Covenant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Ephraim
To prove false the Zionist Biblical narrative my first priority is to prove beyond a shred of doubt that Arabs rather than the Jews are the heirs of the Abrahamic Covenant.
The Abrahamic Birthright, also known as the Abrahamic Covenant, is a Divine inheritance granted to Abraham by God. Before I dispute their claim, it is important to understand the basics of the promise itself. While all of Abraham’s descendants were given promises several were specifically separated from the Birthright.
- Ishmael: Per Genesis 21 Ishmael will not share in the inheritance with Isaac.
- Esau: Per Genesis 27 Isaac told Esau that he had given all the promise to Jacob and that effectively he had nothing left for him.
- Levi: Per Numbers 18:20 the Levites do not receive a land inheritance or share in the inheritance with the other tribes.
- Judah: Per 1 Chronicles 5:2 “Though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belong to Joseph.” The formal division between the promise of the Messiah through Judah and the Abrahamic Birthright through Israel took place when the Kingdom of Israel left the Kingdom of Judah during the days of Jeroboam and Rehoboam as found in 1 Kings 11:26 through chapter 12.
The inheritance bestowed upon Ephraim, Joseph’s son, and heir[1], consists of several primary promises:
- A Land Inheritance
- A Many Nations Inheritance
- A Fertility Inheritance
Land Inheritance
The land inheritance is also known as the Promised Land is defined as the land between the Nile and the Euphrates rivers[2] as well as through the nations that existed within those regions at the time: the land of the Kenites in modern-day Saudi Arabia, the lands of the Kenizzites and Kadmonites in modern-day Yemen and Oman, the land of the Hittites in modern-day Syria and Turkey, the lands of the Perizzites, Rephaites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites in modern-day Palestine, and finally the land of the Amorites in modern-day Iraq.[3] It should be noted that the lands of the people groups extended beyond the Euphrates rivers. For instance, the Amorites lived on both sides of the Euphrates River up to the border of Elam, also known as Persia or in modern terms Iran. Thus, the inheritance included the whole of the modern nation of Iraq, rather than stopping at the Tigris River. In the West the Hittites lived all through what is now the Western land of Turkey. Thus, the inheritance included all modern Turkey.
In line with this the tribes associated with the Northern Kingdom, Israel, are prophesied to live in these lands, for instance, Israel prophesied, that Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon in Lebanon,[4] and Moses prophesied Dan is a lion’s cub, springing out of Bashan in modern-day Jordan and Naphtali will inherit southward to the Lake Nasser in Egypt.[5] Note that the Nile actually extends south into the land of Cush, modern day Sudan and Ethiopia, but it is typically not referenced with the inheritance of Abraham as prophetically Naphtali’s inheritance stops at Lake Nasser in Egypt. However east of Cush opposite the Red Sea are the lands of the Kenizzites and Kadmonites which are included in the promise. Even still Northern Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti on the West side of the Red Sea all associate themselves with their Islamic neighbors. Noting that the picture painted perfectly aligns with the core of the Islamic world and also the great coming Cube, or Kaaba in Arabic, that will prophetically descend from heave in Revelation 21:
Beyond that, the Covenant states that God would expand Abraham to the East and the West. Prophetically Daniel defines the Abrahamic Kingdom as the Kingdom of the South. Daniel 11 also concludes it is not a fully global kingdom and it also defines its adversary, the Kingdom of the North that will invade it resulting in Armageddon. Like the Abrahamic Covenant Ezekiel 38 describes the lands of the Northern Kingdom through the grandchildren of Noah who will be a part of the invading army. According to the records in HaJashar Japheth is the father of the Caucasian peoples, Shem is the father of the Asian peoples, and Ham is the father of the African and Middle Eastern Peoples. Of the people and nations listed in the invading army are children of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Tubal, and Meshek, which also references them as the people of the north. In modern-day terms Europe and Russia. Ezekiel also lists two of the sons of Ham: Cush and Phut. Ham had a total of four sons, yet Mizraim from North Africa and Canaan from the Middle East are not listed. Also, none of the children of Shem are listed except Persia. In modern religious terms, this would define the Kingdom of Abraham as the Sunni Islamic nations from Morocco in the west to Pakistan in the east, perhaps extending as far as the Islamic nations of Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeast Asia. Conversely, the Kingdom of the North would be defined through nations that tend to follow Christianity throughout Europe and Russia as well as the middle of Africa (Cush) and south Africa (Phut).
