OUR DEBT TO THE JEWS? – (3)
A RESPONSE TO A SERMON BY DR. H. PAT ALBRIGHT
“It isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble; it’s what we know that ain’t so.” (Will Rogers)
PART THREE
• Who substantially funds the Anti Defamation League, American Civil Liberties Union. People for the American Way, and ‘George Soros’ Moveon.org?
• Is the religion of Jewish Pharisees based on the Bible?
• Do the Jews follow Jesus?
• Is the blindness of American Christians to the source and reason for the unrelenting attacks on our Christian culture an indictment of 21st century Judeo-Christian preachers?
Jesus clearly says His sheep (people), Israelites, hear His word. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
• Is the fact that American Christians are not following Jesus an indictment of the Judeo-Christian clergy? Certainly many pastors fit perfectly Jeremiah’s prophecy: “Woe he unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:1
Jesus foretold that the Pharisees would persistently harass Christians through the ages and this includes today:
“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I, send unto you prophets, and wise men. and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth … “ Matthew 23:33-35
As if to summarize the continuing Pharisaic persecution of Christians, Orthodox Rabbi Daniel Lapin under the title The Curious Rise of Anti-Christianism stated in 1999 [21] :
THE DISHONESTY OF ANTI-CHRISTIANISM
I have found that many well-meaning Jews support groups purporting to fight anti-Semitism and promote fellowship, when in fact these groups use much of their time and money to support aggressively secular and Left-leaning causes. The groups regularly commit what I call ‘anti-Christianism ..’ They have declared war against the recent rise of religious conservatism in American politics. Even a quick glance at publications and direct-mail appeals from the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress and others, reveals a level of rhetoric that far exceeds the bounds of civilized political discourse. Their words demonstrate that many Jewish organizations do not merely consider devout, politically active Christians to be misguided – they consider them evil.
It must be emphasized that not all Jews are sympathetic Pharisees. But, do consider Rabbi Finklestein’s comments. On the other hand, there are many Pharisees among the Judeo-Christian population for the reason mentioned earlier.
In light of the foregoing, pay heed to our Lord and Master’s words in Luke 12:1:
“In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Emphasis added)
III. THE MAJOR OLD TESTAMENT ACTORS WERE HEBREW AND ISRAELITES, NOT JEWS
The major personality of the New Testament is without question Jesus the Christ. It would be inconsistent with Old Testament instructions for Jesus to appoint anyone but an Israelite to his staff, unless doing so would illustrate a truth. With the exception of Judas Iscariot, all the apostles were Galilean Israelites, as was Jesus.
A little information about Judas. It has been traditionally thought that the “Iscariot” part of his name refers to the town of Kerioth, located in Judea. If this is true, Judas would have been one of the nationalities living in Judea – a Judahite, a Canaanite Edomite, or a Mixed Judahite and Edomite.
Judas never called Jesus “Lord” or “master,” as the other apostles did. This may be a hint of how he saw Jesus. Jesus wanted to be known as “Lord,” not just “teacher” (Mark 12:37; Luke 20:42; John 9:36-38). Jesus appointed Judas and knew exactly what he was, for in speaking to all of His apostles, Jesus says:
Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one you is a devil? He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve. John 6:70-71 (Emphasis added)
Judas was given the job of treasurer, but he was secretly a thief whose greatest weakness seemed to be money, or rather, his lack of honesty with money. Judas once took issue with Mary, sister of Lazarus, for her “wasting” some very expensive perfume to anoint Jesus. He claimed that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor, but he actually wanted it for himself.
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him. “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. John 12:3-6
The Bible says the Pharisees loved money and so did Judas. This is why they were able to bribe Judas to betray our Lord. In the end, he betrayed Jesus for the payment of 30 silver coins. Matthew 26: 14-16
Then one of the twelve, called Judas lscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
Was Judas a closet Pharisee Jew or a Judahite? The reader can draw from the evidence a personal conclusion.
A. CONTINUING WITH DR. ALBRIGHT’S CONTENTION THAT ALL OLD TESTAMENT FIGURES WERE JEWS
Dr. Albright opens his sermon by stating that God has been in business with the Jews since the time of Abraham and Sarah, by his estimate 4,000 years. As has been proved, Jews did not exist 4,000 years ago. Rather, Judah, Abraham’s great grandson, from whom the word “Jew” is derived, did not exist at that time. We hear that Abraham was a Jew, Isaac was a Jew, and Jacob/Israel was a Jew. “Jew” does not appear in the Scripture until 2 Kings 16:5-6:
Then Resin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz:, but could not overcome him. At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drove the Jews {Judahites} from Elath. (Emphasis added)
Please note that King Remaliah of the kingdom of Israel was fighting King Ahaz of the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Israel was divided, following King Solomon’s death, into the ten tribes of the north (which became the Kingdom of Israel), and the southern tribes, principally Judah, Benjamin, and Levi (which became known as the Kingdom of Judah),.
Keeping 2 Kings 16:5-6 and the identification of two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, let’s visit Dr Albright’s sermon text, Isaiah 51:1-6
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. (Emphasis added)
Dr. BulIinger, author of The Companion Bible, places 2 Kings 16 at ca 616 B.C. and Isaiah 51:1-6 at ca 608 B.C. Isaiah, the Prophet to the Kingdom of Judah, never used the word “Jew(s)” in his narrative.
Question: If Judah is all Israel then 2 Kings 16:5 presents a conundrum for those who promote Jews as Israel, doesn’t it?
The Lord, speaking through Isaiah, says,
“hear Me you who follow after righteousness and seek the LORD.”
It is Christians who obey this command for it is they, not Jews, who seek to follow after Christ’s righteousness and our righteousness is found in Christ.
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith”. Philippians 3:9.
Now, let’s visit the new nation of which Dr. Albright speaks. He is referring to God’s covenant promise to Abraham that he (Abraham) would become a great nation. This declaration of Genesis 12:1-2 is expanded in Genesis 17:4 to make Abraham a father of many nations. The great nation was known as Israel. A division of the Israel nation was accomplished after the death of Solomon, when it became the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. All, as descendants of Jacob, were still Israelites. Please see The Abraham Family Chart in Appendix 1
It should be mentioned that all the walled cities of the Kingdom of Judah EXCEPT Jerusalem joined their brethren of the Kingdom of Israel in the Assyrian captivity. This would have constituted about 80% of the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, and Levi then living in the Kingdom of Judah.
2 Kings 18:13: Now in the fourteenth year King Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. [Sennacherib: Hebrew Sanherib]
Following this, Judah was greatly diminished in size and influence, and her captivity in Babylon came about 100 years thereafter. Upon her return from Babylon, the members of the tribe of Judah were known as Jews.
The LORD, speaking through Isaiah, says in 51:4
hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
Two observations can be made of this verse:
1. “my people” are Israel. See Exodus 7:4 “…and my people the children of Israel… “
and
2. Israel is “O my nation.” (Emphasis added)
Questions:
• Does the LORD say the “people” and the “nation” are Jews?
• Are the Jews a great nation or many nations?Conclusions:
1. Abraham and Sarah were not Jews. They were Hebrews.
2. The nation spoken of in Isaiah 51:4 is ancient Israel, composed of Jacob’s 12 sons, for all the tribes were part of the continuing tribes of Israel.
To Be Continued:
