Tag Archives: replacement theology

Who does God call “MY PEOPLE” and “HIS PEOPLE”?  

                                                               

Drybones replacement theology.gif

It is doubtful that the decision makers at UNESCO spend much time reading Scripture. Considering the vast numbers of denominations and the various versions of replacement theology found today among those who profess to follow Jesus (or Yeshua), maybe it would be good for all of us to consider the verses where God addresses “MY PEOPLE” and “HIS PEOPLE.”

Before we begin, we would do well to recall that Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons who became twelve tribes. The Jewish people today consist of a remnant of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some Levites and a handful of the others, along with some from the nations who have converted.

The Jewish people today are roughly 14 million people, only about .2% of the global population. Yet, God promised that Abraham’s offspring would be “as the dust of the earth” (Gen. 13:16).

The promise was extended to Jacob:

“Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth; and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 28:14)

14 million people is hardly “as the dust of the earth.” So, we have to ask: Where are the rest of Jacob’s children?

The Jewish sages surmise that only 20% of the Jews returned to the land with Ezra and Nehemiah from the 70 year exile to Babylon. Long before Judah’s exile, the other ten tribes, the former Northern Kingdom, a.k.a. House of Israel or Ephraim, was carried away, first, into gross idolatry by Jeroboam when God divided Solomon’s kingdom after his death, and, second. into exile by the king of Assyria in 721 BC. (I Kings 11:26 to 14:20, 2 Kings 15:29, 17:5,6,24)

Could it be that Jacob’s seed is hidden among the world’s religions?

world_religions_pie_chart

Hmmm. That brings to mind something Yeshua said:

He (Jesus) told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Mat. 13:33

Jesus suffered and died so that those from the nations might have the opportunity to be grafted in to Israel and serve in His kingdom. Could it be that large numbers of Jacob’s offspring are even now hidden among the nations and don’t even know it?

How should Yeshua’s followers respond to this extensive list of verses directly addressing “MY PEOPLE” and “HIS PEOPLE”?

As the list begins, it’s very clear that God is speaking directly to Israel. Does He at some point stop calling Israel “My people”? I can only find a couple of verses in which Gentiles are included in the phrase “His people,” but even then He makes it very clear that Israel is “His inheritance.”

Why is this important?

If we identify as Gentiles, we are outside of the New Covenant, as this list will make abundantly clear.  There are only two classifications of people in Scripture: Gentiles and Israel. God calls himself the “God of Israel” over two hundred times!  I don’t see any way around it. If we are HIS PEOPLE, we are indeed grafted in to Israel (just as Paul said) and, therefore, we FORMER Gentiles have become Israelites, just like Ruth, who said to Naomi, “Your people shall be my people and Your God my God.”(Ruth 1:16)

And, IF we are part-and-parcel of Israel, along with the Jewish people, we have certain responsibilities in order to be the light of the world that Yeshua said His disciples would be (Mat. 5:14). The purpose of being the light of the world is to draw all men, first, to Yeshua for cleansing from sin, second to study His instruction in order to stay free from sin and begin the process of restoration, and, third, to become a disciple in order to teach others the gospel of the kingdom.

“The entrance of Your word brings light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130)

He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches!

Verse list:  MY PEOPLE

(all verses ESV, capital letters added to these two phrases for emphasis)

Exo. 3:7  Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of MY PEOPLE who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

Exo. 3:10  Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring MY PEOPLE, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Exo. 5:1  Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let MY PEOPLE go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'”

Exo. 6:7  I will take you to be MY PEOPLE, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Exo. 7:4  Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, MY PEOPLE the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.

Exo. 7:16  And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let MY PEOPLE go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed.

Exo. 8:1  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let MY PEOPLE go, that they may serve me.

Exo. 8:8  Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from MY PEOPLE, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

Exo. 8:20  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let MY PEOPLE go, that they may serve me.

Exo. 8:21  Or else, if you will not let MY PEOPLE go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.

Exo. 8:22  But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where MY PEOPLE dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

Exo. 8:23  Thus I will put a division between MY PEOPLE and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”‘”

Exo. 9:1  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let MY PEOPLE go, that they may serve me.

