ISRAEL, THE CHOSEN PEOPLE!

What happened to the lost ten tribes of Israel? Is what is known as Israel today still the tribes of Judah and Benjamin? Why isn’t the tribe of Dan even mentioned in book of Revelations?

To understand the answers to these questions and to others we need to first understand who Israel is and who it is not.

Most know the story of how Elohiym promised to build a nation of people through Abraham’s son Isaac. And most understand how Islam formed years later from the descendants of Abraham’s other son Ishmael, who was born to Abraham from his wife’s handmaid Haggai.

I am going to address this subject through the viewpoint of understanding why Israel was sent into captivity at various times.

The splitting of the 10 nations of Israel from Judah and Benjamin was when Solomon died and his son Rehoboam took the reigns as king of Israel. He decided to listen to the counsel of his newly formed advisory board made up of his young friends and raised the taxes on the people.

The ten tribes split off and elected their own king, Jeroboam. Jeroboam decided to give these ten tribes their own identity by changing when Elohiym’s appointed times were observed.

For this they were vomited out of the mouth of Elohiym and sent into captivity. The captivity that they were sent into is a spiritual captivity. Yes, there were different conquering’s that took place on a physical plain to disperse the people throughout the world, yet they lost their identity as Elohiym’s chosen people by losing the sign that He was their Elohiym.

What was this sign?

Ex 31:16-17

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17 IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOREVER: for in six days YEHWEH made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.

There is a large group of people in the world today that think they possess this Sabbath sign and therefore they think they are the remnant of the scattered nations of Israel. They think this because they have adopted the current worship day of those who call themselves the Jewish people today.

The question is, what is the origin of Saturday worship? Is it the true Sabbath day?

Today, I am not going to get into the details of how scripture explains how we are to determine when our Creator’s appointed times are. I merely am going to state that Saturday was not the day that the Jewish people celebrated the Sabbath on during the days of Yehshua when He walked here in the flesh.

They determined the Sabbath day by the New Moons each month and worshipped on the New Moons as well, just as you and I are commanded to. There is plenty of proof of this in scripture and in history. If you really want to be in agreement with your Creator and you really fear not being in agreement with Him, you will need to search this out for yourself.

After all, His Sabbath is a perpetual sign between Him and His people and it is forever.

So, with this understanding, since the Jewish people gave up this sign in the 4th century, by their own admission, they too were cast into captivity into Babylon.

But you say wait a minute, the Jewish people were returned to Jerusalem in 1948. Is this really true? Are those who returned really the Jewish people? Or, were they a group of people who mingled with the Jewish people that were sent into captivity in the 4th century and learned their false customs including their perverted timing of the Sabbath?

If you take the time to research the truth about when the Sabbath is, the answer to this question should be obvious. YEHWEH Elohiym did not give His promises to a rebellious people who lost His sign and did not repent for it.

This is the same group who had earlier lost His protection because they would not accept His Son as the Messiah, and killed Him. They too lost His calendar after this and were sent into captivity.

Just as the other ten tribes lost their identity due to rebellion of the word, so did Judah and Benjamin lose their identity due to their rebellion.

I have a segment posted on the Song of Moses that is recorded in Deuteronomy 32. This song is one of the many commandments that those who profess to be His children ignore today. We are commanded to know this song and teach it to one another because it was given as a witness against Israel in the last days. Here is a verse out of this song;

Deut 32:20-21

20 And He said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: because they are a perverse (or fraudulent) generation, children in whom is no faith. (they do not live the truth)

21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not of Elohiym; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

1948 will prove to be an important year in prophesy, but it was not a year in which the true tribes of Judah or Benjamin returned to Jerusalem. Elohiym did not bring back a rebellious house.

No, Jerusalem is still being trodden under foot by heathen nations, not the children of the promise.

So where are children of the promise and who are they?

Let’s go back to the story; we were from Abraham’s loins. Isaac had two sons as most of you know, Jacob and Esau. Esau gave up his birthright and Jacob hungered for it, even at their birth. We also see this in the story when he was given the name Israel.

