How many people on this planet would give the same answer? How would you answer the question? And how did the people of the Messianic Israel Alliance answer the this question in a December 2004 poll?

"Who are you" is not an easy question to answer, because our answer is largely based on faith and hope. Moreover, much of what we have to grapple with to find our answer is not subject to "scientific validation," at least not at this point in time. Like those listed in the "Hebrews Eleven Hall of Fame," we are waiting for the fulfillment of our faith and hope.

Nevertheless, I personally believe that I am part of an eternally chosen nation. When YHVH made His promises to Abraham (Genesis 15), regarding the promised fruit that was to come forth from his lions, YHVH was not talking about a future event. In His eyes, Abraham's chosen seed, and all who would come forth from it, existed at that time. Moreover. I believe that He who foreknew me from the foundation of the world, saw me in Abraham's loins when He made that promise.

As I prepared for my talk at our recent conference in Nashville, I wanted to know what the people of Messianic Israel believed regarding their genealogy. To ascertain this information, as many of you on the MIA email list know, I took a poll asking the following two questions:

1. We believe that genealogy is essentially unprovable, but the God of Israel knows exactly who are your forefathers. Assuming that is the case, do you believe in your heart that you personally descend from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Please answer yes or no.
2. Some one-billion-two-hundred-million Moslems claim to be Abraham's biological descendants through Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar. Do you believe their claim is basically true? Please answer yes or no.

Poll Results

I received 281 emails in response to this request. They came in from congregations, ministries, families, couples, and individuals. I used the actual number of messages received to calculate poll results; however, I would estimate that the 281 emails actually represent no less than twice, if not three times, that many people.

I had expected that a majority would see themselves as being descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but when the tally topped 96% I was a pleasantly surprised.

Results from Question #1

• 267, or 96%, believe that they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• 6, or 1.7%, cannot say yes, but also cannot say no.
• 2, or .06%, believe that they are spiritual descendants.
• 6, or 1.7%, believe they are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Results from Question #2

• 223, or 79%, believe that the Muslims are descendants of Ishmael.
• 5, or 1.7%, do not know or believe that a portion are Ishmael's descendants.
• 53, or 19.3%, do not believe that the Muslims are descendants of Ishmael.

The significance of this question regarding the genealogy of the Muslims has to do with who received Abraham's blessing of "fruitfulness." Was it Isaac, as Judaism and Christianity claim, or was it Ishmael, as the Muslims claim?

Who is the rightful heir? Logically, it would be the one with the most "fruit, the one with the most descendants. After all, at the heart of the blessing was the literal promise to 'multiply' Abraham's seed.

Today, the Muslims claim to be 1.2 billion people in number, and our survey indicated that 79% of our people essentially agree with that claim. However, regardless of the actual number of descendants from Ishmael, Isaac must have a greater number if he is in truth the heir of his father promise (Genesis 15:5;17:2; 22:17;26:4,24;28:14;35:11;46:3). And, fourteen million Jews do not show Isaac to be the more fruitful heir. If the Jews alone are his only descendants, Isaac loses by a landslide.

Where are Isaac's Heirs Today?

I believe the results of this poll confirm the Scriptural truth that his descendants are scattered in every nation, tribe, tongue, and kindred (Deuteronomy 4:27;28:64; Hosea 1-2;8:8; Amos 9:9). Moreover, the majority of them have been and still are lost to their identity—but now, at the end of the age, they want to return to the truth of their heritage, and to embrace their true identity.

I am a bit cautious about applying these percentages to the combined mailing lists of House of David/Messianic Israel Ministries/Messianic Israel Alliance. However, if they do fairly represent the 36,000 people on these lists (and I believe they do), that potentially gives us a total of more than 34,500 people who see themselves as physical members of the nation of Israel, as described in the First Covenant.

A Call to Return

When Batya and I got involved in the foundation of the Messianic Jewish movement in the early seventies, the rallying cry of those early pioneers (in opposition to the Church's centuries-old demand that they give up their Jewishness), was a call to return to the faith of the First Century Church, which was Jewish in nature.

I well remember a statement made by Dan Juster, the first President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, when he emphasized the "Jewishness" of the Early Church. He said, "By the end of the first century there were over three million Jews in the Church." If Dan is correct, this means that the vast majority of the Early Church was "Jewish."

The title "Jew" or "Jewish" in the First Century described a people who were primarily the visible descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Though comprised of a variety of sects, the basic religious practices of these people, until 70 AD, were centered around a physical temple, a Levitical priesthood, and an animal sacrificial system. The destruction of this system in 70 AD undoubtedly furthered the separation between those Jews who had accepted Yeshua as the Messiah, and those who did not.

Interestingly, the Epistle of Jude was written during the decade following the destruction of that temple. His purpose was to remind us of the fate of the worldly-minded and ungodly, and to appeal to all Believers to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3,15,19).

It is self-evident that the faith Jude described was that of the predominately "Jewish" Church of his day. That is the faith to which we should "return." What was this faith? How did it differ from the variety of theologies we now find in the thousands of denominations and cults that make up Christianity today?

In our answer we will focus on one aspect that we feel has largely been overlooked.

Yeshua was a Jew and most of His early followers were Jews. For most of the First Century, the civil authorities and the surrounding secular world saw Christianity as a sect of Judaism. Most Christians in Judea, including Yeshua's disciples, and Paul, considered themselves to be Jews. Both the Jews who followed Yeshua and those Jews who did not, believed that Judaism was the distinctive religion of a particular people, which religion upheld four fundamental concepts:

1. Monotheism
2. The personhood of YHVH
3. The concept of verbal revelationp
4. The idea that YHVH intervenes in real space and time in human history

While there were conflicts concerning the way the Christians defined Yeshua, more conflicts were yet to come. As the Church developed it began to differ strikingly from its Jewish parent. One important difference was the idea assumed by the Church concerning its "universal" application of the Gospel. The Church put their own emphasis on Yeshua's command "to go into all nations and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom." They went from awakening and gathering the lost sheep of Israel, to trying to reach all Gentiles in all nations. In truth, the Gentiles called by YHVH's name, who were returning to Him, were called to join Israel in her New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Acts 15:17-19; Hebrews 10:16-18). Israel was never called to join the Nations. She was instead to be "set apart."

Displacement of "Old Israel"

This idea of the "universality of the Gospel" resulted in the displacement of "old Israel." No longer were the people of Israel seen as YHVH's treasured possession, chosen to be a people for His own possession (Deuteronomy 7:7-8;10:15;14:2;26:16;32:8-9). No longer did people "join" Israel when they attached themselves to her God. And the Gospel was no longer the "Gospel of Israel"s Kingdom."Focus was instead moved almost exclusively to the idea of "individual salvation." While individual salvation is an absolute essential—and is not to be demeaned or denied in any way—it should not have been taught at the expense of the necessity of also being part of a chosen nation. So it was that the followers of the Messiah lost an inherent part of the Kingdom Gospel: salvation of a nation. (There are 153 references to the Kingdom in the New Covenant. Some key references are Mark 11:10; Luke 1:22;9:2; 12:22; John 18:36; Acts 1:3,6; 1Corinthians 4:20;15:24.)

The Church has continued for centuries to hold to the idea of a "universal Gospel," which in turn continues to promote Israel's displacement. Today, this error is reflected in five major theological positions, which Batya describes in detail in her book Who Is Israel? Past, Present and Future:

1. Replacement Theology: "The Church has replaced Israel" hypothesis
2. Separate Entities and Separate Covenants: "The Church and Israel are separate entities and never this side of heaven the twain shall meet"doctrine
3. Physical and Spiritual Israel: The Church is "Spiritual Israel" and the Jews are "Physical Israel&quot
4. The Adopted, Grafted-in Gentile Contradiction
5. The Jews are all Israel

With this change in focus we were moved from the First Covenant ideology of having those from the nations being called to join Israel (Ephesians 2:11-22), to the idea of any Israelites who might come to faith having to join a man-made "Universal Church of All Nations." It was even required that they reject their "Jewishness."

The idea that "the Church and Israel never shall meet this side of heaven" is popular in the Protestant Church today. This attitude is upheld by all who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture: meaning, the Church goes to heaven and the Jews finally get their just desserts during the great tribulation.

We can quickly see why this lamentable theology has failed to help us reunite and rebuild a chosen nation.

The founding of a Jewish state in 1948 shook the Church's concept of it being the "New Israel." At the very least, it caused many Believers to rethink their positions, and it led many to chose the idea of Israel's nationhood over the idea of a "Universal Church" that was unrelated to Israel, or even superceded it.

For those of us who have chosen Israel's nationhood, our challenge has become, How do we regain our national heritage?

Taking Hold

We do so by taking hold of "the faith which was once for all delivered to our forefathers," by embracing the faith spoken of by the Apostle Jude, and practiced by the First Century Believers. We reject the Fourth Century Constantine inspired orthodoxy that brought devastating changes to the Early Church.

I call this Constantine orthodoxy "World Inclusive Denominationism," and define it as follows: A religious belief system offered without restriction to all individuals, classes, and nations. It was not primarily limited to one people, like Judaism (who accepted proselytes), nor to the freemen of one state, like the official cults of Greece and Rome (who accepted a degree of immigration). Instead, membership was based on what an individual believed, and most often that faith had absolutely nothing to do with heritage. Furthermore, acceptance was based on the will and desires of each individual and not on the will and desires of God, even though Scripture says you cannot come to YHVH unless He calls you (John 6:44). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with the supposedly "angry God" of the First Covenant, were all but eliminated.

Satan came to Eve and essentially said, "Who is God to tell you what you can eat? You have the right to eat from any tree in the Garden, and when you eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you will be like God."

I suspect that Satan likewise may have come to those of the Fourth Century Church and said, "Who is God to determine who His people are, and to make some vessels for honor and some for dishonor? It should instead be up to each individual to determine whether they want to be God's people. And when they exercise their right of determination, they will be like God."

Like Eve, the Church seems to have accepted Satan's lie. Today, Christianity is a conglomeration of denominations, cults, and individuals that can best be described as the Dysfunctional Robinson Family. Each lives on their own island, has their brand of relationship with God, yet has little to do with those on the other islands.

Surely this is not a recipe for nationhood.

Over the past two-thousand years, nationhood versus a world inclusive denomination has created a major dividing wall between Christianity and Judaism. For example, consider that the Lubavitcher movement of Chassidic Judaism has declared that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson is the Messiah. While most Jews are not in agreement with this idea, the Lubavitchers have not been kicked out of Judaism for embracing the thought, nor have they been denied citizenship by the State of Israel. However, if they were to base their inclusion as part of Israel on whether or not one believed in their claim that Schneerson is the Messiah, rather than being descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then they too would be rejected.

Restoring Israel's Kingdom

The Jewish people have been guardians not only of our Torah, but of our earthly nation. And as long as Believers do not in some manner see themselves as being "part of the people of Israel," they are not going to be welcomed home by the Jewish people or the State of Israel. Therefore, I firmly believe that the regathering of the lost sheep of Israel back to their own soil will be not be accomplished through the errant idea of a world inclusive denominationism, but under the auspices of nationhood.

We belong to the kingdom of our Messiah, which Kingdom is not of this world (Revelation 19:15-16). However, when our Messiah returns, He will return to the Land from which He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:11). His Kingdom and the restored nation of modern Israel are on an inescapable collision course. These two kingdoms are destined to become one, with our beloved Messiah, Yeshua, the Greater Son of David, as her reigning King.

We who love Messiah Yeshua, His Feasts, and His chosen Land, must seek to bring peace and harmony between these two kingdoms. Yet, we must do so without compromising our faith in Messiah Yeshua. We also must call for the restoration of our nation, without offending our brother Judah, and without closing our doors to any from the Nations who love our Messiah and are called by the Father to be a part of His chosen nation. We must choose a restored nation of Israel over a universal church that thinks it supercedes our Father's eternal plan for His chosen people.

Paul said, I hope I have not run this race in vain (1Corthianians 9:24-36). We also might ask, what is the use of running a race if you're on the wrong road?

Unfortunately, in some ways the Church runs in vain and has ended up on the wrong road. They have lost sight of their ultimate goal, which should be to restore the kingdom to Israel. They have forgotten their mandate to regather the lost sheep of the whole house of Israel. They are not taking the action necessary to give our Father the desires of His heart, which is to have a people for His own possession (Deuteronomy 30:3-5;Jeremiah 23:1-8, Acts 1:1-8; 3:19-21).

The Church errantly believed its' mandate regarding the Kingdom was fulfilled by the establishment of the "Holy Roman Empire." They even thought is was "God's Kingdom on Earth." And even though, century after century the Messiah has failed to return, their flawed idea of "universality that leads to Israel's continual displacement" keeps the Church running down the same old road.

Insanity is said to be continuing to do the same thing and to expect different results. So let us cease making the same old mistakes.

The punishment of Ephraim, that of not being a people, is ended. We are part of the people of Israel. Therefore, let us start running on a road of restored nationhood, for that is the road that will lead to Zion!

I have touched very briefly on several topics in this message, and am now working on a book that will more fully explore the impact of our return to Zion and to the faith once delivered to the saints. At this time, I have two articles (material for future chapters in the book) that address these subjects.

Return to Zion is based on the talk I gave at Nashville in December. In the article based on that talk, I outline some of the obstacles Ephraim must overcome in order to return to the land. One of the points I address is, what will it take to gain acceptance from our brothers in the land?

The second article, The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints (a work now in progress), addresses the questions: What were the components of the faith Jude was writing about? How does the faith delivered to the saints compare to what his brother James was talking about in Acts 15? How does it compare to standard Christianity today? Most importantly, what influence should it have on how we define ourselves today?

If you would like copies of these articles please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and I will be happy to send them.

In closing, I firmly believe that YHVH has the right to have a people for His own possession—even as outlined in the First Covenant (Deuteronomy 7:7-8;10:15;14:2;26:16;32:8-9). I also believe that I am part of that people—and I am happy that the great majority of Messianic Israel believes as I do.

And now, we all need to get to work. It is a big job to restore a nation. But as Joshua and Caleb said, "We are well able!"