Part 2 - Baseless Hatred - The Roots of Christian Antisemitism

[00:00:04] Speaker A: So you guys remember the term a critical exigency? Do you remember that term? An exigency? It was from our Roman series, a pressing problem needing immediate attention. A critical exigency. Well, we're going to reevaluate. We're going to touch on another one of those today. And as you know, October Sevent and Iran and all the related happenings have brought Israel front and center on so many platforms. And it has really been for me, the impetus of tackling this series on anti Judaism or Judeophobia and ultimately on antisemitism. And I actually couldn't find, I couldn't be more grateful. I couldn't find a better opening teaching. Last week was our introduction. But to find an opening teaching to highlight this subject matter, God just basically has dropped this into my lap. An idea made most famous recently by Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz's interaction, which I don't know if you saw this about whether or not Christians are obligated to bless Israel. And the idea really is, does Genesis 12 really mean that when it says I will bless those who bless you? This idea, does that really mean that has led to a resurgence of just brilliant Bible thinkers coming out to shed light on what they call potentially the greatest misunderstanding in the Christian mind today. And here is a presentation to bring you up to speed on this theological error there pointing out to you this theological error of epic proportion. [00:02:05] Speaker B: Growing up in Sunday school, I was taught from the Bible, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. And from my perspective, I want to be on the blessing side of things, of those who bless the government of Israel. Those who bless Israel is what it says, doesn't say the government of it says the nation of Israel. So that's in the Bible. As a Christian, I believe. [00:02:25] Speaker C: Here we go again. TED Brother, let's talk. Genesis 12:3 does say, I will bless those who bless you. But it's crucial to understand who this promise is actually made to. It wasn't spoken directly to Israel, it was spoken to Abraham. Now listen closely to the apostle Paul as he clarifies this promise in Galatians, chapter 3, verse 16. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say and to offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one and to your offspring who is. I feel like I repeat this verse every time, but we really need to get it. So did you catch that? The promise isn't geopolitical, it's Christological. The offspring, it isn't plural, it's singular. It's Jesus Christ himself. So blessing Abraham's offspring doesn't mean blessing a nation or a political party. It means honoring, trusting and following Jesus Christ. Ted and everyone else watching remember this. God's ultimate blessing to the world isn't tied to land or ethnic descent sent. It's tied to faith in Christ alone. Jesus is the true fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. The real inheritance, the true blessing God promised is Jesus Christ and the salvation he brings. So trust in him. That's the real blessing. And it transcends all politics, all nations and all earthly borders. [00:03:57] Speaker A: Isn't that compelling? Yeah. And he does it with such gentleness and sincerity and confidence. And it's so beautifully centered on Jesus. What Christian would not. What Christian? He said you really need to get it. Okay, what did he say? What do you need to get? What did he say? Basically, what he said is, if you have felt any obligation to pray for Israel, the nation, you have been duped. You have been duped by dispensationalism, you've been duped by Christian Zionism, you've been duped by maybe Jewish media, you've been duped by your poor Bible teachers. Really at the top of the list, probably you've been duped by the devil himself. Because God wasn't talking about a land, God wasn't talking about a people. Genesis 12:3 is about Jesus and Christians. But the real question, the real difficulty, the real critical exigency, is what he said without saying it. And that is rewriting God's promise to Abraham and his seeds, changing it, deflecting it away from Israel, AKA the Jews, and transferring it to Christians. Because in this view, this is what the New Testament, which supersedes all things and especially in the words of Paul, this is what it says. And even if he wouldn't articulate it that way, he seems very nice, very well informed in his interpretation. This is what it says. And there are many other less kind voices suddenly that have jumped on this trendy anti Israel bandwagon. They've taken up this banner. I have multiple. And listen, I don't spend a lot of time on social media. It's not like I'm scrolling constantly. Oh, there's one. One out of a thousand. I don't spend that much time there. It's just that they keep showing up. Genesis 12. Bless those who bless you. Think again is what he said. It's as if they've discovered now this new pearl of wisdom, this new biblical interpretation that must be shared because the world is in such deception regarding God and Israel because all of them, all of them have you believing that you should, that you must pray for Israel and the Jews because of Genesis 12, 2 and 3. And Paul says, that's not what it says. Let's read it. Genesis 12, 2 and 3. