Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20060528.htm

PROFITABLY LEARNING FROM THE ERRORS OF THE CULTS
Part III: Profitably Learning From The Errors Of British Israelism
(Zechariah 11:4-14 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. A belief exists in our area that British and American Anglo people groups descended from one or more Hebrew people groups in the Old Testament so that they racially inherit God's Covenant promises!
    2. This British Israelism, Anglo-Israelism or Destiny of America view has led Seventh-Day Adventists, Russelites, Mormons and some Evangelicals to view Anglo-Americans as racially part of God's kingdom.
    3. We examine the development of this belief in light of Scripture to learn to avoid their error (as follows):
  2. Profitably Learning From The Errors Of British Israelism, Zechariah 11:4-14 et al.
    1. British Israelism began by (1) taking the "seven times" of Lev. 26:18, 21, and 28 KJV to be the duration instead of the intensity of God's punishment upon Israel. (2) Thus, when Israel went into captivity, each such "time" was held to be 360 years, so Israel was alleged to be freed 2,500 years later at the start of the 19th century when Americans were focusing on their national destiny, Jan Karel Van Baalen, The Chaos of Cults (1973), p. 165-166. (3) Also, at the split of David's kingdom into Israel's 10 northern tribes and Judah's 2 southern tribes, it was asserted that the Jews were always AFTER that Biblically called "Judah" and "Israel" always seen as the 10 tribes that never returned to Canaan, but moved to Britain, Ibid., p. 166!
    2. However, Scripture extensively counters the theory of British Israelism (as follows):
      1. Zechariah 11:4-14 predicted Christ would minister to Judah and Israel at His first coming AFTER the Babylonian Captivity ( Bib. Know. Com., O. T., p. 1564-1565), so Israel did return to the Holy Land!
      2. All twelve tribes offered sin offerings in the Holy Land after the Babylonian Captivity: (a) Ezra 6:17 with 2:1-2 reveals the returned Hebrews offered sin offerings for all 12 tribes. (b) Well, Lev. 4:3-4, 13-15 requires the parties represented by such offerings to be present at the sacrificial site to lay their hands on the heads of the animals! (c) As Ezra 6:17 shows these offerings were for the tribes, and Lev. 4:13-15 requires the elders from each tribe to lay hands on the animals, and (d) as the elders were part of the tribes represented (Z. P. E. B., v. Two, p. 268f), (e) all 12 tribes had returned to the Holy Land!
      3. After the Babylonian Captivity, Ezra 2:28, 70b records that 223 men from Bethel and Ai, centers of the idolatrous worship of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel had returned to live in these their cities!
      4. Ezra claimed that "all Israel" dwelt in its cities after the exiles had returned from Babylon, Ezra 2:70.
      5. Anna, the prophetess who witnessed Jesus' arrival in the Jerusalem temple in his mother's arms was of the tribe of "Asher" (Luke 2:36 NIV). This event occurred after Israel's Captivity, and Asher was a tribe of Israel in the Northern Kingdom, the ten tribes had returned to the Holy Land by Jesus' time!
    3. Hence, we learn from the errant translations of British Israelism to see how to avoid its errors (as follows):
      1. The words, "seven times" in Leviticus 26:18, 21 and 28 KJV are from one Hebrew word, sheba that is usually translated "seven" but in this context is used idiomatically in an elliptical way to refer to "seven [occurrences]" (sheba [pamim]); however, "time" in Daniel 12:7 KJV is from a different word, that of mo'ayd that is "a set or appointed time," and in that Daniel 12 context it means one year (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 186, 1282; B. D. B., Heb. & Eng. Lex. of O. T., p. 987, 417). Thus, there is NO basis in the Hebrew text for making the KJV's "times" in Lev. 26 be a length of time as British Israelism has done!
      2. Also, there is no grounds for taking the word "time" in Lev. 26: 18, 21 and 28 KJV or Dan. 12:7 to be 360 years of time, so the whole British Israelism theory is textually unsupportable from its inception!
      3. Thus, the lack of adequate Bible study tools, a false presupposition was made out of "times" in Leviticus 26 KJV, and human imagination with the prideful lust to make Americans a favored people of God led Seventh-Day Adventism, Russelites (behind Jehovah's Witnesses) and Mormonism into the errant belief that God favors Anglo-Americans based on their alleged (false) Hebrew lineage!
Lesson: The error of British Israelism arose out of a dependence on inadequate Bible study tools and the lust of pride to make Americans seem favored by God as His racially chosen people!

Application: (1) May we rightly handle the Word of truth, relying on good Bible study tools to discern the TRUE meanings to the words used behind our translations, 2 Tim. 2:15! (2) May we not distort the Bible's words to exalt self in lustful pride, but humbly declare what it authoritatively says, 2 Tim. 4:3-4.