Gen 32:24-30

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there he grappled with a man until the breaking of the day.

25 And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as He grappled with him.

26 And the man said; Let me go, for the day breaks. And Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me.

27 And the man said unto him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob. (He wanted him to admit who he was)

28 And He said, your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for you have power with Elohiym and with men, and have prevailed (morally overcame).

29 And Jacob asked Him, and said, tell me, I pray of you what is your name. And He said, why is it that you ask my name? And He blessed him there.

30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen Elohiym face to face, and my life is preserved (or delivered or plucked me out).

Wow, what a powerful event, Elohiym manifests Himself as a man and grapples with Jacob. Why? Because Jacob was not 100 % yielded, yet Elohiym sees His heart and is molding him and is preparing to teach him something. Do you think there was dialog during this match?

We are not given all of the details, just that Jacob prevailed or overcame morally.

At the end of the match, this manifestation tells Jacob to let go but Jacob would not, this is why Elohiym was there in the first place. Jacob’s heart was not quite right, but his heart was right in other ways. He did not want to let go of what was passed down through his father and his grandfather, yet he was also not completely putting his trust in his Elohiym either. He had lessons to learn but he was learning them.

The result, Elohiym blessed him because he would not let go. He knew that this man had the power to bless Him and He knew that He needed His blessing, a very powerful lesson for us all to learn from. Oh, that we would have such a heart as Jacob’s that day.

Before I get into the name he was given, Israel, I want to turn to two verses in John;

John 1:18

18 No man HAS SEEN Elohiym at any time; the only begotten of Elohiym, which is in the bosom of the Father, HE HAS DECLARED HIM.

1 John 4:12

12 No man HAS SEEN Elohiym at any time. If we love one another, Elohiym dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us.

How do these verses fit with the story of Jacob? In John 1:18 he is using the Greek word “horao” which means to perceive or to experience.

It is the same word that is translated as “take heed to” in some places and it is the same word that Yehshua used twice in the sentence;

John 6:46

46 Not that any man HAS SEEN the Father, except he which is of Elohiym, he HAS SEEN the Father.

Yehshua is saying that no one can perceive the Father unless they are of Him or close to him. The closer we get to Him, meaning the more of His spirit that we have given to us, burning in our lamps, the more of Him that we can perceive. John is discussing in verse 18 that this is only possible because Yehshua showed us who His Father is and provided the gate for us to receive Him living in us to teach us who He is.

In chapter 4:12 John is using a different Greek word it is “theaomai” which means to behold or to look upon.

No man has actually looked upon Elohiym, He is spirit and flesh cannot see spirit. He manifested His backside for Moses to see and He manifested Himself in a physical form that day with Jacob, just as He did with Abraham and with Joshua.

Back to the name of Israel…

Knowing what the name represents will tell you who Israel is. It goes back to the identifying mark;

Ex 31:16-17

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17 IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOREVER: for in six days YEHWEH made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.

Knowing what we know now about how the Sabbaths are determined each month, by the New Moons, does any nation have this mark? Not that I can find. There certainly are individual groups that have been shown the truth of this mark, as my Father is restoring truth, but are any of these groups laying hold to all of His statutes and commands?

Not that I can find, at least not yet.

It is so important to understand why Israel was sent into captivity and why satan was allowed to deceive the whole world. I have done other segments on the reason and time will not allow me to get into this but simply put, man has refused their Creator’s blueprint, therefore they have refused His protection from the enemy.

This has been allowed by Elohiym because He will use this as a witness against people when they are resurrected, with the intent of humbling them in order to bring them into His family when they learn how futile their own ways were.

During these first 6,000 years, minus the 228 years that He is cutting it short, He has only sealed 144,000 from the scattered nations of Israel into His family. He has plucked them out of the captivity because they came to His call.

Look at the history of man through His eyes and not your own eyes and try to see how many might He have selected into His family; and consider if you could possibly be one of them when you did not even fight to have His Sabbath correct, or any of the rest of His instructions.

