Four Major Concepts Illuminating God’s Plan for the Jews Today

One of my readers asked some very important questions concerning the Jews and their place today on the world stage. He asked, “So Jews no longer exist in the OT sense as world history? Does the evolution of God’s Plan through Jews no longer exist.”

Discussing anything about Jewish people is a touchy subject. I want to say up front that I love all peoples of the world. That is what I am told to do by our Master Christ. I am a student of history and so I will limit my answers to sharing historical facts and the Holy Scriptures. Most theologians do not believe nor teach the following things in their seminaries. Because of this, trying to understand anything about the Jews is like untangling a skein of yarn that has many loose ends.

To answer these cogent questions, we must clarify just what the word “Jew” means. Most people think that any descendant of the Hebrew patriarchs is a Jew, which they are not. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel were never called Jews in the Bible. Jacob had a son named Judah, and it is through him much later that his offspring began to be called “Jews” (II Kings 16: 6, c. 740 B.C.). “Jew” is to “Judea” as “Texan” is to “Texas.” Actually, “Jew” is another word for a “Judean.” Judea was the promised land that the descendants of Judah inherited upon entering.

So, to gain understanding that will answer the questions, four major concepts must first be clarified.

First, many peoples down through history have converted to Judaism. About 85% of Jews today do not descend from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, according to Arthur Koestler in his book The Thirteenth Tribe. That may be a jarring statement for some, but it is true. Many Jews today claim that they descend from the Hebrew patriarchs, but the vast majority of Jews today are descendants of ancestors who converted to Judaism. History confirms this. The whole nation of Khazaria, a Turko-Mongol tribe in southern Russia during the Middle Ages, converted en masse to Judaism.

Furthermore, the Edomites, the offspring of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob, were  converted to Judaism in 125 B.C. under the Judean king John Hyrcanus (“Edom,” Wikipedia). The Jewish Ency. backs this up saying that “Esau is in modern Jewry.”

This knowledge has profound prophetical importance for the last days. The man Esau in the Bible hated his brother Jacob and terrorized him throughout their lives. Consequently, Yahweh declared, “I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste” (Mal. 1: 2-3; Ezk. 35: 1-15). Moreover, the whole book of Obadiah speaks of the complete destruction of Esau and his descendants. We read of this destruction during the time of the end in Revelation 18. Again, Yahweh is doing the hating here; He told me to love all people, and He told me to above all love the truth.

Esau’s descendants converted to Judaism in 125 B.C. By the time Christ appeared on the scene, they had taken over the power positions of high priest and headed the major religious factions, the Pharisees and Sadducees. Even Herod the king was Idumean or Edomite. Understanding this major point explains why Christ exposed them for masquerading around as the true offspring of Judah. Christ told the Pharisees, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do…He that is of God hears God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God” (John 8: 44, 47). Christ later references those who “say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2: 9; 3: 9). This is some heavy stuff that our Savior was saying. It is left to each of His followers to connect the dots.

Second, the true Jews are the offspring of Judah and Benjamin (with some Levites).  Today they are the 15% of the total Jewish population. The apostle Paul was a true Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. Because they lived in Judea, they were called Jews, short for Judeans.

Descendants of Judah and Benjamin are definitely in the earth today. Biblical prophecy mentions their important appearance in the latter days. Of the 144,000 servants that the angels seal in Revelation 7, 12,000 are of Judah, and 12,000 are of Benjamin, and 12,000 are of Levi.

Third, Judaism of today is not the religion that Moses introduced to the twelve tribes of Israel. Judaism today is based on the Talmud. The Talmud is “the collection of Jewish law and tradition consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara and being either the edition produced in Palestine a.d. c400 or the larger, more important one produced in Babylonia a.d. c500” (“Talmud,” Dictionary.com). The Talmud contains some very anti-Christian rhetoric, denying our Savior’s divinity. Many of its claims are blasphemous, according to Christian theology, and I will not quote them here. You need to do your own research; many will be shocked and dismayed. Most of the tenets of Judaism is based on the Talmud and not the Old Testament of the Bible.

