DISCOVERING OUR ANCESTRY DISCOVERING OUR ANCESTRY DISCOVERING OUR ANCESTRY DISCOVERING OUR ANCESTRY
Introduction
In the first chapter we covered how history has shaped the way we view our Bibles. Out of those eleven summary points hopefully you were able to identify with them in one way or another, as those summary points are the main reasons why we don’t see unity in the Body of Messiah.
As we shared in the last chapter it was “Hellenistic thought” that infiltrated the minds of the entire world, even influencing many Judeans (Jews) themselves at the time the New Testament events were unfolding. Here is a clear example of that mindset with the people that manifested after Paul (Sha’ual) healed a man who had been lame from birth (Acts 14:8-10):
ACTS 14:11-13 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
(Show Hellenistic Age timeline)
I used to look at this story and think how insane these people were to think that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul (Sha’ual) was Hermes, and that these gods did this work. As we have come to view the scriptures as one seamless story on an unfolding historical timeline we find that the backdrop of this story in Lystra was that the people were just a product of their religious environment, corrupted from the influence discussed in the prior chapter.
You may be wondering what the importance of this story has to do with us in the 21st century as you might be saying to yourself “I don’t call anybody Zeus or Hermes”. It is true that we wouldn’t mistakenly call any of Yahuah’s (God’s) servants Zeus or Hermes, nor would we be tempted to offer animal sacrifices to them simply because sacrifices are not a part of our obedience to our covenant. But, instead we still find that many submit their souls to a culture and a society of religion which is acceptable to the masses. These societal influences that we see in the Book of Acts simply
changed over many years and morphed into different practices. We will discuss more on this topic in a later chapter entitled Golden Calf Worship System.
With history being so important to accurately portray in order to properly interpret the Scriptures, we will explain how and why the faith once entrusted to the Apostles left its foundation. Also, we will take a look at who the true ancestors of our faith are to better understand our identity as a believer in Yahusha (Jesus). Would you agree that discovering a change in our identity and how we perceive ourselves is a very difficult task, but most rewarding as long as the new identity brings us revelation of who we truly are?
Our hearts must remain like a child in our ability to learn and grow closer to our Messiah and this can only happen if we allow ourselves to be a ‘new wineskin’ (teachable), and we love Yahusha (Jesus) more than we love our own lives.
GALATIANS 2:20 I have been crucified with Messiah (Christ) and I no longer live, but Messiah (Christ) lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of Yahuah (God), who loved me and gave himself for me.
The depth and gravity of your true identity in Yahusha Messiah (Jesus Christ) cannot be fully received without a soul who has gone through the threshold of dying to self will and living solely for the Savior.
Have you died to your own desires? If you haven’t scripture clearly states that you must. However, if you have been baptized into His death (Romans 6:3-6) then it will be much easier for you to embrace this deeper understanding of who you are in the Savior. It will also be easier for you to then let go of who you have been told you are with connecting your identity primarily to a religious “church” system. May we all die daily to our own wants and needs and become more and more alive to Yahusha (Jesus) and His truth.
Your orphan family
Let’s imagine for a second that you’re someone who grew up with everything a kid would need for a healthy and happy childhood. You were very privileged compared to most of the kids you went to school with and you couldn’t have imagined your home life to be any more satisfactory and fulfilling than it was. Your parents were very loving towards you and you were an only child so you were the only one receiving all of the love your parents had to offer. And, you also had a very tight knit extended family that lived in the neighborhood with plenty of relatives to grow close to.
As life moved into your middle teens it was time to start learning the family business that had successfully provided this incredible lifestyle that you had the privilege of living. With the special bond you shared with your parents, it was an easy decision to begin contributing and learning the business, of what one day you were sure to inherit and take over yourself. This was your destiny.
As we move along in your life we arrive in your middle twenties and things are seemingly going according to plan. By this point in time you are a well-oiled machine with all of the ins and outs of the daily operations of the family business. But, also at this point in time you are having some underlining questions that keep nagging you. One of them being, WHY am I really doing what I’m doing? The business isn’t necessarily un-enjoyable, it’s just that these questions continue aching your soul like; Am I actually doing what I was created to do…is there more to me than what I was born into? But then you think how could there be more than this life that you’ve been so privileged to have, that anyone in their right mind would long to have.
A couple of years go by and then, out of nowhere, your life is struck with the tragedy of both of your parents dying. This emptiness that was already nagging you becomes magnified, but you must be strong as the business must carry on. This business provides work for many, family and non-family members alike, and you’re doing a noble thing making sure it remains successful.
We now arrive a few months or so later from this tragic event. The challenge has been met of successfully keeping the business moving along. As the ship becomes steadied, so to speak, there is this pull to start dealing with the emptiness of your loss. As you begin going through old family albums and desk drawers of paperwork your parents left behind you discover the shock of your life. You come across a certificate of adoption with your name on it, or better put, the name your adoptive parents gave you. You are instantly flooded with all kinds of conflicting emotions. After then dealing with hours of tears in sorting through these emotions, you remember not so long ago, even before the tragedy, there were those nagging underlining questions of “was I truly where I was supposed to be?” Part of you felt relief that your prior thoughts were validated, but another part was also angry that you were never told that you were adopted. You felt like you were deceived and lied to. The facts remain though; nothing could now reverse this event of you finding out the truth. You knew you would have to deal with it in one way or another.
As the robotic demands of your life increasingly make you feel as if you’re just going through the motions without passion or purpose, the question of your true heritage continues to plague you. You are at a major crossroads on whether you begin to venture down the road of finding your biological family or not, and you know your
discoveries could very likely rock the boat on the privileged life and the extended family you do have. You are keenly aware that if you go down that road everything could dramatically change. After a short time at this crossroads you actually put off the pursuit. Your reason being is because your adoptive parents laid down their lives for you and treated you as one of their own so this must be all that God had intended. Your strong emotional ties make you bury the questions once more.
As three more years go by of carrying on with the life you were adopted into you realize that the only way to settle this question in your heart is to finally have the courage to investigate into your natural ancestry. No longer will you remain in darkness as you know the truth will only set you free, no matter the emotional cost of discovery.
As we look at this story, it should be obvious the parallel to most believers that have had the challenge after “believing in Jesus” and the effects this had on your natural family that didn’t share your new views. Verses like Matthew 10:35 may come to mind which states the Savior came to set a man against his father and a woman against her mother.
What I would like to present to you is looking at this from a different paradigm. Let’s say, in comparing the story, that the child was born again into a privileged church home. The family business, so to speak, is the way your family church is run. This family church has been tremendous in showering you with love and you’ve grown so much in the time you have been a part of it. You truly consider this your spiritual family as you’ve built many amazing relationships along the way.
Over a period of time you begin having these nagging thoughts of, is there more to what I have been taught. Is my destiny truly secure with my position within this family church? What if, like the story, you discovered that your true ancestors or the “Church Fathers” that you were taught weren’t actually your “Church Fathers” but your true Fathers of the faith were a different group of men altogether? This would create quite a dilemma; do I pursue what I believe to be my true ancestry or do I ignore it and remain in the privileged situation I’m in with my Church Family.
By going down that road of discovery you realize that what you find might drastically change your current situation. Would you willingly ignore information that could hold your true destiny, just to not rock the boat of your current situation? It shouldn’t matter how good your situation is, it should just matter what the truth is right?
