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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



As I concluded in part one, I embrace the belief that God does not play favorites. I do not believe that He is partial in His Judgments, or in His Love, particularly when it comes to the all-important issues of sin and Salvation. In other words, regardless of our ethnic, political, socio-economic or religious background, we are all on equal footing before God, because we have all been born with sin; and there is really no exception to this rule, other than Jesus Christ Himself. As the Apostles Peter, John and Paul all clearly testified concerning Jesus:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."


"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."


"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."


"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:"


"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."


So as I noted in part one, the Apostle Peter plainly stated, after receiving his own personal revelation from the Lord, "that God is no respecter of persons". This proclamation by Peter is supported by other verses found throughout God's Word as well. Please consider the following:

"Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts."


"These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment."


"To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress."


"For there is no respect of persons with God."


"And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."


"But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."


"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"


"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."


To continue then, contrary to the belief that is held by some people, there is no special class or race of people, who are somehow exempt from sin, or from the deadly penalties of sin, no matter what anyone else may try to tell you. Any person who teaches this false, deceptive doctrine, is either really misinformed, and doesn't fully understand the Scriptures, or else they are an outright liar and false teacher. As we have already seen, because there exists absolutely no exemption from sin, or from the penalties of sin, in His Righteousness, in His Love, in His Divine Mercy, and because He is not a respecter of persons, or partial in His views, God has also made the opportunity to find Forgiveness, and Salvation, available to all men everywhere, without exception; and that opportunity is found through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Naturally, to embrace these ideas, as I do, leaves no room for any so-called "chosen people", be they Jews, or any other race for that matter. As I have already stated, either we are all sinners, as the Scriptures clearly state, and thus we are under the penalty of sin, or else we are not. In my view, no one is exempt, and we all need Jesus. In fact, as I shared with you in part one, when Jesus was confronted by some of the unbelieving Jewish leadership, He plainly told them:

". . . if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."


Can the truth be made any plainer than that? Jesus clearly told the Jews that they needed to accept Him as the Messiah and Savior; and that if they refused to do this, then they would surely die in their sins. If you continue to read that chapter, you will see that only twenty verses later, Jesus straightforwardly told His evil accusers, that they were of their father the Devil. Consider this:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


If, as Jesus plainly states in the previous verse, the Jews would die in their sins, if they refused to accept Him as their long awaited Messiah, and if He told them that they were in fact the very children of Satan, and murderers just like him, then obviously, it is impossible for them to have been the so-called "chosen people" of God. It really doesn't require much intelligence to arrive at this rather obvious conclusion. One simply cannot be a Child of God, and the spawn of Satan, at the same time, can he? So if you believe as strongly in the words of Jesus Christ as I do, then what do you think should be the proper attitude and understanding concerning the Jews?

By His very words, the Lord was plainly telling the Jews that they were in the same boat as everyone else; that is to say, that they were sinners, that they were by no means immune to the penalties for sin, and that they needed to recognize Him as their Savior. In other words, they had no special status or unique standing with God as they claimed; and they didn't possess any special privileges above everyone else. In fact, if you carefully examine the New Testament Scriptures, as I have done over the years, you will arrive at an astonishing conclusion regarding the Jews, which clearly flies in the face of modern Christian doctrine, as it is espoused by some churches and popular preachers and evangelists, especially those found in the United States of America. Consider the following shocking verses, taken straight from God's Word:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."


"In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them [the Jews] which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


". . . Did ye [speaking to the unbelieving Jews] never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected [meaning the Jews rejecting Jesus], the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, [from the Jews] and given to a nation [God's new born-again Christian nation] bringing forth the fruits thereof. [meaning the fruits of true repentance]"


"But ye [meaning we Christians, since Peter was writing to the Christian brethren, and NOT to the unbelieving Jews] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"


"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom [the Jews who falsely claim to be God's "Chosen People"] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."


"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."


As the previous verses further demonstrate, many Jews, from 2,000 years ago until today, have forsaken the true Kingdom of God through their stubborn rejection of Jesus Christ, who is God's one and only true Savior and Messiah. According to the Lord's own words, until the Jews choose to accept Jesus Christ as their one and only Savior, they remain as ungodly, as satanic, and as antichrist, as their forefathers of 2,000 years ago. While they claim to be the "Chosen People", even in His final words to John, found in the Book of Revelation, and written at least several decades after the Lord's return to Heaven, Jesus continues to say that the unbelieving Jews are in fact the "synagogue of Satan". These are difficult words to hear, but nevertheless, they represent Scriptural truth.

Based upon my understanding of these verses, as well as the many other Scriptures which I have shared with you throughout this series, I can only conclude that the status of the Jews will not, and cannot possibly change, until they express true repentance, and a true, sincere faith in Jesus Christ. This Biblical truth applies not only to the Jews, but in fact, to anyone, and everyone, who foolishly rejects the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as Atonement for their sins. Such people are likewise antichrist; for as the Apostle John clearly wrote:

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."


"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."


"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."


