"Brit-Am Now"- 421
1. Genesis 49 concerns the last days
2. Steve Collins: Why the Jews Are Judah
3. Claudette Mellin: Why the Jews Are Judah
4. Question on Conversion of Ten Tribes
5. Question on the "Messianic Process"
6. A Symbiotic Relationship
7. Some Odds and Ends
1. Genesis 49 concerns the last days
The prophecies in Genesis 49 are referring chiefly to the situation towards
the End of Time though a
partial fulfilment could conceivably take effect some time before those
times as is the way with Prophecy.
[Genesis 49:1] AND JACOB CALLED UNTO HIS SONS, AND SAID, GATHER YOURSELVES
TOGETHER, THAT I MAY TELL YOU THAT WHICH SHALL BEFALL YOU IN THE LAST DAYS.
Jacob was prophesying about what would happen
"IN THE LAST DAYS"
2. Steve Collins: Why the Jews Are Judah
From: Steve Collins <scollins@ll.net>
Subject: Fw: Why the Jews Are Judah
Shalom Yair,
On the subject of Judah's whereabouts in the world today, I would like to
reaffirm that I support my conclusions cited below as much as ever.
Furthermore, I support your commentary that Edomites and converts were to
be admitted into the congregation of Israel in biblical times. Besides the
scriptures you mentioned, there are others worth noting on this same issue.
Leviticus 19:33-34 commanded that strangers (gentiles) that joined
themselves to Israel should be considered the same as "one born in the
land." Ezekiel 47:22-23 reiterates this command to that the Israelites to
assimilate strangers and adds that such strangers were to be given an
inheritance in the tribe into which they had emigrated.
Given the Divine commands in Leviticus 23 and Ezekiel 47, strangers who
"sojourn" among the Israelite tribes must be considered to be a part of
them. However, I believe the biblical prerequisite (that such gentiles must
"sojourn" among the Israelites) means more than just taking up physical
residency among the Israelites. I believe this meant that they had to be
converts to the ways of Israel and the laws of God. An example of gentiles
who "sojourned" in the tribe of Judah after the Diaspora is given in Esther
8:17 which says "many of the people of the land [of the Persian Empire]
became Jews." This influx of many people of diverse ethnic backgrounds is
validated in the Bible as making these people genuine "Jews."
In light of these biblical scriptures, my answer to those who opine that
the Khazars were Edomite is "So What?" That was a lot longer than three
generations ago and they did "sojourn" among the tribe of Judah so they
should be considered part of Judah. However, I also believe that many of
the Khazars were from the tribes of Israel. It was along the primary
migration route used by the Israelites to migrate out of Parthia and
Scythia into Europe and Israelites were still along that route. The
Encyclopaedia Britannica (1943 Edition, see "Khazars," Vol. 13, pp.
362-263) records that the Jews who had been expelled from Constantinople
migrated to Khazaria so there was a substantial Jewish community in
Khazaria as a result of that migration. It also notes that "...merchants
from every nation found protection and good faith in the Khazar cities" so
it became the abode of many nationalities. However, just before the final
fall of Khazaria, the Britannica notes that one major Khazar city (Itil)
had 30 mosques in it so a large part of the Khazar population was not
Jewish when Khazaria fell.
The tribe of Judah in the modern world is doubtless one of the more
ethnically-diverse tribes because its members migrated into and through so
many nations over the centuries. It was not until 1948 when the Israeli
state was founded that they had a common home available to them.
Steve Collins
3. Claudette Mellin: Why the Jews Are Judah
Dear Mr. Davidiy,
I have been following your recent discussions in ?oBrit-Am Now ?
concerning the identity of the Jews and the Khazars and so on. I am
somewhat familiar with this controversy because I have had this discussion
before with some members of a particular Christian group who tried to tell
me also that the present day Jews are not Judah. I ended up having a huge
falling out with these people over this issue and, in the end, I stopped
associating with them. They offered me the book that you mentioned by
Arthur Koestler whom they cited as an impeccable source on the subject of
the Jews because, as they said, he was born a Jew, but now he is an atheist
and as such, has no axe to grind.
I pointed out to them that nobody in the world could possibly have more of
an axe to grind or a greater interest in smearing the people of God than an
atheist, but evidently, they failed to see my point. I refused to read the
book because I do not assign a great measure of credibility to atheists in
the first place and because I do not agree with the author ?Ts premises or
his conclusions on this subject.
I was a history major in university. I have always particularly enjoyed the
study of history. However, I have read enough of it to know that,
surrounding a single historical event, there are often many conflicting
accounts. Sometimes people who write history are just mistaken or
misinformed or sometimes people deliberately write half-truths or even
outright lies because they are interested in pursuing their own agendas.
This serves to seriously muddy the waters and renders the study of history
a very imprecise science. Just because something is written in a book and
looks very scholarly, does not necessarily mean it is true.
