Bible Studies
Biblical or Not
By Paul Taylor
"When a myth is shared by large numbers of people, it becomes a reality. "~Lawrence Blair
A lie told often enough becomes the truth. Vladimir Lenin
These were more noble, than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11
PT Barnum, founder of Barnum and Baily circus, opined the phrase “ There’s a sucker born every minute”. And the reason being, most individuals will take everything and anything at face value, and as the truth without question or research. Jesus even warned us about deceptions and falsehoods in Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you
But Oh how easily we are deceived!
It’s frustrating to hear a Pastor, Theologian, Teacher or Speaker, all of whom are supposed to be knowledgeable of the subject of which they are speaking, repeat the same erroneous statements others have espoused over the years, without ever questioning and or verifying the information’s accuracy. By ignoring scriptures such Acts 17:11 and Isaiah 28:10, errors are continually taught, and by doing so, they are guilty of reinforcing teachings that are not Biblical, and in some cases are just plain false.
We are admonished to search the scriptures daily, and to verify what we are being taught is the Biblical truth and not a regurgitation of someone, or some organizations motive or agenda.
The various rituals and customs which have crept into the Christian Church over the centuries, and especially in the last 150 – 200 years, are primarily due to a lack of studying God’s word, and the failure of adhering to the advice given in Acts 17:11, all of which has helped to transform the Church, which Jesus established, from the humble and fiery spirit of the early Christians, into today’s lackadaisical corporate church, which in many cases are more reminiscent of a business than a house of prayer and worship. A large portion of the Pastors today, merely buy a canned sermon based on others conjecture and biases, never checking for proof of what is in the sermon. Jesus referred to today’s church as luke warm, and will be spat out of His mouth. Rev.3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth
The early church was on fire for God, willing to face major obstacles of persecution, including the possibility of a cruel and heinous death at the hands of the civil, religious, and pagan unbelievers, as they attempted to spread the gospel truth. Contrast that with today’s politically correct church, catering to the whims and wishes of the present cultural trends, and where the majority attend primarily for prestige, self-honor, and or better business contacts, never bothering to even question the teachings, or peering into the scripture to verify if it is so. Sadly many others attend church merely as a weekly ritual; without a clue as to why they even attend.
Now these same people will curse you, and threaten you, when you present them with the truth, even though they’ve never bothered to read or study the subject, “my pastor or teacher said so, and I believe them as they are very knowledgeable of the Bible.” This is the typical answer from most, and with that being said, it brings me to the subject of this article, “Are the Jews God’s Chosen People?” Many believe this to be true, and many sermons, teachings and prosperity gospel mega-churches are based on this statement, but, is this a truly Biblical statement? Hopefully this study will give insight, and the truthful answer as found in the Holy Bible.
Over the years I have heard many speakers, teachers and Pastors refer to the Jews as being God’s chosen people, that there will be 144,000 evangelical “Jews” in the last days preaching the gospel during the so called seven year tribulation period for a great revival; Moses brought the “Jews” out from the bondage of the Egyptians, and the “Seventh Day(Saturday) Sabbath is for the Jews only”. There are others, but I am going to focus on only the first two, I have already covered the Seventh day Sabbath in another lengthy article of which I plan to update soon.
I have spent countless hours studying the Bible and searching for scriptures which would confirm the Jews as God’s chosen people, or verifying a 144,000 evangelical Jews in the last days would be preaching a revival, and the Seventh Day Sabbath is for the Jews only, but as of this writing, I have not found a single verse of scripture which would confirm or support these teachings, but, on the other hand numerous scriptures refuting these teachings as being in error, un-Biblical, and false. In essence they are the teachings and commandments of man. Jesus himself faced this same problem in His confrontations with the religious leaders and teachers of His day. Matt.7:7 howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men
Matt.22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Wow! The more things change the more they remain the same. Today the Christian denominations are for the most part Biblically illiterate, (in fact, a recent Pew study found that 96% confessing Christians are Biblically illiterate.) and fully engulfed in deceptive teachings which are completely contrary to Biblical scripture, but, as it were with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, teaching the traditions and commandments of men, so is the modern Christian church following the same dogma with their doctrines, rituals and agendas which conflict with scripture, and in most cases are false, paganistic and unbiblical.