Fourth, the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel are in the earth today, and they are not Jews. They are Israelites, descendants of the ten tribes of Israel that made up the Kingdom of Israel when the twelve tribes broke into two separate kingdoms (I Kings 12).

700 plus years after their dispersion, Christ said, “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel” (Matt. 15: 24). Paul mentions them, saying that they were “serving God day and night” (Acts 26: 7). The book of James is written “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (1: 1). If you and I are not one of the twelve tribes, then we are reading someone else’s mail when we read the book of James.

The Lost Tribes of Israel are lost as to who they are in God, but God has a plan to restore them to Himself, as in the parable of the dry bones (Ezk. 37: 11). This is the “whole house of Israel” not just the two tribes of the Jews. The same goes for the future joining of the House of Israel and the House of Judah, the two sticks (Ezk. 37: 16-28). Here we see that the Jews of the House of Judah are not the Israelites of the ten-tribed House of Israel.

Proof that the Lost Tribes are in the earth today, we go back to Revelation 7. We see that the tribes that are sealed in the future include the “lost sheep of the House of Israel.” They are mentioned by name by the heavenly angel that spoke to John.

Finally, defining clearly all of these historical terms—Jews, Israelites, Lost Tribes of Israel, Hebrews—is paramount in understanding “the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (Rev. 1: 19). The past is the crystal ball illuminating the present and the future.

Jewish people today do have a prominent role to play for the end time. The problem is that the truth as to their identity has not been taught. Confusion reigns, and we know where that comes from.  Furthermore, the Jews are not the only players. The ten tribes of Israel are in prophecy to be restored back to God (Rom. 11: 1-1-6), too. And don’t forget all the nations of the world.

Knowing the truth about the House of Judah and the House of Israel—that they are not the same–is important to understand God’s plan. The elect of God, who will become the 100 fold fruit bearers, will unravel this puzzling ball of yarn.      Kenneth Wayne Hancock

{I recommend that readers unfamiliar with these things look them up and prove them whether they be right or not. Some will be offended because the above does not agree with what they have been taught…Send for my latest book, The Royal Destiny of God’s Elect, which is free with free postage to all who ask. In the USA, just send your mailing address to my email: wayneman5@hotmail.com and I will send it on to you. Chapter 42 has much more on the above.}

The Hidden Manna Versus Yesterday’s Manna

Yesterday’s manna will not feed the hunger of today’s sons and daughters of God. Yesterday’s manna will not sustain them on their spiritual quest to be like Paul, Peter, James, John and—yes, like the Son of God Himself. Yesterday’s bread from heaven that was given hundreds of years ago to the churches will not strengthen the future manifested sons and daughters of God. They have a higher calling than to just receive salvation. They are pressing “toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus/Yahshua” (Phil. 3: 14).

Yesterday’s manna was the perfect food for those who had never heard of Christ back in the early days. Tell them the story of how He died for them. Introduce them to Christ; tell them about His great love for them. Tell them about salvation through faith in Christ. But now God has a people, a chosen remnant, who have heard this story since childhood, and they need something more than an incessant introduction to Christ. They need the meat of the word to satisfy their spiritual growing pains. They need Him, the truth. They need the hidden manna in the form of His full purpose and plan to fulfill it.

His Purpose Is the Bread of God that Is Hidden

But what is the end product of God’s purpose for these who have the “high calling”?  They are  “the called according to His purpose.” They are being called right now to be used by the King to fulfill His purpose. “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son…” (Rom. 8: 28-29).

We see here that God knew these before. Look. He is the Creator—omni-everything, “knowing the end from the beginning.” Of course, He knew beforehand what they would become, much like a novelist creates characters and knows their destinies before the book is published. Furthermore, He gave us a destiny before we were ever born into the human mire.

We have a forerunner and an example. Speaking to Jeremiah, God said, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jer. 1: 5). Somebody is saying, “Well, that was Jeremiah. He was a great personage of God, and I’m just little old insignificant me sitting here…” But that is not how God looks at us. God knew us before we were born; He has given us a destiny before we came to earth. And what is that destiny? “To be conformed to the image of His Son”!