I understand your frustration over people who keep writing to you about
this because I know from personal experience that it is impossible to
reason with people who have their own agendas and do not want to believe
what the Bible plainly states. As you said, people who do not want to
accept the truth and who do not have a heart for God ?Ts word or his people
will never believe the truth, no matter what manner of ?oevidence ? you
try to set before them. Therefore, trying to persuade such people soon
becomes an exercise in futility.
I believe that the Jews are Judah. I believe it not because some historian
or some scientist says it is so, but because the infallible word of God
says it is so. Many end time prophecies in the Bible clearly associate
Judah with Jerusalem. Most people would agree that we are now in, or close
to, the end times just before the Messianic Age. Who is in Jerusalem now?
The Jews. For me, this is evidence enough of who they are.
In addition, as you and Steven Collins point out, the Jews have been the
only people throughout history who have carried and preserved the law, at
no small cost to themselves I might add. Indeed, the powers of darkness in
the world have seen to it that they suffer mightily for this. For this
reason alone, the rest of us Israelites owe the Jewish people a huge debt
of gratitude. They preserved the Torah and the observance thereof not only
for their own benefit, but as we see now, for our benefit as well. Without
this careful preservation of the worship of the one true God of Israel, it
might have been completely lost just as our own identity was lost, and then
none of us would ever have been able to find our way back to the truth, as
many of us are now doing.
Therefore, the people that argue against the Jews being Judah, suggesting
that they are somehow ?oimposters ? who have hijacked God ?Ts word and His
land, are, in essence, questioning the Eternal ?Ts omnipotence and his
complete, unerring control over human history. Our Creator is not mocked,
neither would He ever allow His word or his will to be thwarted by mere
human beings. Any suggestion to the contrary is laughable.
As you know, many people from the lost tribes are now making efforts to
rediscover the truth of God ?Ts word. We are studying the Torah, keeping
the true Sabbath and the feasts and doing our best to observe the Torah and
divest ourselves of our pagan practices.
Along with this amazing revelation of truth, the Eternal is also placing in
the hearts of many of his people a longing for ?ohome ?. Despite the
present difficulties, we pray that the Jewish people will continue to hold
the fort there in Israel until such time as God sees fit to end our exile
and to reunite Ephraim and Judah in His land, according to His will. When
we become once more the obedient followers of the one true God of Israel
and His law like we were meant to be; together, we will once again be a
powerful and invincible tool in His hands.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on this matter.
Wishing you peace and happiness in His love,
Claudette Mellin
4. Question on Conversion of Ten Tribes
>Question:
>Okay, so should 10-Tribe convert to Judaism or will Judah somehow welcome
>10-Tribe back without converting. Personally, I wonder how 10-Tribe can
>come back without converting. But, if we convert then there will not be
>12 tribes but one, right?
>Sandra
Sandra Shalom,
Judah and Joseph will re-unite and their religious beliefs and attitudes
will be purified.
[Ezekiel 11:18] AND THEY SHALL COME THITHER, AND THEY SHALL TAKE AWAY ALL
THE DETESTABLE THINGS THEREOF AND ALL THE ABOMINATIONS THEREOF FROM
THENCE.
[Ezekiel 11:19] AND I WILL GIVE THEM ONE HEART, AND I WILL PUT A NEW
SPIRIT WITHIN YOU; AND I WILL TAKE THE STONY HEART OUT OF THEIR FLESH, AND
WILL GIVE THEM AN HEART OF FLESH:
[Ezekiel 11:20] THAT THEY MAY WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND KEEP MINE
ORDINANCES, AND DO THEM: AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE THEIR
GOD.
[Ezekiel 37:22] AND I WILL MAKE THEM ONE NATION IN THE LAND UPON THE
MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL; AND ONE KING SHALL BE KING TO THEM ALL: AND THEY SHALL
BE NO MORE TWO NATIONS, NEITHER SHALL THEY BE DIVIDED INTO TWO KINGDOMS ANY
MORE AT ALL.
[Ezekiel 37:23] NEITHER SHALL THEY DEFILE THEMSELVES ANY MORE WITH THEIR
IDOLS, NOR WITH THEIR DETESTABLE THINGS, NOR WITH ANY OF THEIR
TRANSGRESSIONS: BUT I WILL SAVE THEM OUT OF ALL
THEIR
DWELLINGPLACES, WHEREIN THEY HAVE SINNED, AND
WILL CLEANSE THEM: SO SHALL THEY BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE THEIR
GOD.
From these and other verses we see that whatever will happen on the
religious plane occurs after
the Israelites return and re-unite. We can therefore put the matter aside
for the time being on the theoretical level
since it is clear that the important thing FOR NOW is establishing identity
and working towards a reconciliation of the hearts.
