From:         Stephen Yulish
Subject:      RE: Do Orthodox Jews believe in Replacement Theology?
To:             heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org


>
>Eddie,
>
>Interesting article by an Orthodox Jew who essentially believes in
>traditional British Israelism that the 10 Lost tribes of Israel went
>to Northern Europe and America among other places.
>

     Stephen,

    With all due respect, your statement above is NOT totally
correct. This wasn't an article by *AN* Orthodox Jew who essentially
believes ...

    However, the belief in the Messianic Redemption / Ingathering of
the Exiles or restoration of both houses of Israel (Ezekiel 37:15-28)
is a fundamental and foundational belief of Orthodox Judaism.
Orthodox Jews pray 3 times a day for the Messianic Redemption. A
prayer for the Messianic redemption and the coming of King Messiah
are a part of the Amidah prayer (18 benedictions). The tenth
benediction reads as follows:

    "Blow the Great Shofar for our freedom and lift up a banner to
gather the exiles and gather us from the four corners of the earth.
Blessed are you, O Lord, who gathers the banished of they people,
Israel."

   Belief in the Messianic Redemption / Ingathering of the Exiles or
the restoration of both houses of Israel is one of the 13 articles of
Jewish faith.  It is official Orthodox Jewish Halacha from the Talmud
based upon the understanding of the rabbis of the writings of the
Torah and the Prophets. This is NOT an isolated belief of *AN*
Orthodox Jew named Yair Davidy. For example, Rebbe
Schneerson wrote several books on the subject. They are entitled,
"From Exile to Redemption I and II", "Anticipating the Redemption I
and II" and "I Await His Coming Everyday". I would encourage you to
read these books and GLEAN the insights of the Orthodox regarding THIS
issue.

    The teaching that the Ten Lost Tribes migrated to Europe and
American among other places is NOT the DEFINITION of "Christian
British Israelism". While those who have taught Christian British
Israelism have correctly understood HISTORY regarding this issue (the
historical migration of the Ten Lost Tribes), the HISTORICAL fact
of the migration of the Ten Lost Tribes, realizing the HISTORICAL fact
and teaching the historical fact is NOT the DEFINITION of Christian British
Israelism. The modern teachings of Christian British Israelism were
espoused by the World Wide Church of God and Herbert W. Armstrong who
taught the correct HISTORY (historical migration of the Ten Lost
Tribes) BUT also taught an erroneous DOCTRINE that
Britain and the USA were the "New Israel" and the prophecies about the
Northern Kingdom were fulfilled (past tense) in the "New Israel".
Therefore,the World Wide Church of God founded by Herbert W Armstrong
taught (because of their interpretation of the fulfillment of the
prophecy) a form of "replacement theology" regarding the Jewish
people. The DOCTRINAL conclusion of the Worldwide Church of God NOT
the HISTORICAL FACT of the migration of the Ten Lost Tribes is the
DEFINITION of Christian British Israelism as taught by the Worldwide
Church of God and Herbert W. Armstrong.

     Orthodox Jews do NOT teach and believe the DOCTRINES of
Christian British Israelism as taught by the Worldwide Church of God
and Herbert W. Armstrong. While agreeing with much of the HISTORICAL
fact (the migration of the Ten Lost Tribes), the DOCTRINAL
CONCLUSIONS of Orthodox Judaism are MUCH different than those taught
by Herbert W. Armstrong and the World Wide Church of God. Orthodox
Jews DON'T believe in "replacement theology" and DO believe that they
have a role to play in the end time plan of God. Orthodox Jews DON'T see that the
prophecies regarding the Northern Kingdom were fulfilled (past tense)
or were finalized through Britain or the USA (as does the Worldwide
Church of God and Herbert W. Armstrong) but that the prophecies
regarding the reunification of the Ten Lost Tribes with Judah are yet
a FUTURE event when the Ten Lost Tribes will unite with the house of
Judah and return to the land of Israel in the end of days. Therefore,
what Orthodox Jews teach and believe about the Messianic Redemption /
Ingathering of the Exiles or the restoration of both houses of Israel
is RADICALLY different from Christian British Israelism as taught by
the Wordwide Church of God because their conclusions are 100%
different. Therefore, there can be no valid basis or association
of Christian British Israelism doctrines as taught by the Worldwide
Church of God regarding how they see the fulfillment
of the prophecies regarding the Ten Lost Tribes when you compare them
with  the Orthodox Jewish belief in the Messianic Redemption IF you
study BOTH beliefs thoroughly and in detail..