Today there are over 1200 Christian denominations in the USA alone, and the number is increasing. Now add to that an excess of 150 various versions of the Holy Bible, and a 96% illiteracy rate, and ask yourself this question, if we have one set of scriptures, one Jesus, and one Creator God, then why is there so many different denominations and Bible versions, teaching so many different philosophies, beliefs, doctrines and rituals? Would you agree, that, with this many various interpretations from a single source, that surely there are deceptions and errors taking place?
But, it’s easy when you are unaware of what the scriptures teach.My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6
There are some Christian denominations which have written their own Bibles, such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as the Catholics to support their doctrines and or agenda. The original Geneva Study Bible of 1599, and the King James version, which was copied from the Geneva Bible, is gradually being replaced with numerous other versions which have taken it upon themselves to remove and or rewrite important scriptures, instilling their own bias, making changes which dilute and water down the deity, holiness and salvation offered by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, stripping away the true meaning of the coming of the Messiah for the redemption of a sinful world; the sad part is, the Christian culture has, and continues to fall for these deceptions, hook, line, and sinker, as they constantly strive to maintain political correctness, preaching what is pleasant to the ears, fearing they might offend by speaking the truth, and will therefore refuse to preach or teach the truth for fear of a backlash that would hurt the bank account, or there community stature, proving , there is deception, and a lack of belief and faith, in the creator and founder of the church, Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 4:3,4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
So, Who are the Jews?
We begin with the question of, who are the Jews, where did they originate from, and if God is such a loving, compassionate, and forgiving Spirit, then why would He bless only the Jews and not any other tribe or people?
Most Christians would be hard pressed to truthfully answer such a question as to who this group is, but most would likely give the following answer “the Jews have been around since the beginning and they are Gods chosen people, and we are to support and bless them”. But, are they correct, is this Biblical, or are they merely repeating an error which has been handed down for many generations? Stay tuned
As you study the Bible, you begin to see a different perspective of what is being taught, versus what the Bible actually teaches, and you begin to see the truth of a God who truly loves His creation, not just one group, and not a tyrant waiting for a chance to zap you when you make a mistake, but a patient, loving ,compassionate omnipotent God, whose desire is for all of His creation to reconcile and come back to the foal.
Genesis 12:3 is one of the more commonly used scriptures cited to specify the Jews as being God’s chosen people. This scripture, like many others, are taken completely out of context by quoting only the portion which fits the doctrine and or agenda, and is used to justify the error, or to further the agenda that is being taught. The scripture reads as follows; …. and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: Gen.12:3
I have heard many Pastors misquote this scripture and refer to the Jews as being the recipient of this blessing, but if we read the full text of scripture, which includes the 1st and 2nd verse of this passage, we are confronted with something completely different than what is being taught. There is no indication of the blessing or curse being directed at the Jews; in fact the Jews are not even mentioned. Instead of the scripture indicating a blessing of the Jews, the blessing is directed towards an entirely different recipient, a person whose name has not been previously mentioned, in fact, this is the first reference, other than the reference indicated in his genealogy in Genesis 11, so who is the scripture referring to, and who is this person?
The majority of Christian evangelicals, preachers, teachers, and writers continue to emphasize the scripture is referring to the Jewish people, and by continuing to teach this error, it is accepted as truth, and the error continues to be espoused, as most Christians will not open their Bibles to study for themselves, therefore continuing to believe and carry on the false teachings of this error.
Now, let’s back up to the first verse of Genesis 12, and read the two verses prior to the verse quoted as being directed to the Jewish people; 1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2 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: 3 and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:Gen.12:1-3
Now, when we read the entire scripture we get a completely different picture. Does any verse refer to anything Jewish? Is there any mention of a Jew? Then to whom is God speaking. If not to the Jews, then who is verse 3 referring to?
Verse 1&2 indicates a conversation that God is having with an individual by the name of Abram, but who is Abram, is he a Jew?
If we back up to Genesis 11, we are given the ancestry of this man named Abram, as a direct descendant of Shem, one of Noah’s sons. This chapter of Genesis tells us that Abram was born the son of Terah, of the lineage of Shem, and after the flood settled in the land of Shinar, or the land of Ur of the Chaldeans as it was later referred to and today we know it as Iraq.