What if you knew that this had everything to do with the parable of the ten virgins? Remember, five were wise and five were foolish. At a certain point in time it will be too late to explore into these all important issues and you could be one who is caught off guard, like the foolish virgins.
If you do find a deeper truth to your heritage that gives you a clearer perspective and a closer relationship with Jesus (Yahusha), your TRUE FRIENDS should be more than happy to explore into what you have found.
MATTHEW 12:46-50 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” But Yahusha (Jesus) answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
We should ask ourselves what true friendship is in the eyes of our Master. The one who shared that Yahusha’s (Jesus’) mother and brother were outside wasn’t lying about the fact that it really was His natural mother and brother outside; it’s just that Yahusha (Jesus) was sharing a tough but true message of what family is according to His Kingdom and how all that matters is doing the will of My Father. He’s saying how there should be no relationship that would prevent you from being My disciple and doing the will of the Father.
The fact, as history clearly shows, is that Ignatius of Antioch, Justyn Martyr, Origen, Marcion, Tertullian, Constantine, and eventually Martin Luther, among a few others not mentioned here, are considered the Christian “Church” Fathers. You will not get an argument from any theological seminary studied Pastors on this fact. The question is; if your church organization adopted you into these fathers and they’re not the TRUE fathers of our faith, are you OK with this? It’s not that going to church is necessarily the problem; it’s just that a great majority of churches, if not all, anchor their heritage into these Founding Church Fathers.
Before we show you the inception of error that caused the faith to leave its foundation, let’s start out by examining the book of Jude. This book is the last book before the book of Revelation. As we have mentioned a few times already, these letters (the New Testament) were written to believers in Messiah, so if there are any warnings about sin, they are warnings to us as believers. There is only one chapter in this book (letter) and it was written by Jude, a servant (Jude verse 1) of Yahusha Messiah (Jesus Christ). It was written somewhere between 70 - 80 A.D., which is the exact timeframe we will be discussing here shortly, and where faith in Yahusha Messiah (Jesus Christ) began leaving its proper foundation. This section of the New Testament is so crucial for us to understand as believers today. Let’s begin in verse 5…
JUDE verses 5-6 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our Eloah (God) into a license for immorality and deny Yahusha Messiah (Jesus Christ) our only Sovereign and Master (Lord). Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that Yahuah (the Lord) at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
Notice: Jude mentions there were individuals who slipped in among the true set apart believers. Also notice: They pervert the grace of Yahuah (God) into a license for immorality.
This warning tells us that “the grace” we have been given by Yahuah (God) does not excuse us to continue on in any state of sin. Continuing in sin means you are actually denying Yahusha Messiah (Jesus Christ) whether you want to believe it or not. He then warns us about what happened to the children of Israel who were “delivered” or “saved” out of Egypt, yet were later destroyed for disobedience. We must take heed to this warning and ask ourselves that if this warning is given to us as believers as an example, it becomes crucial that we re-examine what is required of us in our walk with our Savior.
JUDE vs. 8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, Remember: It was Marcion, as covered in the first chapter, who taught from the dualistic approach to flesh and spirit, what the flesh does is irrelevant and just a passing phase of our existence. This mindset in one way or another has crept into the minds of believers today. According to this warning we must discover what polluting our bodies means scripturally. Also notice: it is by the strength of their dreams they do this.
How many teachers today talk about God (Yahuah) fulfilling your dreams? This teaching is truly against being a disciple (bond servant) of Messiah. When your heart is consecrated to Yahusha (Jesus) your only dream ends up being to please your heavenly Father with the gifts you have been given, using them to help serve others.
JUDE vs. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
As this warning went out to the first century believers remember it was Rome who was becoming a world power to eventually be solidified by Constantine. As a new form of faith in Messiah was coming together it would prove to be very lucrative as politics and this new religion called “Christianity” began to merge, eventually becoming “the emperor’s Religion”. Today Balaam’s error is masked more and more by “church leaders” who profit and live very good lives off of the tithes from their congregants.
If you know the story of Korah’s rebellion you would know that Korah himself challenged the prophetic authority of Moses, wanting to take part in the priesthood without fulfilling its requirements. This same rebellion takes place today when “church leaders” reject a prophetic message of repentance to properly walk as the Messiah walked. These teachers will continue in Korah’s rebellion by not properly identifying the error that has preceded them and by not understanding and obeying their role as a priest in the “New Covenant”.
JUDE verses 14-16 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, Yahusha (the Lord) is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
Once again, we must not miss the fact that this warning is to believers in Messiah. “ALL BELIEVERS” that engage in these behaviors will be judged and convicted. We know that scripture states that those who don’t believe stand condemned already.
JOHN 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of Yahuah’s (God’s) one and only Son.
So, if you don’t believe that the Father sent His son to die in your place you stand condemned already, and if you do believe and are still led by your sinful desires you will be judged and convicted when He returns.
Summary of behaviors for BELIEVERS that will be judged:
1) Perverting His grace as a license to sin
2) The strength of your dreams
3) Balaam’s rebellion – profiting from the message
4) Korah’s rebellion – acting as Priest (leader) without fulfilling its requirements
5) Ungodly acts committed in Ungodliness
6) Defiant words spoken against Him and His truth
7) Grumbling and faultfinding
8) Following one’s own desires
9) Boasting about themselves
10) Flattering others for own advantage
I hope by this point you realize that we cannot turn a blind eye to the history that has shaped the way we view our Bibles. There is too much at stake than to simply take the “modern Christian view” without further examination.
Look at what Peter says about the prophecy of Scripture…
2 PETER 1:20-21 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from Elohim (God).
And right after this he explains that there will be false teachers as Jude explained the same thing…
2 PETER 2:1-2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them THE WAY of the truth will be maligned;
When we look at this verse we cannot look at it solely from our perspective today. Any error must be looked at historically moving forward to trace what went wrong. We MUST identify where these destructive heresies began.
This description of false prophets and false teachers began to take root from about 75 AD through 360 AD. To interpret 2 Peter 2:1-2 it is essential to look at the men who began teaching things that severed themselves from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Hopefully I have your full attention because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the foundation (by means of covenant) for all of us who are in Messiah.
Now we will shift back to the history of the men who derailed the faith once entrusted to the Saints. As we get into the history of these men, it becomes essential that you the reader do your own research on them to see if their beliefs did in fact lead us into modern beliefs that severed us from the foundation of Scripture. Please, don’t just take my word for it.
- Ignatius of Antioch was the pioneer of a Greco-Roman Hellenistic based Christianity. Ignatius lived from 35 AD – 107 AD and from his own writings to churches you see a blend of Roman paganism mixed in with his interpretation of the New Testament writings. Because he believed in a replacement of anything considered “Judean (Jewish)” in the scriptures to a Gentile believing New Testament based Church, it was his contribution that bishops, deacons, and presbyters, were a separate category of men that were hand selected with Jesus-like authority to be Lords over the people.
- Justin Martyr in 150 AD proclaimed that because the Judeans (Jews) crucified Messiah (Christ), “the church” had now replaced “Israel” as God’s (Yahuah’s) chosen people. This began what was called “Replacement Theology”. While it is TRUE that anybody who receives Yahusha (Jesus) as Master becomes the chosen people, there was never a replacing of Israel. [The Covenant plan that ran through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will show us who Israel is… Israel being the name given to a man named Jacob.]