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. And those who curse you, I will curse and you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. My friends, last week I did an introduction to our series called Baseless Hatred. This is part one. It just couldn't be any more appropriate because the entire basis of baseless hatred rests on what is presented in this argument. This is supersessionism. This is replacement theology. You hear the word all the time so much that people write into first fruits of Zion and say, why do you always talk about this? Or they come to me and say, I get it. Why do you have to keep saying it? And they go to great lengths, these people and many others, to say, this isn't replacement theology, it's just truth. Why do they say it's not replacement theology? Because it sounds suspiciously like it is. Israel, the covenant, the land, the Jewish people, the promises, the future. It's transferred. And my friends, that story is the taproot of anti Judaism and ultimately antisemitism. That's where it leads. It is important to say that 60% of Christians who were polled, I have no idea what denomination that actually means. Christian is a big term, but 60% of Christians still hold Israel in high regard. That's very promising, right? They may not know exactly why, but they just know. Which is what Ted Cruz was trying to say. Because if you continue to watch Ted Cruz, he is very ill informed and Tucker Carlson is very, very good at making him look really stupid. He's not stupid. But here's the thing. What happens when you just know, but you don't really know when you're challenged? You look like Ted Cruz. No offense to Ted Cruz. So today, as a starting point of this heavy series, we're going to look at it. And even if you can't remember what I say or repeat it verbatim, you'll have a copy of it here and you can share it and you can use it, you can put it in your toolkit for counteracting baseless hatred, because baseless hatred survives on baseless theology. And today we will equip ourselves with the truth to uproot both of those things. First of all, the idea is not new. This is not a new beautiful pearl of great price that was uncovered by some recent theologian. This goes way, way back. These are repackaged versions of a very, very old theology that started so long ago. Irenaeus Tertullian Chrysostom, if you can. You know, you'd be surprised to find John Chrysostom in this thing. Right? They had already laid hold of this second century origin, fourth century. It's absolutely cemented in place. Here's the argument stated clearly. God tells Abraham In Genesis 12, I will bless those who bless you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. Genesis 12:7. Not long after then, the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your offspring, I will give this land. So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. Offspring, seed, Zerah in Hebrew. Remember it? Galatians 3:16. The promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed. Paul says, not to his seeds meaning many, but to your seed meaning Christ. That's what Paul says. That's the crux of the argument. Seed, Zerah. It's only singular. And the teachers grab onto this and they declare seed. See, the promise was never about a whole nation or people or lineage. It was always about one individual, singular seed, Jesus. That's what Paul says. And then they punch it home with Galatians 3:28. There's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you're all one in Messiah. Yeshua. See, they say ethnic distinctions, ethnic lines gone. The original nation in Genesis 12 no longer matters. There's no distinction. And then Galatians 3:29, he just absolutely this is it. This is the lynchpin. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's seed according to the promise. And the Instagram teacher confidently slams his Bible shut and says, you don't have to pray for anybody in Israel. That's the argument based on the word seed and singular. There are variations. Listen, I've seen some people that end the story by saying things like, I still believe God has an amazing plan for the Jews. Thank you. Good to know. But it's a big but as far as your concerns about praying for Israel because of Genesis 12, blessing those and cursing those, it's not a Jewish story. This is supposedly a scripturally backed Pauline argument. And guess what? Many people will hear this argument flash across in a minute and a half on their social media screen and say, hmm, makes sense. Perspective changed. Thank you. Fantastically brilliant Bible teacher On Instagram, there's a second twist. Another supposed solid bit of evidence. By the way, I hope you came to learn today because we got to. We got to invest some time back in Genesis 12:3. You know the argument you heard? He doesn't say anything about blessing a nation. He says he'll create a nation through Abraham. But the blessing is four. And to Abraham and those who bless Abraham. God will bless those who curse Abraham. I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. Forget the biblical necessity of understanding what name actually means. Forget the fact that we also know about Abraham. And Abraham would probably say, whoa, not just me, all my family. The guy who interceded for Sodom, like Moses who said, no, God, if you don't go with us, just take us all out. Me included. They were intercessors. He wasn't a selfish looking for this. But anyway, that's skipping those things. The objection that Genesis 12 is only about Abraham, it doesn't actually deserve much of our time. Do you know why? Because God goes on to say the very same things to Isaac and to Jacob. These scriptures are important just for you to have 263 reside in this land as an alien. I will be with you. I will bless you. For to you and to your descendants. Seed Zerah. There's the word. I will give all these lands. I will fulfill the oath I swore to your father. I will make your offspring Zerah seed as