Step aside from what you think and pretend to be Elohiym for a moment. Pretend that you wanted to build a family so you made man and gave him free will and most rejected you.

But, also consider the delight that you have that 144,000 did not reject you. They wanted to be taught by you, they wanted you to feed them, nurture them and provide for them. Oh, what favor you would want to give such a group.

This group fought to be in your family.

What about everyone else?   Well, if they don’t want you, I guess you would let them go their own way.

But wait, is He finished building His family after the 144,000 were completed? No, there is more to His plan. People who rejected Him and did not know Him will be resurrected at a later time and will be able to see the end result, how obeying Him, would have turned out.

Yehshua and the first fruits will govern here for a thousand years and prepare a people for that resurrection. This is what He is inviting you to be a part of, to come out of captivity from the bondage of transgressing His laws and let Him be your source and let Him teach you His ways.

You can choose what Israel of old did not, they broke His covenant and did not choose life. Lay hold of the new covenant that He is offering to you and choose life.

Somehow, He drug 144,000 out of the muck and the mire and cleansed them with His Son’s blood; but these had to want Him and had to want to hold onto His precepts, they had to want to be in His family. This number is so few when you consider the billions who have lived.

It should really be a marvel, how could any of us be so foolish to not trust Him with everything? He is Almighty.

Israel is the Hebrew word;

OT:3478
Yisra'el (yis-raw-ale'); from OT:8280 and OT:410; he will rule or have power as ‘El or better stated, Elohiym will empower

OT:8280
sarah (saw-raw'); a primitive root; to prevail:

OT:410
'el (ale); strength; as adjective, mighty; especially the Almighty, translated as God in many places.

There are only two occurrences of this word” sarah” in the Old Testament and both are referring to Jacob. The first, the day that he prevailed or was rescued for not letting go and the other place is in the book of Hosea where is referring to Jacob not letting go of His brother’s heel.

Hos 12:2-6

2 YEHWEH also has a controversy or strife with Judah, and will charge according to Jacob according to his ways; according to his path will he recompense him (Judah).

3 He (Jacob)took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength HE HAD POWER WITH ELOHIYM:

4 Yes, he ruled among the angels and overcame: he wept, and Elohiym showed mercy to Him: He appeared to him in Bethel, and there He spoke with us;

5 Even YEHWH ELOHIYM of hosts; YEHWEH is his memorial.

6 Therefore turn to your Elohiym: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on your Elohiym continually.

I can see that I am running out of time and I am just getting started so I will need to do a part two.

As we go forward in this subject, I will show how this scripture is showing that being a part of Israel needs to be a desire, just as Yehshua said, in
Matthew 11:12, that the Kingdom of heaven must be fought for and the forceful or those who really want it, seize it.


ISRAEL, PART II    THE CHOSEN PEOPLE!

In Part one, I was discussing how all of Israel has chosen to go into captivity. They were sent into captivity because they rejected the instructions of their Creator and broke His covenant and lost His protection from the enemy.

Towards the end I was discussing how Hosea was comparing Judah to Jacob. He was given a prophesy of how Judah would not hold on to the truth and used Jacob’s determination to not let go, as a measuring rod.

This prophesy is about Judah not holding on to the correct timing of the Sabbath and other statutes that they were commanded to hold fast to. At the time when Yehshua came, it was only Benjamin and Judah who were left, of the tribes of Israel who still held onto the appointed times and had their identity as Israel.

These two tribes had perverted many of the statutes.  Yehshua exposed this when He came, but they still had the appointed times correct, which included the weekly Sabbaths.

They rejected their Messiah and they were shut off completely from the protection that they still had a measure of. And they began to lose that which they still retained. 40 years later the second temple was destroyed by the Romans and soon all truth was lost. These two tribes drifted into captivity as well, shut off from their Creator’s protection.

When the correct timing of the Sabbath day was finally made desolate in 356 A.D., a second 1,656 year countdown to the return of our Messiah began, just as it was 1,656 years before the flood.

Yet, even thru these years that Israel has been in captivity, our Creator has continued to call out and fashion His first fruits. He has been calling individuals out of the captivity and many have been given different truths to call them out of it.