Exo. 9:13  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let MY PEOPLE go, that they may serve me.

Exo. 9:17  You are still exalting yourself against MY PEOPLE and will not let them go.

Exo. 10:3  So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let MY PEOPLE go, that they may serve me.

Exo. 10:4  For if you refuse to let MY PEOPLE go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,

Exo. 12:31  Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among MY PEOPLE, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said.

Exo. 22:25  “If you lend money to any of MY PEOPLE with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

Lev. 26:12  And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be MY PEOPLE.

1Sa. 2:29  Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of MY PEOPLE Israel?’

1Sa. 9:16  “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over MY PEOPLE Israel. He shall save MY PEOPLE from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen MY PEOPLE, because their cry has come to me.”

1Sa. 9:17  When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain MY PEOPLE.”

2Sa. 3:18  Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save MY PEOPLE Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.'”

2Sa. 5:2  In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of MY PEOPLE Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.'”

2Sa. 7:7  In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd MY PEOPLE Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”‘

2Sa. 7:8  Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over MY PEOPLE Israel.

2Sa. 7:10  And I will appoint a place for MY PEOPLE Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,

2Sa. 7:11  from the time that I appointed judges over MY PEOPLE Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.

1Ki. 6:13  And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake MY PEOPLE Israel.”

1Ki. 8:16  ‘Since the day that I brought MY PEOPLE Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there. But I chose David to be over MY PEOPLE Israel.’

1Ki. 14:7  Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over MY PEOPLE Israel

1Ki. 16:2  “Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over MY PEOPLE Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made MY PEOPLE Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins,

2Ki. 20:5  “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of MY PEOPLE, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD,

1Ch. 11:2  In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of MY PEOPLE Israel, and you shall be prince over MY PEOPLE Israel.'”

1Ch. 17:6  In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd MY PEOPLE, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”‘

1Ch. 17:7  Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over MY PEOPLE Israel,

1Ch. 17:9  And I will appoint a place for MY PEOPLE Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly,

1Ch. 17:10  from the time that I appointed judges over MY PEOPLE Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house.

2Ch. 1:11  God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern MY PEOPLE over whom I have made you king,

2Ch. 6:5  ‘Since the day that I brought MY PEOPLE out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over MY PEOPLE Israel;

2Ch. 6:6  but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over MY PEOPLE Israel.’

2Ch. 7:13  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among MY PEOPLE,

2Ch. 7:14  if MY PEOPLE who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Psa. 14:2  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3)  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 4)  Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up MY PEOPLE as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?

Psa. 50:7  “Hear, O MY PEOPLE, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.

Psa. 53:4  Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up MY PEOPLE as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?

Psa. 59:11  Kill them not, lest MY PEOPLE forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield!

Psa. 78:1  Give ear, O MY PEOPLE, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

Psa. 81:8  Hear, O MY PEOPLE, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

Psa. 81:11  “But MY PEOPLE did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.

Psa. 81:13  Oh, that MY PEOPLE would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

Isa. 1:3  The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, MY PEOPLE do not understand.”

Isa. 3:12  MY PEOPLE—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O MY PEOPLE, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.

Isa. 3:15  What do you mean by crushing MY PEOPLE, by grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

Isa. 5:13  Therefore MY PEOPLE go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.

Isa. 10:2  to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of MY PEOPLE of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

Isa. 10:24  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: “O MY PEOPLE, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.

Isa. 19:25  whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt MY PEOPLE, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

Isa. 26:20  Come, MY PEOPLE, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.

Isa. 32:13  for the soil of MY PEOPLE growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city.

Isa. 32:18  MY PEOPLE will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

Isa. 40:1  Comfort, comfort MY PEOPLE, says your God.

Isa. 47:6  I was angry with MY PEOPLE; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

Isa. 51:4  “Give attention to me, MY PEOPLE, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.

Isa. 51:16  And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are MY PEOPLE.'”

Isa. 52:4  For thus says the Lord GOD: “MY PEOPLE went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing.

Isa. 52:5  Now therefore what have I here,” declares the LORD, “seeing that MY PEOPLE are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the LORD, “and continually all the day my name is despised.

