Could their possibly be any truth to this? If so, it would mean that the majority of Christendom and the rest of society has misidentified the people most prominent in the Bible. If Israel has been misidentified there is no doubt that major errors in doctrinal interpretation and application of Biblical prophecy have been made! There are a variety of stories regarding the Israelites and their modern-day identity. It is not the purpose of this tract to relate another of these stories. Instead, it will furnish you with the 'rest of the story,' the true story regarding Israel's modern identity, the one found in the Scriptures and verified by archeology and history -- a story not usually told by most preachers.

SPIRITUAL ISRAEL

A large segment of Christianity is being taught that God no longer has a plan for 'physical Israel' under the New Covenant, and that He is now working with only a 'spiritual Israel.' For example, in the January/February 1991 issue of 'The Last Trump,' Dr. Ed Moore claimed:"Hence, we can begin to see that being the children of Abraham (today under the New Covenant) has nothing to do with race." (2)

In his book 'Clouds over America,' Leonard C. Lee concluded:"Since God rejected the Israelites as a nation, we can look for the fulfillment of His purposes only in [a] spiritual Israel. . . The [physical] Israelites have now passed off the stage of action. . ." (3)

In essence, these men and others like them, are proclaiming that God has no NEW COVENANT (emphasis added, original in italics) plan for physical Israel. Yet, contrast these statements with what the inspired writer of Hebrews wrote:

"Behold days are coming, says the LORD when I will effect a *New Covenant* WITH the *House of Israel* and with the *House of Judah*. . ." (Hebrews 8:8).

While some people attempt to spiritualize this passage of Scripture to fit their preconceived ideas or to harmonize it with their denomination's teachings, the Israelites cannot be spiritualized in this verse, and for three reasons.FIRST, the context will not allow it. The very next verse dictates as to whether the Israelites spoken of in verse eight are to be deemed as being either physical or spiritual:"Not like the [Mosaic] covenant which I made with THEIR [The House of Israel's and the House of Judah's] *fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt*. . ." (Hebrews 8:9) (emp. added)

The people described in this passage, with whom the New Covenant was and is being made, are clearly the physical descendants of the PHYSICAL PEOPLE (emp. add.) whom Moses led out of Egypt.The SECOND reason Israel cannot be spiritualized is illustrated by the Old Testament passage from which Hebrews 8:8-12 is quoted. The author of Hebrews quoted the Prophet Jeremiah, and Jeremiah continued with the following:

"Thus says YHWH (the LORD), who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by day. . . *If this fixed order departs from before Me...then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever*. Thus says YHWH, *If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off the offspring of Israel. . ." (Jeremiah 31:35-37)

Since the fixed order of the sun, moon and stars has not departed, and since the heavens have not been measured, and the depths of the earth searched out below, then it is quite apparent that God is still working with the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If not, then God has lied.

The THIRD reason the Israelites in Hebrews 8:8 cannot be spiritualized is because of the second witness found in Romans where the Apostle Paul declared:"For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from [the] Christ for the sake of my brethren, *my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belong. . . the covenants*. . ." (Romans9:3,4)

Not only do the previous three passages specifically declare that God made His New Covenant with *Israelites*, but there are many more New Testament passages which reveal that God continues to work with the *physical* nation of Israel to this day. (Matt. 1:21; 2:6; 10:6; 15:24; Luke 1:16,33,54-55,68,72-73,77; 19:9,10; 22:30; Acts 1:6; 5:31; 13:23,24; Romans 4:1; 11:1,2; James 1:1; Rev. 7:3-8; 21:10-12, etc.)

There can be no question that God, under the New Covenant, has a plan for physical Israel ( at least with the remnant who have, and are beingredeemed by the atoning sacrifice of Yashua [Yashua, the Hebrew pronunciation of our Savior's name, is the preferred expression used in this tract, as it is believed to be the more acurate rendition.] the Christ).