To be like Christ! That is God’s purpose: to reproduce Himself in a body of many sons and daughters through Christ. Christ formed in us! Now before that last line slips unnoticed back into the ether, remember what Christ said, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19: 26).

God foreknew us and gave us this destiny before we were born. That’s why He called us with this high calling. Then He justifies us (gets the sin out of our lives—first step). Then He glorifies us (become like Christ—full reproduction of God in our vessels) (Rom. 8: 30). We are His elect, His chosen ones. And He will “freely give us all things” in order for His purpose to be accomplished (8: 32).

Becoming like Christ–this truth came from heaven. It is the heavenly manna that is hidden from the masses because of their hard heart of unbelief. Believing this manna is spiritually eating it.

When we cease striving to make our own selfish desires a reality—even in our church and worship–and when we embrace God’s purpose and walk in it, the struggles in life subside. We see clearly now that He is for us, that He is helping us do what He has purposed us to do. By faith in His Spirit coming down into us, He takes over and the love, joy and peace flows. And we no longer feel like it is us having to powerlessly fight everything out there. Frustration evaporates. Things become easier because we begin to realize that “it is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me.” Victory is ours. He has our back because we have His.

The Daily Bread

What do we do right now to get His plan moving in us?  He said to pray that God “give us this day our daily bread.” We are to pray for the spiritual bread from heaven, the spiritual manna that this day and time requires. Right now we need our daily bread, and if we cry out to him for the bread from heaven for our day, will He give us a stone? You know He won’t.

We need the bread of heaven for today, not the doctrines of yesterday that have been tampered with. Yesterday’s manna is full of additives–false doctrines and traditions. It has become another gospel, one that is about Christ and not what He actually taught. It is like the manna in Moses’ day. It physically fed the children of Israel in the wilderness, but it was only good for the day it was collected. It went bad if they tried to eat it at a later date. Yesterday’s manna will not nourish us today. It has gone bad. It has been mixed with pagan motifs and false conceptions and imaginations.

But the true bread from heaven is the Son of God. He is the “hidden manna,” and in Him are His  purpose, plan, thoughts, and desires, which if a man eat, if a man ingest, if a man believe—he will live forever (John 6: 58).

The bread from heaven is hidden from natural eyes; it is the Spirit of Truth that “guides us into all truth.” And the truth is a deep pool that contains one special “pearl of great price” bidding us to swim into the depths until we find it.

Yesterday’s manna cannot help us to grow strong for the end times. Only today’s bread from heaven will suffice us and strengthen us for the arduous quest we are on. Be strong, you mighty men and women of valor!     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Eating the Hidden Manna

Christ makes an exciting promise to His followers who overcome a specific shortcoming that is hindering their spiritual growth. “To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna” (Rev. 2: 14).

“Manna” appears throughout the scriptures. Manna first fell from heaven miraculously for the children of Israel in the wilderness. They called it “What is it?” because it had never happened before. They also called it the “bread from heaven.”

Christ said that the original manna was not the true bread from heaven. “The bread of God is He which comes down from heaven and gives life unto the world…I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger, and he that believes on Me shall never thirst” (John 6: 30-35). The manna in the wilderness was physical; the heavenly manna is spiritual.

“The Jews murmured at Him” in unbelief. The true bread from heaven was staring them in the face, and they could not see Him. The True Manna was hidden from them. For, you see, the Son of God is the “hidden manna.” He is hidden from those whose eyes only see the outward appearance. Because “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear neither do they understand” (Matt. 13: 13). Unless God opens a person’s eyes, they will be blind to spiritual things—even though they read the same Bible and go to the same church house. Few realize that He fulfilled this scripture: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” (Matt. 13: 35 NIV; “kept secret” in KJV).

Christ the Hidden Manna

Brothers and sisters, we are talking about the secrets of the universe being revealed! It is there for us. He has laid it all out. Christ is the hidden manna. But, What is it? The true manna from heaven consists of His purpose, His plan, His thoughts, and His dreams about His kingdom of love and joy and peace. The hidden manna is hidden only to those who cannot see. But those born from above do see and enter into His kingdom and governance (John 3: 3-6).