- Origen was a man who lived from 185 AD – 254 AD and began the term “legalism” in the fashion that what was considered Judean (Jewish) was “legalism”. This eventually spawned into the modern belief that anyone who lived by the instructions of the Old Testament operated under “Legalism”.
- Marcion who lived from 110 AD – 160 AD was a false teacher that we had mentioned in the first chapter. He had adopted a level of Gnosticism with his dualistic approach to flesh and Spirit. He also adopted Matthew 5:17 as his staple verse in saying that
Messiah (Christ) ended all of the Law, as in now there was no more actual authority from the Old Testament. Here is the verse. (We will break this verse down later in this chapter.)
MATTHEW 5:17 Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
He is also said to be known for having coined the terms “Old” and “New” Testaments, which helped in separating it from being one seamless story.
- Tertullian lived at the time of Marcion and was very likely seen as a true pioneer simply because he stood opposed to Marcion’s gnostic approach to the Scriptures. Tertullian unfortunately also adopted the belief that Yahuah (God) was done with “Israel” or the Judeans (Jews) and that they were an eternally doomed people that will suffer a “divine judgment” for killing the Messiah (Christ).
There were many other men in these times that helped pioneer these same false ideas. I implore you to research all of these men yourself. As Ignatius, Justyn Martyr, Origen, Marcion, and Tertullian even differed themselves on certain topics, their major unified issue was their interpretation of the New Testament in how God (Yahuah) started a new plan with “the church” which eventually would come to be known as “replacement theology”. Today, many believers would say they reject the idea of “replacement theology” but the effects of this false belief have led to the modern view that there still is separation with “Israel” and “the church”. This view pegs the “modern Jews” as “Israel” when reading the New Testament and thus sees the “modern Jews” as “His chosen people”.
But, in “The New Covenant” in Messiah Yahusha (Christ Jesus) there is no difference between “Jew” and “Gentile”.
ROMANS 10:12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Redeemer (Lord) is the Redeemer (Lord) of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of Yuhusha (the Lord) will be saved.”
How is it then that those “first century church fathers” and even “modern teaching” say that there is a difference? This is because those inherited false beliefs have been passed down through the generations.
EPHESIANS 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
Our modern Christian teaching puts the dividing wall back up by teaching there is a
difference between “Jew” and “Gentile”. You may be asking the question; well then how do we reconcile these two groups of people, the “Christian Church and the “modern state of Israel”?
- Only by looking at it from a timeline perspective with a proper historical and contextual approach. This is exactly what we will do to clarify this issue in the remainder of this chapter.
Here is the writer of Hebrews quoting the prophecy of the “New Covenant” taken from Jeremiah 31:31-33.
HEBREWS 8:8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says Yahuah (the Lord), when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
Notice: there are only two groups mentioned in the “New Covenant”; the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
Show timeline when this was spoken showing the two houses
Hopefully, you agree with us that the New Covenant ONLY involves believers in Messiah. So, since there are only two parties involved in the New Covenant, which party (the House of Israel or the House of Judah) are you from? Do you see the problem of being labeled as a Christian but still knowing you are in the New Covenant? A Christian would fall under the adopted family example we went through in the introduction of this chapter. Please understand that I’m not saying you didn’t receive the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) when you confessed and believed that Jesus (Yahusha) was indeed the Messiah. This has everything to do with the importance of knowing our true identity in this New Covenant that will actually teach us what is required of us and how we are to properly walk with our Messiah inside this covenant.
The problem with assuming “the Christian is the Gentiles” and “the state of Israel is the Jew” of the New Testament Scriptures is that there is no attention paid to knowing the actual identities who are involved in this New Covenant.
In the first 350 years or so after the Messiah came these false “Church Fathers” actually came into faith in Messiah but wanted, in any way they could, to define themselves against anything considered Judean (Jewish) as Peter prophesied this very thing, that “they will secretly introduce destructive heresies and because of them the truth will be maligned”. We have to understand that scripture must be looked at through His covenant and what is required of any individual who chooses to be part of that covenant. This has never been a “Jew” or “Gentile” thing in the way we have understood it.
There is also a very important fact of history that needs to be mentioned. Shortly
after Peter wrote his letter, the temple was destroyed in Judea and the Judeans (“Jews”) were completely taken over by the Romans in 70 AD. Soon after this event John recorded the book of Revelation, as the Spirit was revealing to him the culmination of all things, which wouldn’t end up happening for nearly another 2000 years. I don’t think it’s just simple irony at the timing of these events. As the book of Revelation would be the final Scriptures revealed, it seemed to signify how dark things were about to get in the interpretation of the Apostles writings collectively, as replacement theology was taking shape with certain “Gentile believers” in Messiah who were living in Rome or its out landing areas.
Some of these men may have authentically believed in the Son of God (Yahuah), but had no understanding of the covenant history and plan that preceded them and naturally thought that a brand new plan began with Yahusha (Jesus).
Think about this dynamic for a second. Picture yourself living in a region other than Judea at that time, as the Roman Empire was becoming more and more powerful by the day. Without the proper interpretation of the Scriptures (Old Testament), all you knew was the fact that there came one who died and rose again for everyone’s sins, and He died at the hands of His own people. Without a foundational understanding of the original Scriptures, written by Hebrew men in the Hebrew language, we very likely would have also been easily swayed as well to the majority belief that because “the Judeans (Jews) killed their Savior”, the Father was now done with anything “Hebrew” or “Judean (Jewish)”. Without any covenant understanding of why Yahusha (Jesus) came and what He had truly accomplished, this would have been practically impossible to understand.
When you begin to understand true Biblical history you will clearly see the reason that He came to His own (the Judean) and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). It all played out the way it was prophesied it would, so that now, everyone who would believe in His death and resurrection would either be grafted in (Eph 2:12) or re-grafted into (Rom 11:23) Israel (His people). Remember, Israel is just a man that he established His covenant through. His covenant went through Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob who was renamed Israel. So, if you lived in Judea at the time of Yahusha’s (Jesus) death you could get re-grafted into Yahuah’s (God’s) household for believing in the Messiah, and if you weren’t living in Judea at that time you were simply grafted into Yahuah’s (God’s) household for the first time by believing in Messiah (Rom 11:23, Eph 2:12).
As unpleasant as this might be, think to yourself for a moment if someone murdered the closest person in your life. Your first thought would be for justice to come to the person or persons who committed this heinous act, right? So can you see in that time how any natural mind could seem to find a straight forward application in the New Testament to blame the group that killed their own Redeemer and then think…how could He forgive them? It took Paul, even with a thorough understanding of the Hebrew Old Testament, being given a divine intervention and revelation from Yahusha (Jesus) himself to truly understand what had happened.
GALATIANS 1:11-12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel (good news) I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Yahusha Messiah (Jesus Christ).
Scripture also states that no one, not even Satan, was able to put these pieces together until it was time, which is exactly why they crucified “the Lord of Glory”.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:7-8 No, we declare Yahuah’s (God’s) wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that Yahuah (God) destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Master (Lord) of glory.
