“Act 1:4-8 KJV – 4 And, being assembled together with [them], commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, [saith he], ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

When Was Israel Restored?

The Jews In the New Testament era were expecting the promised Messiah and the restoration of Israel. The Pharisees believed this would be a great conquering military man who would lead an army into a war that would deliver Israel from the power of Rome through carnal warfare. So they crucified their Messiah.

But the promised restoration was not to be through carnal warfare, but through the deliverance of salvation from their sins. Their big enemy was sin, not Rome; it was sin that caused death. Jesus had fully taught His disciples the Truth by demonstration of the power of the Spirit of the true Kingdom of God. Then they had watched in surprise as their Messiah submitted to the cross and was buried in a tomb. But they had also been surprised by His resurrection. He had truly triumphed, not merely over Caesar, but over death, hell and the grave.

A Forty-Day Seminar

After His resurrection, for forty days He taught them the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God, (Acts 1:4). Now He is telling them to go to Jerusalem and “wait for the promise of the Father, which ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

This Didn’t Fit Their Template

But this wasn’t the scenario they thought was to be carried out. When was the Kingdom going to be restored to Israel? So Jesus gave them the answer, but not according to their questioning:

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

His Way Worked!

Follow the story through the Book of Acts. They obeyed His command and were filled with the Holy Ghost. Jews from all over the earth were there to witness this miraculous event, Acts 2:5-11. But Peter, under the unction of the Holy Ghost, rose up to preach and to interpret for them what was happening. Read it in Acts 2:40.

He declares to them that the prophesy of David is being fulfilled. He quotes from the Psalms to show that Jesus is the promised Seed of David that would sit on the Throne of Israel, Acts 2:30-36. The Kingdom has been restored to Israel for they now have their eternal King upon the throne!

So What Happened to the Old Israel?

And the rest of the Book of Acts and the Epistles are the record of how that Kingdom was preached throughout the known world at that time, (Colossians 1:6, 23). The Kingdom was being filled with the Gentiles and all those Jews who would believe. Therefore they knew it was time for Jesus’ words concerning the end of the old order of the fleshly kingdom to end:

Matthew 24:14, 34-35 KJV – 14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. … 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

The old Jerusalem had become Sodom and Gomorrah when they crucified Christ, Revelation 11:8. The New Jerusalem, the Church, became the Bride of Christ and was bearing children to Him:

Galatians 4:25-31 KJV – “25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

27 For it is written, Rejoice, [thou] barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, even so [it is] now.

30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”

And even now, this New Jerusalem, the Church, the Bride of Christ, is ready to welcome all who will come;

Revelation  22:17, 20 KJV – 17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. … 20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus”.

Is the modern state called “Israel” the fulfilling of Biblical prophecy regarding the re-gathering of the nation of Israel? Look what the Bible actually says about it:

It was foretold by the Old Testament Prophecies:

Genesis 49:10 KJV – 10 “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be]. [‘Shiloh’ means the Messiah, Jesus.]

Isaiah 11:10-12 KJV – 10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 11 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” [This was fulfilled in Jesus as the Scriptures reveal.]

Even the Law allowed the “Stranger” to become as the natural born through faith:

Under the law, there were many who qualified as ‘Jews’ who were not necessarily of the genetic bloodline of Abraham, but followed his faith, and kept the Covenant :

Exodus 12:48-50 KJV – “48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. 50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.” [To “come near” means to become a naturalized citizen.]

Numbers 15:14-16 KJV – “14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever [be] among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. 15 One ordinance [shall be both] for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth [with you], an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye [are], so shall the stranger be before the LORD. 16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.”

Jesus Birth Was In Fulfillment of These Promises

The angel’s message to Mary shows that Jesus’ birth was the fulfillment of prophecy :
Luke 1:31-33 KJV – “31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Luke 1:54-55 KJV – 54 “He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of [his] mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”

Zecharias’ Prophecy:

Luke 1:68-74 KJV – 68 Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy [promised] to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear.”

Devout Jews And Proselytes From Every Nation Witnessed the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

Acts 2:5-11 KJV – “5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”

Jesus Gathered Together All of His Own

John 11:49-52 KJV – “49 And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.”

Ephesians 3:3-6 KJV – “3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.”

Galatians 3:28-29 KJV – “28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

The true Israel of God was, and is, gathered together in Christ! Beware of false pretenders!

Identity theft has become a global crime that affects multitudes of people worldwide. It is not merely a masked bandit with a gun, but it is more like the big bad wolf that threatened Goldilocks in the stories we heard in our childhood. It is disguised to appear as the sweet little grandmother, innocently calling us to come nearer so it can eat us up.

Identity of a True Jew

As Christians we also must be warned against the false identity claims of “those who say they are Jews and are not.” God has warned the Churches against this identity theft in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9:

Revelation 2:9-11 KJV – “9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan.- 10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”

Revelation 3:9-13 KJV – “9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

How Can We Be Sure

Seeing that there are some today who claim the title “Jews,” how can we be sure whether or not they are claiming a false identity. The Word of God gives us the answer:

Romans 2:28-29 KJV – “28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.”

Circumcision must be that of the heart, and not of the flesh. Christ is the only One Who can minister this circumcision:

Romans 15:8 KJV – “8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers”

Colossians 2:8-13 KJV – “8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses”

Colossians 3:9-11 KJV – “9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all.”

It is clear from these Scriptures that no one is a Jew unless he is a Christian.  He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches!