Have Gentile Christians Replaced the Jewish People?

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I will not be taking calls today. This is one of these content immersion shows where we are going to dig as deep as we can into the Word today to separate fact from fiction. We often talk about replacement theology or supersessionism. Replacement theology, the idea that the church has replaced Israel in God's plan of salvation or being a blessing to the world, or that the church has superseded Israel, hence replacement theology supersessionism.

Many would push back and say we don't believe in that at all. We believe in fulfillment theology, that the purposes of God for Israel culminate in Jesus Yeshua. So both Jew and Gentile in Jesus Yeshua accomplish God's plan and purpose, which has always been the same and has never changed, but outside of Jesus there are no national purposes or plans for the Jewish people as a people.

They could all be saved through Jesus. Many believe there'll be a national turning at the end of the age of Jewish people of Jesus. However, they would say when it comes to the nation of Israel, the people of Israel as a whole, as a people, there are not ongoing divine purposes and plans for them. Israel today, the modern state of Israel, has no connection to biblical prophecies about ancient Israel or connection to the land.

That would be the position. So they'd say it's not replacement theology, it's fulfillment theology. My response, with all appreciation to everything centering on Jesus and everything being fulfilled through him, is that the word plainly says, and we'll look at some of these scriptures, that he doesn't cancel the promises to the patriarchs, he confirms them, and that the promises God gave to ancient Israel still have a future fulfillment in this world and eternally. It has nothing to do with ethnic supremacy. It has nothing to do with being a respecter of persons.

It has to do with the integrity of God, the character of God, and the fact that he is not a liar, that he keeps his word. Others would say, Dr. Brown, you're missing the whole point. And this was brilliantly argued in an informal debate. It was an interaction with Dr. Gary DeMar a few years ago. You can watch it on our YouTube channel, Ask Dr. Brown, A-S-K-D-R, Brown.

Just search for Brown and then DeMar, D-E-M-A-R. We've had a couple of interchanges over the years, respectful as always. But he brilliantly argued this when we had our interaction in a kind of a debate, but more of an informal back and forth interaction. He said this whole idea of the church replacing Israel, and I'll use my words, he would say, again in my words, it's kind of semantic nonsense. He would argue this, that you have the ekklesia in the Old Testament. So, that's the Greek word, but the Hebrew would have been the kahal or the edah, the congregation of Israel. So, when God would say to Moses, gather the entire congregation of Israel, the kahal or the edah, in many cases the Septuagint, the Greek translation would say, gather the ekklesia. So, he would say, well, you keep reading from that, you have the Old Testament ekklesia, which is the people of God, largely ethnic Israelites with Gentiles like Ruth and Rahab and others joined in. And then, and then into the New Testament, it's still called the ekklesia.

So, if it was in Hebrew, it'd be the kahal or an equivalent in Aramaic. And that, that is now the same ekklesia, but instead of mainly being ethnic Israel, plus some Gentile God-fearers that were joined in, now it's a smaller remnant of Jewish believers, largely Gentile believers, but it's not a new entity called the church. It's the same ekklesia as always. So, to say, has the church replaced Israel? Again, if I was paraphrasing Gary DeMar's argument or making it myself, I would say, has the congregation replaced the congregation? Has the kahal replaced the kahal?

Has the ekklesia replaced the ekklesia? And some of you hold to these very arguments. These would be your very viewpoints. So, I could dig down into that and say the kahal, the ekklesia, the congregation of God had a particular meaning in the Old Testament, and that meaning has shifted in the New Testament, but let's not even go there now.

Let me ask the question I asked and posed at the beginning of the broadcast. Have Gentile Christians taken the place of national Israel in terms of the plan and purposes of God? Now, a few things that will often be told by those who hold to one aspect or another replacement theology. Now, in my view, this may offend you, but in my view, if in the end, no matter how you get there, fulfillment theology or the argument that Dr. DeMar would put forward or others, no matter how you get there, if in the end, a promise in the Old Testament that was directed to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and those who had joined with them in the worship of Yahweh, the God of Israel, but to those, in particular, those physical descendants, if those promises no longer apply directly to them, but are applied to the larger ekklesia, the larger church as a whole, that's replacement theology. In one way or another, one group has been replaced by another. You say, no, it has expanded.

Okay, then I ask this. The ones that God said I will scatter in my judgment, who were they? That was the nation of Israel. I will regather them in my mercy.

