9. Prophecy: SomeMisused Terms in Popular Prophecy:

            Certain Bible terms are being misused in the popular media, especially by “Prophets”.  In order to communicate effectively we must agree on the Biblical definition of these terms.  Without this, we are as the tower of Babel.  We will deal with the following beginning with this Lesson:

 Abraham’s Seed,

Anti-Christ,

Anti-Semitism,

Isaac and Ishmael,

Israel,

Jerusalem,

Jew,

Kingdom.

 I. Abraham’s Seed:  “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.  Galatians 3:16.

 A. What “promises”?  Promises of the land and posterity: Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-17; 15:1-7; 17:1-8-21.  In all of these references the word ‘seed’ is singular.

             1. Read: Genesis 12:1-3: Abraham’s call to separation and blessing.

                        Verse 7: In Canaan, God promises the land to him and his seed,                                       singular.

             2. Read: Genesis 13:14-17: God promises the land to him and his seed,   singular, forever; his seed, singular, shall be as the dust of the earth     for multitude, the nitty-gritty in this present world.

             3. Promise of the Land fulfilled: Joshua 21:43-45 and 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56.

             4. Read: Genesis 15:1-7.

                        Verse 1: God first gives Himself.

                        Verse 5: God promises Abraham that his seed singular, shall be as the                stars of heaven for multitude, the ideal, heavenly, eternal, spiritual. 

                        Verse 6: Abraham’s faith is counted as righteousness, quoted in                          Galatians 3:6 and Romans 4:3.

             5. Read: Genesis 17:1-8: The Covenant requires “perfection”, verse 1.

                        Verses 4-6: Abraham shall be the father of many ‘nations’, goyim.

                        Verse 7: An “everlasting covenant”, with the “Seed”, singular.

                        Verse 8-9: “And I will be their God.”  Fulfilled Revelation 7:15-17.

                        Verse 11: Circumcision was to be the “token,” sign, of the covenant.

                         Verse 13: The Covenant was to be in their Flesh for an everlasting                                  covenant.  The Word must be made Flesh, be born in us.

             6. Read: Galatians 3:6 -9, the Seed of Faith. Christ and those in Him:

            “If ye are Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the                       promise.” Galatians 3:29.  [If not, then not.]

             Challenge: When you read the Bible, circle the “If-Then” promises.  These                                are conditional.  All the physical, natural seed broke the Covenant                             except Christ: Isaiah 53:6; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23. 

                              Only Christ was without sin: Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 3:5;                                               2 Corinthians 5:21.  He became the only legitimate Heir, Hebrews 1:2.

 B. Question: Why did God choose Abraham? 

 “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”  Genesis 18:19.

             The Old Testament culture taught that a person’s teacher, or mentor, was to be called their father.  In case of conflict with their biological father, the teacher was to take precedence.  So those who did not follow Abraham’s teachings, to keep the terms of the Covenant, do justice and judgment, etc., did not qualify as children for the blessing of the inheritance. 

             1. Read: John 8:37-47.  Jesus tells them here that they are not children of Abraham’s teaching, his faith, although they are the biological descendants of Abraham, (verse 37), because they do not follow his works, (vss. 39-40).

             2.  Read: Romans 9:6-8. ‘Seed’ must be conceived and birthed before they are children.  The physical seed have the potential to conceive the Word of God and thereby become the spiritual, eternal seed of Abraham.  Those who did conceive the Word of God kept the Covenant; those who did not keep the Covenant had not conceived the Word and so were not his children of faith.

 C. The Spiritual Seed.

             1. Recall as above: Genesis 15:5-6; Exodus 32:13.  His seed should be as the stars, a spiritual seed of faith.  Romans 4:3-“Abraham believed God…”

             2. Read: Romans 24-27. Those ‘called’, (as Isaac was, born by the Word of God, not natural processes, verse 7), are the remnant that is saved by faith in Christ.