    Several weeks ago, I heard a Messianic Jewish person speak on
Bible prophecy and the end of days while I was in NY. He stated in his
message that the belief in the Ten Lost Tribes reuniting in the end of
days with Judah is not Biblical and is heresy. The is now the
official view of the MJAA (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America).
After his message, I was able to have dinner with him. So I asked
him, "Do you KNOW what Orthodox Jews believe about the end of days?".
He looked at me for a few seconds and said, 'No'. I said, 'Do you
want to know?". He looked at me for a few seconds thought about it
(because there was others from the church at the table who was able
to hear our conversation) and said well, OK, I will listen to you.

I then showed him material written by Orthodox Jews stating that the
Ten Lost Tribes will reunite with Judah in the end of days. He cut me
off and said that this was unbiblical and he didn't want to talk about
it anymore.

So, do you see what this discussion with this Messianic Jew who was
teaching on Bible prophecy shows, Stephen? There are a LARGE number
of Messianic Jews who are going around blowing shofars, wearing
Tallits etc and have NO KNOWLEDGE of their [Orthodox] "Jewish roots"
(at least as it pertains to the Messianic redemption / Ingathering of
the Exiles or the restoration of both houses of Israel).  No wonder they (MJAA)
reject the Messianic Redemption and the restoration of both houses of
Israel in the land of Israel in the end of days (Ezekiel 37:15-28).
MOST Messianic Jews know more about evangelical CHRISTIAN dispensational
view of end-time Bible prophecy than what they know about what Orthodox Jews
belief about the end of days. The same can be said about SOME
non-Jewish "Jewish roots" Christian ministries. It would be one thing
to know what Orthodox Jews believe about the end of days and reject
it (because it does not correspond to what is written in the Torah
and the Prophets) but MOST Messianic Jews and Messianic Jewish
leaders (as well as non-Jewish "Jewish roots" Christian ministries)
do NOT even KNOW what Orthodox Jews believe about the end of days.
Furthermore, on THIS  issue, the Orthodox Jews are BIBLICALLY correct
if one studies what was written in the Torah and the prophets.

Put quite simply, Orthodox Jews say that King Messiah CANNOT come
unless the Ten Lost Tribes reunite with the house of Judah in the land
of Israel in the end of days. When this event happens, Orthodox Jews
will be looking for King Messiah and the beginning of the Messianic
Era.

>     
> If a Gentile said this it is called
>Replacement theology and is heresy. If an Orthodox Jew(Sen. Lieberman
>calls himself one also?!) says it, all of you Hebrew Roots
>Christians, jump on the bandwagon. Wow! we all may be physical Israel
>as well as Spiritual Israel. Give it a rest!
>

    What Orthodox Jews and what Sen. Leiberman beliefs is meaningless
unless the Torah and the Prophets also say it. What Hebrew
Roots Christians and what Messianic Jews belief is meaningless unless
the Torah and the Prophets also say it. However, by examining the
evidence (what the Torah and the Prophets say on THIS issue), the
data supports the claim that the Orthodox Jews are indeed Biblically
correct and there IS a Messianic Redemption / Ingathering of the
Exiles / the Restoration of both houses of Israel in the end of days
when the Ten Lost Tribes will reunite with Judah and return to the
land of Israel in the end of days upon the advent of the Messianic
Era. (Ezekiel 37:15-28).