Who is that? Well, that's the larger church. Ah, then there's a replacement. It's a replacement now, because the ones he scattered were in disobedience, under judgment. The ones he scattered were in sin.

He's now going to regather the ones he scattered. You cannot, if you're going to say, as Dr. DeMar argued, with all respect to Dr. DeMar, he's not here, so I want to represent what he said fairly. When I asked him in our interaction, so when God said to the Jewish people, I'm going to scatter you in my anger and regather you in my mercy, you're saying it was a physical scattering and a spiritual regathering? And that was his position. That was his position.

You listen to yourself to make sure I'm presenting it fairly, but I'm quite sure I am. So, that to me is another form of replacement theology, blatantly, because the ones who are physically scattered are not physically regathered, even though without possible question. That's what everyone understood when the Word was spoken. That's what the prophets hoped for, longed for. That's what Jewish people praying over those very scriptures daily are expecting, because that's what it says. That's what it says. And throughout the scriptures, and this conclusion I came to doing my doctoral research on the Hebrew root rafa from my PhD, is that the healing has to be just as literal as the smiting.

Right? If God says, I am going to make you bankrupt because of your sin and your greed, but then I will make you prosperous in the future, and the money I've taken from you I'll now give back because it's going to be used for good purposes. That's literal.

I will smite you with this disease, but I'll heal you and make you whole. If the one is literal, the other is spiritual. Come on, it's double talk.

It's double talk. Others go even further, and they say this. God scatters Israel in judgment. That's the Jewish people, disobedient, rejected. Moses, the prophets, the Messiah, scattered around the world in judgment.

I will regather you in the mercy. That's the church as a whole. That's all believers through Jesus. That's spiritual double talk. That's God saying one thing out of his mouth, and then the other thing he said out of his mouth is double talk.

That's the kind of stuff you can't depend on. That's the kind of stuff where you say, boy, I can't trust that source because they said one thing, and now they changed the and now they changed the terms halfway through. So, I have heard in recent days comments like this. That the true Jew is the believer in Jesus. That the true Jew is the one circumcised in heart. After all, Paul says the one that's a Jew is the one that's circumcised inside, not outside. I've also heard people say there are no Gentile Christians. There are Christians.

There are followers of Jesus, and they are the true Jews, but they are not Gentiles anymore. So, how about we let the word speak for itself? How about we let Paul speak for himself and see what he would make of some of these notions that are being attributed to him? Scripture, scripture, scripture, scripture. If we're followers of Jesus, we recognize the Bible is God's word.

That is our plumb line. What does the word say? So, I'm going to start in Romans 2, and I'm going to be reading through.

I've pulled out the Greek word for circumcised circumcision, and now I'm going to look through Romans and see how it's used in text after text after text. Are you with me? Again, not taking calls today. We have so much content to cover, and with so much focus on Israel today and with anti-Semitism rising even beyond what we've seen in recent decades, I have been documenting the rising tide of anti-Semitism for more than 30 years. So, I'm not in the least bit surprised to see the madness taking place today. I'm not in the least bit surprised to witness it. I'm grieved. I'm hurt.

I'm not surprised. But with this as such a focus, when we talk about any theological issues, all the junk comes rising to the surface. You say, Brown, are you telling me that Israel is not guilty? Oh, Israel's another nation like other nations. Where Israel does wrong, we call Israel to account. Do I believe Israel operates at a higher standard than the surrounding neighbors in terms of life and equity and justice and morality?

Yes, absolutely. But Israel's not perfect. I'm not defending Israel. Israel's not perfect. Where Israel's falsely accused, I'll set the record straight. Brown, are you saying that Jews have their own covenant?

No. I've devoted, I can guarantee you pretty well, I've devoted more time, energy, effort, prayer, work, labor, tears, interaction, to sharing the good news of Jesus with my Jewish people, without whom there is no salvation outside of Him, there is no salvation, there is no forgiveness outside of the blood of the Messiah. I would dare say that more than any single person listening to me anywhere in the world now, I have devoted more time, energy, life, effort to winning Jewish people to Jesus Yeshua than anybody listening to me. And by the grace of God, I believe I have had more public debates with rabbis about Jesus being the Jewish Messiah, more public debates with rabbis than any living human being on the planet, and perhaps anyone in centuries. So, I will give my blood to see my people come to know Jesus Yeshua as Messiah and Lord, outside of whom there is no salvation. So, please don't come up with some straw man argument that blinds your eyes to what I'm saying because of a false prejudicial comment. And let us together as children of God and students of the word say, Lord, what does your word say?