This being the case, it behooves Christianity to correctly identify the true descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

TODAY'S JEWS

Nearly all of Christendom is being taught that today's "Jews" represent Israel. Yet, how many of those same people have ever been taught that the Bible warns us of Israelite impostors? That's right, *non-Israelites* who fallaciously claim to be *Israelites*:

"I know. . . The blasphemy by those who say they are Jews [i.e., Judahites, thus Israelites] and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (Revelation 2:9)

Also, how many Christians have been told that there is actually a people who admit to being these impostors? For example, 'The 1980 Jewish Almanac's' first chapter entitled "Identity Crisis," begins with the following admission:

"Strictly speaking, it is incorrect to call an ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an 'Israelite' or a 'Hebrew.'" (4) This fact is confirmed by several other Jewish sources and individual Jews. For example: The Jewish Encyclopedia (1905); The Standard Jewish Encyclopedia (1966); Nathan M. Pollock, Professor of Medieval Jewish History of Tel Aviv; Bernard Lazare; Robert Quillan; Dr. Benjamin Freedman; Arthur Koestler; James Yaffe; Paul Meyer and many more.Dr. Oscar Levy went so far as to declare:

"And are not they [today's Jews] the inventors of the Chosen People myth?" (5)

Why hasn't Christendom and the American public been told that over 90 percent of the people known as "Jews" are *not* descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? History reveals they are actually descendants of the fierce Turkish, Mongolian Khazar tribes which roamed the steppes of southern Russia and who adopted the religion of Judaism between the 7th and 9th Centuries. Today, the Khazars are known as "Jews" not because of race, but because of religion. (6)

As stated, the Bible declares that there would be Israelite impostors, these impostors have inadvertently or deliberately identified themselves by their own writings. Therefore, if "they" are not true Israel, someone else must be!

TRUE ISRAEL

God provided Scriptural clues for Identifying Israel of old. There is no debate that ancient Israel fulfilled most of these marks and was identified by them. But even more exciting is the fact that these very same features help us to identify Israel today! Listed below are fifteen national, geographical and spiritual aspects out of hundreds of Scriptural clues that positively identify Israel. Ask yourself, what modern-day people do they identify?

5 NATIONAL ASPECTS

5 GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS

5 SPIRITUAL ASPECTS

If Israel exists today, as she must, there is only one people whom all these identifying marks fit -- and they certainly do not represent the modern-day "Jews." They do however, describe perfectly the Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Germanic, Scandinavian, and kindred peoples; the multitude of nations who became a great nation, with a new home, a new religion, and who have blessed the world with the gospel of Yashua and numerous other blessings.

Indeed, Alfred Lilienthal (a "Jew") understood what most Celto-Saxons do not: Many Christians have much more Hebrew-Israelite blood in their veins than do their modern self-styled "Jewish" neighbors.

CONCLUSION

The Prophet Isaiah spoke of a time in his future when "the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, and the ears of those who hear will listen, and the mind of the hasty will discern truth." (Isaiah 32:3,4) It is the purpose of this short tract to assist in the continual fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in regard to the true identity of Israel. We have very briefly demonstrated and provided evidence for the following three facts:

You now have the rest of the story, the true story concerning Israel's modern-day identity; it is up to you what you do with it. It is our prayer that Isaiah's prophecy will be fulfilled in you, and that you will do your part in awakening other Israelites to their identity, and to their responsibility to God as His people.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

For a more exhaustive study regarding Israel's modern-day identity, order:

* God's Covenant People: Yesterday, Today and Forever by Ted R. Weiland -- THE resource book for the Christian Israel-Identity message. This book proves that God continues to have a plan for the physical Israelites under the New Covenant dispensation. It exposes the impostors and establishes who Israel *is* today from the Scriptures, archaeology, and history, and discloses why this is of such significance to us. A hard bound book, 14 chapters, in excess of 700 quotes with footnotes, over 30 early American and European testimonies, and more than 40 Biblical, archaeological, and historical proofs of Israel's modern-day identity. 460 pages. $23.00 postpaid.