numerous as the stars of heaven. He's talking to Isaac. All the nations of the earth shall gain blessings through your offspring. Because Abraham obeyed my voice. And then to Jacob. Jacob is speaking to his son Joseph. God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. And he said to me, behold, I'll make you fruitful and numerous. And I will make you a company of peoples and will give this land to your. Your descendants for an everlasting possession. And there's that word. We find that word. Paul is using it in Greek sperma. In the Greek seed descendants. Hold that thought for just one second for a proper logical reading. Several key points stand out which are critical for actually understanding this. God explicitly says Abraham's physical descendants will become a great nation. It is in the text. It's not arguable. It refers to Israel, the nation that sprang from Abraham through Isaac, through Jacob. The promise is literally about Abraham's family line becoming a people. Go back. I don't have the text, but Genesis 17 having a land Being in covenant, sealed with circumcision. This is the language that God's giving to him about Abraham's family. It's not an abstract concept. Genesis will go on to detail the birth of that Exodus will tell the journey of that nation. Bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you. In context, you means Abraham and his offspring who inherit the promise. It's what it means in context. This is God's pledge to Abraham over his family. That's a dad's desire. What is the point of me being blessed if my family is not with me? It is a universal, and this is throughout the Hebrew Bible, we see the principle of blessing. Rahab, Cyrus, gentiles blessing. It's a covenantal cause and effect that assumes that Abraham's physical progeny would remain in the picture. He's saying, abraham, I'm siding with you and your children. The world's attitude toward them will invite a blessing or judgment. All the peoples blessed through Abraham. Here is this universal scope. God's plan, it's very clear, was always to use Abraham's family as a vehicle of blessing to the whole world. That's what the text says. That's what it says. But notice that that comes through Abraham's lineage. You can go back and look at the text that I already gave you. In other words, the Jewish people, Israel would be the vessel through which divine blessing flows to the world. Messiah and the Scriptures as two really good examples of Jewish blessings that have been guarded and protected and produced through Abraham's lineage. And this is the most important thing to know. I know all that sort of bundled and built, blasted at you. But this is the most important thing to know. Understand the language. The Hebrew word for seed, zerah, when referring to offspring, is a collective noun. Do you know what that means? Of course you do. Look at the deer. How many deer? Answer, you don't know. It's a collective noun. You don't know. It could be one deer. It could be as many deer as the sands on the seashore or the stars in the sky. Does that sound familiar, that language? I'll show it to you. It can be used in a singular form, but have plural meaning like offspring, descendants, or even a family. And we see it in Genesis. Listen. God later tells Abraham, look at the sky and count the stars, so shall your seed be. How many stars are in the sky? Just the one. The same word, zerah is used, obviously referring to an innumerable plurality of descendants. But let's look specifically at a very important verse, 22:17. The context is the Akedah. This is the binding of Isaac. I won't read it all. The angel of the Lord called to Abraham. You know, he has just spared Isaac. He's held back his hand. By myself, I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you've done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed. I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the star of heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. That translation also in places says the gate of his enemies. It's kind of important, but let me explain it. What just happened? Seed appears here twice in two lines. First line, countless stars and sand. The second line can definitely be one. Spotlight seed who carries blessing to the nations. The same Hebrew word in the same sentence can be doing double duty to point to the descendants of God as numerous as the stars, and one descendant of Abraham who will inherit the gates of his enemies. This shows plural and singular tense are present. Abraham's lineage will be many and be blessed. Yet there is an Ultimate One, through whom blessing flows to all. It says the nations. I am not saying that the Book of Genesis and specifically the word Zerah is not being used in a Messianic prophecy. Do you know why I know that? Because of this Instagram teacher? No, because Judaism, ancient Judaism has interpreted this text as Messianic for a long, long time. Even early Christian writings saw in this text about Isaac some messianic redemptive themes before and during Paul's time. Paul knew these ideas. Paul studied under Gamaliel. He was rabbinically trained. He was a Pharisee. And what we have here with Paul is the classic rabbinic argument. And here's what it is. It's called midrash. The Gospel writers use midrash, and Paul uses Midrash, Christ, the seed. When we get to Galatians 3:16, Paul's making an illustration from the Torah. He wants to reinforce that part of the promise to Abraham that comes specifically through Messiah. Why? Because he's talking to Gentiles in Galatia about being included in Abraham's family, which to that point was exclusively Jewish. Do you understand that point? A little