IDENTITY THEFT: Stealing
God’s Gift of a Name:
The identity under consideration is the title of “Israel.”
When this name first used, it
was bestowed on Jacob by God at Peniel, after he had wrestled with Him through
the night and it was given to designate the patriarch’s new spiritual status:
in God’s own words, “Thy name shall be no
more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince you have power with God and with men,
and have prevailed.”
Thisname is utterly
unique! God, wanting to purify and equip
His patriarch of the future Covenant people, Himself wrestles with Jacob,
giving him strength to continue and even prevail, in his desire for the
blessing. Jacob’s own strength was unequal to the task, and crippled in the
struggle, he received strength from God: as with the names He gives, it is; what
the name implies.
It should be clear that this is not a name to be bestowed by men, as God has
created and reserved it for His own special use. It should also be clear He
retains the right to strip the name from whom He will, and for people to use
this name when it is not of right, is stealing from the Almighty God!
Moses Prophesied:I will raise them up a Prophet
from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth;
and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which
He shall speak in My name, I will call that person to account. Deuteronomy
18:18-19
This is a warning to heed the words of those appointed to the prophetic office,
and in particular of Him who is the culmination and fulfilment of that office,
Jesus of Nazareth.
Consider the destruction and exile that was brought on those, who with wicked hearts refused to “hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments… Deuteronomy 28:15
That promised destruction is shown in: “I will call them to account… to ancient Israel and the Jewish
nation after Messiah appeared among them.
Peter, in quoting from this passage as he spoke to the people of Judah; “And it shall come to pass, that every soul,
which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Acts 3:22–23
We have seen it specifically taken away from those of the House of Judah who,
in the time of Christ and the apostles, refused to “hear that Prophet,” who
rejected and killed Him. Jesus said: those born into the Kingdom [of Israel] will
be thrown out and many from around the world will come and sit with the
Patriarchs in the Kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11-12
God divided the nation, those
who were His, and those who were not, even as aged Simeon prophesied over the
infant Jesus in the temple…..many in
Israel will stand or fall because of Him…..Luke 2:34,
Isaiah 8:14–15
From this point on, many people of Israel gathered around their King, Messiah
Jesus. Those who did not were “cut off” from the people by the conquest of
Judea by the Romans. The Christians were
able to escape to Pella.
Jesus Himself foretold this when He announced to the chief priests and
elders of Israel, “The kingdom of God
shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof. Matthew 21:43
Immediately prior to that statement He told them the same thing in the parable
of the vineyard, there holding up a mirror to their motives and actions. Some
of the priests, and a few Pharisees, did turn to Him.
The “identity theft” by a people of a mixture of ethnicities, whose only commonality
was their religion of Judaism, was and is now, amazingly supported by some in
the Community of faithful Christians, God’s authentic “holy nation”. 1 Peter 2:9-10, Revelation 5:10.
Many Christians promote the Jewish state as God’s Israel, His chosen people,
despite their blatant apostasy, atheism, LGBT approval and their continuing
rejection of Jesus and they insist on it, overlooking – or avoiding –God’s decree
on the matter.
The reason they do this is because an immutable tenet of the ‘rapture to heaven of the Church’ doctrine, is the Jews remaining on earth, under Tribulation, while they sit in heaven. All a totally false teaching, that will never happen.
It is every faithful, born again Christian, all who follow the Way of Christ, Galatians 6:14-16 and are the Overcomers for Him, the Victorious ones over Satan, as seen in each of the seven Church’s of Revelation; who are the true Israel of God.
The Prophetic Word 