These Gentile believing men had no covenant background or understanding of WHY the Messiah had to truly die. Picture yourself there at that time and how fresh the death of the Messiah would have been, not to mention knowing there was this group of people “that killed their redeemer” still living in the land of Judea, clinging to The Law of Moses (see Law of Moses chapter) and Sanhedrin authority. You could easily see how it would have been impossible with your natural mind to not look at this situation and think that He is now done with “the Judeans (Jews)” or “Hebrews”, especially witnessing them being completely taken over in 70 AD. It would have seemed, in your mind, that the “Gentile believers” in Messiah really now have replaced “Israel” as his chosen people. Because of your animosity towards this group of people that “killed the savior” it would also be impossible to actually identify yourself as being grafted into Israel and an Israelite yourself becoming part of Yahuah’s Covenant plan (Eph 2:11-13). Yet Paul clearly states…
ROMANS 11:1-2 I ask then: Did Yahuah (God) reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. Yahuah (God) did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
It is also very important to share this last point, so please bear with me on this very crucial topic as I know I have belabored the point already. Now, also picture yourself as a new convert in that time reading copies of the Apostles New Testament writings and maybe even copies of the Prophets without the covenant context of what happened. You could find 75% of these writings that would clearly seem to support the lens you were reading them through. You would be forced to overlook the 25% of the verses that contradicted your view. Therefore, the majority of the scripture would seem to be solid and cause you to gloss over those New Testament scriptures that you couldn’t quite make sense out of.
This false move became completely solidified when the emperor Constantine adopted “Christianity” as the religion of Rome. Remember, as stated in the first chapter, Constantine was very well studied in the Latin and Greek languages as well as Greek Philosophy (called Hellenism) which dominated the whole world from around 300 BC to 300 AD until Constantine. This “Hellenism” completely shaped Constantine’s views as he started a new religion mixed with paganism and conquering politics with an anti-Hebrew/Jewish conviction, all centered on the Son of God (Yahuah). Although there have been many attempts by many sincere men in the last couple of decades to repair the breach, one must actually go back to the beginning specifically starting with a covenant foundation and proper context, and then meticulously move forward. This is what we have done with the remaining chapters of these writings. All Protestant attempts from Martin Luther forward in their search for truth have fallen short minus this approach.
-Show timeline again with the elements and names just spoken including Christianity
As it relates to error…
GALATIANS 5:9 “A little yeast (error) works through the whole batch of dough (truth).”
This is especially true with foundational concepts.
PSALM 11:3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"
As an important reminder, it was “Hellenism” (abstract Greek philosophy) which was in stark contrast to scriptural truth. Before the Apostles writings, Yahuah’s (God’s) followers throughout history continually carried His message through the Hebrew language and from a Hebrew mindset as this is an undeniable historical fact. There has been much debate on whether most of the New Testament was originally written in Greek or Aramaic, a sister language to Hebrew.
Please understand that the issue at hand, truly, is not whether the original New Testament was written in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew as Greek is an amazing and thorough language. It is my belief though that it would have been impossible for them to write their letters in Greek because Greek is a very difficult language to pen without having a firm grasp on the language. I’m sure there are those who might disagree with me that it wasn’t written in Greek, which is why I’m explaining it from a different perspective. Understand that language in and of itself is just sounds formed to communicate what you are saying. The actual issue at hand has to do with the importance of properly understanding what the New Testament ‘definitions’, ‘sayings’ or ‘figures of speech’ mean that were originally written from the perspective of the “Hebrew Old Testament” lived out by Hebrew people.
A perfect example of a definition problem is with the English word “repent”. The word chosen for “repent” in the New Testament in the Greek language was “metaneoe” which is Strong’s # 3340 and it means “to change your mind or think differently”.
This however is not the correct Biblical definition of “repent”. The actual word correctly translated into the Greek Septuagint (Old Testament) was “strepho” and it means “to turn around or turn back to”. The Greek Septuagint was the translation into the Greek language taken from the Original Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and was completed around 285 BC. The original Hebrew word, written in the original Scriptures, is “teshuvah” and it also means “to return to”. So, we see that it was actually correctly translated into the Greek Septuagint, but not the Greek New Testament.
The emphasis of “teshuvah” is to return to the Father’s covenant, by means of His Son’s blood atonement, and not a mere changing your mind with a mental assent of believing upon Jesus. James 2:19 says even the demons believe, but they don’t obey. When you “teshuvah” you “return to” the Father’s covenant by receiving the blood sacrifice of Yahusha (Jesus) becoming born again with the writing of His Laws on your heart and mind (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10), with the giving of the Spirit as your helper to obey (Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 14:15-17).
So, if someone was to stop looking any deeper in their search than the Greek New Testament they would believe that “to repent” means to just “change your mind”. This would allow you to think that “to repent” means a “strong mental belief” (note: “the logos” mentioned in the first chapter) and not the proper “return to” or “turn back to”.
You see the Hebrew mindset or thought process is very concrete as the Greek “way of thinking” culturally is more abstract which is why these Greek minded translators chose the Greek word “metaneoe” over “strepho”. I assure you that Paul would not have used the word “mataneoe” for the Hebrew equivalent “to repent”. That leads me to believe that the men who began to take control of the scriptures and truly believed that the New Testament writings were all that the Gentile believers needed,
changed the original Greek word. Of course they couldn’t have used “strepho” because that would have explained for someone perhaps “to return” to the ancient path in the way the “the Old Testament” describes it. They truly believed that there was no need “to return” to anything as the Scriptures and the faith had now changed hands. As an example, do you think that the prodigal son simply “changed his mind” or “his whole way of life” when he “returned” to his father after “repenting”? Of course, that is a rhetorical question.
Words and definitions of words are very important when it comes to what the message of the Bible is trying to communicate. Does it make any logical sense that the message Yahusha (Jesus) taught and passed on to the disciples would have been given through a Greek understanding? Greek thought is more philosophical which is what Paul actually taught against…
COLLOSIANS 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Messiah (Christ).
An example of the deep meaning of the Hebrew language can be clearly demonstrated with the names given to any servant of Yahuah (God). These names in the Hebrew language had SIGNIFICANT meanings to their purpose, especially prior to the flood. In the ancient Hebraic culture the name assigned carried the identity and function of the individual. I would like to show you the profound prophecy of our Messiah in the meaning of each name assigned to these significant Hebrew servants before the flood which is listed in Genesis chapter 5 in the genealogy between Adam and Noah.
-Maybe show timeline dates of these men on the map
The significance of this list is that this group of people carried both the “seed of the woman” and the “Melchizedek Priesthood order”. Both of these topics will be discussed in detail in an upcoming chapter entitled The Covenants.
You can see the coming of a future Messiah described in detail in the genealogy of each servant from Adam to Noah. MAN IS APPOINTED; A MORTAL MAN OF SORROW IS BORN. THE GLORY OF YAHUAH (GOD) SHALL COME DOWN INSTRUCTING THAT HIS DEATH SHALL BRING THOSE IN DESPAIR COMFORT AND REST. How amazing is that! Are you seeing how important it might be to understand the true meanings to other words that originated from the Hebrew language?
The original Hebrew language actually was a picture language. Each ‘symbol’ was a picture that connected a story of action. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “a picture tells a thousand words”. Well the original Hebrew language literally did. These original picture characters (language) in Moses’ day would have been understood at deep levels. Throughout centuries in the evolution of the characters themselves (from Pictograph, to Paleo, to Modern Hebrew) they have lost some of their functional and purposeful intentions. Not to mention what we have lost through different cultures and translations into foreign languages. The original language of Yahuah’s (God’s) servants would have left no confusion in the message that was being shown. This evolution into the Modern Hebrew language brought about a total of twenty two consonants and each consonant or “letter” still gives a distinct message.
