Proof that the Present-Day Jews are the Judah of Scripture.
To subscribe to our mailing list: Send an E-Mail with the word "SUBSCRIBE"
Contents:
1. YouTube Talk. Why Judah is the Jews.
2. Introduction
Three Points (nos. 3,4,5) were made by Stephen Collins:
3. Possession of Coastal Palestine.
4. Judah in Jerusalem
5. An Old-New Nation (Atlneuland)
During their time of Exile:
6. The Jews will have been persecuted.
7. The Jews will have kept the Law.
8. The Jews will have kept the Fasts.
9. The Jews will be known as Israel.
10. The Jews will Return before the Ten Tribes.
11. Judah will always be recognized as Judah
12. The Ten Tribes would get Lost, not Judah.
13. In their Places of Exile Judah will have been defenceless but in the End Times things will change (see 14).
14. In the End Times Judah will assert himself as the Jews in Israel (in a comparatively small way) have already begun to do.
15. The Twelve Points Identifying Judah
16. The Ten Points of Bert Otten
17. Conclusion. Need for Both Sides to recognize the Other.
================================================================
================================================================
1. YouTube Talk. Why Judah is the Jews.
Duration ca. 23 minutes. To read Article, Please Scroll Down!
================================================================
================================================================
It happens that all kinds of disturbed personages cast aspersions on the identity of the present-day Jews. According to Scripture, as shown below, the present-day Jews are the nation of Judah. This is what the Bible says.
Often in Scripture a distinction is made between Judah and Israel. The Kingdom of Judah was the southernmost entity and eventually included the Tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Levi, as well as remnants from the other Tribes. A portion of Judah was taken into exile by the Assyrians along with the northern Ten Tribes of Israel, Even so, in Biblical terminology, after the Assyrian Exile, the name "JUDAH" refers almost EXCLUSIVELY to the descendants of those Jews who kept their identity. They were not exiled by the Assyrians but remained in the Land of Judah until the Babylonians took them into captivity A portion returned under Ezra and Nehemiah and re-established the Kingdom of Judah that was eventually destroyed by the Romans. These (together with those who joined them) comprise the entity of Judah in Scriptural terms. "Judah" is linked with the expressions "Zion" and "Jerusalem."
Concerning Judah in the Last Days, Four Points (nos. 3, 4, 5, and 14) were made by Stephen Collins:
3. S. Collins: Possession of Coastal Palestine.
Zephaniah, chapter two, predicted that Judah would inherit the coastal regions of "Palestine" including Ashdod, Ekron, Ashkelon, and all the coastland when they return from their captivity. This is what the State of Israel has done.
cf.
Zephaniah 2:
7 The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah;
They shall feed their flocks there;
In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.
For the LORD their God will intervene for them,
And return their captives.
4. S. Collins: Judah in Jerusalem
Zechariah chapter 14 supplements Zephaniah and explains how the Jews of Judah will dwell in Jerusalem and fight in defense of Jerusalem during this same period. "Judah" would be a militarily victorious nation in the Middle East.
Zechariah 14: 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.
5. S. Collins: An Old-New Nation (Atlneuland)
Genesis 49 also predicted that Judah in the Last Days will be like an old lion (an old nation) and a young lion (a reborn entity) fighting nation in the End Times that arouses the awe of those around her. This fits the present State of Israel most of whose population are Jews amongst whom Judah is predominant. The founder of Modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), wrote a work describing his vision of the future Jewish State. He gave it the title of Altneuland i.e. Old-New State.
Genesis 49:
8 'Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father's children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp [Hebrew: Gur Aryeh];
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion [Hebrew: Aryeh];
And as a lion [Hebrew: Lavi, full-grown old lion], who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.
The Jews in the present State of Israel have fulfilled all of the above conditions.
In addition Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations has have added nine more points of our own:
During their time of Exile:
6. The Jews will have been persecuted.
The Jews were persecuted by the Gentiles as it had been prophesied Judah would be: Zechariah 1:15, Zechariah 8:13, Isaiah ch.53, Isaiah 42:22, Psalm 44:22.
See: Judah Oppressed in Prophecy
7. The Jews will have kept the Law.
The Jews kept the Law as it had been prophesied that Judah would: Psalms 60:9, 108:90; Genesis 49:10; Zechariah 8:23.