elaboration. These Gentiles, specifically in Galatia, were being bewitched. That's what Paul says. By a teaching contrary to Paul's Gospel. You remember Paul's gospel we talked about in Romans? You don't have to be Jewish to be saved. You don't have to convert. You can't rely on the law to save you, Gentile brothers and sisters, us Jews know that you need to be part of the family. And in Christ you are. This is Galatians 3:29. If you belong to the Messiah, then you are considered part of Abraham's family. Paul's saying, that's what you need. That's what you need. In other words, he singles in midrashically on this singular seed in Genesis, which he identifies as Jesus, to show that Jesus is the key offspring, the key offspring through Abraham to which the blessing of the Gentiles would flow. Midrash Creative exposition on Scripture common practice he is not denying. Hear me. He is not denying that the seed can and does refer to many, many people in Genesis and Abraham's line. He's saying, in the ultimate sense, one particular descendant of Abraham is the linchpin of God's plan for the world. Do you follow me? Think of it this way. Without Jesus, the promise of global blessing through Abraham's line remains unfulfilled. With Jesus, Abraham's greatest son, the promise comes to fruition, and all nations, including the Galatians, now receive the blessing of salvation. This is not either or. This is not either or. The point Paul makes. And he made it much more clearly in Romans 4. Go back and listen to Repaving the romans Road. Chapter 4. Gentiles of Galatia. You're part of the family too. Not instead of. Not instead of. Not either. Not either or both. And Paul's message. Gentiles grafted into Abraham's family. But you don't push the natural family out. Galatians 3:16, spotlighting the one royal seed, and Genesis using Zerah as a collective. When you treat seed singularly and only singularly like this, it erases every promised Israel. And it's a lie. It's not true. It's a misappropriation of the language and the translation. Genesis shows a real Jewish nation. And Paul shows that Messiah opens the family gate to the Gentiles as well. Now I've said it. But the inclusion of the nations never equals replacement of Israel. Ever. God chose Abraham and his offspring, Zerah, the people, the Jewish people, as covenant people to bless them and through them to bless the world. It's just that simple. Genesis 12, Genesis 15, Genesis 17, Genesis 22, Genesis 26. This is about inclusion, not replacement. Now my question and my confusion is why is this so hard for these people to accept? Ephesians says it clearly. It's also in the Bible. It's attributed to Paul. Whether it is or not, Ephesians Therefore keep in mind that once you Gentiles in the flesh, at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Yeshua, you who were once far off, have been brought near by the blood of Messiah. You had no hope. Now you do. Why? Because you've been brought near to the covenants and the promises given to Israel. That's not complicated. That is not deep theology. Welcome to the family. You've arrived by faith in Messiah, the a seed of Abraham, with faith like Abraham, apart from the law. Now listen to Paul, the author of Galatians, writing in romans, this is 4, 16. For this reason it depends on trust, so that the promise according to grace might be guaranteed to all the offspring. I want to make sure this is on the board. Romans 4:16. It's so important. I'll read it as it goes up there. For this reason, it depends on trust, so that the promise according to grace might be guaranteed to all the offspring. Paul using sperma offspring Zerah in Hebrew, to all the offspring, not only to those of the Torah, not only to those that are of the law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham. He's the father of us all. I have made you the father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God. It goes on to say, but look at this. The promise according to grace might be guaranteed to all the offspring, not only to those who are of the law. You have to keep that in there. Not only to them, it's a given that they would receive the blessing and be participants in the covenant. It's a given. That's not the miracle. The miracle is that by the faith of Abraham, and in Messiah who demonstrates this, and you have faith in that seed, you too, Gentile nations are included. That's enough. I could have done this in four and a half seconds. That's the text. Not just to them and still to them, but also to you. And this, my friends, is why Paul goes on to say, and you know the text in Galatians, there's no longer Jew or Greek, there's no longer slave or free. There's no longer male or female. For you're all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. And you need to arm yourself with the proper understanding of this text and concept, because it gets over absolutely abused. No Jew, no Greek, all are one in Christ. It is about unity. And spiritual status. I'm looking at a room here. There are men and there are women. Thank God there are no slaves and free. But there are men and women. There are also Jews and Gentiles. The distinctions remain. That's not what he's talking about. And we all know this. But it's gotta be reiterated for these people in terms of standing before God and access to salvation. We're all on equal footing. We are all on equal footing. Gentiles are not second class citizens. Jews don't have an inside track through the Torah. This was a revolutionary, inclusive message. Gentiles don't have to become Jews. But nothing in Galatians implies that Jews had to stop being Jews or that Israel's out of the story. Bam. That's