Yehshua said;

Matt 22:14

14 Because many are called , but few are chosen.

Most of these who were called either could not let go of what they thought was true and keep coming to the call, or they became lifted up with what they were given to see and built a religion around this truth or that. Maybe even around a couple of truths that they were given.

The most powerful anchor that held them back was pride. They either did not want to admit they were wrong about everything, or they wanted to figure things out instead of waiting on their Elohiym to guide them.

What does Yehshua give for a reason that so few are chosen?

He uses the Greek word “anomia” which means LAWLESSNESS  four times in the book a Matthew. I want to briefly touch on those passages before getting back into who Israel is and who the chosen of Israel are.

Matt 7:20-23

20 Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.

21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that practice LAWLESSNESS.

The reason that most read right over this is many translations have this word lawlessness translated as iniquity and people feel pretty good about themselves not being that bad so they think this is not referring to them. They do not measure themselves according to the narrow path that they were given to walk.

They have no fear of losing out on their Creator’s gift of being in His family, so they accept the hollow teachings of men and do not hunger for His righteousness.

Next verse;

Matt 13:41-42

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that snare, and them which practice LAWLESSNESS;

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

What law is He referring to? Maybe it was the law that He supposedly did away with even though He said plainly that He did not come to get rid of one crossing of the “t” or dotting of an “I” within the law?

Matt 23:28

28 Even so you outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and LAWLESSNESS.

And in Matthew 24;

Matt 24:11-13

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because LAWLESSNESS shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall ENDURE to the end, IT IS HE THAT SHALL BE SAVED.

What is this word endure? We should want to know because Yehshua says this is the group that will be saved.

It is Strong’s #5278
hupomeno (hoop-om-en'-o); from NT:5259 and NT:3306; to stay under (behind), i.e. REMAIN; figuratively, to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), HAVE FORTITUDE, PERSEVERE:

Is a nation of people who changed their Creator’s holy and perfect calendar that He gave them to determine His appointed times with, enduring or remaining until the end?

Are those who call themselves Christians enduring or remaining to the end if they cannot even give His commands lip service?

Is making up your own religion and rejecting His word enduring to the end?

Back to Israel of old; the ten nations were sent into captivity and lost their identity because they rejected their Creator’s appointed times, which also included His Seventh Year Sabbaths.

In some instances, they did NOT get rid of them, they just changed their timing. An example of this is Jeroboam changing the Feast of the seventh Month to the eighth month.

Satan was allowed to lead them away from the truth because they had rebellious hearts and did not fear going against their Creator. They remain in captivity because they reject the truth that would set them free. They gave up the name Israel.

Do you think that a different set of rules applied to Judah? Let’s look at Hosea again and see the comparison;

Hos 12:2-6

2 YEHWEH also has a controversy or strife with Judah, and will charge him according to Jacob according to his ways; according to his path will he recompense him (Judah).

3 Jacob took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength HE HAD POWER WITH ELOHIYM:

4 Yes, he ruled among the angels and overcame: he wept, and Elohiym showed mercy to him: He appeared to him in Bethel, and there He spoke with us;

This is powerful to understand. Jacob persevered because He would not let go, He had an attitude of overcoming. At the end of part one I mentioned Yehshua speaking of this kind of attitude that those who press into the Kingdom have;

Matt 11:12

12 Moreover, before the days of John the Baptist and continuing this day the kingdom of heaven is pressed into or seized, and the forceful or those who fight for it seize it.

The kingdom of Elohiym is not given to rebellious people who do not want to take on their Creator’s character.

The history of Israel is full of rebellion and full of not trusting their Creator.

Why didn’t the generation that YEHWEH brought out of Egypt get to enter into the Promised Land?

Deut 1:25-27

25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, it is a good land which
YEHWEH our Elohiym gives us.

26 Notwithstanding you would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of YEHWEH your Elohiym:

27 And you murmured in your tents

They did not trust their Elohiym after all He had done for them. How about today, do you live trusting Him? I use the simple example of healing because it is so basic. Do you trust in doctors and medicines or do you trust in your Elohiym for all things including healing?

