Who Is a True Israelite?

As you know, brethren, Israel is in the news. There have been a lot of battles going on. It's very sad. Some of the brethren were there just two weeks ago when things really got out of hand. You've got the war of Israel against Hamas, which is the Arab Muslim group. They're in Gaza. And then you have in the north the Hezbollah, which is another Arab Muslim group. But this one is more Shiite, which is a different branch of Islam.

So today I'd like to talk to you about one of the great truths in the Bible that is greatly misunderstood. It has to do about Israel itself. Without the biblical guideposts of God's feasts, it can't truly be understood. You are hopelessly lost of this answer. God's feasts, we just celebrated one, are truly guides in the way to show us about God's plan of salvation and also about Israel. Israel is talked about from the first book of the Bible to the very end. And yet, the Jews don't understand who truly is an Israelite, nor does traditional Christianity. Who are we? We're nobody. But God is using people on this earth, His flock, to teach such things. And you have to examine. You have to evaluate. Because we're going to go through the entire Bible in this short period of time to answer the question, who is a true Israelite? Your spiritual life depends on you understanding this topic. In the future, you will see there's going to be a division. And those that are the true Israelites are going to be on one side, and basically the rest of the world is going to be on another side. It's going to be such a deception that will take place. So we better know very well this subject. Christ Himself said that there would be confusion about this topic. He had a big problem with the Jews of His days. They didn't understand who truly is an Israelite in God's eyes. So we're going to see this topic. In Matthew 11, verse 25, it's a very important set of verses. Matthew 11, verse 25-28, Christ said, At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things, these truths from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. I mean, when He is talking there about babes, He's talking about people that aren't rich and powerful and famous, all of these big cathedrals, all of these people with great theology degrees. But He has revealed them to simple people, people that are not trying to impress, people that are humble, people that are not wrapped up in this world's system in itself. He goes on to say, So it's not high theology. You can go and study everything. Christ has to be working. It's the will of Christ that is being carried out. And so we have this wonderful truth that we can share. The world needs it. Israel needs it. The Arab world needs it. And they don't have it. Notice in Luke chapter 12 and verse 32, He again reveals that it's a small flock that God is calling today. God's flock. Luke 12 verse 32. It says, It is God's will to do that. He's not calling the powerful and the mighty. So if you're looking for a big church with power and cathedrals and influence with the politics and the economic system, you're in the wrong place. Because this is a small flock. We don't even own many of the buildings because we would rather get this out to the world freely. Instead of bricks, we want booklets with God's truths that are free. They've been translated into multiple languages. They're available to anyone who asks. But we can't do that if we're so busy building up cathedrals and spending millions and millions of dollars that way. You can't do both. And so it's this little flock that has these wonderful truths that we really don't deserve. Paul mentioned the same principle that Christ just said here. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

Starting in verse 26. Paul is talking to the Corinthian brethren. Are they rich, famous, powerful, wise in the ways of the world? No, they're not. It says in verse 26, For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise, according to the flesh, nor many mighty, nor many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world. The world doesn't regard as important. To shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, yet mighty, powerful organizations. Well, Christ is not doing that today.

And the base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen. And the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are. So, he doesn't want anybody saying, well, of course God had to call me. Because look how successful I am. Look how powerful I am. Look how influential I am. Of course, all of these people would love to have that for me.

As a matter of fact, in my 50 years and more that I've been in the church, those that I've seen that were powerful, like politicians, powerful, rich businessmen. You know, none of them are here in the church today. They didn't last. Because this is about being humble. This is about being teachable and not about impressing others with wealth, power, or knowledge. And so, what is one of those great truths that God revealed to his church that has been greatly misunderstood by many about Israel? And this is it right here. It is a revelation of who is a true Israelite. It's so important to know now and in the future. Our spiritual lives depend on us knowing about that because if we can't identify who's who, how are we going to know where we're at? With what group are we in? A lot of people are going to say, oh no, yeah, we're true Israelites. But one thing is to say, another one is what the Bible says about it. So, to learn what is a true Israelite, we have to go back to the first revelation about this topic given by God in the Garden of Eden. It's one of the first messages that God gave about this select group.

In Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, does anybody know what this verse is technically known as? What it's called? Anybody? It's called the protoevangelium, which means the first gospel. This is the first of the gospel, the good news, that was given to mankind. And so, it says here in verse 15, talking to the serpent, which was Satan disguised as such, that there would be a perpetual war between those who follow Satan's seed and the woman and her seed, those who truly follow God. Verse 15, it says, talking to the serpent, and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed.