In Genesis 12, God speaks to Abram giving him instructions to leave his homeland, the land of Ur and go to a land that He (God) would show him, and there He would make of him a great nation and his name would be well known throughout the world.
This event took place around 1900-2000 years after creation, and up until this time there is no mention of anything Jewish, so we can truthfully, and Biblically say, Abram was not a Jew or of a Jewish background, so therefore the blessing and or curse of Genesis 12:3 is not referring to a Jewish people, but rather to this man called Abram, a descendent of Shem, the son of Noah, to whom God is speaking and directing to move to another land in which God would make of him a great nation.
The land of Ur of the Chaldeans was highly paganistic with low moral standards due to the rituals and sacrifices they made to the various gods of that era. This was also the land where the tower of Babel was built as a stairway to Heaven, and because of this, God came down and confounded the language so the people could not communicate with each other, thereby bringing a halt to its construction and scattering the descendants of Noah in different directions.
Joshua speaks of the strange gods of which the people of that time were serving and worshipping
Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
So if Abrams father served other gods, then we know this was a very paganistic society of which Abram was a part of, but why would the God of creation choose a paganistic individual to move to a strange land and promise to bless him for doing so? We don’t know, and the Bible doesn’t say why God Chose Abram over all the other people of that time, or why the descendent of Shem, rather than Ham or Japheth, but God has His plan and we cannot fully understand the workings of our Heavenly Father as is pointed out in Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts
We can speculate that Abram had a higher moral standard amongst his people, having somehow been exposed to the teachings of the God of creation through the oral tradition of that era, and was therefore closer to God than most of the society in which he was a part of. What- ever the reason God chose Abram, Abram obeyed, gathering his family, Sarai his wife, Lot his nephew and all their possessions, and at the age of 75 years, picked up and began a journey to an unknown land. Abram didn’t have a clue as to where he was going or what lay ahead, but with his faith in the God of creation, obeyed without a whimper. Abrams obedience and faith would result in the blessings that he, his seed, and all of mankind would receive.
Abram and his company of family and possessions crossed over into the land of Canaan and unto the plain of Moreh, where God again appeared unto him; the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: Gen.12:7 This time God repeated the promise which He had made to Abram in the land of Ur, but this time God adds to the promise because of Abrams obedience. The promise now includes the seed, or offspring and descendants of Abram, and again we see no mention of the Jews. (emphasis mine)
In Genesis 13:14-16God again makes the promise even greater than before; 14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. This time God throws in all the land as far as the eye could see, this would be for his seed which would number as the dust of the earth; 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Can anyone count the dust particles of the earth? The number is beyond comprehension, and again no mention of the Jewish people.
If we accept what todays Pastors and teachers are teaching and preaching, then the verses of Genesis 12:1-3 would read “1 Now the LORD had said unto the Jew Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2 And I will make of thee (the Jews) a great nation, and I will bless thee (the Jews), and make thy name great; and thou (the Jews) shalt be a blessing: But the scripture makes no mention of the Jewish people. Fact is, there were no Jewish people at this point of Biblical history, so this has to be an erroneous teaching hatched out by man for some unknown reason.
How interesting, that we can read over five hundred pages of the Bible before we find mention of a Jew anywhere. So my question is, where are the scriptures pointing to the statement, “The Jews are God’s Chosen People” ?
*****.The word/name, “JEW” did not appear until around 600-700 BC. During the reign of Ahaz, (2Kngs.16:6) which is nearly 3500 years after creation, so my question is, where are the scriptures pointing to this statement of, “The Jews are God’s Chosen People” ?
The term "Jew' originated in the late eighteenth century as an abbreviation of the term Judean and refers to a resident of Judea without regard to race or religion. People now referred to as "Jews", were known as "Pharisees". "Judaism" today and "Pharisaism" in the time of Jesus are the same
As we progress through this study I am sure you will see the errors which have been taught through the years concerning the Jewish people.
Deut.7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth
Here we see another verse of scripture, this one from Deuteronomy chapter 7, which is also used by the Jews as well as the mainstream Christian denominations to support the view of the Jews being God’s chosen people. The verse does proclaim the people being spoken of, are a holy people, chosen by God, above all people on earth.
