Whom Did God Choose?
by Pastor Don Elmore
January 15, 2012
Scripture Reading: Joshua 24:31
In the Answers in Genesis booklet, “How Can I Become a Child of God?” they divided the small booklet into several divisions. For example, it starts out with the topic Creation, followed by Corruption, Confusion, Christ, Cross and the Consummation and then two pages entitled the same as the booklet. They make the same basic divisions in their museum.
In the page titled, Confusion, it makes two very big assumptions:
“Noah’s children and grandchildren disobeyed God after the Flood. God caused them to scatter from the Tower of Babel all over the earth by confusing their language. From these families:
- All the people groups of the world have come.
- But no matter where we live or what shade of skin color we have, we are all part of Adam and Eve’s family.
We are all disobedient to God. We all deserve to be separated from God forever. So we all need to be restored to a right relationship with God—to become part of God’s family” (labeling the two points are not in their booklet).
Then follows the quoting of Genesis 11:9 “Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the earth.” On the latter half of the page is a picture of a young black boy with a young white boy.
That is the entire chapter on Confusion. It assumes that the flood that occurred at this time was world-wide and destroyed all life except the 8 people of Noah and his family. But the fact that there are more languages than pure races doesn’t bother them at all. In fact, according to Answers in Genesis, Adam and Eve were mid-brown in their pigmentation; so Noah and his three sons were the same: mid-brown.
According to their beliefs, all people groups (that is the two words that they use instead of the word, races) are descended from Noah and his three sons. Every one of every race is all descended from Noah and from Adam. So, all races were mid-brown from Adam to Noah until God scattered them from the Tower of Babel by confusing their language. They all left and went with the people of the same language to different parts of the earth which produced the new races of the black, white, and yellow people of the world. This change into different races, however, only lasted for a couple of hundred years, according to them, as it doesn’t happen anymore—there is no scripture given for this!
There is no history that can verify this position either. To say that there were no Negroes older than about 4,000 years ago is not true. To say that there were no Asiatics older than 4,000 years ago is not true. To say that there were no Whites older than 4,000 years ago is not true. And how they can arrive at different pure races all descending from the same parent group is astounding. But they can.
Everyone is assumed to have the same origin and the same possible destiny—that is that anyone can become a “child of God.” But this is so foreign to what the Bible teaches. It totally denies God’s covenant that He made unconditionally with Abraham and certain of his descendants. It denies God’s election, predestination, limited atonement and other main Biblical doctrines. And it leaves unanswered to many people how God changed his method of reproduction from “kind after kind” to “unkind after kind.” That is how they teach that God approves of interracial marriage—but does God approve of intermingling of seeds? Intermingling of stock?
The Amalekites were a people that God said that their future would be that God would be at war with them for all ages because of how they treated His covenant people after they were led out of Egypt (Genesis 17:16b). They were a related to Esau. So, can it be true that God made a covenant with these people in the New Testament?
Chosen People Ministries has a pamphlet that they sent to one of our members. It was pro-Zionists literature. Let me read a small part of the issue:
- “Israel and the United States – bellicose regimes on the brink of demise. Belief in the universal body of Messiah encourages both Jews and Gentiles to live together in unity.”
Jews and Gentiles are enemies from the Garden of Eden. Nowhere in scripture can one find a verse that teaches that Jews and Israel should be on the same side. Israel and America should be enemies; they should NOT live together in unity.
- “Israel – a ‘regime based on evil that cannot continue and will one day vanish.’
No! The Church is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles who have accepted Jesus as the promised deliverer (Ephesians 2:11-3:6). Gentiles who have come to faith in Messiah Jesus are fellow heirs with Jewish believers in the kingdom of God.”
They, like the majority of modern Christendom, do not believe that Jews (the House of Judah) and Gentiles (the House of Israel) are both Israelites. They misunderstand Ephesians chapter 2. It’s not Jews and Gentiles, but the House of Judah and the House of Israel that now are to live together in unity.
- “Israeli must be wiped off the map -- The reason for the Zionist regime’s existence is questioned and this regime is on its way to annihilation."
But God made an everlasting and irrevocable covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:9-21; 17:1-8).
The Bible never uses the word “Jew” or “Jews” or “Jewish” until the book of 2 Kings. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were never referred to as being Jews. A complete misuse of scripture by this organization that is located in New York City.
Then as I was watching television last night I saw the following commercial. There was a group of about 25 young children; of all races. They were reciting a phase at a time, individually and in some parts in unison, of parts of John 3:16. When the said the word “World”, they had a couple of youngsters say: “whole world,” followed by “everyone” and then “anyone” and “that’s a lot of people.” The commercial was very Universalists. It was sponsored by Focus on the Family.
Here is what Focus on the Family President Jim Daly had to say about the commercial: “There’s been a lot of buzz lately about what John 3:16 says, and we wanted to help people understand it without having to run to their computer to look it up.” He added: “For Christians, the verse is the essence of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and when you have good news you want to share it with as many people as possible. We hope this helps everyone understand some numbers are more important than the ones on the scoreboard.”