And that's the only concern to me. I've had to change my theology over the years, over the decades, because the word confronted me. And I could not argue with what was written. Therefore, rather than try to change the scriptures to fit my theology, I changed my theology to fit the scriptures. I challenge you to have the same heart, mind, attitude.

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Use the code BROWN25 if you go there. Check out these products that will really enhance your health and your wellness, and then together, let's shake the nation with this message. We can do it, and here's a great way where we can partner together and you sow into yourself as well. All right, let's go to Romans, and let's look at Scripture, starting in Romans 2, 25. Paul's been talking about those who have the law but who don't follow it versus Gentiles who don't have the law and do follow it.

So the Jewish people in disobedience versus Gentiles who have the law written on their hearts and follow. Verse 25 of Romans 2, for circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So if a man who is circumcised keeps the precepts of the law, well then his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision.

So he's talking spiritually here, right? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical, but a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter.

This praise is not from God, from man, but from God. Now the word merely is inserted in the ESV, NIV, many translations, merely only, to convey what the Greek is saying. But let's say we leave it out as not literally there in the Greek. And you say, no no no, what Paul's saying is the real Jew, the real circumcised person, is the one on the inside. So he's not saying between two Jews. That's how I would read it, between two Jews. Between two Jews, which one is the real Jew? The one circumcised only outwardly, or the one with the circumcised heart also? The one with the circumcised heart also, that's his answer. What if he meant, just in general, between a Gentile God-fearing person and a Jew who doesn't fear God, who's the real Jew? It's the Gentile. Okay, let's say he was even making that spiritual point.

Let's even say he was. Let's keep reading and see now, for the rest of Romans, let Paul speak for himself. He's making a particular point. Now, let him speak for himself when he uses the term circumcision, chapter three, verse one. Then what advantage has the Jew, or what is the value of circumcision? Okay, he just made a spiritual point, but now he's going to continue to talk about this entity, the Jewish people, the circumcision. Romans 1 16, the Gospels to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The Jew doesn't become a Greek, the Greek doesn't become a Jew.

So, the very next verse, Paul makes plain who and what he's talking about. What advantage has the Jew? What's the value of circumcision? He's saying there are literal Jewish people and there is a literal circumcision, and I'm not saying it doesn't exist, right?

He just made a spiritual point. Now, let's get back to talking about the Jewish people and circumcision. Romans chapter three, verse 30, since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. So, he still sees these different categories, Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised. He could even make a point in Philippians 4, we are the true circumcision, like all believers spiritually speaking, but he fully recognizes that there remain these people, the Jews, the circumcised, and they get saved the same way as the uncircumcised, the Gentiles. Now, we're going to come back a little later in the broadcast and go through every time in Romans that Paul talks about the Gentiles, the nations, and see if believers in Jesus are still called Gentiles.

See if that is the case or whether they have become spiritual Israel and the new Jews. It's really important we get this right. It is really, really important we get this right. If we get it right, we'll understand what God's doing in the earth today with the Jewish people and why the war in Israel and all the controversy around Israel and God's ongoing promises for Israel and the Jewish people. If we get it wrong, we could be on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of God.

It is that serious. Don't get mad at me. Just do you agree, if you're a follower of Jesus, that we should align ourselves with the word.

All right. Romans chapter four. Is this blessing then only for the circumcised?

Starting verse nine. Or also for the uncircumcised. And it goes on about Abraham, right? That he was justified before he was circumcised. And then afterwards circumcision is the seal of righteousness. So he's the father to all who believe without being circumcised and those who are circumcised. But he fully understands there is this people, the Jewish people, that remains called the circumcised. Now we jump all the way over to Romans chapter 15 verse 8. This is for I tell you that Messiah Jesus, that Christ, became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs. It's the same thing if we go through the word Jew. So Paul never stops saying that there is a people that is called the Jew or Jewish. He never stops saying that. And he never stops saying that these people, the circumcised, have promises from God. In fact he explicitly says that the Messiah comes to the circumcised, a servant to the circumcised, to confirm the promises of the patriarchs to them. God doesn't cancel them. He still gave promises.