So, whether you know or not, a lot of people are following Satan and his ways, and they're part of the descendants that have followed Satan's ways. But then it says, and her seed, notice with capital S, talking about the seed that comes from God and Israel and the Messiah, Christ. And then talking about the Messiah, he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. And so Satan would attack the Messiah and temporarily disable him, but through a resurrection he was back on his throne. Now, we don't have to guess about the Scripture because we have the interpretation in the Bible itself.

Turn with me to Romans 16. The Bible interprets itself, and this verse is interpreted here. Paul said in Romans 16, verse 20, talking to the brethren and the Roman brethren, he said, The God of peace will crush Satan. Talking about Christ, he will crush Satan under your feet shortly. Under your feet? Who's he talking about?

He's talking about the world? No. He's talking about those that are descendants of the seed, those that are spiritual Israelites who are persecuted by Satan. And one day they will gain the victory through Jesus Christ. So, there is this wrong assumption, and the Jews, unfortunately, have fallen into this false idea.

They don't understand it. The assumption is that because you are born an Israelite or a Jew, which is basically the house of Judah, that's the one that survived after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. It was the Judeans who came back. But the point here is that just because you're born as an Israelite, it doesn't mean you truly are one before God. Christ had to deal with this, and they rejected his message when he told them about it. Let's go to John 8. John 8, verse 31. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, If you abide in my word, talk about my instructions, if you follow me, you are my disciples indeed.

It's just not somebody that's a good fair-weather friend. He's there for a while, but then he drops out. Now, this is somebody that takes it seriously and is going to follow Christ's teachings. He says, And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Free from error, from religious lies, from secular lies.

The whole world is filled with lies. They answered him, We are Abraham's descendants and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say you will be made free? So here they brought out their card. We were born. We're part of Abraham's descendants. How can you say that we are not free? And by the way, it's ironic that when they said that we have never been in bondage to anyone, they were in bondage to the Romans. At that time, about a hundred years, that they'd been basically conquered and they had Roman soldiers everywhere. They weren't free. And before that, it had been the Greeks who had been in charge of them.

And before that, it had been the Persians that also conquered this area. And Babylon did too. But they had what is called historical amnesia. Things that you don't really want to remember about the past. And so they were saying that. But Jesus Christ was not talking about nationality as such. He goes on to say... Going back to the 30... 34. Jesus answered them, He says, And so he finally says here... And verse 44, You are of your father, the devil.

Saying that to Jewish people. Why? Because they're deceived. They're not converted. Not truly converted. And he says, And the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

So they wanted to murder him who brought the truth. That's the irony. That's how topsy-turvy this whole world is. It's upside down. And we living in a world that's upside down, but we're so used to it, we think it's right side up. And what Christ did, He brought and He showed us what right side up truly is and how we are all living in an upside down world. Continuing in Matthew 21, verse 43, This is why He was so tough on the Jewish leadership.

Oh, they thought they were all converted. They were all so dedicated and yet they were unconverted. They were carnal. They had thoughts about murder and power and greed. Matthew 21, verse 43, He says to them, Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you. You supposedly represent that kingdom. It's going to be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. He says, And whoever falls on this stone, talk about Jesus Christ's belief in Him, whoever falls on this stone rejects this truth will be broken.

But on whomever it falls, it will grind Him to powder. Now, when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. So here we have, and basically in 2000 years, it hasn't changed. You go to a synagogue close by and you say, I believe in Jesus Christ. They say, you have to leave.

You have to leave. We do not accept that. I'll tell you when that started, that curse against Christians that is read in one of the benediction parts of the Jewish liturgy or ceremony. God chose the Apostle Paul in particular to develop this truth about who is a true Israelite.

It's so important. I remember I was a Catholic. I thought I was part of the true Church. I thought I was doing things fine. I was going to Mass on Sundays. I was an altar boy in all of this. I was in the wrong group. I wasn't a true Israelite. I had been deceived. So many of us have been. Through the book of Acts, in Acts 10, when Peter gets to know Cornelius, who was this Roman centurion, he wasn't a Jew at all.

But he was a man that adopted the Jewish faith, and he had come to understand the truths about Christ. So God called him, along with his wife and others. The Gentile world was opened up to becoming a true Israelite. In Acts 15, they have the Jerusalem Council, where they come together and say, well, what are we going to do about this? Is God also calling the Gentile world? And they concluded, yes. And that it was no longer mandatory to be circumcised to be a true Israelite. Now, I say I'm going to focus because of the briefness of time that I have.

