What Is a Jew or an Israelite?

[Aaron]

This is from a point being made here, that Jewish believers are still Jews, even though they're Christians, because it's an ethnic thing. They are the physical descendants of Abraham, and still get a slice of real estate in the Middle East.

Let's break that down.

Esau was just as much of Abraham as was Jacob. Why aren't the Edomites referred to as Jews, or heirs to the promises?

Ruth didn't have a drop of Abraham's blood in her. Was she a Jew? An heir to the promises?

The mixed multitude that went out from Egypt with the children of Israel received the law at Sinai. All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do!" Were all the people Jews? Heirs to the promises?

The stranger that was circumcised to celebrate the Passover...like any native-born Israelite, Exodus 12:48 NLT. Was he a Jew? Was he an heir to the promises?

Was Sammy Davis Jr. a Jew? Would he have been entitled to some real estate in the Middle East? What about Ivanka Trump? Is Israel™ now her "homeland"?

What is a Jew?

 

[xlsdraw]

An Israelite is the descendants of Jacob/Israel through his seed. The seed of man is from the male.

Only God knows who is and isn't an Israelite. The seed of Israel was greatly dispersed throughout the earth by God's Sovereignty for God's reasons.

After King Solomon, the 10 northern tribes were separated from the law and Temple worship for a few hundred years. And then dispersed out of the land by the Assyrians to spread across the earth.

The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and I believe also the Levites, continued to this day after the law given to Moses, with Jerusalem as the focal point of worship. In essence, the term Judaism is refers to the law given to Moses.

Even some of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi are dispersed throughout the earth, due in part to the Rabbis, erroneously or deviously, changing the Jewish identification to being based upon the mother.

Therefore, there is countless multitudes of people that are Israelites, from all of Jacob's seed, spread throughout the earth, who know not that they are Israelites. Only God knows.

The term Jew is belief based. The term Israelite is seed based.

I'll add more later.

 

[atpollard]

Historically and Linguistically, was the term “Jew” not derived from “Judah” and a reference to the half-Kingdom with a link to the historic tribes of Judah, Benjamin and the landless tribe of Levi?

 

[canadyjd]

From the biblical standard we know a descendant of Abraham is someone God has chosen (both Jew and Gentile) for salvation based on the kind intention of His will.

They are drawn by God Holy Spirit, convicted of the truth of Jesus Christ (Gospel), regenerated by His power which enables that person to respond with faith in Jesus, they are indwelt by God Holy Spirit as the mark of Salvation and then guided into all truth.

There is now no distinction between Jew and Gentile, they have been made into one new man by the cross of Christ.

There is no separate future for “Jews” and Christians. Christians are “the Israel of God” made up of (former) Jew and Gentile.

Peace to you