Many Nations
The many nations’ promise was given to Abraham in Genesis 17:4-6, to Sarah in Genesis 17:16, to Jacob in Genesis 35:11-12, to Joseph in Genesis 48:3-4, and finally to his son Ephraim in Genesis 48:19. In line with the Kingdom of the South, the Arab League of Nations is presently 22 as a Divine Billboard in line with this promise. It should also be noted that Samaria was exiled to the lands of the Medes[6] which include the modern nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and others. Yet these 22 nations do not include these many Turkish Islamic nations which would increase this number significantly.
Fertility Inheritance
The promise of fertility is given to Abraham in Genesis 22:17, noting that Isaac would become a people like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. The promise is given to Joseph in Genesis 48:4 and to his children Ephraim and Manasseh in Genesis 48:16. The promise was described in Exodus 1:12, the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied, and spread, which is also how Zionism describes their difficulty with Palestinians. Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, Joseph’s mother, were all barren yet Isaiah 54 in line with this promise prophesies, sing oh barren woman, for the children of the barren womb will be greater than those with child. To date, the Arab population is 423 million and the Global Islamic population is 1.8 billion.
Anyone but Israel
Beyond that the promise has several off-shoots: the Covenant Prince of Joseph, Bethel, a promise of blessings for blessings and curses for curses as well as promises of abundance for obedience and a promise of drought for disobedience. Though without acceptance of the core promise of Abraham, exploring the offshoots is of no value. The opposing and generally held counterarguments come from two categories:
- The first is that the Jews and or Christians are Israel, and the Arabs are Ishmaelites, Edomites, Canaanites, essentially anyone but Israel.
- The second argument is that Israel was destroyed because of its sin and its promise passed to Ishmael, Judah, or the Gentiles.
My basis to refute the generally accepted beliefs of the Christian / Zionism establishment will come from two approaches, the first is hermeneutical and the second is through ethics. Why ethics? Because it is self-evident that any attempt to prove that God of one faith loves and has chosen a people that are religiously viewed as an adversary there exists a predisposition to not only pre-emptively reject any belief from the onset, but also to form all interpretation around scripture to fit within the best interests of the institution. As I and all the prophets can testify, while there are logical responses, they are unable to compete with the prejudices of the heart. Thus, the examination will also document how our subconscious proclivity toward our own religious bias and ethnic favoritism has made each religious group willfully blind to the fullness of scripture and an accomplice to their own destruction.
The Arabs are not Ishmaelites
The promise of Ishmael from Genesis 16:12 is as follows: He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. The general argument I have heard is that Arabs are Ishmael and their conflict with the Jews is a fulfillment of this prophecy. Yet Abraham had a third wife Keturah and had six children with her who are all part of the Arab people and who live in full harmony with them. Other translations read all his kin, which would also include the Arabs from the tribes associated with his cousin Lot. Of the surrounding Middle Eastern nations, India is in conflict with all his Arab brothers and their religion also sets them in deference to the rest of humanity. Beyond that, God told Abraham that the descendants of Isaac, not Ishmael would be named after him, and in line with the promise every Arab as well as the name of their land, Arabia is named after him. Yet the real conflict in accepting the Arabs as God’s people is in the heart.
Consider this contradiction. According to Genesis 17:4-8 and 15-16 Isaac will be many nations, but Ishmael according to Genesis 17:20, will be a great nation, singular. So if Isaac is credited as being many nations, but Ishmael is credited as only being one nation, why does the church credit Ishmael as many nations and Isaac as but one? Why not India? Why couldn’t they be Ishmael? In line with prophecy it is one nation, rather than many. It is the most populated nation on the planet and due to the conflicts between monotheism and polytheism they are in conflict with all their Arab brothers and east of all of them. Beyond that Ishmael’s mother Hajar, was an Egyptian, a descendent of Ham with darker complexion which would explain India’s darker complexion from the rest of its neighbors. Going further still Solomon setup trade routes with Ishmael in the east for ivory from their elephants and purchased their apes and peacocks. King Manasseh and his son King Amon of Judah also practiced the religion of Ishmael Jyotisha also known as Vedic Astrology with its worship of the stars. All these things and more paint the picture that India, rather than the Arabia, is the home of the Ishmaelites. Why not, because the church likes them, but the true descendants of Israel, the Arabs, the Church disdains. I posed these questions to several Christians. One rebuttal I heard was in the King James of the Bible Genesis 26:16 which states these are the princes of Ishmael according to their nations. Yet the word nations in Hebrew referenced here was not the same as the words nations as referenced for Isaac. That same word is found in only two other locations Numbers 25:15 and Psalms 117:1 and in both other places, it is translated as people. Psalms 117:1 is primary because it also contains the word referenced as nations, “O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.” Upon further investigation a better translation of Genesis 26:16 would-be states, rather than nations. The other counter I heard is that India is made up of three different nations, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, yet in any religious sense Pakistan and Bangladesh are much closer to the Arabian nations than India.
