, and is today, the ANTITHESIS of Judaism!

This study reveals the following:

1) In the Old Testament, a man named Jacob is given a SPIRITUAL name, "Israel."

2) The HEIRS of Israel (Jacob) are ALSO called "Israel." And the "heirs" of Israel along with others become the NATION of Israel.

3) The Nation of Israel is called several names by God, including
a) My son, My firstborn
b) a "vine"
c) a "servant"
d) the "seed of Abraham"
e) "My son" that God "brought out of Egypt."

4) In the New Testament, a Divine Man, Christ, is given a SPIRITUAL name, "Israel."

5) The "HEIRS" (Children - followers) of Christ are ALSO called "Israel."

6) Christ is called by God:
a) My Son
b) a "vine"
c) a "servant"
d) the "seed of Abraham"
e) "My Son: that God "brought out of Egypt."

Christ SUCCEEDS everywhere that Israel Failed.

Christ and His HEIRS (Children - followers) are NOW the SPIRITUAL Israel, REPLACING the literal Israel of the Old Testament!

1 Cover piece of: The Thirteenth Tribe, by Arthur Koestler, Random House, N.Y., 1976

2 Enc. Brit. (1973), Vol XII, p. 1054

For more information on this subject, read:

Exploding the Israel Deception, by Steve Wohlberg, published by Amazing Discoveries, 7051 McCart Ave, Fort Worth, Texas 76133.

Israel: Our Duty Our Dilemma, by Theodore Winston Pike, published by Big Sky Press, P.O. Box 203, Oregon City, OR 97045

The Other Israel, (a video). A National Prayer Network Productions, P.O. Box 203 Oregon City, OR 97045

The Lion Out of Judah, by Gordon Ginn, Ph.D., published by Smyrna Publications, P.O. Box 493101, Redding CA 96049

Strong Delusion, by Gordon Ginn, Ph.D., published by Smyrna Publications, P.O. Box 493101, Redding, CA 96049