But, there is a problem with the interpretation, and the latitude many are taking with this verse. Many Christian denominations, as well as the Jewish segment, make the claim that this verse is referring to the Jewish people as being God’s chosen people above all people on the earth. First, and foremost this verse makes no mention of Jewish people, second, and as I noted earlier, there were no Jews at this point in history, so how can this verse be alluding to the Jewish people?
We have to read all the scripture associated with this particular portion (Deut.7:6), to understand to whom the verse is alluding to, so let’s back up and read the first 6 verses of Deuteronomy 7 and see if God is speaking to a Jewish nation.
Deut.7:1-6 1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. 5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. 6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
After reading these 6 verses, where does it mention the Jewish people? Whom did God bring into this land to possess as their own? The Jewish people? Let’s keep digging for the answers, as the Bible never contradicts itself, and will give us the true answers.
In the 1st verse, God is bringing in someone to possess a land which He had promised to an obedient and faithful servant in a past encounter. As a reminder here is the promise; Gen.13:14-15 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.(emphasis is mine)
In Genesis 13 God is making a promise to Abram that He would give him, (Abram) possession of all the land which his eye could see, and to his ( Abrams’s) seed forever, so God is promising this land to Abrams descendants. Now the question arises as to whom are the descendants of Abram? Are they the Jews? Keep reading.
Abram, a man of 75 years of age, blindly and obediently followed God’s instructions to leave his family roots in the land of Ur, and sojourn to an unknown land to which God would show him, exhibited an immense amount of faith in his belief that God would protect him and fulfill the blessings He had promised. Abrams only ties to family was his nephew Lot, and his family which accompanied him on this journey.
Abram, like most humans, are impatient, and reluctant to abide with God’s timetable, expecting instant results when God makes a promise. But, we have to understand that God’s ways are not our ways as is indicated in Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Because of their age, Sarai 66, Abram 75, and Sarai being well past child bearing age and barren of children, began to reason, tif the promise was true, they would need to take matters into their own hands in order for an heir to continue the lineage and multiply as God had promised, and with these doubts and a waning faith, they took action to rectify the situation, which did not have the outcome they had wished for. Please study the book of Genesis and the life of Abraham and see the results of not trusting in God’s promises, but attempting to do it our way. You will gain a better understanding of the deceptions which are being taught throughout the Christian community. Time and space does not allow me to cover but only the highlights of this intriguing saga.
In desperation for an heir, Sarai gave her handmaiden Hagar to Abram as a surrogate to bear a child in order to fulfill the promise made in Genesis 12 and 13. The consummation of Hagar and Abram resulted in the birth of a son by Hagar, whom they named Ishmael, which means in Hebrew, “God hears”.
As we move forward in this study to Genesis 17 we see God at work again in Abrams life, and this time God makes another major change to Abrams life. This time God changes the name of Abram to Abraham, as He again reinforces and confirms the original covenant which He had earlier made to Abram .
Abraham and Sarah had lost faith and attempted to rush God’s plan, failing miserably. God is now speaking to Abram at the age of 99 and Sarai at the age of 90, and is telling Abram to walk perfect in His sight, (in other words, trust me!) and these blessings will be forthcoming. Genesis 17:1,2 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly
God is reminding Abram of the earlier promise He had made to him, and Abrams reluctance to await God’s timetable, as He instructs Abram to walk in obedience to His will.
Genesis 17:4-6 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father ofmany nations.5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. (emphasis is mine)
As we read further in the scripture we see God is again promising to make Abram a father of many nations in which many nations and kings would come from his lineage. Notice, the wording for kings and nations are plural, not singular, thereby denoting more than one group or king.
God is now changing Abrams name from Abram to Abraham, and this is a very significant move, as names in the Hebrew culture conveyed a lot of meaning. The name Abram means “High Father”, but the new name of Abraham carried a stronger and more significant meaning of “Father of a Multitude”. Now God has not only confirmed the promise of Abrams seeds being so numerous they could not be counted, but is also changing his name to reflect and strengthen the promise of being the father of many nations and peoples.
We have now come to the point of Biblical history where Abram and Sarai, even though they were in their 90’s, would conceive and bear a son whom they would call Isaac. Isaac and his wife Rebecca would in turn produce two sons, Esau and Jacob. God also confirms this covenant with Isaac and his seed.
