From: Eddie Chumney
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Chapter 2: Who is the church and who is Israel?
CHAPTER
2
WHO IS THE CHURCH AND WHO IS
ISRAEL?
from
the book by Eddie Chumney
"RESTORING
THE TWO HOUSES OF ISRAEL"
Copies can be purchased for individual or
group study by
writing to me (Eddie Chumney) at: (chumney@hebroots.org)
PART
2 of 2
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CHAPTER
2
WHO IS THE CHURCH AND WHO IS
ISRAEL?
(Part
2 of 2)
THE
HOUSE OF JUDAH
IS AN UNFAITHFUL WIFE TO THE G-D OF
ISRAEL
Both the Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) and the Southern
Kingdom (house of Judah) broke the marriage covenant that the G-d of
Israel made with His called out assembly (kahal/church/ekklesia) at
mount Sinai. In Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 3:6-8, 10 it is written:
"The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the
king, Hast
thou seen that which backsliding Israel [house of Israel]
hath
done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under
every
green tree, and there hath played the harlot . and her
treacherous sister Judah [house of Judah] saw it. And I
saw,
when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel [house
of
Israel] committed adultery I had put her away and given her
a
bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister JUDAH feared
not,
but went and played the HARLOT also . and yet for all this
her
treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her
whole
heart but in falsehood saith the Lord."
G-D DOES NOT DIVORCE THE HOUSE OF JUDAH
Even though the Southern Kingdom (house of Judah) broke the
Torah/marriage covenant at mount Sinai along with the Northern
Kingdom (house of Israel), the G-d of Israel proclaimed that the
Southern Kingdom (house of Judah) would be punished for their sins
but that He would not remove His mercy (chesed) from them or divorce
them because of His love for David and the city of Jerusalem
(Yerushalayim). In Psalm (Tehillim) 89:1-3, 28-37 it is written:
"I will sing of the MERCIES of the Lord forever: with
my mouth
will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For
I
have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy
faithfulness
shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a
covenant
with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant . my
MERCY
will I KEEP for him forevermore, and MY COVENANT SHALL
STAND
fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure forever,
and
his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake
my law
[Torah], and walk not in my judgments; If they break my
statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit
their
transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes.
Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from
him,
nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not
break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Once I
have sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
His
seed shall endure FOREVER, and his throne as the sun before
me.
It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a
faithful
witness of heaven. Selah."
THE
NORTHERN KINGDOM
IS
PROMISED MERCY IF THEY REPENT
The G-d of Israel is slow to anger, quick to forgive and abundant
in mercy. In Psalm (Tehillim) 103:8-9, 17-18 it is written:
"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
plenteous
in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep
his
anger forever . But the mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting to
everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness
unto
children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to
those
that remember his commandments to do them."
In Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 3:5, 12-13 it is written:
"Will he reserve his anger forever? . Go and proclaim
these
words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding
Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to
fall
upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not
keep
anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou
hast
transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered
thy
ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have
not
obeyed my voice, saith the Lord."
The G-d of Israel promised that if the Northern Kingdom (house of
Israel) would repent that they would again be called His people. In
Hosea (Hoshea) 1:10 it is written:
"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as
the sand
of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it
shall
come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto
them, Ye
are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are
the
sons of the living God."
THE
NORTHERN KINGDOM
BECOMES
FUTURE CHRISTIANITY
Once again, in Hosea (Hoshea) 1, the G-d of Israel proclaimed
that the Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) would not be His people
(Lo-Ammi - Hosea 1:9) and He would have no mercy (Lo-ruhamah - Hosea
1:6) upon them. But, if they would repent, (teshuvah) (Jeremiah
[Yermiyahu] 3:5, 12-13) they would be called again His people (Hosea
[Hoshea] 1:10). The Apostle (Shaliach) Peter (Kefa) makes a direct
link with those from among the nations who have accepted Yeshua/Jesus
as the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) with the prophecy that the G-d of
Israel made to the Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) in Hosea
(Hoshea) 1. In I Peter (Kefa) 2:5-6, 9-10 it is written:
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to
God by Jesus Christ [Yeshua HaMashiach]. Wherefore also it
is
contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
corner
stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall
not
be confounded [Isaiah 28:16] . But you are a chosen
generation
[Deuteronomy 7:6], a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
peculiar
people [Exodus 19:5-6] . which in time past were not a
people
[Lo-Ammi - Hosea 1:9] but are now the people of God [Hosea
1:10]: which had not obtained mercy [Lo-ruhamah - Hosea
1:6],
but now have obtained mercy [through the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus who is of the seed of David
(Revelation
5:5)]."
The Apostle (Shaliach) Paul (Rav Sha'ul) also wrote about how the
G-d of Israel would pour out His mercy upon the Northern Kingdom
(house of Israel) through the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus.