For example, this is exactly how we are able to extract the meaning out of “Adam” meaning “man” and “Noah” meaning “comfort and rest”.
The point I’m trying to make is not that we must be fluent in the Hebrew language to understand all of the Scripture, but simply how functional and clear the original Scriptures actually were. Most of us believers today have only tried to understand the Scriptures through our English language and perspective, where as our modern English language didn’t actually manifest until the 15th century. Please notice I said modern. The first modern English dictionary was printed in 1604. This was the exact time frame that the King James Bible was being written as it began in 1604 and was completed in 1611.
If the message was carried along in some form of Hebrew from Adam to the flood, and we know according to scripture (Gen 11:1) that the whole world was of one language, then it stands to reason that the original language of the whole world was Hebrew. Of course the event that scrambled (confused) the languages was “the Tower of Babel” with Nimrod (Gen 11:3-8) which happened just shortly after the flood. Are you aware that there is a prophecy that there will come a day when we will all be brought back to “a pure language” and will all be “in one accord”…
Zephaniah 3:9 “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of Yahuah (the Lord), To serve Him with one accord.
There will eventually be a pure language with a pure meaning to serve Yahusha (Jesus). This timeframe will begin when His Thousand Year reign starts for those who qualify to dwell with Him.
As our heritage and identity in being a disciple of Messiah is extremely important, let’s examine the etymology of the word church. But, before we do this it is extremely important to specify something first. Now I’m sure there are many of you who are reading this that were “saved in the name of Jesus”. Many who are reading this had a true encounter with the Son of Yahuah (God) that dramatically changed their lives as they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). There is nothing that can change this fact in your life of coming into relationship with your redeemer and nothing should. The truth is though that you didn’t get “saved” into a correct pronunciation of His name; you actually encountered His authority or simply put who He is.
You hopefully are fully aware at this point in these writings that the name Jesus is not His actual name. The best way to explain my point is it’s not the name His mother would have called Him by, or anyone else at that time for that matter. This name was derived by taking His original Hebrew name Yahusha and was somehow, erroneously I might add, transliterated through the Greek and Latin languages, and then into English as Jesus. The reality is the letter J wasn’t even invented until the late 15th century. This could be shocking to some of you, but it is verifiably true. You were actually “saved” by the power of His Spirit because you believed upon the Son for what He did and for His authority.
When we look at the 3rd command “to not take His name in vain” it has nothing to do with swearing and the proper pronunciation comes with understanding. Here is the 3rd commandment.
EXODUS 20:7 “You shall not take the name of Yahuah your Elohim (the Lord your God) in vain, for Yahuah (the Lord) will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
First let’s take a look at “the name”. This word “name” is derived from the Hebrew word “shem” which is Strong’s # 8034 and is describing “position of authority” or “reputation, fame, or glory”. Now let’s take a look at “in vain”. The word “vanity” is derived from the Hebrew word “shav” and is Strong’s # 7723 and is describing “emptiness, nothingness, falsehood, or worthlessness”. So when the Bible describes those who take “the Lord’s name in vain” it is saying they are treating His position of authority or His glory as a worthless or empty thing or even with falsehood. When you begin to be revealed a deeper and more humbling understanding of Him and His Word your desire becomes to speak only the truth and correctly saying His name becomes very important to you. What a humble Elohim (God) we serve that would allow the correct pronunciation of His name to change so much at the hands of men, and yet still allow us to experience a changed heart towards His ways only knowing the incorrect pronunciation of that name. Now that’s humility and love. We all have a choice on how intimate we want to be with our Maker. As for me it’s an easy one and saying His proper name is a byproduct of that intimacy.
Let me make an example of how ridiculous it was for ignorant men to have changed the name of our Savior or even remotely think this was a good idea. For instance, no matter where you travel to on planet earth, for the most part, you will never have a problem with someone learning how to pronounce your name in the language it is derived from. It’s a sign of respect. How much more respect should we show the creator of the universe. I mean, we even keep the name Coca Cola the same all over the world. It doesn’t change to something else because it’s in another country with a
different language. Hopefully I’ve clearly made my point. Remember this starts with a heart change through His Spirit. Once you have had a heart change this name change thing becomes an absolute “no brainer”.
When we look at our English New Testaments we will frequently see the people of Yahuah (God) being described as the church as a whole or church to denote a certain community of believers in a certain area.
ACTS 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
ROMANS 16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
Each time you come across the word church in the New Testament, in any form, whether meaning different church groups or the church as a whole you will always find it associated with the Greek word “ekklesia”. Ekklesia is Strongs # 1577 and it simply means “a called out group of people”. There is a major problem with this because our English word church that we read in our Bibles doesn’t mean what the writers originally intended when they used the Greek word ekklesia. The word church can actually be traced back through Old English and German as kirche. Kirche spawned from the early Greek word Kuriakos. Kuriakos means “pertains to, or belongs to a lord”. So, in the 15th century the translators, having lords themselves, took the liberty to insert the word church into the New Testament because it pertained to belonging to a lord. What’s the problem with that you might ask? Some might say “we belong to the Lord right”? Well, they also chose the word Lord as well and it truly has no correlation to our Messiah. In one of the last chapters we will cover our more modern terms “Lord” and “God” and the origin of where they stem from.
When the Greek word ekklesia was used by the hand of those who penned the original Scriptures into Greek they properly used this word as it correctly explained the action involved “to be called out”, like called out from the ways of the world. So, the original Greek New Testament correctly had the Greek word ekklesia to describe us as a group of “called out ones”. You’re probably not aware of this but in the book of Acts, when the children of Israel are being described in the wilderness, the King James text actually reads “THE CHURCH in the wilderness”.
ACTS 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Ironically, every other English version translated after the King James, including the New King James Version, changed the word in that verse to assembly or congregation. Could it be, because the translators couldn’t see any connection with their word church with Israel in the wilderness they decided that the word church could never be used to denote the children of Israel before Messiah? Well, ironically it happened to slip through this once into the King James Version. Truly, the word church has no connection to any original Biblical words.
The English words you’ll see used that stretch throughout any modern Bible such as assembly, congregation, church, gathering, multitude, and company all essentially mean the same thing “a called out group”. If the English translators would have been unbiased they would have used assembly or congregation for the Greek word ekklesia to denote the body of believers in the New Testament which would have made it seamless throughout the entire book, which was the intention of those who originally penned the scriptures. These particular translators couldn’t do that because they falsely believed that the church was separate from Israel.
We are so engrained as believers with the term church meaning the Christian Church because we say “are you going to church” or “where do you go to church” and because we call believers in Messiah “the church”. The truth is we are supposed to be a called out group (ekklesia) from anything pagan or worldly. Wrong terms and definitions lead people to wrong ideologies, which in turn, leads them to wrong theologies. Throughout history men have continued to pick and choose words to mean what they’ve wanted them to mean. It is up to us to not just take their word for it, ESPECIALLY when it comes to properly interpreting the Bible.