"Give it rest" as you say? NOT according to the prophets. Here is
what Jeremiah spoke about this subject in Jeremiah 31:7:

"For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob,
and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye,
praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people,
the remnant of Israel."

We are COMMANDED to SHOUT and PUBLISH this message to the nations.
This is our Biblical mandate.

>
>Notice that the Orthodox Jew does not speak of Jesus. He wants to
>reconcile the traditional Jews of Judah(state of Israel and Jews
>around world) with the so called assimilated "Jews of the 10 lost
>tribes of Isarel" throughout the Christian world.
>

    Please let me clarify your misunderstanding of a VERY important
point. The Ten Lost Tribes are NOT Jews. They are assimilated
ISRAELITES (of the house of Israel / Northern Kingdom) who are NOT
Jews (of the house of Judah / Southern Kingdom) who have lost
their heritage and have not embraced Torah in their exile. Orthodox
Jews teach that the Ten Lost Tribes are NOT Jews BUT they will
reunite with Judah and embrace the Torah when the reunification
takes place in the end of days upon the advent of the Messianic Era.

>
> He wants to do that in a purely Jewish context, so that the
>leaders of the Christian Western world will realize their Jewish
>identity.
>

    Once again, please let me correct a misunderstanding you have
regarding the two houses of Israel. A "Christian Western world"
CANNOT be "Jewish". However, they can be an assimilated people who
are ISRAELITES (of the house of Israel / Northern Kingdom) but who are
NOT Jewish (of the house of Judah / Southern Kingdom).

>
>That is backwards. Jews need to recognize that Jesus Christ is their
>Lord and Savior not to make Christians realize that they are really
>Jews.
>

     Orthodox Jews do NOT and are AGAINST trying to make Christians
"Jews". Orthodox Jews DISCOURAGES Christians from converting to
Judaism. Orthodox Jews ARE in favor of trying to identify who are the
assimilated ISRAELITES (from the Northern Kingdom) who are NOT Jews
(from the Southern Kingdom) but who will reunite with Judah in the end
of days. This identification of the Ten Lost Tribes is the FIRST step
toward the eventual reunification of both houses of Israel.

>
>See what I
>mean? As Paul said in Ephesians 2 we are all one new man.
>

     Correct. We NEED to realize that we are members of the SAME
family. House of Jacob = house of Israel + house of Judah. You can be
native born into the family or you can be a sojourner or adopted
(grafted into) the family. BOTH the native born and the sojourner or
the one who is adopted (grafted) are regarded as EQUAL family members
or as you stated it from Ephesians 2 --- "one new man".

>
>Sure it is important
> for Christians to recognize the Jewish Roots of
> Christianity(although I am
>not convinced of this 10 Lost Tribes thesis)
>

    Why are you not convinced? Most probably it is because MOST
Messianic Jews come from a secular or a lightly religious
Reform background. What MOST Messianic Jews believe, know and
understand from the Bible they learned from being associated with
evangelical Christianity. MOST Messianic Jew have no knowledge of
their  [Orthodox] Jewish roots and teachings. Therefore, MOST
Messianic Jews are choosing to REJECT the Messianic Redemption /
Ingathering of the Exiles or the restoration of both houses of Israel
(Ezekiel 37:15-28).  However, the Messianic Redemption in the end of
days is the CENTRAL theme of the writings of the prophets.

    The FULLNESS of the "Jewish roots" of Christianity is realizing
that their is a Biblical link of Christianity with the Northern Kingdom
of Israel and thus the covenant that God made with the house of Jacob
at Mount Sinai. The Elijah message in the end of days is ... remember ye
the Torah of Moses at Mount Horeb ... (Malach 4:4-6)

>
>but it is more important for Jews
>to recognize Jesus.
>

    Orthodox Jews will NEVER recognize Jesus if they don't see how
Jesus is linked with the Messianic Redemption. The DISCIPLES of Jesus
DID have an understanding of the Messianic Redemption because they
asked Jesus if HE was going to "restore the Kingdom to Israel" at this
time (Acts 1:6). The "restoring of the Kingdom to Israel" is the
Messianic Redemption. The MODERN disciples (believers) of Jesus do
NOT know what the original disciples of Jesus knew (that there would
be a Messianic redemption / Ingathering of the Exiles .... Acts 1:6)
because they have been  removed from their Hebraic heritage in
Messiah.