In Romans 9:23-26 it is written:
"And that he might make known the riches of his glory
on the
vessels of mercy [those who would accept the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus], which he had afore prepared unto
glory, even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only,
but
also of the Gentiles [those from the house of Israel and
from
the nations who previously assimilated into Gentile
culture]. As
he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which
were
not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved
[Hosea
2:23]. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where
it was
said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be
called
the children of the living God [Hosea 1:10]."
THE
MESSIAH IS THE AGENT
OF
G-D'S MERCY UPON HIS PEOPLE
Even though both the Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) and the
Southern Kingdom (house of Judah) was an unfaithful wife to the G-d
of Israel, G-d promised MERCY/GRACE to both houses of Israel if they
would repent (teshuvah). In His judgment upon His people, the G-d of
Israel divorced the Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) but He did not
divorce the Southern Kingdom (house of Judah). Why did the G-d of
Israel not divorce the Southern Kingdom (house of Judah) because of
their unfaithfulness to Him? The reason is because of the G-d of
Israel's love for David and for the city of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim).
In I Kings (Melachim) 11:34, 36 it is written:
"Howbeit, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his
hand: but
I will make him prince all the days of his life for David
my
servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my
commandments
and my statutes . that David my servant may have a light
always
before me in Jerusalem [Yerushalayim] the city which I have
chosen to put my name there."
The G-d of Israel promised that He would ALWAYS have mercy upon
the seed of David (Psalm [Tehillim] 89:1-3, 28-37). The Jewish
Messiah (Mashiach) was promised to come through the seed of David. In
Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 11:1 it is written:
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of
Jesse, and
a Branch [a term for the Messiah] shall grow out of his
roots."
David was a man after the G-d of Israel's heart. In Acts
13:22-23 it is written:
".he raised up unto them David to be their king; to
whom also he
gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of
Jesse, a
man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.
Of
this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised
unto
Israel a Savior, Jesus [Yeshua]."
The Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus is the root and
offspring of David (Revelation 22:16) and has the key of David
(Revelation 3:7).
The G-d of Israel did not divorce the Southern Kingdom
(house of
Judah) because of His love and mercy for David, the city of Jerusalem
(Yerushalayim), and all those who believe upon the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus for their salvation (deliverance/redemption).
The G-d of Israel made provision in the Torah that if a family
member of the G-d of Israel sold his possession or inheritance (which
the Northern Kingdom [house of Israel] did when the G-d of Israel
divorced them) that one of his kin (somebody from the Southern
Kingdom [house of Judah] - the Jewish Messiah [Mashiach]) could
redeem a near kinsman (go'el), which was sold away. In Leviticus
(Vayikra) 25:25 it is written:
"If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some
of his
possession [Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) Hosea 1],
and if
any of his kin [Southern Kingdom (house of Judah) through
the
Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus] come to redeem it,
then
shall he redeem that which his brother sold."
The Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus is the agent of the
G-d of Israel's mercy upon His people. In Luke 1:54-55, 72-73 it is
written:
"He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of
his MERCY;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed
forever
. to perform the MERCY promised to our fathers, and to
remember
his holy covenant; the oath which he swore to our father
Abraham"
THE
HOUSE OF ISRAEL IS GRAFTED
INTO
THE NATURAL OLIVE TREE
The physical descendents of Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak)
and Jacob (Ya'acov) are the root and natural branches of the G-d of
Israel's olive tree. The physical descendents of Abraham (Avraham),
Isaac (Yitzchak) and Jacob (Ya'acov) who are members of the Southern
Kingdom (house of Judah) will remain as a natural people as long as
there is a sun, moon and stars. In Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 31:35-36 it
is written:
"Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light
by day,
and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light
by
night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar,
The
Lord of hosts is his name: If these ordinances depart from
before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also
shall
cease from being a nation before me forever."
Following the reign of Solomon (Shlomo), the house of Jacob
(Ya'acov) split into the Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) and the
Southern Kingdom (house of Judah). For being disobedient to the terms
and conditions of the marriage contract (ketubah) made with the G-d
of Israel at mount Sinai, the G-d of Israel divorced the Northern
Kingdom (house of Israel). By repenting of their sins, the G-d of
Israel promised mercy to the divorced Northern Kingdom (house of
Israel). The agent of the mercy of the G-d of Israel is the Jewish
Messiah (Mashiach) from the seed of David and from the Southern
Kingdom (house of Judah). By repenting of their sins and by putting
their faith, trust and confidence (emunah) in the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus for their salvation, redemption and
deliverance, the assimilated Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) and
all people from among the nations are GRAFTED into the natural olive
tree and become members of the commonwealth of Israel. In Ephesians
2:11-13 it is written:
"Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past
Gentiles in the
flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is
called the
Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time
ye
were without Christ [Mashiach], being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but
now
in Christ Jesus [Yeshua HaMashiach] ye who sometimes were
far
off are made nigh by the blood of Christ [Mashiach]."