Isa. 52:6  Therefore MY PEOPLE shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

Isa. 53:8  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of MY PEOPLE?

Isa. 57:14  And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from MY PEOPLE’s way.”

Isa. 58:1  “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to MY PEOPLE their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.

Isa. 63:8  For he said, “Surely they are MY PEOPLE, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Isa. 65:10  Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for MY PEOPLE who have sought me.

Isa. 65:19  I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in MY PEOPLE; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

Isa. 65:22  They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of MY PEOPLE be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Jer. 2:11  Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But MY PEOPLE have changed their glory for that which does not profit.

Jer. 2:13  for MY PEOPLE have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Jer. 2:31  And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do MY PEOPLE say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you’?

Jer. 2:32  Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet MY PEOPLE have forgotten me days without number.

Jer. 4:11  At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of MY PEOPLE, not to winnow or cleanse,

Jer. 4:22  “For MY PEOPLE are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

Jer. 5:26  For wicked men are found among MY PEOPLE; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

Jer. 5:31  the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; MY PEOPLE love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

Jer. 6:14  They have healed the wound of MY PEOPLE lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

Jer. 6:26  O daughter of MY PEOPLE, put on sackcloth, and roll in ashes; make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.

Jer. 6:27  “I have made you a tester of metals among MY PEOPLE, that you may know and test their ways.

Jer. 7:12  Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of MY PEOPLE Israel.

Jer. 7:23  But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be MY PEOPLE. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’

Jer. 8:7  Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but MY PEOPLE know not the rules of the LORD.

Jer. 8:11  They have healed the wound of MY PEOPLE lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

Jer. 8:19  Behold, the cry of the daughter of MY PEOPLE from the length and breadth of the land: “Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” “Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images and with their foreign idols?”

Jer. 8:21  For the wound of the daughter of MY PEOPLE is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me.

Jer. 8:22  Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of MY PEOPLE not been restored?

Jer. 9:1  Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of MY PEOPLE!

Jer. 9:2  Oh that I had in the desert a travelers’ lodging place, that I might leave MY PEOPLE and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men.

Jer. 9:7  Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of MY PEOPLE?

Jer. 11:4  that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be MY PEOPLE, and I will be your God,

Jer. 12:14  Thus says the LORD concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given MY PEOPLE Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them.

Jer. 12:16  And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of MY PEOPLE, to swear by my name, ‘As the LORD lives,’ even as they taught MY PEOPLE to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of MY PEOPLE.

Jer. 14:17  “You shall say to them this word: ‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of MY PEOPLE is shattered with a great wound, with a very grievous blow.

Jer. 15:7  I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed MY PEOPLE; they did not turn from their ways.

Jer. 18:15  But MY PEOPLE have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway,

Jer. 23:2  Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for MY PEOPLE: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD.

Jer. 23:13  In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led MY PEOPLE Israel astray.

Jer. 23:22  But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to MY PEOPLE, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.

Jer. 23:27  who think to make MY PEOPLE forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal?

Jer. 23:32  Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead MY PEOPLE astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.

Jer. 24:7  I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be MY PEOPLE and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

Jer. 29:32  therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to MY PEOPLE, declares the LORD, for he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.'”

Jer. 30:3  For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of MY PEOPLE, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

Jer. 30:22  And you shall be MY PEOPLE, and I will be your God.”

Jer. 31:1  “At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be MY PEOPLE.”

Jer. 31:14  I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and MY PEOPLE shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

er 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32) not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33)  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be MY PEOPLE.

Jer. 32:38  And they shall be MY PEOPLE, and I will be their God.

Jer. 33:24  “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised MY PEOPLE so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. [If the House of Israel and the House of Judah are the TWO clans that He has chosen, (verses 31-33) above, then WHO is saying He has rejected them? ] 

Jer. 50:6  “MY PEOPLE have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.

Jer. 51:45  “Go out of the midst of her, MY PEOPLE! Let every one save his life from the fierce anger of the LORD!

Lam. 2:11  My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of MY PEOPLE, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.

Lam. 3:48  my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of MY PEOPLE.