8. The Jews will have kept the Fasts.
The Jews keep the four fasts of mourning over the Destruction of the Second Temple as prophesied by Zechariah 8:19, i.e.
the fast of the fourth month, -17th Tammuz
the fast of the fifth, - 9th of Av
and the fast of the seventh, - 3rd of Tishrei (Gedaliah)
and the fast of the tenth, - 10th Tebeth (Tevet).
9. The Jews will be known as Israel.
Again concerning the End Times:
Isaiah predicted that the descendants of Judah would be known as Israel:
HEAR YE THIS, O HOUSE OF JACOB, WHICH ARE CALLED BY THE NAME OF ISRAEL, AND ARE COME FORTH OUT OF THE WATERS OF JUDAH (Isaiah 48:1).
The State of Israel is today named Israel and its citizens are Israelis. Not only that but the Jews in general are often referred to as Israelites. In Biblical Times the term Israel meant the whole of the 12 Tribes. Later the Tribes were divided into the Kingdom of Israel comrpising the Ten Tribes and the Kingdom of Judah meaning Judah and Benjamin in the south. We do find on occasion in the Books of Ezekiel and Ezra (see point no.12 below) the entity of Judah being referred to as Israel. On the whole however in Prophecy Israel means the Ten Tribes as juxtaposed to Judah meaning the Jews.
10. The Jews will Return before the Ten Tribes.
Micah 4:8 predicts that in the end times the beginning of the return "THE FIRST DOMINION" shall be "TO THE DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM" meaning descendants of Judah. Judah will return before the other Tribes and prepare the way for them (cf. Hosea 6:10).
11. Judah will always be recognized as Judah
Judah would be recognized as Judah or Israel whereas the Lost Ten Tribes would not be so recognized until the End Times:
Genesis 49:10 THE SCEPTRE [Hebrew: Shevet] SHALL NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH, NOR A LAWGIVER FROM BETWEEN HIS FEET, UNTIL SHILOH COME; AND UNTO HIM SHALL THE GATHERING OF THE PEOPLE[S] BE.
Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel, explained the above verse (in his book "Conciliator") as:
Judah shall always be recognizable as an Israelite Tribe. The Hebrew word translated above as SCEPTRE is 'Shevet'. This also means 'Tribe' i. e. Tribal recognition of his identity would always remain with Judah.
"UNTIL SHILOH COME" is usually explained to mean the Messiah who will rule in the End Times.
The Messiah will enable individuals know what Tribe they belong to. [Malachi 3:3 Ezra 2:3, Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, The Laws of Kings, ch. 12, no.3]. Until then they will not know or at least not be certain. Also until then Judah will keep the Law. See also Isaiah 49:21 in point 12 below.
THE PEOPLE. In Hebrew "amim" meaning "peoples" in the plural. Peoples will gather unto the Messiah.
Throughout the Bible and especially in the Prophetic works there are references to Judah that cannot and could not be fulfilled by anybody but the present day Jews. It was prophesied that Judah would suffer for being Jewish, keep the law, eventually be acknowledged by his brother tribes and the world, and never depart from his basic truth. It was prophesied that the Ten Tribes would lose their identity and the opposite was said about Judah. Judah was to remain identifiable. The rest of Israel were not.
12. The Ten Tribes would get Lost, not Judah.
It was not prophesied that Judah would be lost. It was prophesied that Judah would keep his Tribal Identity (Genesis 49:10). Joseph and the Ten Tribes would lose their identity (Isaiah 24:3, 49:13-14, 21 Hosea 1:8, Jeremiah 3:6-7) and so they did. The Ten Northern Tribes were taken into exile. It was prophesied that they would lose their identity .
It was NEVER prophesied that Judah would lose his identity but rather Judah is referred to as ALWAYS being recognizable as Judah. In their places of exile the Ten Tribes led by Ephraim are called upon to examine the past and return to their sources (Jeremiah 31:21). In the Last Days they will indeed return and reunite with Judah (Ezekiel 37).
The Tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi along with small portions of the other tribes were not exiled by the Assyrians. They retained their identity. In the Bible they are referred to collectively as "Judah" and sometimes as "Israel" (Ezra 2:2 2:59 2:70 3:1 etc, Ezekiel 2:3, 3:5 8:10 8:11 9:8 14:1, etc.) since they were the only portion of the original Twelve Tribes of Israel that remained as an identifiable entity.