Has Elohiym changed? Moses goes on to tell them;

Deut 1:30-38

30 YEHWEH your Elohiym goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

31 And in the wilderness, where you have seen how that YEHWEH your Elohiym bare you, as a man does bear his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.

32 Yet in this thing you did not believe YEHWEH your Elohiym,

34 And YEHWEH heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and promised, saying,

35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I promised to give unto your fathers, (they broke their part of the covenant to trust Him and obey Him)

36 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he has trodden upon, and to his children, BECAUSE HE HAS WHOLLY FOLLOWED YEHWEH.

37 Also YEHWEH was angry with me for your sakes, saying, you also shall not go in to the land.

38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which stands before you, he shall go in to the land:

Joshua and Caleb are examples of the types of hearts that YEHWEH is looking to empower and adopt into His family and to give His name to.

When told to go back into the desert, Israel said, “Wait, we will go up and fight.” But YEHWEH told Moses to tell them not to go because He would not be with them.

They went anyway and were driven back like bees and many were destroyed.

The other day I did a segment on getting in the boat. I would not wait until the boat is pulling away from the dock to cry out, it will be too late. In other words, if you want to be a fence setter, good luck.

If you want to know where Israel is in captivity, physically, look to the nations that are very blessed on a that plain. They do not know that they are Israel and they do not know that they are in bondage; no one does, just as no one knows that they are deceived.

Even after the nations of Israel were scattered they continued receiving His blessings on a physical plain and they kept rejecting Him, rejecting the truth that He continued to try to give them that would set them free.

He sent His son with a clear message and the scattered nations perverted the truth that He brought and perverted His blood.

All but a few, the small flock that heard His voice and came out of Babylon but the majority continued to live perversions and lies.

How can you tell if you are deceived? Let the word of Elohiym be your measuring stick, after all, it will be what judges you according to Yehshua.

If you are letting a different system than His moon to determine your worship times, you do not believe His word, therefore you are deceived.

If you are believing the teachings of the self-proclaiming apostle paul about your Creator’s laws being nailed to the cross, you are not believing His Son and you are calling His Son a liar and you are deceived.

If you are not worshipping Him on the New Moon days, not keeping His annual feasts in His predetermined timing, you are deceived.

If His word is not your guide into all things, you are deceived. If you are deceived, YOU ARE IN CAPTIVITY.
LET THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE!

How do you know if you are Israel? The answer is, if His LOGOS is your source for everything, you are bearing His name and are being engrafted into His family.

His inheritance is His people, His people are His chosen. Israel is His chosen. Jacob was given this name because He would not let go of the promises, He hungered for the blessing promises.

Rev 2:7

7 He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the called out ones; To him that OVERCOMES will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of Elohiym.

Rev 2:11

11 He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the called out ones; He that OVERCOMES shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev 2:17

17 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the called out ones; To him that OVERCOMES will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it.

Rev 2:25-26

25 But that which you already have HOLD FAST TO till I come.

26 And he that OVERCOMES , AND KEEPS my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.

Rev 3:5

5 He that OVERCOMES, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 3:12

12 Him that OVERCOMES will I make a pillar in the temple of my Elohiym, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my Elohiym, and the name of the city of my Elohiym, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my Elohiym: and I will write upon him my new name. (THE WORD OF ELOHIYM)

Rev 3:21-22

21 To him that OVERCOMES will I grant to sit with me in my throne, EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME, and am set down with my Father in His throne.

22 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the called out ones.

Rev 21:7-8

7 He that OVERCOMES shall inherit all things; and I will be his Elohiym, and he shall be my son.

8 But those who lack faith, and those who do not believe, and those who stink because of their idolatry, and murderers, and the fornicators, and those who use spell giving potions or drugs, and false worshippers, and all that is false shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

How do we overcome?

Rev 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word (THE LOGOS) of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

This is who Israel is, those who hold fast to the Logos and are cleansed by the blood of the lamb.