Lam. 4:3  Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young, but the daughter of MY PEOPLE has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

Lam. 4:6  For the chastisement of the daughter of MY PEOPLE has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.

Lam. 4:10  The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of MY PEOPLE.

Ezek. 11:20  that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be MY PEOPLE, and I will be their God. [Click here for an eye-opening list of all the references containing “commandments”)

Ezek. 13:9  My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of MY PEOPLE, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Ezek. 13:10  Precisely because they have misled MY PEOPLE, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash,

Ezek. 13:18  and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to MY PEOPLE and keep your own souls alive?

Ezek. 13:19  You have profaned me among MY PEOPLE for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to MY PEOPLE, who listen to lies.

Ezek. 13:21  Your veils also I will tear off and deliver MY PEOPLE out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey, and you shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezek. 13:23  therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver MY PEOPLE out of your hand. And you shall know that I am the LORD.”

Ezek. 14:8  And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of MY PEOPLE, and you shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezek. 14:9  And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of MY PEOPLE Israel.

Ezek. 14:11  that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be MY PEOPLE and I may be their God, declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezek. 21:12  Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against MY PEOPLE. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with MY PEOPLE. Strike therefore upon your thigh.

Ezek. 25:14  And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of MY PEOPLE Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezek. 33:31  And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as MY PEOPLE, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Ezek. 34:30  And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are MY PEOPLE, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezek. 36:8  “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to MY PEOPLE Israel, for they will soon come home.

Ezek. 36:12  I will let people walk on you, even MY PEOPLE Israel. And they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of children.

Ezek. 36:28  You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be MY PEOPLE, and I will be your God.

Ezek. 37:12  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O MY PEOPLE. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.

Ezek. 37:13  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O MY PEOPLE.

Ezek. 37:23  They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be MY PEOPLE, and I will be their God.

Ezek. 37:27  My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be MY PEOPLE.

Ezek. 38:14  “Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day when MY PEOPLE Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it?

Ezek. 38:16  You will come up against MY PEOPLE Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

Ezek. 39:7  “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of MY PEOPLE Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

Ezek. 44:23  They shall teach MY PEOPLE the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

Ezek. 45:8  of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress MY PEOPLE, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

Ezek. 45:9  “Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of MY PEOPLE, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezek. 46:18  The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, thrusting them out of their property. He shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of MY PEOPLE shall be scattered from his property.”

Hos. 1:9  And the LORD said, “Call his name [Lo-Ami] “Not MY PEOPLE”, for you are not MY PEOPLE, and I am not your God.” (see Romans 9:25-26 below)

Hos. 1:10  Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are [Lo-Ami] “Not MY PEOPLE,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” (see Romans 9:25-26 below, also Romans 8:14,19 not listed)

Hos. 2:1  Say to your brothers, “You are MY PEOPLE,” and to your sisters, “You have received mercy.” (see Romans 9:25-26 below)

Hos. 2:23  and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on ‘No Mercy,’ and I will say to ‘Not MY PEOPLE’, ‘You are MY PEOPLE’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.'”  (see Romans 9:25-26 below)

Hos. 4:6  MY PEOPLE are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Hos. 4:8  They feed on the sin of MY PEOPLE; they are greedy for their iniquity.

Hos. 4:12  MY PEOPLE inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.

Hos. 6:11  For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed, when I restore the fortunes of MY PEOPLE.

Hos. 11:7  MY PEOPLE are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all.

Joe. 2:26  “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And MY PEOPLE shall never again be put to shame.

Joel 2:27  You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And MY PEOPLE shall never again be put to shame.

Joel 3:2  I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of MY PEOPLE and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,

Joel  3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,  2) I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of MY PEOPLE and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3)  and have cast lots for MY PEOPLE, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

Amos. 7:8  And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of MY PEOPLE Israel; I will never again pass by them;

Amos. 7:15  But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to MY PEOPLE Israel.’

Amos. 8:2  And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come upon MY PEOPLE Israel; I will never again pass by them.

Amos. 9:10  All the sinners of MY PEOPLE shall die by the sword, who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’

Amos. 9:14  I will restore the fortunes of MY PEOPLE Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

Oba. 1:13  Do not enter the gate of MY PEOPLE in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity.