Christ wants to share it all with us. He wants us to eat the true bread from heaven, which is Himself. But how do we partake of the bread of life? Man’s wisdom cannot teach us these things. Man’s wisdom only sees the physical, such as the magical mystical tour of   transubstantiation. “No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden…None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” [And who are the “rulers of this age” that crucified Christ? Obviously Rome, the 4^th beast world empire, and those “which say they are Judean, of Judah, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2: 9; 3: 9]. Do not trust these two rulers of this age to guide you spiritually. This is part of the overcoming.

Conversely, the “hidden wisdom” looks after the Spirit and teaches us to spiritually ingest His purpose, plan, words, thoughts, teachings, commands, doctrines, and desires. And we partake of them by believing them, which is believing Him. We take His words into our thoughts, and make our thoughts His thoughts. This is having the mind of Christ (Phil. 2: 5). It’s not a physical thing; it is spiritual. He said, “The words I speak, they are spirit and they are life.” When we believe His words and think His thoughts, then we walk in His Spirit of life; we walk as a member of His body. Christ is still asking us, “Believest thou this?” (John 11: 26).

The Overcoming

To eat of the hidden manna, one must overcome a “few things” that Christ has against us. When Christ appeared to the apostle John on the island of Patmos around 96 A.D., He laid out a series of spiritual growth expectations for His body of believers, both on a personal and corporate scale. “The Alpha and Omega” spoke to John and told him to write down these things that have happened, is happening, and will happen in the past, the present and the future (Rev. 1: 19). In chapters two and three, we see the Seven Church Ages and their requirements for each level of spiritual growth.

Whole books are needed to expound fully their content, but let us glimpse at the third one–Pergamos. Christ is speaking to individuals, church bodies, and historical church movements in His words to the overcomers. He always acknowledges the good that we have done. Then He tells us the things we are to overcome in order to grow to the next level. If we repent of that thing, then He rewards us with a spiritual truth that helps us reach the next level. And so on through the seven ages of growth.

In Pergamos Christ appreciates the walk thus far, but…“I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality…Repent…” (Rev. 2: 12-17).

Background: God in the Old Testament had human beings physically live out a life that He directed. Their physical actions in ancient times serve as types, shadows, and examples. Their actions are a spiritual template for us during the “time of the end.” In short, the false prophet Balaam was hired by the Moabite king Balak to curse the children of Israel. He could not curse what Yahweh had blessed, so Balaam taught Balak to bring on the beautiful Moabite women to seduce the Israelites to go after their false gods.

The Pergamos Overcomings for Us Today

We must overcome through repentance these things in the Pergamos growth level:

1. Eating food sacrificed to idols. The original OT story has Israelites eating physical food that had been roasted in sacrifice to literal gods of stone and wood. Interesting. They ate food tainted by a false doctrine of worshipping idols. Spiritual application for today: Repent of false doctrines in our worship of the true God. Do not ingest false teachings about Christ. We must repent of the old leaven, the false teachings of churchianity.
2. They literally “committed sexual immorality” with the Moabite women. To be blunt, they committed fornication with the whorish Moabite women. You may ask, How can this apply to us? The answer is found later in Revelation 17. We see “the judgement of the great whore that sits on many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (v. 1-2). She was richly arrayed and on her forehead was this name written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH…And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” We know that city is Rome, whose pope crowned emperors and kings. Even the notes in the Catholic bible say that it describes Rome.

God is warning us and requiring us to repent of the false doctrines taught by the great whore, the Roman Church and her daughters. And we must “come out of her” and not  be in fellowship with others who are saturated with false teachings.

Those who repent and purge out the old false doctrines about Christ will receive a reward. The Spirit is saying this to the churches: To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone” (Rev. 2: 17).

In Summary

Christ is the hidden manna, the bread of life. The word “Christ” means the Anointed One. The Anointing is truth. Therefore, the Anointing is the Spirit of truth. Consequently, the Hidden Manna = the Spirit of Truth. And when the Spirit of Truth comes into your life, “He will guide you into all truth…for He will show you things to come” (John 16: 13).

