Opinion Editorials, February 2014

Author's Note:

This is the transcript of my latest recorded Bible study which will be posted at Truthtellers.org on Monday evening, Feb. 10th.

The Bible, particularly the Old Testament prophets, extensively describes a rebellious nation of Jews who convert at Christ's Second Coming. Jeremiah’s 31st chapter lavishly and specifically describes Jews from all over the world, scattered and persecuted by Anti-Christ, returning to Israel. Their once rejected Messiah, Jesus, brings them back to Jerusalem, rejoicing.  They witness the valley of Armageddon, filled with the bones and ashes of Anti-Christ's vast army of the nations, which had come to destroy them. (v. 40) It was incinerated by Christ, accompanied by His resurrected saints as they arrived in His second coming.  The Jewish people have been part of Babylon the Great, ruling the world and ruthlessly persecuting Christianity to near extinction (See 'Babylon the Great' is Israel). After they repent, they are not cast off for their sin. (v.37)  Rather, God said, "As I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to throw down and to destroy and afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant." (v.28) 

In verses 36-37 God says the sun and moon would stop existing before the “seed of Israel," the righteous among the Jewish race, should cease to exist. Their survival is a testimony—not of any special genetic righteousness in Jews—but that God is going to resolve the relationship He began with “a stiff-necked people.”(Ex. 32:9)  He will help empower Jewish righteousness and obedience to Jesus prophesied by Scripture. Jesus will also judge those Jews who reject Him with “wrath upon this people” (Luke 21:23) during the Great Tribulation, or "time of Jacob's trouble."

Endurance of the Jewish race is a testimony to God’s faithful tenacity and also a potent warning that the world dominion Scripture portrays as coming about through the “Great Harlot,” Israel, is not symbolic. Indeed, the same race that participated in the crucifixion of Jesus is still on the scene to eventually persecute His followers and attempt to destroy the religion He founded. 

Some advocates of replacement theology, particularly Texe Marrs in promotion of his recent book (DNA Science and the Jewish Bloodline), teach that "DNA science is undebatable.  The Jews turn out to be Khazars and not Abraham's children." They believe that victory over Zionism must include ending the "chosen people" myth that enthralls most evangelicals. One of the most powerful ways to do that, they believe, is to prove that racially authentic Jews no longer exist, or are so infinitesimal in numbers as to be negligible. 

Jewish Geneticist says Eastern European "Jews" are Khazars

The genetic research of Johns Hopkins geneticist Dr. Eran Elhaik has powerfully energized Marrs.  It strongly favors Arthur Koestler's "13th Tribe" thesis that most eastern European Ashkenazi “Jews” originated in Khazaria in central Eurasia. (See The Khazars: Do They Destroy God’s Plan for the Jews?)  Elhaik also contends that the genetic evidence for patrimony of Abraham in non-Khazar Jews is so minimal it negates any claim that Jews today are a race.  Many anti-Zionist non-Christians, already skeptical of the veracity of the Bible, interpret Elhaik’s research to dismiss the Bible’s portrayal of racially authentic Jews in the last days. For them, Elhaik is proving the Bible to be a fable.

Let's consider, however, the testimony of history concerning what really happened to the Jews, especially after Nebuchadnezzar exiled a nation of Abraham’s descendants, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, into Babylon in 597 BC. In Babylon, this exiled Jewish populationof perhaps 150,000 remained intact.  Unlike the northern ten tribes, scattered under the Assyrian exile in 722 BC, Babylonian Jewry during its first 70 years of exile was spiritually presided over by righteous prophets such as Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah. Later,it fell under the worst possible influence of the “sopherim,” proto-scribes and Pharisees who absorbed Babylonian ideas, customs, occultry, and perversions. They laid the foundation for the oral “traditions of the elders” which Jesus said made the law of God of no effect. The oral traditions of these “blind guides” later were written down as the Babylonian Talmud, Judaism's greatest religious authority. But they also inspired its mystical/revolutionary companion, the Zohar, or Kabbalah.

Ezra and Nehemiah led less than a third of authentic Babylonian Jews back to Palestine. The rest continued to enjoy the economic opportunities of Babylon. The scribes and Pharisees created great academies of religious study and arbitration in Babylon, settling religious disputes from Jews in every corner of the known world. The Talmud describes Babylon as Israel’s “second land of promise,” a land so beloved by God that it will be spared the anguish God visits on the nations before advent of the (false) messiah and Jewish world rulership.  Authentic Jews lived in Babylon for 1600 years, longer than Hebrew sojourn in Palestine.