By examining Acts 7:38 with the understanding that the children of Israel were called the “ekklesia” in the wilderness” in the original Greek New Testament, clearly ties us (believers in the Savior) to them (the children of Israel) in a way most haven’t seen because most have remained in the teachings from modern theologically trained Christian Biblical teachers. How could these teachers or anyone who agrees with them connect the two when they simply lean on the word church and their limited understanding of it?
It is extremely difficult for seminary studied and theologically trained teachers to be objective and correct this word “church” and the bias associated with it when it contradicts their doctrines and affiliations. As we clearly laid out the “so called
church fathers” previously in these writings, it is they who have heavily influenced their foundational teachings. In the next chapter Rebuild the Foundation we will begin re-establishing our anchors into this seamless story of scripture to properly interpret the New Testament as it was intended.
Interestingly, our “modern English” associates the word synagogue as a place of worship for Jewish people and the word church for a place of worship for Christian people. Though we have been told this, it is not true. If you research the words used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) describing Elohim’s (God’s) people as a congregation, gathering, assembly, or multitude you will see either the Greek word ekklesia used or sometimes the Greek word “synagoge” which is Strong’s # 4864 which also means “a gathering”. Ironically, the word synagoge or synagogue is a Greek word as there is no actual equivalent to this word in Hebrew. I also find it incredibly ironic that a Greek word today could actually be associated with a “Jewish” place of worship even by the “Jewish” people. The more you study you will find that there is error everywhere you look. With the resources we have available to us today on finding truth we are without excuse in testing to see if we have inherited any error. Remember, Satan loves to divide, as it’s one of his most effective tactics, and the bait of his lies author confusion.
Can you see how today we have “churches” popping up all over the place even to where you might see two “churches” directly across the street from one another? The sad thing is that these two “Christian Churches” that reside right across the street from one another very likely will never even associate with each other. Can you see how far removed we are from true Biblical community? One of the main reasons is we have lost touch with the true meanings of the terms in our Bibles. Correctly understanding our terms is crucial in our understanding as it directly impacts our perspective, interpretations and our ability to be in unity as ONE BODY.
Let’s now go back and discover exactly why the Bible describes “the first church” or “assembly” being the Israelites. Starting with Abram; did you know that when Yahuah (God) “called Abram out” of his father’s household to a land he would eventually show him, it was actually the first time the term “Hebrew” was mentioned, as Abram was called the first “Hebrew”? Do you know why he was called the first Hebrew? Hebrew is derived from the name Eber, which means “to crossover”. Eber was Noah’s great grandson. So, Abram crossed over the land of Eber where he was called the first Hebrew. It is as simple as that.
Maybe you haven’t thought this, but can you now see what’s wrong with the stigma of “Hebrews” being the “Old Testament people”. Have you “crossed over” from death to life through the blood of Messiah? Well, then you my beloved brother or sister are a Hebrew also! May we stop looking at these terms for what man has labeled them as an actually define them for what they truly are? Perhaps you have not quite fully grasped how Abraham is the father of our faith yet. I pray that the remaining chapters of this book solidify for you in identifying our direct covenant connection to him…
ACTS 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The Elohim (God) of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
JAMES 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
As you just read, Abraham is the father of our faith. Everything that was done in the natural now has a spiritual application to it. So if we have crossed over into faith in Messiah by being grafted into the “covenants of promise” (Eph 2:12), then we are Hebrews because of it.
-Timeline perspective of the first Hebrew and Israelite
Now, the first “Israelite” was Abraham’s grandson Jacob when Yahuah (God) changed his name to Israel.
GENESIS 32:28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with Elohim (God) and with humans and have overcome.”
It truly is as simple as a name change that birthed the origin of the name “Israel”. The name “Israel” is extremely significant in carefully tracking the covenant events that carried forth the title “Israel”. Only then will you be able to find its correct scriptural application when mentioned. If we were to name the number one scriptural misunderstanding of a word, the word “Israel” would be at the top of the list, and the word “Jew” a close second. We will have a thorough teaching tracking the use of this name available soon on our website,
www.cloudofwitnesses.com. Knowing how this people group “Israel” applies to us is a direct result of adapting our
proper covenantal identity as a citizen of Israel.
EPHESIANS 2:12 remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah (Christ), excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without Elohim (God) in the world.
There is one essential issue to bring to the attention of a Christian to help make the connection between “Israel” and Jesus (Yahusha), and this was when Jacob’s name was changed in Genesis 32:28. The event involved wrestling with a man, and the testing of whether or not he would overcome. Well, not only does the verse say “the man” tells Jacob “he struggled with Elohim”, but Jacob knew very well this was no ordinary man. Let’s look at the following verses…
GENESIS 32:29-30 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw Elohim (God) face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
Every time we see the mention of ‘seeing Elohim (God) face to face’ this is none other than the Angel of Yahuah (“the LORD”) taking the form of a man. In other words, in this account, Jacob’s name was changed by Jesus (Yahusha)!!! Can you now see the connection to believers taking the name “Israel” as the name began by a name change from the pre-incarnate Messiah Himself? We cover this topic of Yahusha (Jesus) being the Angel (messenger) of Yahuah (the LORD) in more detail in the next chapter entitled Rebuild the Foundation.
Where the actual confusion all started was when the word “Christian” took precedence as the predominant term for a believer in the Messiah (Christ). This term became solidified with Constantine around 300 AD and has even made a few scripture translations (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:6).
--Show timeline again of Constantine and Christianity
The actual origin of the word comes from the Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos), which was to mean "follower of Christ", which comes from Χριστός (Christos), which was to mean "anointed one", with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership. Christos actually meant any number of different anointed ones in the Greek culture. It is an actual wonder though why the Greek translators would have chosen the word christos in the first place, when there was THE perfect Greek word they could have used to translate from Hebrew and that is the Greek word Μεσσίας (Messias), which is Strong’s # 3323 and means “anointed one” as well. But, choosing Messias would have more importantly kept the all important aspect that He’s THE Messiah, THE anointed one.
You will find both Greek words used in the Greek Septuagint, as christos and messias were both used to translate the Hebrew מָשִׁי חַ (Mašíaḥ, messiah), which of course means anointed one. By the way, in actuality it is no real surprise that the New Testament translators opted predominantly for the word christos. It is my strong opinion that the translators chose the Greek word christos because it had more of a universal appeal into other cultures. The book of Acts also describes the believers as Followers of the Way.
ACTS 24:14 However, I admit that I worship the Elohim (God) of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, Doesn’t that title explain who His followers were? They were also culturally called the Netzarim which means the branches from Nazereth. Those two titles clearly denote the specific function of our identities. Now, with all of that being said, can you see the very real effect the term Christian has had on the widespread appeal to where a huge part of the world would call themselves Christian without even coming close to adhering to what the Bible actually describes about being a disciple? Everything that is being shared here is to give you the origins of where these terms came from and the overall confusion they have caused from sound Biblical function and interpretation.
Does this verse listed below spoken by Jesus (Yahusha) to the called out Ekklesia (incorrectly titled “church”) complete the connection that it is He who changes a person’s name?
REVELATION 2:17 To HIM WHO OVERCOMES I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.
Notice in that verse that the person who receives a new name is one who OVERCOMES. This name “Israel” is simply given to a person in COVENANT RELATIONSHIP with the Elohim (God) of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who OVERCOMES. Let’s now read the verse again which states the REASON Jacob’s name was changed.