As we eat the hidden manna, we will find that it tastes very sweet like honey at first, but afterward, it will grow bitter in the belly. The first flush of love, joy and peace is sweet, but as we grow closer to the day of the Lord’s vengeance, the bitter misery of tribulation fills the air.

But right now, let us eat of the hidden manna that He has given us.  Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[Order your free copy with free shipping to the USA my new book THE ROYAL DESTINY OF GOD’S ELECT. Just send your mailing address to wayneman5@hotmail.com]

Christian Growth Is Stunted by False Teachings

Growth. That’s what every living thing needs—especially Christians. To grow spiritually, we need clean spiritual food and water.

But Christians are being fed false food and fetid water, if we are to believe the apostle Peter: “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies.” And “many shall follow their destructive ways…In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories” (II Pet. 2: 1-3). Who are these false preachers? It is important to know, for many Christians are following them.

The apostle Jude warns us of them, also. “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people”(v. 4). They secretly slither in to the congregation, sharing their tainted teachings. The apostle Paul warns us that in the latter days, many will leave the true faith and will be deceived by “seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (I Tim. 4: 1). In our time false teachers in sheep’s clothing are teaching doctrines about Christ that are straight from Satan. And these are so-called “Christian” teachers, preachers, pastors, evangelists, priests, and prophets!

Sadly, “many” are following these false teachings about Christ and what He is doing here on the earth. The word of God says that many are being fed false spiritual food and are being deceived.  Where are “the many” today? The lambs and sheep of God have been herded into corrals with names like Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, et al. Funny thing. The vast majority of these denominations believe that they are just about the only ones with the truth.

Hundreds of millions meet together. But Christ said to be careful not to follow the masses. He commands us to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mt. 7: 13-14).

Most just read over these words, never taking the time to let them sink way down into their hearts. The “wide” and “broad” way is the easy way. The wide, easy way has you to just “accept Christ as your personal Savior,” be baptized, and you are good to go. Conversely, the narrow gate is the cross experience where we place our old sinful selfish heart on the cross with Christ and let it die with Him. Then by believing in His resurrection, we receive His Spirit that raises us up to walk in a “newness of life.” Few get this deep, for they are seduced by false teachings about salvation. And until the day that my lips and fingertips fall silent, I will continue to testify for Christ, whose truth has translated me from darkness to light (Rom. 6).

Why Do We Hold on to the False Doctrines?

How do human beings get stuck in the mire of false teachings? First, no one’s pride encourages them to admit they were wrong. And there is a tendency in human nature to cling to the traditions taught them by their elders. However, going through the “cross experience” cures all this. For when we “die” spiritually with Christ on the cross, we abdicate our own will and desire and fling ourselves into His embrace. We, like a babe in arms, trust Him to care for us. We have faith in Another who is much wiser than we are. And we believe that He will raise us up and give us of His Spirit to lead us and guide us through this new spiritual landscape. This is being “born again” or “born from above.” And thereby the sin nature is gone. And He gives us the Spirit of Truth that “leads us into all truth.” It is His Spirit now within us that helps us know what is false and what is true.

This “cross experience” is there for all of us, whether we came to Christ yesterday or forty years ago. This experience is the narrow gate that allows us to enter into His kingdom. Without it, we cannot see nor enter the kingdom of God (John 3: 3-6).

So dig deep. If gigantic waves of people are following a certain teaching, it is probably a false doctrine. The cross is the starting point for Christian growth. If a person is still breaking the Ten Commandments, then how are they growing spiritually in Christ? Just remember: With God all things are possible—even to be free from sin and sinning.

False teachings are bad food for the flock of God, which stunts their growth. The true doctrine of Christ is a portion of the “hidden manna” that Christ promised to those of us who purge out the “doctrine of Balaam” (Rev. 2: 14). This spiritual bread from heaven is hidden from those who have not entered the kingdom of heaven. But it is being revealed to you and me. It has long been hidden and “kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Mt. 13: 35).

[Be sure to order my new book The Royal Destiny of God’s Elect. It discusses these things and will be a help to you and your spiritual growth. It is free with free shipping. Just send your mailing address to my email, and I will get it right out to you. wayneman5@hotmail.com ]

Kenneth Wayne Hancock