Jews Flee Persecution in the West

After conversion of Roman emperor Constantine, Catholicism, both in its western Roman and eastern Byzantine branches, often persecuted Jews.   From as early as the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD Jews, fulfilling prophecy, began to be "wanderers among the nations," travelling as merchants as far north as France. They sought protection in lands to the east as far as India and perhaps China. Jews frequently went to Arabia, converting a number of pre-Islamic tribes.  With advent of anti-Christian Islam and especially en masse conversion of the kingdom of the Khazars in the 8th century AD, Jews fled Christian lands and found sanctuary in Babylon but ironclad protection in Jewish Khazaria.(*)

Yet dispersion of Jews had been going on a long time.  In fact, much earlier, during the centuries before Christ, there were more Jews living outside Palestine than in it. Perhaps from the time of Solomon, racially authentic Jews lived outside Israel, particularly in the Middle East and Mediterranean basin, latermigrating from Italy and Spain into central and northern Europe.  Beginning with the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD and defeat of the Bar Kokhba rebellion in 135 AD, Judeans of Palestine were dispersed in every direction. By the 7th century, the bulk of authentic Jews were established in Spain, creating a Judaic "golden age" of culture and learning. In 1492 Ferdinand and Isabella expelled all Jews from Spain, increasing Jewish populations in northern Europe, particularly France, Germany, and Holland.  A similar increase occurred when Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews back into England in approximately 1660.

In the beginning of the 11th century AD, persecution of Jews broke out in many lands including Babylonia, and the Jewish population was scattered. Descendants of such Jews in their eastward dispersion still live in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Yemen. They are “oriental” Jews or the “Mizraim.” Such Jews undoubtedly contain much Gentile admixture, but so did King David, whose great-grandmother Ruth was a Moabitess. But they are not Khazars. Many of these Babylonian Jews also migrated west through Jewish-protecting, Muslim lands of North Africa, clear to Spain, where a very large Jewish population became known as the “Sephardim.”    

In the16th century, western Jews first came into significant contact with their Khazar proselyte brethren.  Many Sephardim were appalled by the coarseness and aggressiveness of the Khazars and refused contact, much less intermarriage. But gradually, Polish Khazars, inflamed by the Zohar’s racism and mandate for subjection of the nations, began to dominate not only Western governments but also authentic descendants of Judah. The Zionists who occupied Palestine during the first half of the 20th century, claiming to be returning to "the land promised to their forefather Abraham" then expelling half of the Arab population, were overwhelmingly Khazar. The Khazar Ashkenazim today is estimated to comprise between 74-85 percent of Jews worldwide. Khazar leadership of Israel enforced strongly discriminatory policies against the Sephardic/oriental Jews of Israel. Only fairly recently, with rise of the Sephardic Shahs party in Knesset, has such prejudice reportedly begun to lessen.

As a result, Sephardic and many arriving oriental Jews from Arab countries, repatriating to escape anti-Israel persecution, constitute from 15-26 percent of world Jewish population. This may sound small but actually represents over 2 to a possible 3.4 million relatively authentic Jews. This is not an “infinitesimal” number but powerfully refutes Texe Marrs' popular message that "all Jews” are Khazars.

The existence of Sephardic/oriental and other much smaller non-Khazar Jewish groups confirms God’s promise to preserve racial Jewry to the end. They also confirm His ancient edict at Sinai under Moses that if Jews disobey Him they will not only be cursed to become a very small people (Deut. 28:62) but also that aliens (the Khazars) will dwell among them and oppress them. (v. 33) Both these prophecies have been spectacularly fulfilled. Though genetically diluted, a race of non-Khazar Jews still exists and will continue until Jesus at His Second Coming puts “a heart of flesh” in a repentant remnant.

Have Genetic Researches of Jewish Heredity Been Biased toward Jews?

Many genetic studies over more than a decade (largely conducted by Jews) have asserted that genetic evidence indicates the "Middle East origins" of the Ashkenazim.  Dr. Harry Ostrer of New York's Yeshiva University is currently the most outspoken advocate of this perspective.  Yet, as related by failedmessiah.com, Dr. Ostrer, by May 2013, had not responded to Dr. Elhaik's accusation that Ostrer and other researchers "cooked the books," distorting data to come up with the conclusion that the Ashkenazim came from the Middle East.  Elhaik says Ostrer will not provide him with data from his researches, which Elhaik asserts is blatantly distorted to serve a pro-Zionist thesis. Elhaik says Ostrer and previous genetic researchers, rejecting Koestler, have insisted on the "Rhineland hypothesis" that the Ashkenazim arrived in Poland very largely from Germany and even Italy.