Mich. 1:9  For her wound is incurable, and it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of MY PEOPLE, to Jerusalem.

Mich. 2:4  In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined; he changes the portion of MY PEOPLE; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields.”

Mich. 2:8  But lately MY PEOPLE have risen up as an enemy; you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.

Mich. 2:9  The women of MY PEOPLE you drive out from their delightful houses; from their young children you take away my splendor forever.

Mich. 3:2  you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off MY PEOPLE and their flesh from off their bones,

Mich. 3:3  who eat the flesh of MY PEOPLE, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron.

Mich. 3:5  Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead MY PEOPLE astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.

Mich. 6:3  “O MY PEOPLE, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!

Mich. 6:5  O MY PEOPLE, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

Mich. 6:16  For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of MY PEOPLE.”

Zeph. 2:8  “I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted MY PEOPLE and made boasts against their territory.

Zeph. 2:9  Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever. The remnant of MY PEOPLE shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”

Zech. 2:11  And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be MY PEOPLE. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

Zech. 8:7  Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save MY PEOPLE from the east country and from the west country,

Zech. 8:8  and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be MY PEOPLE, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

Zech. 13:9  And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are MY PEOPLE’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'”

Mat. 2:6  “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd MY PEOPLE Israel.'”

Act. 7:34  I have surely seen the affliction of MY PEOPLE who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

Act. 18:10  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are MY PEOPLE.”

Rom. 9:25  As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were [Lo-Ami] ‘Not MY PEOPLE’ I will call ‘MY PEOPLE,’ and her who was [Lo-Ruchamah] ‘Not beloved’ I will call ‘beloved.'”  (See Hosea 1:9,10, 2:21-23 above)

Rom. 9:26  “And in the very place where it was said to them, [Lo-Ami] ‘You are not MY PEOPLE,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.'”  (See Hosea 1:9,10, 2:21-23 above)

2Co. 6:16  What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be MY PEOPLE.

Heb. 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be MY PEOPLE.

Rev. 18:4  Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, MY PEOPLE, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.”

Verse List: HIS PEOPLE

Exo. 18:1  Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel HIS PEOPLE, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

Exo. 32:14  And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto HIS PEOPLE.

Deu. 32:9  But the LORD’s portion is HIS PEOPLE, Jacob his allotted heritage.

Deu. 32:36  For the LORD will vindicate HIS PEOPLE and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free.

Deu. 32:43  “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses HIS PEOPLE’s land.”

Deu 33:2  He said, “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand. 3)  Yes, he loved HIS PEOPLE, all his holy ones were in his hand; so they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you, 4)  when Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. 5)  Thus the LORD became king in Jeshurun* when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. [*Jeshurun: a pet name for Israel, meaning “upright”(see also Deut. 32;15, 33:26, Isa. 44:2)]

Rth. 1:6  Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited HIS PEOPLE and given them food.

1Sam. 10:1  Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over HIS PEOPLE Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.

1Sam. 12:22  For the LORD will not forsake HIS PEOPLE, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.

1Sam. 13:14  But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over HIS PEOPLE, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

1Sam. 15:1  And Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over HIS PEOPLE Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD.

1Sam. 27:12  And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to HIS PEOPLE Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

2Sam. 5:12  And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of HIS PEOPLE Israel.

2Sam. 7:23  And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be HIS PEOPLE, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?

1Ki. 8:56  “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to HIS PEOPLE Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.

1Ki. 8:59  Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of HIS PEOPLE Israel, as each day requires,

1Ki. 8:66  On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel HIS PEOPLE.

1Chron. 14:2  And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of HIS PEOPLE Israel.

1Chron. 17:21  And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be HIS PEOPLE, making for yourself a name for great and awesome things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt?

1Chron. 21:3  But Joab said, “May the LORD add to HIS PEOPLE a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?”

1Chron. 22:18  “Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and HIS PEOPLE.

1Chron. 23:25  For David said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to HIS PEOPLE, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.

2Chron. 2:11  Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the LORD loves HIS PEOPLE, he has made you king over them.”

2Chron. 7:10  On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the LORD had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel HIS PEOPLE.