Judah was attacked by Assyria and many were taken captive and evidently joined the Ten Tribes in Exile. Nevertheless, Jerusalem and a remnant of Judah had been saved. It was from this remainder that Judah in the Biblical sense was destined to re-emerge:
AND THE REMNANT THAT IS ESCAPED OF THE HOUSE OF JUDAH SHALL YET AGAIN TAKE ROOT DOWNWARD, AND BEAR FRUIT UPWARD.
FOR OUT OF JERUSALEM SHALL GO FORTH A REMNANT, AND THEY THAT ESCAPE OUT OF MOUNT ZION: THE ZEAL OF THE LORD OF HOSTS SHALL DO THIS. (2-Kings 19:30-31).
In the future the Ten Tribes will return.
Isaiah 49:21 describes Judah as being initially loath to accept the Lost Ten Tribes and as having suffered alone and been persecuted and exiled from place to place alone.
Isaiah 49:21 THEN SHALT THOU SAY IN THINE HEART, WHO HATH BEGOTTEN ME THESE, SEEING I HAVE LOST MY CHILDREN, AND AM DESOLATE, A CAPTIVE, AND REMOVING TO AND FRO? AND WHO HATH BROUGHT UP THESE? BEHOLD, I WAS LEFT ALONE; THESE, WHERE HAD THEY BEEN?
This description fits the Jews of today and no-one else.
In the last days the righteousness of the faith of Judah will be acknowledged:
IN THOSE DAYS TEN MEN OUT OF ALL THE LANGUAGES OF THE NATIONS, EVEN SHALL TAKE HOLD OF THE SKIRT OF HIM THAT IS A JEW, SAYING, WE WILL GO WITH YOU: FOR WE HAVE HEARD THAT GOD IS WITH YOU (Zechariah 8:23).
13. In their Places of Exile Judah will have been defenceless but in the End Times things will change (see 14).
Hosea 1:7 BUT I WILL HAVE MERCY UPON THE HOUSE OF JUDAH, AND WILL SAVE THEM BY THE LORD THEIR GOD, AND WILL NOT SAVE THEM BY BOW, NOR BY SWORD, NOR BY BATTLE, BY HORSES, NOR BY HORSEMEN.
Here it was prophesied that Judah would lead a defenseless existence while in exile and be dependent entirely on the mercy of the Almighty and the grace of others.
This was necessary for survival. When you are outnumbered, and your women and children, old and infirm etc are in bondage you cannot afford to become a dead hero. Centuries of this situation takes its own price: They became "As sheep to the slaughter" (Psalm 44:22). Ephraim on the other hand was destined to become like a lion among the nations tearing down the heathen with impunity (Micah ch.5).
14. Steven Collins: In the End Times Judah will assert himself as the Jews in Israel (in a comparatively small way) have already begun to do.
Genesis 49:9 JUDAH IS A LION'S WHELP: FROM THE PREY, MY SON, THOU ART GONE UP: HE STOOPED DOWN, HE COUCHED AS A LION, AND AS AN OLD LION; WHO SHALL ROUSE HIM UP?
# OLD LION #: When Judah was a young nation it was formidable. In the centuries of Exile the Jews had to adapt to both appearing and actually being weak. It had been prophesied that Judah would retain his identity but for a long period of time be unable to defend himself but depend on others and the Will of Heaven:
Nevertheless, the potential of Judah is also still there. Judah is still capable of surprising everybody. The present State of Israel has here and there demonstrated that the Jews have potential. An old lion is best not provoked and a young lion needs to be respected. Judah will yet take revenge from his oppressors (Isaiah 34:6).
Genesis 49:11 BINDING HIS FOAL UNTO THE VINE, AND HIS ASS'S COLT UNTO THE CHOICE VINE; HE WASHED HIS GARMENTS IN WINE, AND HIS CLOTHES IN THE BLOOD OF GRAPES:
The blood of grapes hints at the revenge Judah will take upon his enemies and tormentors, this is described in Isaiah chapters 34 and 63:
For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion # (Isaiah 34:8).
Isaiah 63:
2 Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 I have trodden the winepress alone,
And from the peoples no one was with Me.
For I have trodden them in My anger,
And trampled them in My fury;
Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments,
And I have stained all My robes.
4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart,
And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help,
And I wondered
That there was no one to uphold;
Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me;
And My own fury, it sustained Me.
6 I have trodden down the peoples in My anger,
Made them drunk in My fury,
And brought down their strength to the earth.
Because the Jew refused to acknowledge conventional lies and deny the truth of the Biblical Promises and the Oneness of God, he was persecuted:
'For thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter' (Psalm 44:22).