In Jewish tradition when the ten tribes return there will be a renewing of
the covenant that will have the same legal
effect as conversion. There is no need to convert at present. Orthodox
Judaism does not encourage conversion.
If someone on an individual basis however does convert they become attached
to Judah for the time being.
In the End Times the Tribal Origin of all Israelites will be clarified and
each family will congregate together
with members of their own tribe. A woman from one tribe married to a man of
another will be considered
as part of the Tribe of her husband and the foreigner who identifies with
us will be considered part of
the tribe amongst whom he dwells.
5. Question on the "Messianic Process"
>Dear Yair,
>I don't understand what you mean by "Messianic process" in the following
>statement taken from the "Brit-Am Now-418" newsletter:
>The knowledge that we are promoting, Brit-Am knowledge, is part of the
>Messianic process. It is a preparing of the way. It is very important in
>our generation.
>Could you please expound?
>Thank you!
>Deborah
Answer:
Whether you believe that the Messiah has already come and will come again
or you believe he is still on his way
the Biblical Message is that in the Last Days a Messiah descended from
David will appear.
There is a concept that we are approaching the End Times and that before
the Messiah appears
certain events will take place. There is also a concept that those features
that the Messiah
will be known for will have been prepared by others before his coming; that
in the beginning much will
go forward by way of nature.
For example under the Messiah first Judah will return then all of Israel
and the Tribes will re-unite.
Today after 2000 years many of Judah have already returned to the Land and
began to build up the
country. An infrastructure is there. This is part of the Messianic process
and those who participate
may consider themselves emissaries of the Messiah. The impression is that
this is what the Almighty wants of us
in this age. So too the Messiah will bring about the union of Judah and
Joseph and will enable each Israelite to
know which Tribe he belongs to. By preparing the hearts and thought
processes of Judah and Joseph in this age
it is as if we too are participating in the Messianic Process.
>
6. A Symbiotic Relationship
From: Tactical
Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-420
Reference Brit-Am 420: In Defense of Judah and Jospeh
I've learned a lot from Yair in the year or two I have been subscribing to
Brit-Am. I think every Christian can learn things from Brit-Am that not
only bring us closer to Judah, but correct some misconceptions as well.
Yair does an extremely hard job with little or no thanks, and he deserves
credit for devoting his life to this topic. He has taken an enormous amount
of heat in the process. Thats true faith, folks.
Christianity is broad and extremely confusing area to observe from the
outside if you are a traditional Jew. I dont blame Judaism for age old
misconceptions about Christianity. They were foretold to exist numerous
times in scripture.
Joseph is easily recognizable by traits, not by church membership roles.
There is a mindset to Joseph that survives captivity and persecution and
continues to exist through the ages. Joseph is spread throughout the world,
and no one church can claim Joseph exists solely on its rosters.
"Israel lost a true servant today"
Thomas Jefferson, after being
informed of Washingtons death
Many of the supposedly "Jewish" topics Yair discusses are also easily
recognizable as traditional British and American Protestant beliefs and
practices, but that doesnt limit Joseph to Britain and America by any means.
Clues:
How many people who grew up on an American farm remember farmers not
cutting the corners of their fields so the poor could gather their food
because the Bible told them to do so? How many of us knew that this
practice is also one of the 613 commandments of Judaism ?
How many people know that Protestants were slaughtered right along with
Jews during the crusades, often due to the affiliation of Protestants and
Jews? Who remembers the St Bartholews Day massacre in France which resulted
in the slaughter of Protestants, or the wars between Catholic Spain and
Protestant England? I could go on indefinitely.
Joseph has captive members of it's faith too, who were forced to convert or
die.
Judah has a tremendous amount of corporate knowledge and information that
Joseph needs. Joseph has performed the practices of faith through the ages,
but seems to have forgotten the reason we do so.
Once again, it is a symbiotic relationship.
7. Some Odds and Ends
a. Very many people today are combining DNA studies with genealogy to try
and trace back their ancestors.
Frequent attempts are made by those of Western background (it seems
especially from Scotland and Norway)
to find a connection with the Jews. The results often seem rather tenuous
but there is definitely something there.
Anyway all this activity (and there is a great deal of it) confirms the
observation that interest in the possibility of Hebrew PHYSICAL origins is
not just confined to people of a religious bent but also touches secular
professionals and all
other members of society.
b. We are under the impression that DNA can change at certain points and
therefore its applicability as a tracer
of ancestry going back to an unlimited period may not be valid. It does
however reflect migratory paths as
described by Brit-Am researchers.
c. Many Ashkenazi (European) Jews may in fact be physical descendants of
Ephraim and other Northern Tribes.
The percentage may be as high as ca.30%. This is apart from the mass of
descendants of the Tribes in question
who are mainly to be found amongst the Lost Ten Tribes in Western peoples.
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