The Arabs are not Edomites
In my Old Testament 2 class, the first lesson was on the book of Obadiah, which prophesies the fall of Edom because they didn’t treat their brother with compassion when Judah was sent into captivity. The professor aligned Judah with Israel and Edom with the Arabs with the typical moral of the story that the Arabs should have been (and be) nicer to the Jews. As is commonplace in both Christianity and Judaism the Arabs are always villains in every analogy and the Jews are always the heroes. Thus, a summary of my response. What does it feel like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes? Isaiah 22:12-13 testifies of Judah’s response when his brother nation Joseph, even Israel was sold into slavery, “The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth. But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat, and drinking of wine!“ By all accounts, the descendants of those Israelites that were sent into bondage are Arabs today. And during the days of the Judges when the shoe was on the other foot and the Jewish tribe of Benjamin was nearly annihilated didn’t all of Israel weep for those Jews, saying one tribe is lost from among us? So, the real question is which groups are truly representative of the Arabs and Jews in this analogy? We know from the New Testament that God does not esteem one race or people over that of another, so perhaps the real moral of the story is not based on race, but just purely a lesson to love.
One of the students responded as follows, “Malachi 1:2-3 states God loves Jacob and God hates Esau; therefore, God loves the Jews and hates the Arabs!”
To this, I responded, “Haven’t you read the Maccabees where Judah conquered Edom (Idumea in Greek) and forced all of Edom to convert to Judaism or die? Yet it was not until Masada, which is in the Roman province of Edom that the Edomites were brought down. As prophesied in Obadiah 1:4, “Even when you build your home as high as the eagle, and make your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.” Which was fulfilled at Masada as the Romans built a siege ramp up the mountain. It was not until that time that Edom was kicked out of his land in line with the prophecy of Obadiah. It was at that time that the very name of Edom was blotted out as Rome renamed the provinces of Judea and Idumea to Palestine, in line with their historic enemies. It was then that the Jewish diaspora began, as prophesied by Isaac of Esau in Genesis 27:39, “You will be away from the beautiful land.” Finally in 1948 Esau too returned saying, “Father I am here ready to claim my inheritance.” But the father referencing his Arab brother replied, “Who was just here? I have already blessed him and given everything to him!” So, seeing now that the Edomites are Jews and the Jews are the descendants of Edom is your argument now that God hates the Jews? And with this revelation in the professor’s analogy who is Jacob and who is Esau?
It was for these comments that I was called into the office, saying you are making people upset, do not say anything unless it aligns with the opinion of the professor and or the text. Such I have found to be the normal response of any who attempted to argue that God loves the Arabs or that they are his people, Israel.
The Arabs are Canaanites
In part this is true. Abraham, Lot, and several of the sons of Jacob had Canaanite wives. Even Judah, the father of the Jewish people also had a Canaanite wife. Arabia links three continents together, thus the Arabs are among the most diverse people on the globe. Yet choosing to align the Arabs through Canaan, rather than Israel is to align them with the curse of Canaan over the blessing of Abraham. That same curse has been used as a justification for slavery, apartheid, as well as Zionism’s claim that the Jews were granted the land over the Arabs. Yet the curse itself was given to Ham because in his pride he mocked and ridiculed his drunken father while believing himself to be superior. Thus, these same groups who cast the curse of Canaan upon others, believing themselves superior to other groups are by their actions guilty of Ham’s crime, thus are themselves cursed before the Almighty. Yet even Canaan in prophetic terms is a part of the Kingdom of the South, which is the Abrahamic Kingdom.
Will the Real Israel Please Stand Up
In denying the Arabs their birthright, both Christians and Jews claim the title of Israel.
Are the Christians Israel?
