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The True Fulfillment of Prophecy, part 2

Judah Calling

In Genesis 49:8-10 Jacob gave Judah the “dominion” portion of the Birthright when he blessed his sons,

⁸ Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you. ⁹ Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, who dares rouse him up? ¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him [Shiloh] shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Judah means “praise.” We read of his birth in Genesis 29:35,

³⁵ And she [Leah] conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah…

True Jews Praise God

Years later, the Apostle Paul commented on this in regard to who are the true Judahites. He tells us in Romans 2:28, 29,

²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. ²⁹ But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

In Paul’s day, the question of identity arose in the face of the great dispute over the Messiah. Who was truly of the tribe of Judah, those who followed Him or those who rejected Him? Paul words it in terms of Judah’s name itself, which means “praise.” Which group truly praised God, thus fulfilling the call of Judah?

The unbelieving Jews claimed status as Judahites on the basis of their biological genealogy and the outward demonstration of circumcision. Jesus denied this in John 8:37-41, saying,

³⁷ “I know that you are Abraham’s [biological] descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” ³⁹ They answered and said to him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are of your father, the devil…”

In Hebrew thought, a “son” did not necessarily mean a biological child; the term was also used to mean someone who resembled, in word and in deed, someone/something else, often denoting character, calling, or relationship. In 2 Kings 2:3 we read of “sons of the prophets,” students in the school of the prophets. There were also “sons of Belial” in 1 Samuel 2:12 KJV who were biologically the sons of Eli, the high priest, of the tribe of Levi. In Luke 10:6 we read of “a son of peace.”

In Matthew 13:38 we read that “the tares are the sons of the evil one,” destined to be removed from the Kingdom and “burned.” John 12:36 speaks of “sons of light.” Following Jesus’ lead, Paul used this idiom to define the children of Abraham in Galatians 3:7, saying, “it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”

Hence, Paul tells us that “He is NOT a Jew” (Romans 2:28) who bases his identity on biology and fleshly circumcision, for these things do not necessarily praise God. Conversely, “He is a Jew who is one inwardly” and has been circumcised in heart (Romans 2:29). His praise (status as a man of Judah) is not based on men’s definitions but on God’s definition of a Jew.

This teaching was well-established in the church for 1800 years until Nelson Darby contradicted it in the mid-1800’s. Out of his teachings came Scofield, who solidified this distorted gospel in many church denominations. Today, Christian Zionism is the majority view in the American church, and these have ceased to “praise” God, as Paul would put it.

The Great Revolt

When the Jews (as a whole) rejected the Mediator of the New Covenant, they staged a revolt against Christ even as Absalom had revolted against his father, David. By usurping the throne, Absalom became the classic biblical antichrist (or anti-David). This great sin split Judah into two factions: one supporting Absalom, the other supporting David. David later returned to reclaim His throne, and Absalom was killed. So also, Jesus Christ promised to return to reclaim the throne that Caiaphas had usurped.

In Jesus’ day, Judah was again split into two factions. The great question was this: Which faction of Judah is the true Judah, the one recognized by men or the one recognized by God? From a New Testament perspective, the followers of King Jesus are the true Jews (of Judah). However, they must await the return of the King, when it becomes clear who is legitimate.

Meanwhile, the group that is recognized by men as “Jews” have claimed to be the people of Judah, the people who praise God by virtue of their biology and outward circumcision.

This is, however, still an open question that is in dispute. Christian Zionists, by definition, support the claim of unbelieving Jews—often based on the mistaken belief that the Jews are “almost Christians.” They believe, in effect, that Absalom is the true anointed one, and so they have sided with him, even as Ahithophel betrayed David. They fail to understand the Scriptures and are blind to the prophetic pattern of David, Absalom, and Ahithophel which was replayed in the New Testament story.

When David left Jerusalem, he made a sacrifice on the Mount of Olives (2 Samuel 15:30), just as Jesus did in His crucifixion. His most trusted supporters were Philistines from Gath—non-Israelites by biology (2 Samuel 15:18-22)—prophesying how non-Israelites would constitute the bulk of Jesus’ supporters many years later.

Absalom was killed when David returned (2 Samuel 18:14). Hence, Absalom was not rewarded with a high-level position in David’s renewed Kingdom. Of course, Ahithophel had already hanged himself (2 Samuel 17:23), even as Judas did after betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:5).

In other words, the emerging Kingdom today will be given to loyal followers of Jesus Christ. It will not be a “Jewish Kingdom,” as Christian Zionists believe. Jesus will not reside in a rebuilt physical temple in Jerusalem, nor will He be served by Levitical priests who offer animal sacrifices. Jesus is the high priest of the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:5, 6), which has replaced the inadequate Levitical Order (Hebrews 7:12).

Types and Shadows are Temporary

Hebrews 5-8 makes it clear that the Levitical priesthood was inadequate, and their animal sacrifices could never remove sin. Hence, when Jacob gave the priesthood to Levi, it was a temporary accommodation, using mortal men, until the arrival of the “better” priesthood, whose high priest is immortal and permanent (Hebrews 7:24).

The permanence of Christ’s ministry is disputed by Christian Zionists, who teach that the New Covenant is a temporary accommodation to bring in some Gentile believers and that this will end when Christ returns. They teach that God’s Kingdom will revert back to Old Covenant forms of sacrifice and that it will revert to a Jewish kingdom. I dispute that, of course. In fact, this is the great apostasy at the end of the age. The seeds of this apostasy were sown in the first century, and for this reason, Paul fought against it in many of his letters—especially in Galatians.

It makes no sense to teach that the high priesthood would revert back to Levi or that the blood of Christ (sacrificed once for all—Hebrews 7:27) would give way to animal sacrifices in the future. Types and shadows are mere forms that must give way to the “substance” (Colossians 2:17).

Hebrews 10:1, 4 says clearly,

¹ For the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near…. ⁴ For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hence, Christian Zionists stand somewhere between Judaism and Christianity, claiming Jesus Christ but also believing that His great Sacrifice served only a temporary season until Judaism could be reinstated in the Kingdom. For this reason, more Christians are converting to Judaism than Jews convert to Christianity. They see Judaism as the future. They even send red heifers to Jerusalem, hoping to assist Levitical priests in their animal sacrifices. They tend to believe contradictory teachings, first that the blood of Christ paid for the sin of the world, yet again that the blood of bulls and goats will take away sins in the coming Kingdom.

Having one foot in a Jewish kingdom and the other in Christ’s kingdom, they think that they are praising God by their “faith.” They claim to support David, but they actually support Absalom. How will God judge this situation? We have Ahithophel and Judas as primary examples. I fear for such people, and for this reason, I issue this warning.