As I noted a moment ago, the previous verses describing the ungodly nature of the Jews, all of which were spoken by the Lord Himself, present a Biblical truth which many modern Christians, particularly Western Christians, find difficult to accept; nevertheless, this is clearly what Jesus taught all the way to the final Book of the Bible. This is not a doctrine of men, but sound Biblical truth, fully supported by the Scriptures, no matter how offensive some people may find it. Allow me to remind you that Jesus taught a number of things which some people found highly offensive. Some of Jesus' doctrines were so strong, and so unpopular, that even some of His very own disciples drew back and no longer chose to follow Him, as we see by the following verse:

"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."


In the previous set of verses, Jesus clearly states that the Kingdom of God would be taken from the Jews, who in their pride, viewed themselves as the "children of the Kingdom", and would be given to another nation. The Scriptures make it plain, that this nation, which would receive the Kingdom, as per Jesus' own words, is the one which was founded 2,000 years ago, upon His very own Blood. A new nation was indeed born in one day; as per the prophecy of the Old Testament; and it was born the minute that Jesus died on the Cross. As we saw in part one, the Blood of Jesus Christ sealed the New Covenant, which would govern this New Nation of born-again believers.

On the other hand, as I have pointed out before, ever since they first demanded an earthly king to rule over them, that is, King Saul, because they no longer desired to acknowledge the God of Heaven as their one and only true King, the Jews have accepted a cheap imitation and counterfeit; that is to say, an earthly kingdom of wealth and power, given to them by the false god of this current world, Satan himself, who has blinded them to the truth. This is the kingdom of men, which they ruled during the time of Jesus Christ -- with the conditional blessing of Rome -- and which they continue to rule to this present day. Needless-to-say, their influence is felt everywhere. The following verses describe for us the sharp contrast between the temporal kingdom of Satan and the Eternal Kingdom of God, which all Christians should embrace:

"In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them [the Jews] which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it."


". . . My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."


"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."


"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."


"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."


So as I just explained a moment ago, God gave the Jews their heart's desire; and just like the Parable of the house which was built upon the sand, during the past two millennia, they have continued to build upon their false foundation, because they have foolishly rejected the True Cornerstone; that is to say, Jesus Christ. But in the end, they will discover that all of their work has been in vain, and will just be ashes between their fingers; for as God's Word plainly tells us:

"According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."


"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."


"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."


"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."


While the modern Jews still claim to be the "Chosen People" of God, please carefully notice what the Apostle Peter says in the previous verses. First he explains that we believers are lively, or living, stones, which together, form God's true "spiritual house". Peter then goes on to explain that this "spiritual house" is built upon the true Cornerstone; that is, Jesus Christ. He then adds that this is the very same stone which the unbelieving Jews stumbled upon, were offended by, and ultimately rejected, which was their lot to do, as per the Old Testament prophecy. You may recall that Jesus likewise quoted this very same prophecy in the Gospels. Peter then explains, that because of our faith in Christ, we have become a "Holy Nation", as well as a "Royal Priesthood".

Now, please notice the clear contrast in Peter's words. He is discussing two distinct groups of people in those verses. He is describing the unbelieving Jews who have rejected Christ, and then he turns around and describes those people who have accepted Christ. In other words, as I mentioned earlier, he is obviously writing to the body of Christian believers; he is NOT writing to the Jews by any means. If Peter was in fact writing to the Jews, then it seems to me that there wouldn't even be a need for him to tell them that they were a "chosen generation", a "holy nation", and a "royal priesthood". Why? Because the self-righteous Jews already viewed themselves in this fashion, even though Jesus had plainly told them that it was no longer true, due to their rejection of Him, and their murder of the many Prophets sent to them by God.

Once you understand this distinction in Peter's words; once you grasp that when he says "ye", "ye are", "you" and "unto you", he is referring to the believers in Christ, who have become a "Holy Nation" and a "Royal Priesthood", as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ, as opposed to "unto them", and "to them", meaning the unbelieving Jews, his final words in those verses become even more important. Peter writes:

"Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."


Earlier in those verses, Peter referred to the Christians as being "a chosen generation". In the above verse, he expands upon that thought by adding "Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God". Do you see what he is saying there? Could Peter have said it any clearer than that? Peter plainly states, "but are now the people of God"; and he obviously means the Christian brethren to whom his Epistle is addressed. Why does Peter say "but are now"? In my mind, it can only be, because the deciding factor which has made them "a chosen generation", as well as "the people of God", is their new found faith in Jesus Christ. If they had not accepted Christ, then they would be no better than the unbelieving Jews who stumbled upon, and rejected, Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone.

In short, and I truly hope that you can see this, Peter is saying that the Christians are now the Chosen People of God; not by their own merit or goodness, but only through their faith in Jesus Christ. That is what makes us different from the unbelieving Jews. That one fatal decision has caused the Jews to lose the blessing, as well as the Kingdom; which is exactly what Jesus said would happen, as a result of their stubbornness and unbelief.