The most predominant view is that Christian nations are the fulfillment of the many nations of Abraham. The general problem with this concept is that Christian nations not only do not reside within the boundaries of the Nile to the Euphrates, but they also exist within the bulk of the prophesied Kingdom of the North nations that will be a part of the invading armies.[7] A past of historic crusades and modern wars also seems to substantiate the prophetic conclusion. A counter I have heard to this argument is from the Church of God as well as Mormonism who both claim Europeans are the biological descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, however, while I can understand the Christian desire to be a part of Israel, as a Caucasian when comparing my Caucasian ancestry to that of my Arab wife through 23 and me no discernable proof could be found.
Are the Jews Israel?
Before the division of the kingdoms the tribes Judah, Benjamin, and Levi were part of Israel. Yet 1 Chronicles 5:2 divides the promise between Joseph and Judah with the division of the Kingdom in that Joseph received the birthright of Israel and thus they claimed his name, while Judah received the promise of the Messiah through the line of David, thus becoming the House of David.[8] As brothers, it was Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery in Egypt.[9] It was also the nation of Judah under King Asa that sold them to Aram from the money in the temple[10], and again it was Judah who sold Israel to the armies of Assyria.[11] Like Christ, Israel is referenced as the son of God.[12] Noting that Judah in Greek is Judas, like Christ, Israel was sold by Judas from the money in the temple.[13] Like Christ, Israel died.[14] Thus, it seems logical that like Christ, God would raise Israel from the dead.[15] Yet, it also seems inappropriate to grant the Jews the title of Israel when they were not the heirs of Israel’s birthright and were directly responsible for Israel’s death. In my discussions, the retort was that Israel was not fully exiled until the siege of Samaria when they rebelled against Assyria. My reply to that was at that time Israel was already under Assyrian occupation. Israel’s King was a Vassal King appointed by the King of Assyria, and Israel was forced to pay large amounts of tribute. Israel’s best chance of defeating Assyria was while they were an independent nation.
Israel is Alive (Christianity)
The final pervasive argument within Christianity and Judaism is that Israel was given the birthright but due to their sin they died, and the birthright went to another heir. For Christians, that heir is the Gentiles and for Jews it is themselves. In part, this is true as Israel did die. Hosea 9:11 prophesied Ephraim’s glory shall fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception! The History Channel presented a program on the Biblical Account of history. I thought as Christians do not see a difference between Jews and Israel how are they going to present a divided Kingdom or the sale of Israel by the Jews? All the Bible was presented until David and then it jumped completely to Jeremiah and the exile of Judah as if Israel was never a separate people. In my Old Testament 2 class, every reference to Israel before their exile by Assyria is treated as a separate people, however, after the exile Israel is defined as different types of Jews. For instance, I asked the professor, “In Jeremiah 3:11-12, it says that Israel is better than Judah and that Israel has been chosen over Judah, how can you thus say Israel and Judah are one and the same people?” He responded that Israel in that verse is the Jews already exiled to Babylon, while the reference to Judah is the Jews in Jerusalem, thus a denial that the actual Israel exiled to Assyria exists. So, I asked another question, “The first half of Isaiah the book prophesies about the fall of Israel to Assyria, while the second prophecy is about the return and resurrection of Israel. Seeing how Judah was not exiled for another 90 years isn’t the return of Israel talking about those Israelites exiled to Assyria who are now Arabs?” He responded, “No we know there must be two Isaiahs because the resurrection they are speaking of is the Jews return to the land in 1948.” Thus, Christianity and Judaism seem to be incapable of acknowledging that the Israelites that were exiled throughout the Arabian world even exist or have any promise of love from God. The real question is why, because of the implication of what it would mean if the Arabs were Israel. It should also be noted that in the story of Joseph, like his descendants the nation of Israel, was also sold into slavery, but that God was with him during that slavery both under Potiphar and in the jail.[16] And even making it out of captivity to become the second to Pharoah God was working with Joseph. Even though his brothers knew the promise of his dreams, they still did not acknowledge or even recognize him when coming face to face with him.
[1] Genesis 48:17-20.
[2] Genesis 15:18.
[3] Genesis 15:19-21.
[4] Genesis 49:13.
[5] Deuteronomy 33:22-23.
[6] 2 Kings 17:6.
[7] Revelation 11:2.
[8] 1 Kings 12:19.
[9] Genesis 37:26-27.
[10] 1 Kings 15:18-19.
[11] 2 Kings 16:7-9.
[12] Jeremiah 31:9.
[13] 2 Kings 16:8.
[14] Hosea 9:11; Isaiah 7:8.
[15] Ezekiel 37:13.
[16] Genesis 37-41.