Let me say it as I've said it endlessly. We as Jewish people, I'm just speaking as a Jew generically, outside of Messiah, Jews worldwide, we continue to exist explicitly and exclusively because of the will of God. If not for his will we would have been destroyed many many centuries ago. He who scattered is the one who is preserved. Who has preserved is the one who has brought us back to the land. I want to throw out a simple syllogism.

I've done it for years without ever getting one good solid response. When God blesses no one can curse. When he curses no one can bless.

Right? When he opens the door no one can shut it. When he shuts the door no one can open it. When he smites no one can heal. When he heals no one can smite. When he scatters no one can regather. When he regathers no one can scatter. That's God.

That's who he is. Well he who scattered the Jewish people worldwide in judgment is the only one who can regather. The modern state of Israel could not have been regathered on its own.

We have only been regathered because God regathered us just as he said in his word. Explicitly. Clearly.

Definitely. As he said in his word he would do. Why do we have to spiritualize it? Why is it such a threat?

Please somebody tell me. Why is it such a threat that God has kept his hand on the Jews? Hey friends Dr. Michael Brown here. Do you remember when people thought I was crazy when I said it's not too late for America that God can still do something in our country that there is going to be a pushback a gospel-based moral and cultural revolution? And you remember when people thought that you were crazy because you felt the same way because you believed what I was saying and already felt it in your heart? Well friends that pushback is here. The the gospel-based moral and cultural revolution we've been talking about for 25 years is unfolding and we are right in the thick of it and the line of fire broadcast is divinely positioned for such a time as this. Friends you would be so gratified and blessed as as as I hear if you could hear what I hear testimony after testimony as leaders young people old people moms dads students people from all backgrounds come up to me and say Dr. Brown you're providing a template for us you're providing a blueprint for us you're showing us how to do this how to have hearts of compassion backbones of steel but friends it's a joint effort we do this together and with your support we can amplify this broadcast around the nation and amplify this voice to shake the nation. Join our support team today become a torchbearer with a dollar or more per day here's a number to call to sign up 800-538-5275 that's 800-538-5275 or go to askdrbrown.org askdrbrown.org and become a monthly supporter click on donate monthly support I want to immediately give you two classic books Compassionate Father or Consuming Fire Who is the God of the Old Testament and Revolution which will really show you what it means to be a Jesus follower today plus you'll get free access to our online classes and so much more sign up today askdrbrown.org it's the line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown get on the line of fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH here again is Dr. Michael Brown so we're asking a simple question today in this in-depth getting into the word session here on the line of fire have gentile rechrist Christians replaced the people of Israel the Jewish people and the redemptive plan of God we all understand that individual Jews can be saved like anyone else we understand that there is no salvation for Jew or Gentile outside of Jesus Yeshua that's not a question but I'm firmly convinced by scripture that God has kept his hand on the Jewish people as a people so those physically descended from Abraham Isaac and Jacob and those like Ruth or Rahab who joined the people of Israel in their worship of the God of Israel so that God has preserved us even under discipline even while scattered that he has regathered us back to the land there are others who say no no when it says I will scatter you in judgment that's the Jewish people I will regather you in mercy that's the church to me that's a horrific misreading of scripture and now twisting plain words to mean things that that God never intended and the prophets never intended and the people hearing never would have imagined it's one thing to get a spiritual application as Paul often does whereas God says about Israel you're not my people but you'll be my people again like in Hosea because of judgment I'm rejecting you but I'm taking you back Paul then makes a spiritual application of that to the Gentiles who are not God's people but will become God's people but he emphatically throughout reaffirms God's promises to his own people Israel after the flesh as he calls them in 1 Corinthians 10 Israelites as he refers to himself in Romans 11 but the idea is no no now that Jesus has come Gentile Christians they are the true Jews as well as Jews who believe in Jesus they are the true Jews the promises to physical national Israel no longer remain and that the church and in particular Gentile Christians have not taken the place of Israel so the promises once given to Israel now apply spiritually to the church so we've been rebutting that just by Paul's language in Romans going verse after verse after verse maybe he makes the point that a Gentile who follows the law follows God and his law is circumcised in heart although I believe he's talking about a Jew that's circumcised in heart at the end of Romans 2 one is only circumcised outwardly the other circumcised outwardly and inwardly but even if he's making the point that a Gentile who follows God's commandments and worships the God of Israel is circumcised in heart when he goes back to talking about circumcision the rest of Romans every single time he means the physical