Genesis 17:20-21 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. (emphasis is mine)
God is now confirming that the promise, or covenant, would now pass through the lineage of Isaac, not Ishmael. Ishmael was not the promised heir, but a product of human desires, whereas Isaac was a product of the spirit, the workings of God himself in the lives of Abraham and Sarah. A lesson we need to learn by “letting go, and let God” We should put our full trust and faith in God and not in our carnal selves.
Ishmael, though not the promised heir, would also be a part of this blessing since he is of the seed of Abraham, and would also be a father of nations, namely parts of the Arab world.
As we move forward, we see Isaac has taken a wife by the name of Rebecca, and Rebecca becomes pregnant with twins; Genesis 25:23And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.(Rom 9:12)
Rebecca gives birth to twin sons, one named Esau, and the other Jacob; Esau being the first to be born and therefore considered the eldest, and the heir to the birthright, but things were to change as deceit and treachery arises in this family.
As Esau and Jacob grow into manhood, one becomes an outdoorsman and hunter becoming the favored of his father Isaac, the other a homebody, the Mothers favorite, which leads to rivalry and deception. Genesis 27 tells the story of the deception Jacob and his Mother instituted against Esau and Isaac for the blessing and the birthright.
Moving onto Genesis 28:3 we have Isaac bestowing the promised blessing upon Jacob;And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; (emphasis is mine) Still no mention of the Jewish people, but rather a multitude of peoples
Jacob, because of the deception is forced to flee from his brother into another land, to his mother’s brother Laban where he himself would suffer humiliating deceptions at the hand of Laban, forced to work 14 years for the woman he truly loved, Rachael, but God has not forgotten the promise he made to Abraham, and He visits Jacob in a dream to reconfirm this promise;
Genesis 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (see Gen.13:14,15) (emphasis is mine)
Again we see the same blessing being promised to the seed of Jacob as a continuing line of descendants from Abraham is followed with this blessing.
The story of Jacob is a story filled with deceit, murder, sex and jealousy as he takes on two wives, Leah whom Laban deceitfully switched for Rachel, and after 14 years of working for Laban he gets Rachael, the one he truly loved and wanted first; the rape of Dinah, and the repercussions the brothers, Levi and Simeon brought against Hamor and Shechem for the defilement of their sister, Dinah. All this resulted in Jacob having to go on the run again.
Later, as Jacob makes the trip back to his brother Esau to make reconciliations, he is again confronted by God, and in Genesis 32, we read of the all night struggle Jacob had with Him, and then in verse 27 and 28 something strange takes place as God speaks to Jacob; 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
In this verse we find the first mention of the word Israel, and it is the name of a man, as God changes Jacobs name from Jacob to Israel.
Jacob and his two wives Rachael and Leah, along with their handmaids produced 12 sons, and are referred to as the 12 tribes of Israel, the nations of Israel, or the children of Israel, all one and the same. Here I am listing all the names of the twelve sons of Israel their birth order, and their mother;
SON MOTHER
1. Reuben Leah
2. Simeon Leah
3. Levi Leah
4. Judah Leah
5. Issachar Leah
6. Zebulun Leah
7. Dan Bilhah (Rachael’s handmaid)
8. Naphtali Bilhah (Rachael’s handmaid)
9. Gad Zilpah (Leah’s handmaid)
10 Asher Zilpah (Leah’s handmaid)
11 Joseph Rachael
12 Benjamin Rachael
These are the twelve sons of Jacob and are referred to in the remainder of the Bible as the “12 tribes of Israel” or the nations of Israel. Genesis 17:6 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
Now after looking at the history and life of Abraham and his son Isaac, and grandsons Esau and Jacob, we should be getting a clearer picture as to whom and what the promise to Abram in Genesis 12 involved. We see this promise was not directed to the Jewish people but rather to a multitude of nations, namely Israel, which comprises the sum of the twelve tribes of Israel. Many nations and Kings have arisen from these tribes as they were scattered over the globe due to their disobedience to God. God allowed the Assyrians to overrun and take captive the 10 northern tribes of Israel. The two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained at Jerusalem until they too were taken captive by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, as God’s judgement for their utter disobedience to His commandments and statutes; and their remained for seventy years until Artaxerxes gave the command for them to return to Jerusalem. This is another very interesting study and well worth the time and effort, there is a lot more but I have not the time or space to cover it.
We’ve all heard the story of Joseph one of the twelve sons of Jacob, despised by his brothers and sold into slavery as a result of their jealousy towards him. Joseph ended up in Egypt, and there he suffered severe persecutions because of his reluctance to disobey God’s commandments. For remaining obedient to God’s moral laws, he was blessed by God, and eventually became an extremely powerful individual in Pharaoh’s court.
The next scripture is a prophecy which would befall the twelve tribes of Israel , which God revealed to Abram in Genesis 15:13, 14 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. Acts 7:6, 7
Because of the seven year famine upon all the lands, Jacob sent his sons, the brothers of Joseph to Egypt in search of food, which in turn led to the Hebrews, (the twelve tribes of Israel) being captive in Egypt for 400 years. God is never slack or forgetful with the promises He makes, or His prophecies, and after 400 years of bondage to the Egyptians, God makes His move with Moses, born a Hebrew, but raised and educated as an Egyptian in the court of Pharaoh, and through divine acts of God, Pharaoh releases the Hebrews from their captivity.
God led the Hebrews (twelve tribes of Israel) out of the bondage of the Egyptians, across the Red Sea and into a wilderness where they were to remain for forty years, again as punishment for their continuous lack of faith and disobedience.
Deut.6:10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, (emphasis is mine)
Earlier I posed this question, whom was God bringing into this land?, we can now say with certainty that it was not a Jewish nation, as they didn’t exist, and I have through scripture shown this, but rather a multitude of nations known as the Children of Israel, or the 12 tribes of Israel which God is bringing into the land to fulfill the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 13:14-16.
If we move forward to Genesis chapter 49 we see the dying Jacob passing his blessings onto the sons as was the custom. Usually it is the eldest son who receives the birthright but in Jacobs’s case this was not to be the norm. Reuben had lain with one of his father’s concubines. Simeon and Levi, because of the incident with Dinah, and the resulting repercussion they exacted against Hamor and Shechem, also carried a curse.
When we get to the blessing of Judah we see a different type blessing being imposed. Keep in mind that Judah was no angel and the scriptures bear this out. Remember Judah was the brother who sold for money his younger brother Joseph into slavery, and later impregnated his daughter-in-law, but a blessing of immense magnitude was to be passed to Judah, because the Messiah was to come from the lineage of Judah. Let’s read the text in Genesis 49 concerning the blessing of Judah.
Genesis 49:8-10 8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
The blessing in this scripture is indicating the rulers or kings of Israel would come out of Judah’s lineage, and all of Israel, (the 12 tribes) would be ruled by these Kings until Shiloh (the Messiah, Jesus) arrives on the scene, at which time the scepter would pass to Jesus, thereby ending the role of Judah as the holder of the law (the scepter).
We should by now understand the descendants (seed) of Abraham are the twelve tribes of Israel, or the children of Israel, which are the recipients of the blessing or promise which God made to Abraham when He brought him out of the land of Ur and into the land of Cana.
The nation of present day Israel ,which is Jewish, is not the Israel which the Bible speaks of, but a multitude of people from the 12 tribes and from all nations whom trust in and follow Jesus Christ, the son of the living God and to whom the sceptre was passed to as mentioned in Gen.48:10.
Judah would relinquish the sceptre, or role as the lineage of Kings. Jesus would now assume this role as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but the Jewish people rejected the Messiah as a troublemaker and as a threat to their authority and prestige, mercilessly humiliating Him and lastly having Him cruelly crucified on a cross, lifted up in a humiliating state for all to mock and laugh at.
We have to step back, look at the whole picture and ask ourselves, does God operate on a double standard, when it comes to His creation? Does He allow for disobedience for one sect and not for the other? Does His word and authority carry a different set of rules for the Jews and yet another set for everyone else?
If we study our Bibles, not just read it, and strive to learn about God, we will come to the realization that God does not, and cannot operate on a double standard as humans do. We have all experienced the double standard in the enforcement, or lack thereof, of various rules and laws in this lifetime, and the end results of such; but God being the creator of everything in the universe, certainly knows and understands the ramifications of using a double standard.