And hopefully, when we get to, soon we'll get to the Bible studies. When we finish, we're finishing 2 Peter, and then we'll get into 1 John and Jude. But then we're going to go back to Romans. So we can go step by step through this so important epistle. I don't have time to go through Acts. But right now, we're going to go to Romans chapter 2, because Paul was the one that had to deal with the Gentiles. He had to deal with his fellow Jews as well that were converted or some that weren't.

And so in Romans chapter 2, this is one of the great themes of this epistle. Romans chapter 2, in verse 25 through 29, Paul says, For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law. But if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. You can be a child of Abraham, you can be a descendant of Abraham, but you have to obey God's commandments.

Verse 26, Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, He's following the commandments, He's keeping all of these laws and principles, Will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision, And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, If he's following God and His laws, judge you, who even with your written code and circumcision, Are a transgressor of the law. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly. In other words, whether your circumcision is immaterial, It doesn't matter, that's not a requirement to become a true Israelite.

Nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. If you are circumcised, that doesn't make you a true Israelite either. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, And circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter. So he's talking about here the circumcision of baptism, Where your sins are washed away, and then you receive God's Spirit, Whose praise is not from men, but from God. So Christ did it for us, we didn't do it for our own selves.

Continuing on now in chapter 9, this is a key chapter. If you want to know who is a true Israelite, This is the succinct, clear, concentrated message about this topic. So we start here in Romans chapter 9 verse 1.

Paul says, I tell you the truth in Christ. I am not lying. It's so difficult for him to say the following thing. And probably some Jews would say, well, what in the world are you willing to sacrifice that way for unbelieving Jews? He says, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, That I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, according to the flesh. He'd willingly lose his eternal life if it meant that the Jewish people could be converted to Christ.

He says, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory that were adopted by God, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises. That's a whole package that God provided. Of whom are the fathers? These are all the patriarchs. And from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came. Who was a Jew? Who is, overall, the eternally blessed God? Amen. But it is not that the Word of God has taken no effect. How can that be? Why in Israel do we see people that don't accept Christ at all? The Jews don't accept Christ, and they are prohibited. They're not accepted as such. Jews that believe in Christ have to go to another place and meet somewhere else.

He says, for they are not, this is the key phrase, for they are not all Israel who are of Israel. So because you're born that way doesn't mean you're a true Israelite. And then he goes on to explain. Nor are they all children because they are the seed or descendants of Abraham. But in Isaac your seed shall be called. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, talking about Ishmael. We talked about that last week. These are not the children of God. So that whole group, they don't accept Jesus Christ either as their Messiah, the Muslims.

But the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise. At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son. So and what he's getting at is that just because there were descendants of Abraham, it had to be through Isaac. That would come the promises. And then he says, and not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac, for the children not yet being born, not having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to the election, might stand not of works, but of him who called. So it was through Jacob that the blessings and the calling would happen. It was said to her, the older shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated. So God does the choosing and to be true Israelite is not dependent on your descendants or on your ancestry. It depends on obeying God, being sealed with God's Holy Spirit and obeying God's laws. It's not complicated. What shall we say then? He goes on. Let's go to verse 30. Verse 30 sums up again. He says, What shall we say then that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith, that the Gentiles were able to have this opening to being called to becoming a true Israelite? He says, have attained to righteousness even the righteousness of faith. Faith is the belief that God can work through you and that we submit to God. He will guide us. He will purify us. He will perfect us. It's a process of faith. But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, which is again the trusting God to the point where you are led by God. But as it were, by the works of the law, they thought, well, we're circumcised. We've got all of these rituals. Yes, we are the elect of God. And they made that mistake. They lost their humility. He says, for they stumbled at the stumbling stone, which is Jesus Christ. And that's why very few Jews ever get converted into the church, because it's such a strong teaching that, no, Christ isn't the Messiah. We've got to follow just the rabbis. We've got to follow the law and the rituals of our fathers. And they don't realize it's through Jesus Christ that comes saving faith. Notice that although Israel has for the time being been put to the side because of the hardness of their hearts, doesn't mean they're not going to one day be called. Notice in Romans 11, God has not forsaken them. Romans 11 verse 17.