circumcision the Jewish people to whom the promises remain and he says in Romans 15 that the Messiah confirms those promises to the circumcision all right what about the term Jew in Romans because the other term the other claim is that Gentile no longer refers to Christians anymore once you're a Christian you're no longer a Gentile so that a Jew is no longer a Jew a Jew is one who follows Jesus a Gentile is only a Gentile if you're a Christian you're no longer a Gentile those break down 100 as false when we just keep reading scripture so I'm just going to go through every reference to Jew in in Romans this is the word what is the word what does the word say I'm captive to the word Romans 1 16 it says this well-known verse I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it's the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greeks so there still is this category in the world of someone called a Jew in God's sight Romans chapter 2 verse 9 there will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil the Jew first and also the Greek but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good the Jew first and also Greek so they're still in God's sight this distinction between Jew and Gentile in the earth today Romans 2 17 if you call yourself a Jew rely on the law and boast in God so he's now going to rebuke some of his hypocritical fellow Jews yeah you say one thing but you don't keep it and then we saw the end of Romans 2 where he says for one is a Jew no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly nor a circumcision outward and physical but a Jew is one inwardly circumcision is a matter of the heart by the spirit not by the letter his praise is not from man but from God I understand that many commentators understand that to me between two Jews who's the real Jew the one merely circumcised outwardly or the one circumcised outwardly and inwardly who's the real Jew in God's sight and and similar concepts come up in the Old Testament that the the one that's a real God fear real Israelite in the Old Testament is the one circumcised in heart not just in body but it's it's making a spiritual point it's not for a split second say that there's not an actual category called Jew and an actual people the circumcision so how do we know the very next verse the very next verse as I said earlier in the broadcast Romans 3 1 then what advantage has the Jew or what is the value of circumcision so now having made a spiritual point he's going to go back to talking about the physical Jewish people whom God still looks at in his particular way because he made promises to Abraham Isaac and Jacob Romans 3 9 what then are we Jews any better off no not at all for we've already charged that all both Jews and Greeks are under sin so he's referring to himself here as a Jew because he still is after the flesh Romans 3 29 is God the God of Jews only is he not the God of Gentiles also yes of Gentiles also so here he's making this clear distinction between Jew and Gentile and saying that God is the God of all and through Jesus all can be saved because all have fallen short and come under sin but there's still those people called Jews and God sees them in a particular way that's why we remain alive today that's why we've been regathered from the nations God did it that's why the worldwide irrational outcry of Jew hatred around the world and and within hours of the atrocities committed in Israel on October 7th pro-Hamas sentiments and then pro-Hamas rallies madness but but understandable because as we said earlier in the week the Jewish people and the people of Israel are God's sifting tool bringing to the surface what's really in people's hearts Romans 9 24 so Paul's already said in Romans 9 6 not all Israel is Israel in other words there's a remnant with Israel he's within Israel it's not calling the church as a whole Israel he never does he's not saying that he is saying that within the nation of Israel there is a remnant that believes that's the Israel within Israel and then the rest of Romans 9 10 and 11 which is the only time in the whole book he uses the term Israel amazingly enough in Romans that he's now going to talk about the nation the nation the nation hey there's a remnant within the nation the Israel within Israel that that's the Israel that receives the promises but the promises of redemption right now through the Messiah but let me talk to you about Israel as a whole the nation as a whole the nation as a whole God's plans for the nation as a whole and ultimately in the future national turning all Israel will be saved the Israel that is hardened verse 25 of Romans 11 is the Israel that will be saved Romans 11 26 the redeemer will come to Jacob the church is not the new Jacob this is the the Jewish people that are rejecting the Messiah and again as we quoted earlier but explicitly Romans 11 28 these people who are now enemies of the gospel for your sake they're still loved who the ones that are currently opposing the gospel now that currently don't believe the Jewish people don't believe they are still loved on account of the patriarchs for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable it has nothing to do with ethnic supremacy or does God have two peoples on the earth today you know all these arguments that are raised nice little sound bite catchphrases here's what it has to do with the integrity of God can I trust God at his word if the people to whom he made explicit promises can be replaced by someone else or displaced or now a new set of qualifications put on to receive the promises then God can't be trusted then some other prophet or revelation could come saying that the church is now replaced by some other group where it's now redefined to mean Muslims or something else it makes God into a liar or a deceiver it's it's that blatant it's that blatant continuing here