Within modern Christian circles, what I have just explained to you might be included as a part of what some people refer to as "Replacement Theology". There are a number of popular preachers and teachers -- who just so happen to be extremely pro-Israel -- who are strongly opposed to this doctrine. They claim that "Replacement Theology" is false and misleading; even going so far as to suggest that it is satanic. I think that with true "Replacement Theology", America is supposed to totally replace Israel in a prophetic sense, much like a similar doctrine referred to as "British Israelism". While in some of my articles I have made interesting comparisons between ancient Israel and the modern spiritual condition of the United States of America, I do not believe for a minute that the U.S.A., or Great Britain for that matter, replaces Israel in the Endtime prophecies. As I have noted a number of times before, as of this current date, I remain convinced that Endtime prophecy centers around the small nation-state of Israel.

As some of my regular readers will know, I really don't like to attach labels to my personal beliefs, being as it sounds too much like organized religion, not to mention, divisive denominationalism. I strive to preach a simple Gospel, which everyone can understand, without all of the fancy terminology attached to it. If someone can't even understand what you are saying and preaching, how in the world are they ever going to come to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior? I think that some of these modern pulpit preachers preach the way that they do, in order to impress their audiences, or perhaps to steal the stage from their rival in the church next door. Who knows. I am sure that it helps to fill their coffers.

At any rate, what I can tell you, is that based upon all of the Scriptures which I have shared with you in this series, I remain convinced that what I have stated here is true, as well as according to God's Word. I also believe that those people who continue to promote the idea that the Jews are still the "Chosen People" of God, are the ones who are truly in doctrinal error. Perhaps some of them have been blinded by political correctness, or maybe even by pressure from the Jewish lobby. Perhaps others have been influenced by their seminary backgrounds, or maybe by other preachers. In the case of ordinary lay people, many of whom have very little, or no knowledge of the Scriptures at all, they have more than likely been swayed by their friends, by their church priest or pastor, or perhaps by some radio and television preachers. I honestly don't know.

All I can say is, the idea that in some mysterious way, in spite of their strong rebellion against God, and against His Son, the Jews still have some unique advantage over everyone else, and still have special favor with God, and occupy some special niche in His affections, is something which I find difficult to understand. This belief is totally contrary to all of the verses I shared earlier, where Jesus tells us how He and His Father view the Jews, as a result of their pride, stubborn nature, and unbelief.

As we have already clearly seen, the people who are chosen, are those who have chosen to place their faith in Christ; and that is precisely what makes them chosen to begin with. In a way, it is similar to an eternal circle. God has chosen us, because we have chosen to believe in Jesus Christ; and we have chosen Christ, because God has chosen us to believe. Of course, now we are beginning to broach the profound topic of predestination, which is an issue that I delve into, in a few of my other articles, so I will leave it for now.

One thing is certain though; and that is that once we have made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, our ethnic background, as well as our prior religious background, means very little to God, because we are all one in Christ Jesus, as the Apostle Paul so wisely taught. All that God sees is the precious Blood of His Son. Either we are washed in it, or else we are not. There are no other distinctions as far as I can tell. Prior to our conversion, we were all sinners, regardless of our ethnic or religious backgrounds. After we accept Christ, our slate has been washed clean, and we all begin on equal footing. We are all chosen of God. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."


So again, the one thing that makes all the difference in the world, is Christ. Notice how many times Paul uses the word "Christ" in those verses. That says a lot.

While earlier, I emphasized the contrast in Peter's words, in order to make a specific point, it is also important for you to realize that not all the Jews were as antichrist as their spiritual elders and those who were in positions of political authority. In fact, the New Testament makes it plain that not even all of the Jewish Elders were against Christ, or against His First Century followers. Many of you reading this will be familiar with the story of the Pharisee Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night, seeking the answers to the questions which plagued him. Later, in John chapter seven, Nicodemus likewise tried to defend Jesus during a discussion with his religious peers. In the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, we discover that following Jesus' Crucifixion, Nicodemus also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes in preparation for the Lord's burial.

In addition to Nicodemus, another secret Disciple worthy of note, was Joseph of Arimathaea. The Gospels tell us that he was a rich man, as well as an honourable counsellor, which I interpret to mean that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. We are also told by Luke that Joseph was not in agreement with the evil plot by his Jewish peers to kill Jesus. As you may recall, it was Joseph who went to Pontius Pilate following Jesus' Crucifixion, in order to ask for the Lord's body. It seems unlikely that Pilate would have even given Joseph an audience with him, unless Joseph was of high standing. At any rate, we are told that Nicodemus and Joseph placed Jesus in a new sepulchre, hewn out of stone, which was located in a garden near the area where the Lord had been crucified.

Another New Testament character which comes to mind is the Apostle Paul's spiritual mentor, Gamaliel. In Acts chapter five, Luke informs us that Gamaliel was a Pharisee, and a doctor of the law, and also a man who had a good reputation among all the people. It was Gamaliel who wisely warned his spiritual peers to tread cautiously when dealing with the Disciples, and to give them some leeway, lest they be found to be fighting against God.

Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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