GENESIS 32:28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with Elohim (God) and with humans and have overcome.”
Do these verses now make so much sense regarding our High Priest Yahusha (Jesus) who we know OVERCAME in His life on earth?
HEBREWS 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach Elohim’s (God’s) throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
As time moves along Jacob (Israel) would have a “community” of peoples through twelve boys. These twelve boys and their families would be called “Hebrews” and “Israelites” simply because they came from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So Abraham was the first called out one, and as this “community” developed they became “the called out ones”, the “ekklesia” in Greek, or “qahal” in Hebrew.
As we learn, this “assembly” of believers in the Elohim (God) of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would go into captivity for 400 years until their delivery (being called out) from the hands of the Egyptians. How many realize that when this community of people, called Israel, were delivered out of Egypt they left with a mixed multitude of people.
Why is this important to note? Because whoever decided to believe in the Elohim (God) of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regardless of their bloodline was welcomed to be a part of Israel (Israel simply being defined as a covenant people committed to follow Elohim).
EXODUS 12:49 "The same law (instruction) shall apply to the native-born as to the stranger who sojourns among you."
The word “stranger” here is the Hebrew word “ger” which is Strong’s # 1616 and means “foreigner, alien, or sojourner”. So, if a foreigner wanted to join along with them the same instructions applied to them as they did to the natural Israelites. When the children of Israel reached Mt. Sinai they would enter a marriage covenant with Yahuah (God). As the 4th commandment was being given as part of their “wedding vows” (see Wedding of Messiah chapter) we see this…
EXODUS 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Yahuah your Elohim (the LORD your God); in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
There we see the same “sojourners” being described as staying with the natural born and it is the same instructions (laws) being given to both. This is the same Hebrew word “ger” Strong’s # 1616 as used in Exodus 12:49. Why am I sharing this information you might ask? Because the point I’m trying to instill as we move along is that entering into covenant with the Father, ultimately, has never been about bloodline but about obedience to His Covenant, and yes this still applies today. Now
let’s go back to that amazing verse describing the church in the wilderness.
ACTS 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
--Show timeline with them coming out of captivity and the terms church in the wilderness/the day of the assembly at Mt.Sinai
In properly defining words and more importantly the definitions of those words, there is no getting around “ekklesia” or “assembly”, or even “church” for that matter, being used in correlation with the children of Israel THEN in the same way it’s used with us NOW.
Let’s look at the various times in the New Testament where the writers clearly signify all these people being “our ancestors”.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.
2 TIMOTHY 1:3 I thank Yahuah (God), whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
HEBREWS 1:1 In the past Yahuah (God) spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
Now we will dig into this very important word “ancestor”. This is from the Greek word “progonos” which is Strong’s # 4269. It means “forefathers, great grandparents, grandparents, parents”. Another Greek word that is used for “Fathers” or “ancestors” is the word “pater” which is Strong’s #3962 and in essence means the same thing as progonos. The Hebrew word that is used throughout the original Hebrew Old Testament is “ab” which is Strong’s # 0001 and it means exactly the same thing as those two Greek words progonos and pater.
The emphatic point that is trying to be made here is that the New Testament explains Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the children of Israel as our fathers, forefathers, parents, grandparents. We are family and if men, knowingly or unknowingly, severed those ties in any way saying “the church” has any separation what so ever from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (name changed to Israel) they are in grave error. What I’m sharing is not my opinion but what the Bible, in its original language, clearly states.
EPHESIANS 2:12-13 remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah (Christ), excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without Elohim (God) in the world. But now in Messiah Yahusha (Christ Jesus) you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Messiah (Christ).
EPHESIANS 2:19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with Yahuah’s (God’s) people and also members of his household,
So now, through Yahusha’s (Jesus’) blood, you are a member of the house of Israel.
It is very important to note that Israel does not mean a patch of land, nor does it at this stage in time mean all the people living in that land. Scripturally defined, Israel means His Covenant people and there will be a day very soon when His covenant people will dwell in the land Yahuah (God) gave to Abraham and to his descendants (us).
In Deuteronomy we see Moses explaining to the people that he will not be entering the land with them because he himself disobeyed a command but his servant Joshua will lead them in. Notice the difference with “the people” and “the land”:
DEUTERONOMY 1:38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it (the land). Encourage him, because he will lead Israel (His people) to inherit it (the land).
This verse is so important to help us understand that Biblically HIS LAND is not called Israel. Only when His covenant people Israel are dwelling in the LAND, is the LAND called ISRAEL. With the scattering of the House of Israel (Northern Kingdom) into the nations by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., His people “Israel” are those people now living in the nations. Discovering your ancestry is crucial knowing WHY your heart is moving to obey your covenant because it is about time “the lost sheep of Israel”, which the Messiah came for (Matthew 15:24), are seeking to be brought home.
Notice in the last scripture mentioned how Moses says that Joshua will lead Israel THE PEOPLE in to inherit THE LAND. We MUST continue to retrain our minds and hearts to think about these terms like ‘Hebrew or Israel’ for exactly how the Bible describes them and not for what definitions public opinion or certain teachers have assigned to them. So, if we see a scripture that says the land of Israel it means the land of His people.
We have been tricked to look in our Bibles and every time we think of Israel in a future tense we think of the people, as a whole, who dwell there now and this is strictly because the United Nations decided to give this land the name Israel in 1948.
Was everything that happened in 1948 prophetic, absolutely! Are there people in the land right now that have accepted Yahusha (Jesus) and follow His commands, yes! The truth is every soul who considers themselves an Israelite must receive the Son. It was prophesied in the “Old Testament” that the Messiah must come and die to pay the price for EVERYONE.
To simply state again, we must not think of Biblical Israel in terms of the people living in the land right now, but we must think of Israel in terms of His people who are in Covenant. Those who believe in Yahusha (Jesus) get grafted in and those who don’t are cut out (Romans 11:22-23).
As the Israelites moved along in their journey Yahuah (God) makes it abundantly clear to them that if any stranger, foreigner, sojourner resided with them they were to be treated as a native born.
LEVITICUS 19:33-34 'When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 'The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am Yahuah your Elohim (the LORD your God).
Notice the clear language that is the exact same command we’re given by Yahusha (Jesus) in “The New Covenant”.
LUKE 10:27 He answered, “‘Love Yahuah your Elohim (the Lord your God) with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Even in the ‘first covenant’, before the giving of the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit), anyone could choose to join themselves to the covenant and be part of the family. Once they entered through the first covenant requirement of circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses, they were to be treated the same as a natural born. In the New Covenant everyone comes into the family of Israel (remember: Israel is one man named Jacob whose name was changed to Israel and became a community of people guaranteed by covenant) through the confessing of Yahusha (Jesus) as Master and belief He rose from the dead, of which we have the same instruction to love one another as ourselves no matter the heritage or race of the individual.
As they journeyed through the wilderness we come to more very important statements made about the fact that there was only ONE LAW for everyone and whether they were a natural born or an alien they were all called the “assembly (English), ekklesia (Greek), or qahal (Hebrew)”.
NUMBERS 15:15-16 'As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before YHUH (the LORD). 'There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.'"