Romans 10 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek the same Lord is Lord of all bestowing his riches on all who call on him so there are these categories Jew and Greek but as far as salvation all the same through the blood through the cross so I mean it's his life and then his language elsewhere like we get in the first Corinthians one verse 22 Jews demand signs Greek seeks wisdom what we preach Christ crucified the stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles who who are these people Jews they they are a distinct category and on and on I mean I'll just quote sampling of verses first Corinthians 10 32 give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God so he makes a distinction between the Jewish population as a whole not believers and the Gentile population is all not believers and the church of God the ecclesia of Jew and Gentile together who believe in Jesus he makes a distinction between that and this entity called the Jews which people say in God's sight no longer says of course of course we still exist in God's sight all right so let's do our last little test here okay let us take Romans again and let's go to what Paul says now about Gentiles how about that so I want to read a passage first and then we're going to go through every single reference in Romans to the term Gentile slash nation Romans 15 7 Romans 15 7 except one another then just as Christ Messiah accepted you in order to bring praise to God for I tell you that Messiah has become a servant of the Jews a servant of the circumcision on behalf of God's truth so that the promise is made to the patriarchs might be confirmed does it say canceled does it confirmed and moreover that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy so the Gentiles are not the Jews the Gentiles are not Israel the Gentiles are not the circumcision you have one passage in Philippians where where Paul and Philippians 4 where Paul could spiritually metaphorically be saying or the third chapter excuse me be spiritually or metaphorically saying that all believers are the circumcision unless he's just talking about his team of Jewish believers as the the real circumcision but when he's talking about this people the Jewish people that he calls the circumcision they remain a distinct people in God's sight separate from Gentile believers in Jesus and separate from the Gentile world this Paul's language he's not ambiguous here moreover so not only are the promises to the Jewish people to the people of Israel confirmed by the coming of Messiah into the world but moreover that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy as it is written therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles I will sing the praises of your name and again it says rejoice you Gentiles with his people does that mean there are two peoples of God in the earth that you'd argue it like that if you want the fact is it says rejoice you Gentiles so Gentiles are now worshiping the God of Israel along with his people Israel so save Gentiles and save Israel make up the ecclesia make up the church the messianic congregation but Gentiles don't become Jews Jews don't become Gentiles and the church is not the spiritual Israel and Gentile Christians are not the spiritual Israel and physical Israel remains an entity in God's sight which is why we exist which is why we've been brought to the land which is why the world hates us which is why Satan wants to exterminate us which is why every single Christian in that sense should stand with Israel not endorse everything Israel does but should stand with Israel because God brought the Jewish people back Satan wants to wipe us out whose side should you be on that may offend you number one I'm convicted of it before God number two I challenge you to go to God and his word and say Lord show me the truth and I trust that you will follow his truth wherever it leads again Romans 15 11 praise the Lord all you Gentiles let all the peoples extol him and again Isaiah says the root of jesse will spring up one who will rise to rule over the nations to him the Gentiles will this is Michael Ellison founder of Trivita Wellness being aware of the dangers of homocysteine is crucial to protecting our health this natural occurring amino acid that the body creates plays a vital role but when elevated in excess it can pose significant risk to our health one of the dangers of elevated homocysteine is the impact on cardiovascular health research has shown that high homocysteine can contribute to heart disease stroke and other cardiovascular conditions another risk factor it has been linked to cognitive decline and neural degenerative conditions one of the best ways to manage homocysteine is to supplement with b12 b6 and folate found in Trivita's hcy guard in my own wellness journey I was concerned because of family history my grandfather passed away at 41 years of age with heart failure my father was diagnosed with heart disease at 38 years of age when I was made aware of the dangers of homocysteine I knew I would find a supplement formula to help manage my own health it was with that knowledge that hcy guard was developed at Trivita Wellness it is a favorite supplement for those wanting to manage homocysteine and promote cardiovascular health to order hcy guard for yourself or someone you care about call 1-800-771-5584 or online at trivita.com order today and use promo code brown25 to receive 25% off your order as a new customer 100% of your order proceeds from your first order will go to support the line of fire radio broadcast 1-800-771-5584 or online at trivita.com it's the line of fire with your host dr michael brown get on the line of fire by calling 866-834 truth here again is dr michael brown hey friends i want to share a very important announcement with you at the end of this segment so don't tune out if