 D.  Identity Theft:

             1. Today, those appropriating the name “Jews” are claiming the identity of “Abraham’s Seed”, and therefore the rights, promises and privileges of that Covenant.  This is identity theft on a grand scale. They are correctly called ‘Pharisees’ because they follow that doctrine.[1]

             Example: PBS program on NOVA, November 18, 2008, “The Bible’s Buried Secrets,” calls Judaism “the oldest religion”.  This implies that the so-called “Judaism” of today is the same religion as that of Abraham.  However, the Pharisees reject the Bible itself and the Covenant with Abraham, saying: “He who reads the Bible is as one who worships an idol”.  They invented their own “scripture”, the Talmud, which was not complete until about 500 A.D.  Yet, they are still claiming the identity of “Abraham’s seed”. It is not “the oldest religion”.

             2. This NOVA program says that the Jews gave the world the idea of one           God, “the idea that profoundly changed the world”, that “God, in our sense,    did not exist before”. 

                This is an anachronism, misdated, attributing the deeds of the Biblical accounts of Abraham and his descendants to the modern religion called “Judaism”. 

             3. This term, “Abraham’s seed”, is currently being misinterpreted to mean those following the “the Jews’ religion”, now called ‘Judaism’, as referenced in Acts 26:5; Philippians 3:4-5, Galatians 1:13-14 where the Apostle Paul describes his former religion. 

                        The “Jews religion” remains today, following the doctrines of the Pharisaism of the New Testament era, the religion of the “Oral Law,” as later codified in the Talmud, condemned by Jesus and Paul, (Matthew 23:15; 15:6; I Thessalonians 2:14-16).  Judaism does not “keep the way of the Lord”, does not “do justice and judgment”, and so does not qualify for the blessings of Abraham which they are claiming.[2]

             4. “Judeo-Christian”?  There can be no such thing, for Judaism is anti-Christian, the opposite of Christianity.

 II. Anti-Christ.

            A. ‘Anti-Christ’ is not just a name.  The prefix ‘anti’ means: against, opposite, instead of, counter to.  ‘Anti-Christ’ means against Christ, opposite to, etc.

             The term ‘anti-Christ’ is now being misinterpreted as a single, horrible tyrant who is to arise at some future time.  This blinds people to the real anti-Christ that is now among us and has been since New Testament times. 

             Question:  How do we recognize the anti-Christ?

            Short Answer: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?  He is anti-Christ that denieth the Father and the Son”, 1 John 2:22.

        1. Read: I John 4:1-3.  Verse 1 shows how to try the spirits to recognize the anti-Christ. 

            Verses 2-3 say that those who deny that Jesus Christ, (Messiah), is come in     the flesh are anti-Christ.  Judaism denies that Jesus Christ, Messiah), came in the flesh, therefore that religion is anti-Christ.

 “For Jews, the belief that God can be human is the ultimate heresy…. The belief that God could have been born of a human womb, or could once have walked the earth, is so foreign to Judaism that it is rejected even by the most assimilated Jews….  Christianity, however, sees in Jesus the incarnation and embodiment of the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son.”[3]

             2.  Read: I John 2:18-23.  This shows that anti-Christs, plural, are a sign of  the last time.  There were many anti-Christs then, in the first century.  It was the last times of the Jewish nation, people and city of  Jerusalem.

                        The anti-Christs are described as liars; they deny the Father and the Son, and one cannot have the Father without the Son.  This  clearly describes the “Jews’ religion” of today, for they deny that Jesus is, was, and always will be the Son of God.

                  The religion of anti-Christian Judaism is flourishing today throughout the world.  Therefore, we know that it is the last days of this culture as we have known it for when anti-Christs multiply and flourish it brings the judgments of God.

B. Read: 2 John verses 7-11.  We are exhorted not to partake of the evil deeds of those who are deceivers and anti-Christ.  However, we are to earnestly pray for their salvation.  Many are turning to God in spite of fierce persecution.