On the other hand, Elhaik's assertion that the genetics of non-Khazar Jewry, including the Sephardim and Misraim, are without strong evidence of origins in Palestine must be put in perspective.  God knew 4500 years ago that the Jewish gene pool would progressively become diluted, but He was not dissuaded from proclaiming that the physical descendants of Abraham would exist at the end of the age.  Despite the Talmudic "fence" of racist antipathy to Gentiles and encouragement not to assimilate, over 50 percent of Jewish young men today marry Gentile women; and, to some extent, such has been happening from early biblical times.  The argument is made that such interbreeding progressively weakens the legitimacy of the Jewish race to claim a unique identity.  It is presumed that when genetic commingling is as extensive as genetic research seems to indicate in Sephardic/oriental "Jews" we are entitled to pronounce that Jews as a race no longer exist. 

Yet the facts of history and the Bible establish beyond doubt that most groups claiming to be Jews did originate in Palestine. Most were originally dispersed by the great tragedies of the Hebrew people: Assyrian exile of the northern ten tribes of Israel, Babylonian exile of the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, destruction of Jerusalem and defeat of the Bar Kokhba rebellion by the Romans.  The essential question of non-Khazar Jewish origins is thus settled not by genetics but by the testimony of human history, specifically by eyewitnesses.

There can be little doubt that the genomes of all non-Khazar Jewish groups are generously mixed with Gentile DNA.  Increasingly, the science of genetics is able to tell us to what degree. What it cannot do is declare that any of these groups has stopped participating in a genetic line that history attests began in Palestine and much earlier in the loins of Abraham.  Thus, to be an authentic physical Jew and not a proselyte is to inherit the genes of Abraham to some extent, however infinitesimal.  But, even more, it means continuing involvement in a belief system beginning largely not with Moses but with the Pharisees. With defeat of the anti-Pharisee Karaite rebellion in the 8th century AD, all Orthodox Jewish groups in every part of the world solidified in following the Pharisees; and today, Talmudic Judaism is virtually defined by hatred and rejection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to the Jews of Judea, many of whom were even at that time inhabited by Canaanite genes, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me. . ." (John 8:37) He also told them: "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."  (John 5:43) He thus affirms that more than 2000 years in the future the racial and spiritual posterity of the Jews of His day would still inherit Jewish genes but especially the Jewish rebellion against Him that will put Anti-Christ on the throne of the world.  Authentic Sephardic/oriental Orthodox Jews are among the most anti-Christian and anti-Gentile, as attested by statements of the recently departed Sephardic leader of the Shahs party, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef.  (See Jewry Mourns Death of "Greatest" Racist Rabbi).  Thus, although Sephardic Orthodoxy's genetics may have become diluted, their hatred of Jesus and desire for world domination over the goyim are as intense as ever. There is more than enough evidence that such Jews, though relatively small in number, confirm Scripture's many prophecies of Jewish existence and opposition to Jesus in the last days.  This gives credence to the Old Testament claim that a very small nation of authentic Jews, oppressed by foreigners, will exist under God's curse until Christ returns.  Only then will they be freed from oppression by their Khazar overlords and joyfully submit to the service of their true Messiah and spiritual Husband, Jesus Christ.

Are Jews a Race or a Religion?

The Old Testament reveals three ways to become a "Hebrew" or "Jew" according to physical criteria: One was to be born as such, perhaps inheriting many more Gentile genes than Abrahamic ones.  Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, had an Egyptian mother.  Moses' son was born of his Midianite wife, and Moses later married a black woman of Ethiopia. (Numbers 12:1)  The second was for Gentiles (such as Ruth the Moabitess and Uriah the Hittite) to convert to faith in the God of Israel. This entitled them, although proselytes, to create "Hebrew" children.  A third way was to be swept into the gene pool of Israel, as with 32,000 Midianite virgins as spoils of war.  (Numbers 31) Without record of a conversion experience, they also were entitled to create members of the "children of Israel" through marriage.  Gentile admixture today, if a problem in defining Judaism or a Jew, is not one that has accumulated as a result of Jewish assimilation over the past 2000 years.  Rather, such racial miscegenation was in full force 3500 years ago. 

Why did insufficient Abrahamic genes in Old Testament times not disqualify Jewish proselytes from being considered worthy to contribute to Hebrew genetics?  Because the whole purpose of the Hebrews was not to further values of racial purity, which always tend toward self-righteous racism.  Instead, it was to promote spiritual values, the spiritual purity of all men through faith, not race.  God had to insist the Hebrews not intermarry with Canaanites to avoid spiritual contamination by Canaanite idolatry.  On the other hand, He invited Gentiles into the spiritual fold of Israel.  He did this to signify that someday, through Christ's blood at Calvary, all mankind could enjoy the redemption the Jews were created to bring to the world through Jesus their Messiah.

Are Jews then a race or a religion?  They are neither separately.  In their Old Testament beginnings, they were like a religious family, willing to accept outsiders as members as long as they accepted Judaism's "family values" of obeying God.  After all, the whole purpose of Christ's creation of this potentially righteous family was that it might hasten, after His coming to earth, inclusion of all people who trust and obey Him into the family of God.

Yet when this once righteous family became so evil that it crucified the Head of its household, Jesus, it became a "wicked and perverse generation," an evil family composed of those who "say they are Jews but do lie." (Rev. 3:9)  This wicked family now consists of Talmudic and liberal Jews united in hatred of Jesus.  Their ultimate goal is fleshly dominion over the nations.  Collectively, they no longer serve the righteous goals of their ancestor Abraham but of Satan, for they are the "family" of Satan and his church in this world or, as Jesus describes them, the "synagogue of Satan."  (Rev. 3:9) Just as the Hebrew racial family once welcomed Gentiles of good intention to contribute to their godly line, leading to Christ, so in their apostate condition they welcomed about a million Khazars. Thus, to paraphrase Jesus, pharisaic emissaries out of Babylon in the 8th century AD "compassed sea and land" to make one enormous nation of proselytes, so that the Khazars might become "twice the children of hell that they were." (Matt. 23:15)

As a result the Khazars, (or Gentiles such as Madonna) can still become false Jews by following those who crucified Jesus, the Pharisees, and living in at least token observance of their anti-Bible, the Talmud.  Lacking genuine ancestry, a Khazar proselyte or a non-Khazar Sephardic/oriental or even an Ethiopian Falasha Jew with the very thinnest (or even nonexistent ties to Jewish ancestry can be accepted via conversion to the anti-Christ "crime family" that Jesus will judge during the Great Tribulation. (See Crime, Fraud Soar among Hasidic Jews) Incredibly, however, Scripture prophesies that a remnant of this Mosaically-cursed family will find forgiveness.  They will even participate with their formerly rejected Messiah as priests, serving and praising Him from Jerusalem for a thousand years. 

What will become of the Khazar proselytes during the millennium?  Ezekiel 47:22 is specific.  Proselytes to Judaism who bow the knee to Jesus will be allowed to serve Him as priests along with Jews who may represent the opposite extreme, descent from the Levitical Kohanim.

Dr. El-Haik may be correct in his assertion that Jews of all branches are too dilute to be defined genetically as a race.  They almost never could.  But that did not keep God from referring to them in their last days' ascendency - even as they as a nation are ruling the world - as "my people Israel."  (Ezekiel 38:44)  (Such a description is appropriate because the unconverted Jewish remnant, soon to actually become God's people, are among them.) This was a family of mankind which at one time helped make possible the incarnation of Jesus Christ - the greatest blessing imaginable.  Now, the liberal Jewish community contributes massively toward corrupting the nations, with their pro-homosexual, pro-abortion, pro-hate law agenda as well as control of Congress, international finance, and big media. (See Jews Confirm Big Media is Jewish)  But, through the mercy of the Redeemer of us all, those who once screamed "Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!" shall once again become a fountain of blessing to the world, as was their father Abraham.

Endnote:

* It is highly likely that, since conversion of the Khazars occurred during the time of Babylonian Jewry's greatest religious and material power in Babylon, the Babylonian Sanhedrin may have invested very heavily in religious education of the Khazars. There is a high likelihood that they sent many teachers, primarily priests descended from the "Kohanim" Levitical tribe to educate perhaps a million Khazars.  These former phallic worshippers certainly could not have made themselves into the ardent followers of Judaism that they became. It may be that a high number of Jews from the 8th to 13th centuries, migrating from Byzantium to the west and from Mesopotamia to the south, contributed to hybridizing the Hunnish/Turkish Khazars with Semitic genes.  Certainly, Khazaria, a very wealthy and powerful nation, dominating and receiving tribute from 30 nations of central Eurasia, would not have been neglected by Jewish authorities in Babylon as a tremendous source of tithes and offerings.  Add the facts that Khazarian women were coveted by Byzantine nobility for their beauty as well as the undoubted prestige among the Khazarians of marrying daughters to respectable and intellectual, genuine Jews.  Thus, the alleged presence of Middle Eastern Kohanim genes in Ashkenazim today may have its origin in a much more extensive program of Jewish/Khazar race mixing than has been thought. 

What is fact is that Khazaria converted to Judaism en masse.  It may have required a full-scale effort by Kohanim males to effect and preserve the new religion over more than four centuries, ending with full migration of the Khazars to Poland by the 13th century. 

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Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog organization.

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