you're getting close to the end be sure to listen right to the very end because you can be part of reaching jewish people with the good news of the messiah the one thing as followers of jesus we agree on regardless of our views of israel today or prophecy we agree messiah came for his jewish people the gospels to the jew first and also for the greek everyone jew and gentile alike need jesus sheshua i want to give you an opportunity to help see that happen more and more jewish people coming to the messiah we'll talk to you about that in a moment but first let me finish up this study here and just ask these questions when a a gentile comes to follow jesus is that person still the gentile ephesians 4 don't live like the gentiles meaning don't live like the pagans don't live like and some manuscripts say other gentiles but is that person still called the gentile or have they now become a spiritual jew or a spiritual israel i have read comments that there is no more jew and gentile that jews in god's sight as promise a promised nation or an elect nation that's passe through the coming of jesus into the world who now fulfills himself their promises to israel so israel saved that's how the promises are fulfilled outside of that there are no promises in other words god didn't promise to keep us god didn't promise to regather us physically god didn't promise to turn us at the end of the age we're just like anybody else and there's no such thing as a gentile if you're a christian i've read those comments recently even bible teachers and so we're demolishing the error just based on just going through what the word says i know it's not like exciting like wow and prophetic insights and the thing that makes a video go viral but i'm i'm out to to see you healthy and thriving in god and grounded in the word and for us to align ourselves with god that's that's my big issue all right so let's we're going to go through every reference for as far as i can tell from my greek search here of the the term of ethne which is can mean nation slash gentile same as the hebrew goy can mean nation slash gentile romans 1 5 through whom we have received through jesus grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for his for the sake of his name among all the nations some all the gentiles among all the the ethnos ethne among all the goyim all the nations slash gentiles romans 1 13 i do not want you to be aware unaware brothers that i have often intended to come to you but thus far i've been prevented in order that i may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the gentiles so even though they're believers he's still referring to them as gentiles interestingly why because there's people of the nations so gentile can have a derogatory meaning like pagan or it can just mean people of the nations romans 2 14 for when gentiles who do not have the law by nature do what the law requires their lord of themselves even though they do not have the law romans 2 24 as it is written the name of god is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you because of disobedient israel all right let's keep going romans 3 29 is god the god of jews only he's not the god of gentiles also yes of gentiles also we saw that first moments ago romans 4 17 as it is written i made you the father of many nations says to abraham so he's the father of physical israel he's also the father of many nations many gentiles and then 18 verse 18 and hope he believed against hope that he should become the father of many nations slash gentiles romans 9 24 we saw this a moment ago even us whom he has called not from the jews only but also from the gentiles romans 9 30 what shall we say then that the gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it that is the righteousness that is by faith romans 10 19 i ask again did israel not understand first moses said i will make you jealous of those who are not a nation so the gentiles will make israel jealous in a negative sense here with a foolish nation i will make you angry you say oh okay but dr brown none of those verses are addressing believers in rome and calling them gentiles you're you're all the verses are talking about gentiles in the world or the nations and and paul does say gentiles in the first chapter but but he never says to the romans i'm writing to roman believers and calls them gentiles and the argument would be because once you are in jesus you are no longer a gentile that's that's part of a prior identity you are now a new creation in christ the gentile identity is gone we're one in jesus and there's no jewish identity either now just think of the logic of this for a minute there's no jew or gentile but what does it also say in in galatians 3 28 and colossians 3 11 there's no jew or gentile and there's no male or female uh may i ask you pastor friend churchgoing friend do you have in your church building men's rooms and ladies rooms men's bathrooms and ladies bathrooms you still make that gender distinction oh do you have men's meetings and women's meetings or you do no you still make that gender distinction maybe you've got a big christian school with sports teams do you have boys teams and girls too why because of course they're still male and female of course do you have um do you have men in your church giving birth to babies do you have women and pregnant men no why because they're men and they're women they're male and they're females paul is not saying these distinctions don't exist and he gives specific teaching to husbands to wives to men to women and many of you would say in ministry that there's things men can do and and women do different things so we all agree they're male female distinctions that still remain in fact that's one of the big battles of the society to obliterate them that's not what paul was saying he's saying in jesus we're equal in jesus there's