Should Christians Embrace the Jews?

Recently there was much media chatter concerning the current head of the Romish “church”, Herr Ratzinger (I ought not use any of the usual self-proclaimed titles, cf. Matt. 23:8-9), and his visit to the United States. One of the highlights of his trip, according to the media, was his stop at a New York City synagogue, and his embrace of the Jews there, where he gave a speech which stressed the so-called “Jewish” roots of Jesus (Yahshua) Christ and of Christianity. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. In reality – which reality shall continue to escape the notice of most people in society – Herr Ratzinger’s homage to the Jews of New York surely demonstrates the truth of such New Testament verses as Luke 4:5-6, John 14:30 and 1 Cor. 2:8, among others. For those whom we see in positions of authority are not the true wielders of power: it is the dragon (Rev. 12:7-9) which gives authority to the beast (Rev. 13:4). While this statement may seem enigmatic now, it may become clearer later, as this essay proceeds.

During His earthly ministry Yahshua Christ continually distinguished Himself from the Jews, and there are clear examples of this in the words of Christ recorded at John 8:31-47 and John 10. Such distinction is also made by the gospel writers, especially by John, such as at 7:1 and 9:22. In order to understand this distinction, and the reason for the division recorded in the New Testament, it is fitting to examine the history of Judaea in the period leading up to the birth of Christ: for why were Herod and all Jerusalem troubled – even at an announcement of His birth – and why did they conspire to kill Him, rather than rejoice as the Magi and the shepherds did (Matt. 2:1-23; Luke 2:8-20)?

Many centuries before the birth of Christ, from approximately 745 B.C. to 676 B.C., almost all of the population of ancient Israel and Judah were destroyed or removed to other lands by the invading Assyrians, outlined briefly in 2 Kings chapters 17 and 18. The Assyrians left only the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for which see 2 Chron. 32. Ancient Assyrian inscriptions have been found which corroborate these histories, and show that hundreds of thousands of Israelites were taken and resettled in the north. These Israelites are the “lost” sheep of Ezekiel chapter 34, and the subject of many Biblical prophecies made even long after their deportation. Yet none of these people were ever called “Jews”, and therefore they are not the subject of this discussion, although it surely can be demonstrated that – for the most part – these people developed into the Christian nations of later history.

By 585 B.C., nearly all of those left behind by the Assyrians had been taken away by another invader, the Babylonians, who destroyed Jerusalem and removed the people to Babylon (2 Kings 25; 2 Chron. 36). Of all of these, only about 40,000 people returned to Jerusalem some years later, as recorded by both Ezra and Nehemiah. From these 40,000, some of whom settled in Galilaia but most of whom settled in and around Jerusalem, descended Yahshua Christ and the apostles and their countrymen, and the “Jews” of Judaea and Jerusalem. Yet it is fully apparent that the Hebrew religion and prophecies of the Old Testament belonged to a much wider group than these, who never returned to Judaea nor whom were ever called “Jews” – something quite difficult to discern from all of today’s propaganda.

At Ezra 10 and Nehemiah 13 we see that these people who returned to Jerusalem began intermarrying with the Canaanites – the ancient enemies of Israel who were accursed by Yahweh the God of Israel – and upon being admonished and repenting, they put off their foreign wives. This occurred in the 5th century B.C., and the Old Testament records end here, over 400 years before the birth of Christ. Yet much of this 400 years which are wanting in our Bibles are described by secular historians, and especially by the Judaean historian, Flavius Josephus.

From Josephus and others it can be seen that the Edomites – the descendants of Esau and his Canaanite wives (Gen. 36) – had moved into the lands of Simeon and Judah after the Israelites were deported. By 130 B.C., under the Maccabees who were the high priests at Jerusalem, the people of Jerusalem had grown quite strong and after throwing off the yoke of the Greek rulers of Syria to whom they had been subject, they conquered all of the Canaanites and Edomites who had inhabited the surrounding areas, and forced them all to convert to the religion of Judah, already called by this time “Judaism” in the Greek and Roman tongues, and all of those people – Israel’s traditional enemies – became known as Judaeans, or “Jews”. Once converted to Judaism and practicing circumcision, it became quite easy for the true Israelites of Judaea (the descendants of the 40,000) to begin intermarrying with the Edomites and Canaanites of Judaea, and this time without any apparent religious guilt or criticism. By 80 B.C., many Edomites had gotten themselves into positions of power and authority in the kingdom of Judaea, and especially the family of Herod. By 40 B.C. the first Herod (that of Matthew chapter 2) had become the de facto king of Judaea, having slain the last of the Maccabees, and being bribed by Herod, Marc Antony persuaded Octavius Caesar and the Roman Senate to make Herod the official king, about 36 B.C. Once Herod became king, the high priesthood and other positions at the Temple in Jerusalem became political tools, and over the years many of Herod’s friends and kinsmen were granted appointments to such offices – a practice which continued until the Temple was finally destroyed in 70 A.D.

Understanding this history, it is evident how the Judaeans whom Christ reproved could claim to be Abraham’s offspring, and yet Christ denies that they were true children of Abraham (John 8). For being descendants of Esau, their claim was valid, yet Yahweh the God of Israel hates Esau (Mal. 1:1-3), as Paul reminds us in Romans chapter 9, where the apostle tells us that not all of those in the Israel of his day were actual Israelites, and he proceeds to contrast Jacob and Esau! Describing the Israelites as “vessels of mercy” and the Edomites as “vessels of destruction” (Rom. 9:22-33), here he explains the reasons for the division among the first century Judaeans, also evident in many passages elsewhere, such as Rev. 2:9 and 3:9. Being, in part, descendants of Canaanites, they were also descendants of the Kenites – the children of Cain – and the Rephaim, all of whom mingled together (i.e. Gen. 15:19-21). This is why the Edomite Herod was representative of “the great red dragon ... that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan” (Rev. 12) who attempted to kill the infant Christ, for the Kenites and the Rephaim were descendants of the serpent and the fallen angels of Genesis!

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https://christogenea.org/essays/should-christians-embrace-jews

We should follow the example that Christ/Yahusha set down.

Matthew 15:24 Berean Study Bible

"He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Eight Hundred years before Christ ever came to earth as The Redeemer, the whole House of Israel had scattered. He did not mess with the Jews in the land at that time because He knew they were not Israelites but Edomites.

The Roman conquest and slaughter of the Edomites in 70 AD was Yahuah's way of dealing with those that had taken over the land, the priesthood and Temple.

Isn't it time that Christians learn the difference between the Israelites and the Edomites that call themselves Jews whom Yahusha said were of the Seed of Lucifer.

To ask such a question is difficult to answer until the person being asked that questions understands whom is truly the Jew. Otherwise the answer NO would sound like discrimination against the Children of Israel.

We on this site have been called anti-Semitic because this Truth is just not understood by most of those that call themselves Christians.

The Edomites are the Jews
The Israelite is of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob/Israel

See the difference?

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