2Chron. 32:17  And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver HIS PEOPLE from my hand.”

2Chron. 35:3  And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and HIS PEOPLE Israel.

2Chron. 36:15  The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on HIS PEOPLE and on his dwelling place.

2Chron. 36:16  But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against HIS PEOPLE, until there was no remedy.

2Chron. 36:23  “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all HIS PEOPLE, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.'”

Ezra 1:3  Whoever is among you of all HIS PEOPLE, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

Psa. 14:7  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of HIS PEOPLE, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Psa. 28:8  The LORD is the strength of HIS PEOPLE; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

Psa. 29:11  May the LORD give strength to HIS PEOPLE! May the LORD bless HIS PEOPLE with peace!

Psa. 50:4  He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge HIS PEOPLE:

Psa. 53:6  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of HIS PEOPLE, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Psa. 68:35  Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to HIS PEOPLE. Blessed be God!

Psa. 78:20  He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for HIS PEOPLE?”

Psa. 78:52  Then he led out HIS PEOPLE like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

Psa. 78:62  He gave HIS PEOPLE over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.

Psa. 78:71  from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob HIS PEOPLE, Israel his inheritance.

Psa. 85:8  Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to HIS PEOPLE, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

Psa. 94:14  For the LORD will not forsake HIS PEOPLE; he will not abandon his heritage;

Psa. 100:3  Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are HIS PEOPLE, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psa. 105:24  And the LORD made HIS PEOPLE very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes.

Psa. 105:25  He turned their hearts to hate HIS PEOPLE, to deal craftily with his servants.

Psa. 105:43  So he brought HIS PEOPLE out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.

Psa. 106:40  Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against HIS PEOPLE, and he abhorred his heritage;

Psa. 111:6  He has shown HIS PEOPLE the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

Psa. 111:9  He sent redemption to HIS PEOPLE; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!

Psa.  113:5  Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, 6)  who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? 7)  He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,  8) to make them sit with princes, with the princes of HIS PEOPLE. 9)  He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!

Psa. 116:14  I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all HIS PEOPLE.

Psa. 116:18  I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all HIS PEOPLE,

Psa. 125:2  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds HIS PEOPLE, from this time forth and forevermore.

Psa. 135:12  and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to HIS PEOPLE Israel.

Psa. 135:14  For the LORD will vindicate HIS PEOPLE and have compassion on his servants.

Psa. 136:16  to him who led HIS PEOPLE through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psa. 148:14  He has raised up a horn for HIS PEOPLE, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD!

Psa. 149:4  For the LORD takes pleasure in HIS PEOPLE; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Isa. 3:14  The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of HIS PEOPLE: “It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

Isa. 5:25  Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against HIS PEOPLE, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

Psa. 11:11  In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of HIS PEOPLE, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

Isa. 11:16  And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of HIS PEOPLE, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

Isa. 14:32  What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of HIS PEOPLE find refuge.”

Isa. 25:8  He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of HIS PEOPLE he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

Isa. 28:5  In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of HIS PEOPLE,

Isa. 30:26  Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of HIS PEOPLE, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

Isa. 49:13  Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted HIS PEOPLE and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Isa. 51:22  Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of HIS PEOPLE: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;

Isa. 52:9  Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted HIS PEOPLE; he has redeemed Jerusalem.

Isa. 56:3  Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely separate me from HIS PEOPLE”… [Please read Isaiah 56:1-8]

Isa. 63:11  Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and HIS PEOPLE. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit,

Joel 2:18  Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on HIS PEOPLE.

Joel 2:19  The LORD answered and said to HIS PEOPLE, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

Joel 3:16  The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to HIS PEOPLE, a stronghold to the people of Israel.

Mich. 6:2  Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against HIS PEOPLE, and he will contend with Israel.

Zech.  9:16  On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of HIS PEOPLE; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.

Mat. 21  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save HIS PEOPLE from their sins.”

Luke 1:68  “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed HIS PEOPLE

Luke 1:77  to give knowledge of salvation to HIS PEOPLE in the forgiveness of their sins,

Luke 7:16  Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited HIS PEOPLE!”