While the natural seed from the Southern Kingdom (house of Judah)
will remain a remnant of people as long as there is a sun, moon and
stars, because they have been unfaithful (Jeremiah [Yermiyahu]
3:6-10) inttheir marriage covenant (Jeremiah [Yermiyahu] 2:1-3) made
with the G-d of Israel at mount Sinai (Exodus [Shemot] 19), they also
need the mercy that the G-d of Israel promised David through the
Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus.
When they accept Yeshua/Jesus as the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach),
the natural branches will be grafted into their own olive tree. The
grafting of the wild olive branches (those from the nations not from
the Southern Kingdom [house of Judah]) with the natural root and the
natural branches (those from the Southern Kingdom [house of Judah])
into ONE olive tree by accepting Yeshua/Jesus as the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) is mentioned by the Apostle (Shaliach) Paul (Rav Sha'ul)
in Romans 11. In Romans 11:13, 17-19, 24, 26 it is written:
"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the
apostle of
the Gentiles [the grafted Northern Kingdom/house of Israel]
.
and if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being
a
wild olive tree, wast grafted in among them, and with them
partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast
not
against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not
the
root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches
were
broken off, that I might be grafted in . For if thou wast
cut
out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wast
grafted
contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more
shall
these, which be the natural branches be grafted into their
own
olive tree? . And so all Israel [both the grafted house of
Israel (wild branches) and the grafted house of Judah
(natural
branches)] shall be saved: as it is written, There shall
come
out of Zion the Deliverer [kinsman redeemer/go'el], and
shall
turn away ungodliness in Jacob [Isaiah 59:20]."
WHO IS THE CHURCH AND
WHO IS ISRAEL?
In today's world, the term "church" is traditionally
identified
and associated with the house of Israel (Christianity) while the term
"Israel" is traditionally identified and associated with the house of
Judah (Jews/Judaism). In this chapter, we learned that the Biblical
"church" was born at mount Sinai. It consisted of physical natural
born descendents of Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak) and Jacob
(Ya'acov) and a mixed multitude from among the nations who came out
of Egypt (Mitzrayim).
Biblical Israel is the olive tree of the G-d of Israel. The
physical natural born descendents of Abraham (Avraham), Isaac
(Yitzchak) and Jacob (Ya'acov) will remain a remnant of people and a
part of the redemptive plan of the G-d of Israel as long as there is
a sun, moon and stars. Biblical Israel consists of the natural root
of Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak) and Jacob (Ya'acov) and the
assimilated Northern Kingdom (house of Israel) and all people from
among the nations who are grafted into the natural olive tree by
repenting (teshuvah) of their sins and accepting Yeshua/Jesus as the
Jewish Messiah (Mashiach). Those from the Southern Kingdom (house of
Judah) who accept Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah (Mashiach) are natural
branches grafted into their own olive tree. So, Biblical Israel
consists of the physical descendents of Abraham (Avraham), Isaac
(Yitzchak) and Jacob (Ya'acov) and a mixed multitude from among the
nations who are grafted into the natural olive tree. Therefore, the
Biblical terms "church" and "Israel" are synonymous terms.
The traditional understanding of the word "church"
(associated
with Christianity) has NOT replaced "Israel" (associated with the
traditional understanding as Jews who have not accepted Yeshua/Jesus
as the Jewish Messiah). On the contrary, the non-Jews from among the
nations who have repented (teshuvah) of their sins and have accepted
Yeshua/Jesus as the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) are grafted into the
natural olive tree. While all Jews (those from the Southern Kingdom
[house of Judah]) are Israelites, not all Israelites (those from the
Northern Kingdom [house of Israel] and who have been grafted into the
natural olive tree from among the nations) are Jews. Those grafted in
from among the nations to the natural olive tree are Biblical Israelites.
In conclusion, in order for restoration to come to both the house
of Israel (Christianity) and the house of Judah (Judaism), both
houses of Israel need to recognize who each other are Biblically. The
house of Israel (Christianity) needs to recognize that they have NOT
replaced the natural seed of Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak) and
Jacob (Ya'acov) but have been grafted into the natural olive tree.
The house of Judah (Judaism) needs to recognize the house of Israel
(Christianity) as being Messianic Israel. Therefore, both houses of
Israel need to understand that they are brethren (Psalm [Tehillim]
133) and members of the SAME olive tree. May the G-d of Israel bring
redemption, restoration, reconciliation and unity to both houses of
Israel speedily in our days. Amen!
(End
Part 2 of 2)
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