There are preachers and teachers teaching the false narrative of the Jews being the chosen above all mankind and are therefore exempt from accepting Jesus as the Son of God and/or as their Savior.
Let’s look at a few verses of scripture and see if they are exempt from believing in Jesus and if God reigns with a double standard.
In the book of Acts we are told that there is only one way to heaven and eternal life and that is through Jesus Christ;
Acts 4:10, 12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole……. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
These 2 verses from Acts 4 are very blunt and to the point as it is addressing the Jews as well as all of Israel, that no one, (Jew, Gentile, Greek the 12 tribes of Israel, etc) can receive eternal life without Jesus, and the Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah or the Savior, but rather identify Him as an illegitimate son of a harlot named Mary, who was an instigator and troublemaker to the Jews and the Romans.
Now if God is true to His word and doesn’t operate on a double standard, then the Jews do not have a different way to the Father, but must go through Jesus, whom they deny: Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
This verse alone says the Jews in particular, and any other person or groups which deny that Jesus is the Son of God will not be taking the trip to the eternal paradise which God has erected for those that love and follow Jesus. 1st John 5:11-12 tells us that those who do not have the Son (Jesus) will not have eternal life in the heavenly home of the redeemed; 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
2nd Chronicles 19:2 tells us that God sends wrath on those which hate Him, and the Jews hate Jesus, so why would God bless someone who hates His Son.
2nd Chronicles 19:2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD
Now let’s take a quick look at the deceptive teaching that 144,000 evangelical Jews will be preaching the gospel of Jesus, in a great end time revival.
The Bible does mention 144,000 saints in the end-times, but makes no mention of them being Jewish or evangelizing the world. Let’s look at this scripture, and see just what it says; and if it truly says 144,000 Jewish Evangelist. The text can be found in the book of Revelation and this is the only reference in the Bible to the 144,000.
Revelation 7:1-8 1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
The scripture says there will be sealed a total of 144,000 servants of God, not from the Jewish community, but from the children of Israel (the 12 tribes of Israel). There will be a total of 12,000 servants sealed from each of the twelve tribes of Israel for a total of 144,000 servants. Nowhere in this scripture is there a mention of the Jewish nation having 144,000 Jews sealed, rather the whole house of Israel will be a part of this sealing.
Every tribe will be represented equally, with the exception of the tribe of Dan. Dan was cast out because he rejected the worship of God, leading the northern ten tribes into Idolatry .
When we take someone else’s word for something as being the truth without questioning or researching, then we are setting ourselves up for some major deceptions and let downs. In this study I have shown the relevant scriptures indicating the Jews are not God’s chosen people,( but they were chosen for a specific task) as is being taught in the Christian and Jewish circles. We have seen through scripture, the children of Israel are the chosen people and the Jews are among these chosen, but represent only 1/12.
All those accepting Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who died for our sins and on the third day was resurrected, is a seed of Abraham and has a part of the covenant promised to Abraham for his faith and obedience. Acts 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed
Gal.3: 27-29 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise
In conclusion I hope I have answered, “ARE THE JEWS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE?, but, if not, I hope to have spiked your interest to begin studying the Bible for yourself, searching for the truth as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. I admonish each one reading this, do your own research and study on this, as well as other subjects of the Bible that are being erroneously taught. According to Genesis 49:10 Judah was chosen as the lineage of which Christ would come from, and upon Jesus’s arrival on the scene, Judah would relinquish the sceptre, or role as the lineage of Kings.
Please, study your Bible, don’t just read it, and use either the King James or the Geneva 1599 Bible, which is the original Study Bible, meticulously translated from the original Greek and Hebrew by exiled Christians in Geneva Switzerland, whom had escaped the Papal persecuting powers of the Roman Catholic Church during the reformation period.
Today’s new Bible versions are being written in a politically correct fashion, removing scriptures which change the meaning, or may offend one group or another, de-gendering (gender neutral), and adding their commentary; in essence, Satan is being aided in his attempt at the destruction of the true word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ through the rewriting of the Holy Scriptures deceiving millions into believing a lie.
All rights reserved worldwide copyright 2017/2018 by Paul L. Taylor all scripture from King James version unless noted [email protected]
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