Rom. 11:1  I ask, then, has God rejected HIS PEOPLE? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

Rom. 11:2  God has not rejected HIS PEOPLE whom he foreknew? Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?

Rom. 15:10  And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with HIS PEOPLE.”

Heb. 10:30  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge HIS PEOPLE.”

Rev.21:3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be HIS PEOPLE, and God himself will be with them as their God.

[1] Jeshurun: a pet name for Israel, meaning “upright”(see also Deut. 32;15, 33:26, Isa. 44:2)

Examining Replacement Theology

Replacement theology
image courtesy of hebrew4christians.com

Replacement Theology  comes in two primary forms, supersessionism  and dispensationalism . Both assume that the church is God’s sole agent in the earth due to the Jews having missed their Messiah. Both further assume that for Jews to be saved they must leave their Jewish practices and convert to Christianity. Unfortunately, these  assumptions are a major reason why Christians are turning against Israel today. (please click to read)

Held up to Scripture, neither brand of Replacement Theology fits the patterns and promises that God has given us in His Word. For example, the Scripture says, “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Where do the prophets foretell that God will forsake or replace His chosen people? Where can we find a covenant with the gentiles?

Exodus imagesThree times Scripture declares that God’s covenant with Israel is for “a thousand generations.” This is crucial because Jesus, Moses, Paul, and the author of the Book of Hebrews all endorse the principle that a matter is established by “the mouth of two or three witnesses.” (see Deut. 17:6, 19:15, Mat. 18:16, 2 Cor. 13:1, 1 Tim. 5:19, Heb. 10:28).

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations. (Deut. 7:9)

Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” (Psalm 105:5-11)

O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance.” (1 Chron. 16:13-18)

The books of the prophets are filled with references that at the end of days God will gather His people from the ends of the earth and return them to the Promised Land. This regathering will be from all twelve tribes, not just the Jewish people, one tribe. Replacement theology entered into Christian jew studying torahdoctrine because, for most of history, “Israel” was understood to be the equivalent of “the Jews.”

But, ever since the Jews began their return to the homeland, God has been awakening people all over the earth to the fact that anyone who is in covenant with Him has been grafted in to redeemed Israel. This is exactly what Paul teaches in the book of Ephesians when he declares that though the “uncircumcised,” who are “saved by grace through faith,” were once “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise,” they are now “fellow saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

What many have missed until now is that the name of the household of God is Israel. God calls Himself “the God of Israel”over 200 times. The redeemed remnant of Israel is the Body of Jesus/Yeshua, not to be confused with the modern state of Israel, although many there are certainly a part of redeemed Israel. Redeemed Israel includes all of the saints from Genesis to Revelation.

If God is our Father, and, if He is the Father of the Jews, then we are family, even if we don’t see eye to eye. Many Jews believe in Messiah and are panting for His appearance. The reason they don’t recognize our Jesus is mostly our fault, as we discussed in Torah portion Miketz 2015. Have they made mistakes, too? Yes! We have to stop pointing fingers. We have to repent, forgive, and reconcile. We have to forgive like Joseph did. We have to start acting like family as this world grows darker. We need each other! When Messiah comes, He will straighten out the errant thinking on both sides of the “narrow way.”

Note that Paul asserts that the “household of God” is built on the prophets, on Jesus, and on the apostles. With this statement, Paul  presents three witnesses. Therefore, any interpretation of Paul’s writings that does not align with Jesus and the prophets needs to be reevaluated.

Starting with Moses, the prophets foretell that in the end of days God will give Israel a heart to obey Him.

“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the 10commandments on stoneLORD your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. And the LORD your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you. And you shall again obey the voice of the LORD and keep all his commandments that I command you today. (Deut. 30:1-8)

A new heart for God’s people is what the New Covenant is all about, according to both Jeremiah and the writer of the Book of Hebrews.

“… I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.  Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel… “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him…(see my law in their heartsJer. 31:1-10)

 

‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people’ (Jer. 31:31-33).

The writer of Hebrews quotes Jer. 31:31-33 almost verbatim: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Heb. 8:8-10).