Answers in Genesis has a huge following. In last Sunday’s Cincinnati Enquirer, there was front page article on religious diversity in Boone County, Kentucky. In the article, there was mention of the new Church of Scientology that was moving into the Florence Baptist Church’s old church building (coming early February), interdenominational mega-church Crossroads (coming this summer), non-denominational Truckers Chapel, a Catholic church with a Hispanic congregation and Answers in Genesis, which is headquartered in Florence. They have a quote from Mark Looy, co-founder of Answers in Genesis, who said:
"The ministry welcomes the diverse religious influences in the area. We’ve been very pleased to see so many visitors to the Creation Museum and also to our recent Christmas Town event…” Convenient access to an international airport and a major interstate system and a Midwest location, in addition to the opportunity to introduce a wide range of people to its ministry, are all reasons Answers in Genesis is located in Boone County.
I’m glad Mr. Looy welcomes us as one of the diverse religious influences in the area—for we will hold them guilty of the heresy on interracial marriages.
Many very good people are members of this group. Many give a sizeable portion of their income to help support and build the projects of this organization. They are against evolution, but they are taught some very strange beliefs. And many of these beliefs one is entitled to believe. We all believe some things that are wrong; like Answers in Genesis believes that the dinosaurs were on Noah’s Ark--but there are several major beliefs that are heretical and must be stood against.
One of these beliefs is that marriage can be between anyone of any race as long as both the bride and groom are “Christians.” This is based on their belief that everyone of any “people group” is descended from Adam and Eve, there is only one race—the human race and that Christendom is universal. If that is what they believe, and it is wrong, then they will eventually arrive at the interracial conclusion. That is why most of the “Christian world” believes the same thing, even though if you go back over one hundred years you will find that the churches in America believed the exact opposite.
In fact, in the early days of our nation, when most marriages were in churches, there was not a church that would marry an interracial couple. Of course, that was when a major part of the nation was apartheid and had the Jim Crow laws. No one that got married prior to the late-1800’s in the United States needed the State’s permission to get married. That is one of the reasons that the marriage licence came into being—so interracial couples could be married.
From there, America became slowly integrated (i.e., major league baseball (1947), basketball, football, armed forces services) and later the schools, colleges, universities and other organizations in society. The churches are now beingthe ones who are facing integration. They are now almost integrated. Now, we have a battle with same-sex couples desiring matrimony. It will be another generation and this will be accepted in the majority of churches and society too.
What is so wrong with this doctrine? It teaches the complete destruction of the covenant people of the Bible. If everyone decided to marry another person of another race, then there would be no covenant people remaining in one generation. This is exactly what the Jewish Communists want—the destruction of the covenant people. In fact, the whole world would be bastards; unkind coming from unkind. This would destroy all of the creation of God.
Our position is one that is based on GOD’S election. God chose Abraham, his son Isaac (not Ishmael-the Arabs) and Isaac’s son Jacob (not Esau-the Jews); and He made an unconditional covenant that He both promised and swore to these fathers and their descendants. And why did He make His covenant with these three fathers: because He loved them.Why would He make a covenant with the Arabs, Jews and other people in the New Testament and not say a word about it?
The Bible teaches very plainly that who one marries is very important in deciding what their destiny will be. Esau married several women: two from the Canaanites and two from the Ishmaelite’s—he was hated by God. Jacob was instructed by his parents to go to his racial kin and marry a person of his same race or “what good shall my life do me?” (His mother’s life; Genesis 27:46).
God’s covenant people were instructed not to marry the other people of the land—why would God declare this? God did not say, “Send in your missionaries first, see how many of them would believe, and the rest of them you can murder.” He told His people to murder all the people of the land; men, women and children and their animal; that if you broke this commandment you would SERVE OTHER GODS.
Deuteronomy 7:1-7
“When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land where thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou, And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them.Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly.
But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their idols, and burn their carved images with fire.
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God; the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people who are upon the face of the earth” – .
Our God told Israel not to marry anyone who lived in the land—in fact; he told them to commit genocide with the Amorites and Canaanites; who were the other people of the land. He also told His covenant people to destroy their altars, images and idols. In fact, Israel was successful in doing this on the eastern side of the Jordan River. They either murdered their enemies or the people fled the land from the Eastern side of the Jordan River; so that ½ the tribe of Manasseh, Gad and Reuben could live there.
There were only Israelites who lived there for over 300 years (Judges 11:26); which explains why Ruth could not be a Moabite!Ruth 1:1 begins by saying, “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled,…” The book of Ruth tells us that a family of four went to the land of Moab, where now only Israelites lived. One of her sons married Ruth. While there, her husband and her two sons all died. Naomi, the wife who left Bethlehem-Judah, gave her two daughters-in-laws the choice to return to Bethlehem when she returned. Ruth decided to return with her, while the other daughter-in-law remained in the land of the former land of Moab. While living in Bethlehem she became the wife of Boaz who was her kinsman redeemer. That proved that she had to be an Israelite—for could Boaz be the kinsman-redeemer of a Moabite?