it. That's all I can say. How much more clearly can we bring this? But let me continue, actually, to summarize the lesson. Replacement theology's roots run very, very deep. Very deep. As far back as the second century. For most of all. All, all of church history. It's taken different forms, some more virulent, some more vicious than others. But the core idea was the same. The core idea was this. Christians are in, Jews are out. This idea is the taproot of Christian antisemitism. It is not just armchair theologians. Who knows who NT Wright is? NT Wright is one of the greatest biblical minds of our time. These ideas are embedded in academic and theological circles. Prominent theologians like N.T. wright and others, they have taken this idea, they've worked it around and they've just rebranded it, okay? Jesus embodied Israel and the church is built around him. And he says this isn't replacing Israel, it's just redefining it so they have a new name for it. It's called Fulfillment Theology or Expansion Theology or Covenant Theology. Darren Huckey just did a fantastic video short on this. You should check it out. Short and sweet. Teach you about those things. It's more semantics than anything to just cherry pick and do these things. Whether you say the promises are fulfilled in and only in Jesus or the church as the new Israel, the effect can be similar if it leads to denying any ongoing covenant role for the people of Israel. And keep in mind these premises. You did not hear this guy say. This is why I'm saying, what did he not say? You did not hear him say we should not pray for Jews. It's always couched, as Tucker Carlson demonstrated there in the question. Wait, huh? Whoa. You're saying we should pray for the modern state of Israel? Wordplay. Because when you use this line, and actually you can just see what else is being said to know enough. But when you use this line of reasoning to replace how the Bible, you know, replaced God, replaced his people, you're talking about the Jewish people. You're talking about Israel the nation and Israel the nation, the government of Israel. You're saying we should pray for the government of Israel. There are a bunch of liberal seculars. It's just a mask. It's just a cover. It's palatable. You don't have to pray for Israel. The fruit of it is obvious. Historically, whenever the church embraced the idea that the Jews are cast off by God, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible things happen. And if Christians believe that we have no obligation to bless Israel or the Jews because the promises were never about them, it's a short road to who cares what happens to them? And actually, they probably deserve it. So seed, here it is. Ready? Conclusion. I promise you, seed doesn't cancel seeds. The singular seed does not replace the plural seeds. It's both. And remember, dear, it's that simple. Context, context, context, context. Use it. Any theology that says God said seed, not seeds. So he meant only one person is telling a lie. Or they're twisting. They're twisting at least. What was Paul up to? His use of the singular seed is rabbinic style argument to show the Gentiles that they are part of the family through this grand and amazing seed that came from Abraham. You follow me? Easy. Good. He understood seed in its normal sense. I just, I forgot something that's so important. And how did I miss it? Where is it? Maybe it's down here. I hope it is. It's not, but that's okay. But do read. Read Romans 11. This also could have been a five and a half second teaching where Paul says, I am Israel, the seed of Abraham. The author of Galatians refers to himself as the seed, part of the multiple seed. That God has not rejected his people, has he? May it never be. For I too am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham. If I had a little gavel. Case closed, dismissed. Anyway, remember that Genesis 22:17 18 text which I referenced, which is in one breath God is saying, I'll multiply your descendants. In the other breath he's saying, we're going to bring a fantastically amazing singular seed into the world, which is going to be the blessing for the entire world. Paul simply zeroes in on that for his audience. It can be summed up as the inclusion of Gentiles, not the exclusion of Jews. Done. Let me conclude with one to put this all in perspective for you from the mouth of the weeping prophet, but from the mind and heart of God. Jeremiah 31:35 37 Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar. The Lord of hosts is his name. If this fixed order were ever to cease from my presence, says the lord, then also the offspring of Israel would cease to be a nation before me forever. Thus says the lord. If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will reject all the offspring of Israel because of all they have done. Will he do it? It's rhetorical. God has not and will not reject the seed of Abraham. I will bless those who bless you, curse who curse you. It means what it says. You do not have to pray for every single thing that the Israeli government does. That's not the takeaway. The takeaway is that the Jewish people remain and this crap is dangerous. It means what it says, but if that's not clear enough Shalu Shalom Yerushalayim Yishla O Avayich. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May those who love you prosper. Do not listen to these lies. This has not changed. It will not change until the Prince of Peace makes peace for all of his people. [00:40:00] Speaker D: Shabbat Shalom I'm Darren with Shalom Macon. If you enjoyed this teaching, I want to ask you to take the next step. 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