It says, talking about, again, the Jewish people. And if some of the branches were broken off and you being a wild olive tree, talk about the Gentile, were grafted in among them and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree. So we have different races, but we're all grafted into the same olive tree of the true Israel. We can become a true Israelite.

I remember when I understood this, what a relief and happiness and all of it. Who am I to be inserted into this rich olive tree that has been there from the time of righteous Abel all the way? This group of people that God is working with and that we can be grafted in. Continuing on, it says in verse 18, it says, do not boast against the branches. Don't go around now boasting that, well, the Jews aren't being called. We're being called now. Don't boast about that, he says.

But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. We're grafted in, but Israel has this rich history which continues, and we become spiritual Israelites. But we're not the root. We're just a branch that has been grafted in. You will say then, branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Well said, because of unbelief, they were broken off and you stand by faith.

Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he may not spare you either. We don't have a guarantee. If we get haughty, if we get vain, if we lose our humility and teachability, that makes a big difference. So, continuing in verse 32, the conclusion, it says, For God has committed them all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.

There's one more scripture that I wanted to turn here in Romans 11, and it says here that... Verse 26 says, And so all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the deliverer will come out of Zion, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. And so when Christ comes back, and through the Second Resurrection, all of these Israelites will come in, and they will know the truth about things. And they will have the opportunity to know that Christ was the Messiah.

They were deceived by their own leaders, but they will have another opportunity in the future. So now the church is composed of spiritual Israelites from different races. And whether you come from a Jewish background or another background, that's not that important. And we have had Jewish converts, but you know, it's been tough on them, because somehow they feel, well, we've got all this background, we've got all of this stuff coming in.

It's hard to just say, like Paul, all of that I regard as dumb. It doesn't mean that you don't appreciate it, but just don't boast or think you're superior to someone else. Notice what it says in Galatians 3. It took years for Christ to teach this to the Apostle Paul. It must have been very shocking for him, but he had God's Spirit, he had the humility to accept it. Galatians 3, verse 27. It says, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek.

So here he's saying, we have one class of people in God's Church, and those are true Israelites. We have one olive tree that we've been grafted in, whether you're part of the natural branches or not, that's we're all part of the same group. We don't have second class citizens. He says, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Again, by faith, not by race.

We have the common faith, we have common teachings, common beliefs, common practices. Yes, then we're true spiritual Israelites. Notice in Galatians chapter 6, as he concludes, he says in verse 15, he says, For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but a new creation. Now, that is not the best translation that I have found. The New Living Bible actually puts it even better. It says, It doesn't make any difference now, whether we have been circumcised or not.

What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. Yes, a kind of a new spiritual creation, how we are made that way. And that's why we have to respect each other and wherever we are, you love God's people. You visit them in one of the smallest little shacks out there, way out in the boonies in Latin America. You sit with them.

They are part of God's Israel. They're true Israel. And then you go to a palace, presidential. No true Israelites here. So there's not that affinity, that identity with them. In 1 Corinthians 7, in verse 19, this is a crucial scripture along this line. It says in verse 19, Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

That's why we keep the Sabbath, because that's one of the commandments of God. We keep God's feasts, because those are commandments of God. We don't eat unclean food, because that's a commandment of God. Not a choice. It's a commandment. If we follow God, we're going to do it his way, not our way.

We can't be half Israelite, half pagan. We can't be keeping half of God's laws and not keeping the other half. It doesn't work that way. Now, this is particularly important regarding the prophecies in the book of Revelation about spiritual Israel. That means us, brethren. When Christ speaks about Israel or the Jews in the book of Revelation, he is speaking to the church. He's speaking to spiritual Israelites, not physical Israelites. Around 90 AD, according to the historians and what we have, the historical record, Jewish leaders instituted a formal curse, expelling Christians from the synagogues.

This was mentioned. Guess what the curse was? It was cursed as anyone who is a Nazarene, which is one of the names that the true church had. The Nazarenes, the followers of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene. After that, the synagogues were basically banned for Jewish Christians, Gentile Christians. If I go to the synagogue and say, well, I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe that he is my Savior, well, nope, sorry, we can't accept that in our belief system.

It might not kick you out right away. It depends now how watered down things are, but it's still something there. They do not allow anyone to have that belief and be part of the Jewish faith. Brethren, I want to continue with this topic in the book of Revelation because who is God talking about there when he's talking about Israel?

He's talking about a physical Israel or a spiritual Israel, what they're going to go through in the future. There are going to be two sides here, two groups, and so it's very important what he says. And God willing, I'll finish this sermon next week.