Hatred for the Jews is termed "Anti-Semitism" though so called "Semitic" peoples (such as the Arabs) are often as "Anti-Semitic" (i.e. Jew-hating) as any others. Anti-Semitism is a form of mental sickness that amongst more intelligent sufferers requires some modicum of rational justification. This justification is provided by faults, real or imagined, which reflect more on the haters than on the hated. Jewish behavior and attitudes very often are of necessity formed by reaction to the conditions imposed upon them in their host country. In any event, if the Jew or his immediate ancestors had not been faithful to the One True God he would not be now susceptible to victimization. The Bible repeats this essential truth and warns the nations:
HE will avenge the blood of his servants (Deuteronomy 32:43).
He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of HIS eye (Zechariah 2:8):
Zechariah 2:8 is also understandable as meaning "He that touches you, touches the apple of His [i.e. God's] eye".
By harming Judah it was as if they had harmed the ONE GOD HIMSELF !
I am very sore displeased with the heathen...for i was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction (Zechariah 1; 15).
The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee (Isaiah 60:14).
The Lost Ten Tribes FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, AND FROM THE COASTS OF THE EARTH (Jeremiah 31:8) are destined to re-unite with the Tribes of JUDAH: THEY SHALL BE NO MORE TWO NATIONS, NEITHER SHALL THEY BE DIVIDED INTO TWO KINGDOMS ANY MORE AT ALL (Ezekiel 37:22).
The unity of origin and destined future union of the Jews with the Lost Ten Tribes of necessity indicates a need for the two bodies even now to evidence certain empathy towards each other.
15. The Twelve Points Identifying Judah
We see that Judah means the Jews due to Twelve Points:
1. Possession of Coastal Palestine (Zephaniah ch.2).
2. Judah in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:14).
3. An Old-New Nation (Atlneuland cf. Genesis 49: 8-12)
4. The Jews will have been persecuted (Zechariah 1:15, Zechariah 8:13, Isaiah ch.53, Isaiah 42:10, Psalm 44:22).
5. The Jews will have kept the Law (Psalms 60:9, 108:90; Genesis 49:10; Zechariah 8:23).
6. The Jews will have kept the Fasts (Zechariah 8:19).
7. The Jews will be known as Israel (Isaiah 48:1).
8. The Jews of Judah will Return before the Ten Tribes (Micah 4:8 cf. Hosea 6:10).
9. Judah will always be recognized as Judah [Genesis 49:10] T
10. The Ten Tribes would get Lost, not Judah (Genesis 34:10 cf, Isaiah 24:3, 49:13-14, 21 Hosea 1:8, Jeremiah 3:6-7).
11. In their Places of Exile Judah will have been defenceless, Hosea 1:7, Psalm 44:22.
12. In the End Times. Judah will assert himself (Isaiah 63).
16. The Ten Points of Bert Otten
Judah and Prophecy by Bert Otten presents another 10 points worth considering especially in the bLight of our own Editorial Foreword to his article.
The Ten Points of Otten are:
1. Judah Gives Praise to God. Jews pray much and glorify the Creator.
2. Judah and Money [and Generosity]. Jews are often involved with Finance.
3. Judah, the Messiah, and Messianism. The Messiah will come from Judah and Jews have Messianiac type tendencies.
4. Judah - writers (scribes). Jews have exceptional literary inclinations.
5. Judah - the Lawgiver: laws, judges, lawyers. Jews will be involved with Torah Law, with Legal Matters in general.
6. Judah - Hypocrisy [i.e. Dialectic Ability]. Jews have the ability to accept parallel contradictions. Otten terms this quality "Hypocrisy" which may (or may not) be the case if this characteristics is applied negatively. It does however also have a positive side as seen in the Jewish ability to conduct scientific research and their general intellectual interests.
7. Judah and Music. Jews have musical ability.
8. Judah and Government. Jews are often leaders and sometimes governors.
9. Judah - a Suffering People. Jews have suffered for being who they are throughout history.
10. Judah - Warriors. Jews have martial abilities as seen today in the State of Israel.
Our own 12 points (of Steven Collins and Yair Davidiy) followed by the 10 of Bert Otten all identify the present-day Jews as Judah in Biblical Terms. A few of our points are almost identical or at least overlap. On the other hand, with a bit of effort we could probably both add to them. The bottom line is that in Biblical Terms Judah equals the modern Jewish People. Both Judah and Joseph have their own unique roles to play. There is a need for both sides to recognize the value of the other.