no slave or free male female jew or greek there's no caste system there's no class system but if you want to say well no no the categories no longer exist well then just be consistent and have gender neutral bathrooms and don't have men's women's and women's meetings to have exact same release in everything in ministry and church life for male and female even those of you who say only men should be pastors get rid of that because there's no male or female and scrap your boys teams and girls teams everyone plays on the same teams etc and and all the teachings in the bible husbands love your wives wives submit your husbands scrap those it's everybody equal everything the same everybody has the same roles no we're equal in jesus in terms of both equally loved by god equally bought by the blood of jesus equally sons and daughters of god and no caste system no class system equal access to god but jews have their roles gentiles have their roles men have their roles women have their roles that's reality friends but let's get back to paul here romans 11 so i asked the day who the jewish people stumble in order that they might fall by no means rather through their trespass salvation has come to the gentiles so to make israel envious now if their trespass means riches for the world and their failure means riches for the gentiles how much more will their full inclusion mean romans 11 13 now i'm speaking to you gentiles paul calls the gentile christians in rome gentiles it's not derogatory it's not negative it is simply you believers from the nations he uses the term don't ever say again that that christians in the new testament are never called gentiles if you're a gentile christian you're a gentile if you're a jewish christian you're a jew if you're a male christian you're male if you're a female christian you're a female and we're all one in jesus now i am speaking to you gentiles in as much them as i am the apostle to the gentiles i magnify my ministry it's explicit it's the word romans 11 25 lest you be wise in your own sight i do not want you to be unaware of this mystery who you gentile christians don't be unaware of this mystery brothers a heart a partial heart in his compound israel don't think oh god's done with them although all the promises fulfilled in jesus now no national promises remain that don't be ignorant and lead to arrogance because you'll think we are the new israel the very thing that's being preached from pulpits around the world today has been preached through centuries and ultimately has opened the door i'm not saying if you hold to this theology or an anti-semit i'm saying through history this has opened the door to anti-semitic actions words deeds jew hatred in the church over the centuries this wrong theology and it's doing so again with us maybe not you hopefully not you but with others for sure lest you be wise in your own sight i do not want you to be unaware of this mystery brothers a partial hardening has come upon israel who the ones that don't believe until the fullness of the gentiles has come in god moving around the world hundreds of millions of gentiles coming to faith on the heels of this provoked by this all israel the israel that's hardened now all israel will be saved not the not the combined number of remnant of jews through all the centuries very very few commentaries hold to that today like this it's not exegetically sustainable uh for many reasons there will be the end time turning the ones who resist now will have their eyes graciously open and gentile christians will play a key role in this and all the verses we just read romans 15 9 10 11 12 the same thing romans 15 16 he's called to be a minister of christ jesus to the gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of god set the offering of the gentiles you gentile christians may be acceptable sanctified by the holy spirit 15 18 i'll venture to speak i won't speak anything except what christ has accomplished for me to bring the gentiles to obedience romans 15 27 if the gentiles have come to share he's still writing to gentile believers if the gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings the spiritual blessings of the jewish people they are also to be of service to the material blessings and then romans 16 4 the churches of the gentiles he uses that term and 16 26 the prophetic writings this faith has now been known made known to the gentiles the nations all right friends we are on the front lines putting out critically important information now not just to help the church understand israel but to reach jewish people with the gospel our work is being used worldwide is now being used to equip those reaching out to muslims worldwide because muslim apologists are taking the arguments of the rabbis against jesus we've already refuted them so now those reaching the muslims using our material i just i just spoke earlier today to the largest masters program in the world helping equip those doing muslim evangelism to understand these jewish principles i'm urging every one of you to become a torchbearer today we are on the front lines we are putting out material that is changing the world that is bringing jewish people the faith in jesus as i speak it's going out in hebrew and russian and spanish and english and portuguese and other languages around the world being used let's stand together this month we're doing something special become a torchbearer askdartobrown.org askdartobrown.org click donate monthly support yes i'm asking you to join us without shame because it's an urgent hour we're giving you four free books when you sign up including two of the most important books you'll ever read in your life our hands are stained with blood and christian anti-semitism go there right now askdartobrown.org donate monthly support let's reach this room another program powered by the truth network