"Those Who Claim To Be Jews, But Are Not" by Jack Kelly

With the worldwide rise in anti-Semitism, it's interesting
to see all the different groups who claim that they are really Israel and the
legitimate heirs to God's promises.  The first and largest of these is the
Church.

Replacement Theology

Among Christians, there is a school of thought called
Replacement Theology, sometimes known as Supercessionism.  This view holds that
when the Jews crucified the Messiah they forfeited all the promises God made to
Israel and those promises were transferred to the Church.  The New Covenant
superceded the Old.  Therefore, the Jews are no
longer God’s chosen people, and God does not have specific future plans for the
nation of Israel.  The many promises made to Israel in the Bible are to be
fulfilled in the Christian Church.  Therefore, the prophecies in Scripture
concerning the blessing and restoration of Israel to the Promised Land are
"spiritualized" or “allegorized” into promises of God's blessing for the
Church. 

Adherents to Covenant and
Reformed Schools of Theology (many of the main line denominations) often
subscribe to Replacement Theology as well. For them the re-emergence of Israel
on the world scene serves no purpose and is a contradiction of their teaching.
This explains how an organization like the World Council of Churches can be so
anti-Israel in its world view, or how the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) can
justify divesting itself of all financial holdings related to Israel. 

It also explains how America's
highest elected officials can pursue a diplomatic policy of dividing Israel with
the Palestinians while professing Christianity. Even though the relationship
between forcing Israel to cede Biblical lands and the occurrence of so-called
natural disasters defies coincidence, they see no connection because they've
been taught that Israel's existence today carries no Biblical significance.

The Blood Of Ephraim

Then there's the Mormon Church, with its members claiming
to be descendants of the tribe of Ephraim (some include Manasseh as well) who
escaped from the Babylonian destruction by sailing boats to the Americas. 
Theirs is the Temple of God, they say, and on land they've purchased in
Kirtland, Missouri the New Jerusalem will stand.  Every practicing Mormon
receives a Patriarchal blessing that reveals his or her lineage in the House of
Israel.

Historically Mormons have referred to themselves as Israel,
and we who are not members are still called Gentiles.  When I lived in Salt Lake
City and brought Jewish men like Gershon Solomon of the Temple Mount Faithful,
and Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute to our ministry to teach us
about the Coming Temple, I took delight in the shocked looks I received as I
told them that they had come to the only place in the world where a Jew is
considered a Gentile.

According to Mormon eschatology, at a time when the US
constitution hangs by a thread, a Mormon leader will emerge on a white horse to
save the land and restore peace.    

The Sword Of Islam

Among Moslems there's a view that since Ishmael was
Abraham's first-born son, he's the rightful beneficiary of God's covenant with
Abraham.  Therefore the Promised Land belongs to his descendants, not Isaac's. 
Others say that even if the inheritance does pass through Isaac, the current
residents of Israel are the descendants of European converts to Judaism and are
the sons of Gentiles, not Isaac, and have no claim to the Land.  Whether they
adhere to one view or the other, all agree that at the End of the Age Jesus will
come back with Mohammed and help him rid the land of any remaining Jews.  Even
the rocks and the trees will get involved saying,  "O Moslem, there is a Jew
hiding behind me.  Come and kill him."

What Does God Say?

It seems like just about everybody is claiming the
inheritance promised to Israel.  But what does God say?  Has Israel been
forgotten because of her disloyalty, to be replaced by the Church?

This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and
the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the
descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah
31:37)

Why does Israel serve a future purpose in God's plan, after what she's done
in the past?

"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things,
but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations
where you have gone.  I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been
profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the
nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show
myself holy through you before their eyes. (Ezekiel 36:22-23)

Will the Lord bring His people back to the land He promised them?

I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined
cities and live in them.  They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they
will make gardens and eat their fruit.  I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your
God. (Amos 9:14-15)

Will Israel once again be the pre-imminent nation on Earth?

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I
will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.  Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.  They will bow down before you with their
faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet.  Then you will know
that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."  (Isaiah
49:22-23)

What role will the rocks and the trees really play in this?

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their
hands. (Isaiah 55:12)

So once again we see the contrast between man's view and God's view. 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.   "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Think about it.  How can we believe that God will keep all His promises to
us, while at the same time believing that he broke all His promises to Israel? 
Sure, they don't deserve His loyalty, but then again, what makes us think that
we do? 