There has always been ONE ASSEMBLY and ONE ASSEMBLY only of the people of Elohim (God) since the first DAY OF THE ASSEMBLY. Notice this verse:
DEUTERONOMY 10:4 And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which YHUH (the LORD) had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in THE DAY OF THE ASSEMBLY; and YHUH (the LORD) gave them to me.
There has only been ONE ASSEMBLY since the DAY the Creator entered COVENANT with Abraham’s descendants at Mount Sinai with the giving of the COVENANT, the Ten Commandments. I think it’s important to reemphasize that it is impossible for us to understand our true identity as an Israelite and the covenant we are in if we don’t understand Yahuah’s (God’s) original covenant plan and the twists and turns that brought us into this New Covenant.
So, by simply looking into the proper definitions of terms like Hebrew, Israel, and church we are able to clearly see that there is absolutely no separation between “the church” and “Israel” as has been predominantly taught.
There is a very distinct and extremely important prophecy given by Jacob to Joseph’s first two sons in Genesis 48. When Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel as we covered previously, was giving this prophecy he could barely see, which is stated in Genesis 48:10. The reason I share this is that it was the Spirit of Yahuah (God) that moved him to do what he was about to do. The prophecy is as follows:
GENESIS 48:5 "Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.
GENESIS 48:13-14 Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right, and brought them close to him. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands,
although Manasseh was the firstborn.
What Jacob (Israel) states prior to the event above in Genesis 48:5 is that Ephraim and Manasseh are mine as my own two firstborn are mine. What Jacob, in essence, is saying is that Ephraim and Manasseh are a part of Israel and its allotted inheritance. The firstborn of any Israelite, at this time naturally, was to get his Father’s inheritance unless he disqualified himself.
GENESIS 48:15-20. He blessed Joseph, and said, "The Eloah (God) before whom my Fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The Eloah (God) who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my Fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head." But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." He blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, 'May Yahuah (God) make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!'" Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Verse 19 states that Ephraim’s descendants shall become a multitude of nations. In Hebrew this would literally read that “Ephraim’s seed shall become the fullness of the nations (Gentiles)”.
--Show timeline of Ephraim prophetically receiving firstborn rights
So, the nations (which were improperly translated as Gentiles) who come in through Messiah are prophetic Ephraim who get grafted into Israel. This is so profound to understand. Yahuah’s Spirit moved on Jacob (Israel), who gave birth to the twelve tribes of Israel, to call Ephraim his own, though being born of an Egyptian woman, and give him the blessing of the firstborn. We need to understand that we have been invited to inherit the blessings of the firstborn, so may we be found worthy of such a blessing.
ROMANS 11:25-26 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Nations (Gentiles) has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved.
This mystery extends back to the prophecy Jacob (Israel) spoke to his son Joseph
about who Ephraim would become. When Paul states that “in this way all Israel will be saved” he is stating that not until all of Ephraim (Nations, Gentiles), all of the scattered throughout the nations, come into the household will all of Israel be “saved”. You are only a part of Israel if you are grafted in through the Messiah as this is fully explained in all of Romans chapters 9-11. This next verse in Jeremiah is very significant because all of chapter 31 is devoted to the “NEW COVENANT”.
JEREMIAH 31:9 "With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn."
When you read all of Jeremiah 31 you can clearly see the prophet explaining the New Covenant and then he makes that statement how it will be Ephraim who will be his firstborn. This firstborn blessing signifies the ability to inherit His Kingdom.
HEBREWS 12:22-24 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living Elohim (God), the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church (ekklesia) of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to Yahuah (God), the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Yahusha (Jesus) the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
I hope it’s becoming abundantly clear that there has always been one plan for the Israelite and those of the nations (Gentiles) in Messiah. That plan only changed because of disobedience to the Covenant in play at the time. Are you aware that it was actually Israel’s job after Mt. Sinai to be a light to the nations to eventually bring them to the Father?
ISAIAH 49:6 He says, "It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
So, salvation was also for the Nations (Gentiles) that chose to be a part of Israel, but, it was also the job of Israel to bring salvation to the whole world and obviously they disobeyed. So in essence Jacob was prophesying that this group of The Nations (Ephraim) will receive the New Covenant with the Messiah, be grafted into the commonwealth of Israel and receive the firstborn blessing. Amazingly, Paul quotes these Isaiah verses in obedience to the Commandment that he must now bring this salvation to the ends of the earth.
ACTS 13:46-47 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that
the word of Yahuah (God) be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles (Nations). "For so Yahusha (the Lord) has commanded us, 'I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES (THE NATIONS), THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'"
There is a prophecy given to Ezekiel that clearly tells of how at a certain time He will unite JUDAH and EPHRAIM, all of ISRAEL, making them ONE PEOPLE.
EZEKIEL 37:16 "And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'
Remember, that Israel was divided into two Kingdoms at the time of Solomon and the reason, of course, disobedience on the keeping of His commandments, His Covenant.
--Show timeline of two kingdoms again
There ended up being the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. For the sake of His servant David, after David’s son Solomon broke the Covenant with Yahuah (God) by not keeping His commandments, Yahuah (God) left the tribe of JUDAH (also including Benjamin) in the land, which was the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom (the remaining tribes) was dispersed into the nations. That would mean that the other ten tribes, including Ephraim, would be considered The Nations. We must understand something, the prophets spoke often about how the two houses (Kingdoms) would get restored for the millennial reign of our Messiah.
EZEKIEL 37:17-22 "Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. "When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?' say to them, 'Thus says Yahuah (the Lord GOD), "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel (The Northern Kingdom), his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah (The Southern Kingdom), and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."' “The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.” Say to them, 'Thus says Yahuah (the Lord GOD), "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
There in Ezekiel 37 is explained the mystery of “JEW” (Southern) and “GENTILE” (Northern) becoming one, JUDAH (Southern) and EPHRAIM (Northern).
These exact things are being revealed for such a time as this as He’s restored and is restoring the two Kingdoms once again to eventually dwell with their bridegroom in the land.
JEREMIAH 33:2-3 “This is what Yahuah (the Lord) says, he who made the earth, Yahuah (the Lord) who formed it and established it—Yahuah (the Lord) is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
In Jeremiah 31 he explains the New Covenant with the two houses (Kingdoms), the covenant you and I are in if you’ve received the Messiah. In Jeremiah 33 he explains the mystery of the restoration of the two houses for the millennial reign.
JEREMIAH 33:23-26 The word of Yahuah (the Lord) came to Jeremiah: “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘Yahuah (The Lord) has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. This is what Yahuah (the Lord) says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’”
These next scriptures in Hosea are explaining these same events and shows Ephraim (Nations, Gentiles) coming to him from the west.
HOSEA 11:9-10 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am Yahuah (God), and not a man—the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. They will follow Yahuah (the Lord); he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from THE WEST.
The same thing is explained in these Ezekiel verses about the dispersed (you and I) coming back to dwell with Him in the land.
EZEKIEL 11:16-17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Yahuah (Lord) says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’ “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Yahuah (Lord) says: I will gather you from THE NATIONS and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel (My
people) again.’
If you haven’t figured it out yet, YOU ARE ISRAEL! Look at how Paul clearly explains this as he signs off his letter to the Galatians.
GALATIANS 6:15-16 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God (Elohim).
This is right there in the New Testament, to the ISRAEL OF GOD (ELOHIM).