The writer of Hebrews declares that the problem was with God’s people, not with His covenant. Quoting Jeremiah, he explains that God will correct the problem by giving His people new hearts. We know this part of the New Covenant is still yet to be fulfilled because both writers declare that when it happens we will have no need to teach our families and our brothers, for everyone will know Him. “And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” ( Jer. 31:34, Heb. 8:11-12)

stars and sandWhat a glorious day that will be! We also know that this is a future fulfillment because God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea. The Jewish people claim to be roughly 14 million in number today, approximately .2 percent of the world’s population. Does that sound like the sand of the sea? Where are the rest of Abraham’s seed? Please consider watching “The Lost Sheep” by 119 Ministries.

The prophet Ezekiel also bears witness that God will give His people a new heart. “But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will entering God's promised landtake you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations” (Ezekiel 36:21-28).

Actually, Ezekiel alone gives us three promises of a new spirit and a new heart. (11:19, 18:31, 36:26)

Jeremiah promises that when Israel receives her new heart, she will return to God with her whole heart.“I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart (Jer. 24:6-7).

Even more exciting, when this happens, God promises to do something with His whole heart! “I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. (Jer. 32:41)

bride of Lord of HostsIsaiah paints Israel as barren widow, “briefly forsaken,” who will bear much fruit from the “Lord of Hosts,” her “husband” and “maker.” (read chapter 54). Hosea tells us that Israel will be betrothed to Him “forever” in “righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.”  (see Hosea 2:19-20).

So, as you see, we find many witnesses in the prophets that God has not abandoned Israel or “chosen” someone else. Does Jesus Himself give any indication that God’s plan for Israel would cease or be replaced? To the contrary, He demonstrates that the Old Testament is His source of doctrinal authority when He says, “The Scripture cannot be broken,” (see John 10:35).

Further, He declared emphatically that He did not come to abolish God’s law. As far as Jesus is concerned, God’s law will exist so long as Heaven and Earth remain. “”Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat. 5:17-19).

In His oft quoted pleading with His Father prayer that His followers would be one as He and the Father are one, Jesus also prayed, “I have given them your word…sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth…for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth (see John 17:14-19). Here Jesus quotes Psalm 119:160 “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Jesus viewed the Old Testament as true and eternal.

road to emmausIt was the Old Testament that Jesus used to reveal Himself to His disciples on the road to Emmaeus after His resurrection. “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures,” (Luke 24:27). The church has largely failed to convince the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah because the church does not present the Messiah that the Jewish Scripture portrays. For more about this, please see the Torah portion Miketz 2015 for  shadows of the Messiah in the Joseph narrative.

Jesus rebuked the priestly aristocrats, the Sadducees, saying “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God,” (see Mat. 22:29). What about us? Do we understand the Scriptures? Do we even understand what the Bible identifies as “Scripture”?

Biblical scholars agree that Paul’s letters could not have been written until at least forty years after Jesus’ ascension and the gospels were not written until at least 70 C.E. The point is that at least one-torah scrollquarter of the New Testament is direct quotations or references to the Old Testament. Thus, we have to understand that the purpose of the writers is to expound and explain what the writers longed to see, like, for instance, the mystery of the gentiles being grafted into the faith.

Whenever the New Testament uses the term “Scripture” and “Scriptures,” with the exception of one verse, it always references the Old Testament. Oddly enough, that single usage involves a warning from the Apostle Peter in regard to Paul’s letters. You can view that along with the entire list of other usages of “Scripture” and “Scriptures” here.

In conclusion, Replacement Theology stems from a lack of understanding that the covenants and promises given to Abraham, whose seed we are (Gal. 3:29), are eternal. Redeemed Israel is the “one new man” (Eph. 2:15), including both Jew and Gentile who enter into covenant with the God of Israel by repenting of their sins, forsaking the traditions of men that make the word of God of no effect, and walking in His ways.

I know what you are thinking. “But, what about Paul?” That subject is a bit too complex to include here; but, please consider an excellent video by 119 Ministries entitled “The Pauline Paradox Series-Part One”

Please also consider: “Sunburned” part 1  and part 2

Thank you for stopping by!  Shalom!