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change
his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers
23:19)

It's a good thing, because we're betting our eternal destiny on His
trustworthiness. Watching Him perform on His promises to Israel gives us great
comfort, because by the time be know for sure that He's going to perform on His
promises to us, it'll be too late. Selah 06-03-07 

Article Source: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/kelley/jews.html
Permission to republish/reprint article granted as stated on the raptureready.com website:
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God Will Save Zion (Israel)

By Stephen Yulish

All of us that love Israel (Zion) are troubled as we see her enemies poised to attack her. We see the new little Hitler, President Ahmadinijad of Iran, call for her annihilation. We see Syria poised near the border on the Golan Heights waiting to attack. We see Hezbollah preparing on the Lebanese border and Hamas fomenting disorder in Gaza. The United Nations constantly chastises Israel as does Putin of Russia, Solana of the EU and even the Pope. Israeli Prime Minister Olmert continues the failed policy of giving away Israels birthright in hopes that it will pacify the enemy. It will not. Even the United States, her staunchest ally, is unwilling to move its Embassy to Jerusalem and still tries to resurrect the road map to destruction even though it will never work because the Arabs do not really want peace. They want to drive the Israelis into the sea. It would end the thorn in the heart of their relatively newfound Muslim Holy Site of Jerusalem and prove that Muhammad and the Koran were indeed correct in stating that the Jews would not return to that region.
As it stands today, the Bible has instead proven to be correct and the Jews have returned to the land that God promised them as a legacy forever.
I am going to cite scriptures from the Sepher Tehillim, the Book of Praises, the Book of Psalms which show that God will not forsake His firstborn people. Not because they deserve this protection because they have indeed sinned and rejected Him but because He made them a promise to them and God is not a liar. We all should be thankful for that because we all too continue to sin but God promised that all who call upon his Name shall be saved. And God is not a liar.

For God will save Zion Psalm 69:35

I have made a covenant with my chosen. I have sworn to David my servant. I will establish your seed forever Psalm 89:3-4

My covenant I will not violate nor will I alter the utterance of my lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever Psalm 89:34-36

God will give His angels charge over you (Israel) Psalm 91:11

The Lord will not abandon His people nor will He forsake His inheritance Psalm 94:14

He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep Psalm 121:4

As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever Psalm 125:2

Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion Psalm 9:11

Surely God is good to Israel Psalm 73:1

He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation Psalm 147: 19

Praise for all His godly ones, even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him Psalm 148:14

For the Lord has chosen Zion. He has desired it for His habitation.
This is my resting place, forever. Here I shall dwell. I will abundantly bless her provision...Her priests, I will clothe with salvation and her godly ones will sing aloud with joy... Her enemies I will clothe with shame but on them crowns shall shine Psalm 132:13-16, 18

Let Israel be glad in his Maker...For the Lord takes pleasure in His people. He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation Psalm 149:2,
4

The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed...He who sits in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His FuryPsalm 2:2, 4-5

He sent upon them His burning anger, fury and indignation and trouble.
A band of destroying angels Psalm 78:49


May all who hate Zion be put to shame and be turned backward. Let them be like grass upon housetops which withers before it grows up Psalm
129:5-6

O Israel, hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is loving kindness and with Him is abundant redemption. He will redeem Israel from all iniquities Psalm 130:7-8

Blessed by the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen Psalm 41:13

The Apostle Paul best summarized the fate of Zion, Israel.

I say then, God has not rejected His people has He? May it never be!
... God gave them a spirit of stupor... I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall did they? May it never be! But by their transgressions salvation has come to the Gentiles to make them jealous...Do not be arrogant, remember that it is not you that supports the root but the root supports you...a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins ...for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable
Romans 11:1, 8, 11,18,25,26, 27, 29

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"Divination" - Comment from Dr. Stephen Yulish

I saw an article on UFO Digest a couple of weeks ago by some guy that insists that he has used the concept of gematria, Jewish numerology, to find encoded messages in English words. His pursuit of divination bothered me but considering many of the topics on this website what else was new. God kept telling me to answer him but I kept balking. This was their website and I did not want to alienate Dirk the Publisher who had been so kind to run over a dozen of my articles. Well yesterday, I was again nudged by the Holy Spirit and finally responded feeling that it would never happen. When I sent my article to Dirk, he immediately wrote back and said that it was certainly controversial. I answered that I knew so and asked if he was sure that he wanted to do it. He responded that he did because controversy was good. Read this article and look at the margins and see what types of articles they usually run. My article not only rebukes this particular author but also challenges much of their readership.

Praise God,

Stephen    

http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0607/encoded.html

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