Rambam (Maimonides) in the laws concerning Mashiach (Chapter 11 and
12 of Hilchos Melachim from the Mishneh Torah)  wrote what is today
considered by Orthodox Jews to be their expectations of the coming of
King Messiah. In Chapter 11 he writes:

"In future time, the King Mashiach will arise and renew the Davidic
dynasty ... whoever does not believe in him, or does not await his
coming, denies not only [the statements of] the other prophets, but
also [those of] the Torah and of Moshe, our teacher, for the Torah
attests to his coming stating:

     'And the Lord your God will bring back your captivity and have
compassion upon you. He will return and gather you [from all the
nations] ... even if your dispersed ones are in the furthest reaches
of the heavens [from there will God gather you in] ... God will bring
you [in the land] ...' (Deuteronomy 30:3-5)

   These explicit words of the Torah include all that was said [on
the subject] by all the prophets."


According to Rambam, everyone who does NOT believe in the Messianic
Redemption / Ingathering of the Exiles or the restoration of both
houses of Israel (Deuteronomy 30:3-5) DENIES all what was written [on
the subject] by the prophets. In fact, one of the reasons stated by
Rambam of why Jesus could NOT be the Messiah is because the Messianic
redemption did NOT happen in the first century. In Laws concerning
Mashiach 11:4, Rambam writes:

"If he [Mashiach] .... gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he
is definately the Mashiach."

  Rambam then makes a commentary about Yeshua / Jesus. He writes:

"... Can there be a greater stumbling block that [Jesus] ... All the
prophets spoke of Mashiach as the redeemer of Israel and their
savior, who would gather their dispersed ones and strengthen their
[observance of the] mitvos [commandments]. In contrast, [Jesus]
caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, their remnant to be
scattered and humiliated [and] the Torah to be altered ..."

    Yeshua/Jesus told his disciples that the "restoration of the
Kingdom to Israel" would be accomplished when the followers of the
Messiah would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach this message
(Acts 1:6-8). The prophets of Israel reveal to us that the fullness
of this prophecy and the empowering of believers to preach this
message would be accomplished in the end of days upon the ushering in
of the Messianic Age.      

      Therefore, one of the reasons stated that Rambam (according to his
understanding) of why Yeshua/Jesus could NOT be the Messiah is
because the Ten Lost Tribes were NOT reunited with the tribe of Judah
during the first century or any other time in history.

    Is this statement and belief by Rambam correct that IF we deny
that Deut 30:3-5 speaks of the Messianic Redemption that we are
denying all what was written in the Prophets regarding this subject?
IF you understand the teaching of the Two Houses of Israel and their
prophetic restoration (Ezekiel 37:15-28), the answer is obviously YES.

   But you might say, so who cares what Rambam writes and believes
because he doesn't believe that Jesus is Messiah. Just because Rambam and
Orthodox Jews don't believe that Jesus is Messiah does that also mean
that EVERYTHING that they have written and said about the Bible
[including the Messianic redemption] is in error? Even Messianic Jews
and evangelical Christians have flaws in their doctrine and
interprations of the scriptures. If Rambam doesn't believe that Jesus
is Messiah yet Rambam states that 2 + 2 = 4 does that mean that 2 + 2
does not equal 4?

>
> This Orthodox Jew
>

     Once again, please let me correct your misunderstanding. The
belief in the Messianic Redemption / Ingathering of the Exiles or the
restoration of both houses of Israel (Ezekiel 37:15-28) is NOT an
isolated belief of Yair Davidy and the ministry he founded named
Brit-Am. Orthodox Jews pray three times a day for the Messianic
redemption, it is one of the 13 articles of Jewish faith and it is
official Orthodox Jewish halacha. It is NOT what "one" isolated
Orthodox Jew named Yair Davidy believes.

