All Bible texts are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.
Does the Bible differentiate between Israel and the Jews?
It has been claimed that there is a distinction right through the Bible between the Jews and Israel. . . All Jews are Israelites, but all Israelites are not Jews." It is also claimed that the Jews or Judah, returned from captivity, but the tribes of Israel were lost. This, we are assured is the Key to the British-Israel Truth.
What are the Bible facts on this Question?
When the Kingdom of Israel and Judah went into captivity, God promised that He would cause them both to return again to their own land.
Both Judah and Israel would be in this Restoration from captivity, for the destruction of Babylon would immediately be followed by the deliverance of both Israel and Judah "together ". This is the clear statement of the sure Word of Prophecy.
Jeremiah 50:4 "In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, . . ."
Note that both houses of Israel - for Judah was part of Israel would be involved when God promised:
Jeremiah 50:19, 20 "And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
"In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve."To claim that only Judah was restored is to ignore the plain statement of Scripture.
Jeremiah 30:3 "For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."
Jeremiah 33:7 "And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first."
These infallible predictions and promises were fulfilled in the restoration of both Judah and Israel. To claim that only Judah returned is to ignore the plain statements of Scripture.
Ezra 6:17 "And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel."
With repetitive for emphasis, we read a similar statement in:-
Ezra 8:35 "Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD."
The twelve bullocks represented the twelve tribes of "all Israel".
In Luke 2:36 we read of Anna, "a Prophetess, . . . of the tribe of Aser," while in Acts 4:36, "Barnabas . . . a Levite," is mentioned, yet both of be these tribes are claimed to lost. These tribes were not lost. The phrase "the lost tribes of Israel," or any similar statement is not found within the covers of God's Word. To claim they were lost is to add to the Bible.
Judah and Israel become One Kingdom after the Captivity.
Ezekiel 37:16, 17 "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."
One stick represented the tribal rod:-
Numbers 17:2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod."
Ezekiel 37:22 "And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:"
After this restoration from captivity, we find the term "Jews," and "Israel," used interchangeably for the same people. In Ezra, the same people are called "Jews" 8 times and "Israel" 40 times. In Nehemiah the same people are called "Jews" 11 times and "Israel" 21 times. Then in the New Testament the same people are called "Jews" 174 times and "Israel" 74 times.
As Judah was the strongest tribe in the restoration, the term Jews, (from Judah,) became a common expression to designate the people of Israel.
The "British Israel" teachings fail on many other counts. For instance here are but a few:-
The British and Americans are not Israel. They came of the line of Japhath, whereas Abraham and later Israel, came of the Line of Shem.
The Sabbath was the sign of Israel.
Exodus 31:13-18
"Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God."The British and American peoples have never as a people kept the true seventh-day Sabbath, which is the sign of Israel. A small percentage of them have, but the same small percentage is to be found among practically all nations and peoples. These few have the sign of the Israel of God.
Circumcision was given to the father of Israel and this was to be practiced by them.
Genesis 17:9, 10 "And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised."It was to be "a token of the covenant betwixt me and you" declared the Lord. Genesis 17:11. No one would be foolish enough to declare that this was a practise among the British or American peoples.
Those in Christ, those who are born again, blood-bought children of God, - these and these only, constitute the Israel of God today. These are the only Israelites that come into the scope of God's promises today. Israel means a God-ruled man. Nationality in God's sight counts for nothing.
Romans 2:28, 29 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."God's people are not of the tribe of Judah, Britain or the USA, but they are the tribe of God. Isaac was born by a miracle. God's Israelites are by grace, not race. They are thus God-ruled men and women. May we be Israelites indeed - God-ruled.
BIBLICAL ARTEFACTS AND STUDIES
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