Christianity, Judaism and many Messianics suffer from a common error that effects pretty significantly how they understand large parts of Scripture, and particularly current events, both geopolitical and eschatological.
While this error may seem very simple on the surface, it creates a plethora of challenges in its wake. So, what is it? It is the part to whole fallacy that commonly equates Israel and Judah.
What I intend to demonstrate through this and several ensuing posts is that while scripture occasionally uses the terms ‘Judah’ and ‘Israel’ in parallel or even as synonyms, more often than not, the context, particularly in the prophets, indicates the message is to two very different groups of people.
Simply stated, Judah is not Israel, rather, they are part of Israel and for a period of time had/have a very different destiny in order to fulfill God’s plan and purpose. Most of us have been inculcated with a paradigm that uses the words ‘Judah’ and ‘Israel,’ or some derivative like ‘Jew’ or ‘Jewish’ interchangeably, when scripture does not seem to do this.
I know for many, this opens a difficult and sensitive topic, but I ask you to take a deep breath and let’s explore Scripture to understand the history and prophetic importance of this difference. In doing so I hope that we will not reduce the significance of anyone’s identity, nor will we elevate unfairly anyone’s identity. Rather, our goal is to understand the plan and heart of God. Continue reading →