>
>, even if correct, is still lost and
>perishing.
>

    "Even if he is correct" means that he / they is / are correct.
If so, let's  acknowledge that what Orthodox Judaism believes on THIS
issue is correct when compared to what is written in the Torah and
the prophets. If we do this,  THEN the reconciliation between the
house of Israel and the house of Judah can BEGIN. It will CONCLUDE
with the end of the exile and the coming of King Messiah and the
Messianic Era.

>
>All of his effort to prove that the Khazars were Jews(a thesis
>rejected by Jewish Scholars)
>

    Brit-Am and Yair Davidy teaches that the Khazars were assimilated
Israelites and NOT Jews.

>
>and that the Kings of England, Scotland and the
>Founding Fathers were really Jews
>

    Were the Kings of England, Scotland etc really Jews? IMPOSSIBLE
if their mother and father are not Jewish. However, the Kings of
England and Scotland COULD be assimilated ISRAELITES (from the
Northern Kingdom of Israel) but NOT from Judah (the Southern Kingdom
of Israel). 

>
>is only to glorify Judaism not the Lord.
>See what I mean?
>

      Orthodox Jews are NOT seeking to glory Judaism when
investigating and examining who are the Ten Lost Tribes. Instead they
are seeking to identify who are their long lost brothers so that they
can begin the reconciliation process which will culminate in the end
of the exile, the return to the land of Israel, the coming of King
Messiah and the Messianic Era. According to the prophets, the
restoration and  reunification WILL give glory to the God of Israel
because when this event happens the prophets say that God's name will
once again be sanctified among the nations. In Ezekiel 36:23-24 it is
written:

"And I will SANCTIFY my great name, which was
profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst
of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord
GOD, when I shall be SANCTIFIED in you before their eyes. 24 For I
will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land."

The sanctification of God's name DOES bring glory to the God of Israel.

>
>And I am speaking as a Jewish believer. Jews need to
>recognize Christ more than Christians need to be found to be Jews.
>
>Stephen Yulish Ph.D.
>Leader
>Chayim Chadashim Fellowship
>Flagstaff, AZ
>

     Once again, Orthodox Jews DISCOURAGE Christians from converting
to Judaism. They actively teach and preach AGAINST this. So, Orthodox
Jews and Yair Davidy does NOT desire for Christians to convert to
Judaism. So, they have no desire and do not advocate it or promote it.

     MORE? According to the prophets,  Hosea 5:15 says that
He (the Messiah ... John 14:3) will go and return to His place until THEY
acknowledge their offense. Who is the THEY? THEY is Ephraim and Judah
as mentioned on Hosea 6:4. Ephraim NOT acknowledging his offense is
causing Messiah to NOT return just as much as Judah NOT acknowledging
their offense. Messiah has been a stumbling block to BOTH houses of
Israel (Isaiah 8:14). What does Ephraim have to acknowledge and
recognize? Ephraim needs to repent for departing from Torah and
calling it a "strange" thing (Hosea 8:12), realize who his brother is
(Judah) (house of Judah) and who he is (house of Israel), realize
that the sceptor will not depart from Judah until Shiloh (the Messiah
and the Messianic age) comes (Genesis 49:10) and not vex Judah
anymore (Isaiah 11:13) and dwell together in unity with Judah (Psalm
133). When these things start to happen, THEN Ephraim and Judah will
be able to reconcile with each other and the Messianic Redemption can
take place and King Messiah can come and usher in the Messianic Era.

    You claim that Orthodox Jews are blinded about who is Messiah?
Messianic Jews and the assimilated Israelites from the Ten Lost Tribes are
blinded to their heritage and  that they have departed from Torah and the
understanding of the Messianic Redemption.

  May God continue to bless you in your studies.

   Eddie Chumney
   Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l