Can the covenant people of God still NOT marry the Canaanites? Answers in Genesis makes no such statement; as long as they both are “Christian” they say—“Judeo-Christian” is what they mean. The armies of Israel, under Joshua, crossed the flooded Jordan River by a miracle. They were ready to totally eliminate all the other people who were living in the Promised Land. How successful were they?
The book of Judges gives us the scorecard:
Judges 1:19 “The Lord was with JUDAH; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.”
Judges 1:21 “And the children of BENJAMIN did not drive out the Jebusites, who inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.”
Judges 1:27 “Neither did MANASSEH drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and its towns, not Taanach and its town, not the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, not the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, not the inhabitants of Megiddo and tis towns; but the Canaanites would dwell inthat land.
Judges 1:29 “Neither did EPHRAIM drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them”
Judges 1:30 “Neither did ZEBULUN drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became subject to forced labor.
Judges 1:31, 32 “Neither did ASHER drive out the inhabitantgs of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob; But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.”
Judges 1:33“Neither did NAPHTALI drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, not the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; nevertheless, the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became subjects of forced labor.”
Judges 1:34, 35 “And the Amorites forced the children of DAN into the mountain; for they would not allow them to come down to the valley. But the Amorites would dwell in Mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became subjects of forced labor.” (NOT MENTIONED: ½ MANASSEH, GAD, REUBEN—WHO DWELT ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF JORDAN (where all the Amorites and Canaanites were either destroyed or they fled); AND ISSACHAR AND SIMEON WHO DWELT ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE JORDAN RIVER; AND LEVI WHO DWELT THROUGHOUT EVERY TRIBE OF ISRAEL.)
Judges 2:1-4 “And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you go up out of Egypt,and have brought you unto the land which I swore to give unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of thisland; ye shall throw down their altars. But ye have not obeyed my voice. Why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you, And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.”
Why did Israel lift up their voices and cry? What made them weep? The angel had just told them that the people of the land would not be driven from your land. For Israel broke the covenant that they were to make no league with them and they were to throw down their altars; as a result of this disobedience; the people would remain in the land and would become as thorn in their sides and their gods would be a snare into them. No wonder Israel wept!
Judges 2:10-15
“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, who knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim.
And the forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people who were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them,
and provoked the LORD to anger
And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers who spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them; and they were greatly distressed.”
Did you notice what happened? It was the next generation, verse 10. The generation of Joshua followed our GOD, but after Joshua and the generation that swore to follow the God who brought them out of Egypt, died, it was the NEXT generation that did evil. It was racial; for they did not serve the GOD of their fathers. They served Baalim, forsook the LORD God of their fathers, and followed other gods; bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger. As a punishment for this, GOD was angry with Israel so he sold them into the hands of their enemies and they were greatly distressed.
Judges 3:5-7
“And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites and Jebusites:And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the idols.”
These three verses tell us the children of Israel lived among the Canaanite people who they failed to exterminate. God said they would be left to live as a test for Israel; to see if they would live a “holy” life or not. It seems that Israel failed the test.
What does it mean when it says in verse 6 that “they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons and served their gods.” They interracially married which was a means of serving their gods. So the gods of the enemies of Israel said that interracial marriage was okay, and when Israel interracially married their GOD was provoked to anger and punished His own people. Hmmm….There is a god of integration and a GOD of segregation. What god are the ministries serving who teaches integration?
And the LORD’s anger became hot against Israel….and the LORD brought an enemy against Israel…until the children of Israel cried unto the LORD…and then the LORD raised up a judge who deliver Israel against their enemies…and the land had rest.
The cycle repeated itself for a couple hundred years;until finally there was a period of forty years rest in the land. And then the process began another cycle:
Judges 6:1-6
“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.
And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites (Esau’s grandson), and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.”Israel sinned; God put them under the hand of the Midianites, the hated Amalekites and children of the East. Verse 4 tells us that there was “no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.”
Most of Israel was living in caves in the mountains and strongholds when their enemies came with much cattle and camels; like a multitude of locusts, for the purpose of destroying the land. The enemy arrived in the time of the harvest and stole the whole harvest of Israel. So greatly impoverished was Israel that they “cried unto the LORD.”
Joshua 6:7-10
“And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, who said unto them, Thussaith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land;
And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but, ye have not obeyed my voice.”
What if Israel did not cry unto their God? Do you see that the Israelites and the Amorites had different gods? Israel had been worshipping the god of the Amorites; they had not obeyed the voice of their God. But since Israel cried to their God because of the severe impoverishment, God sent a prophet unto them. The prophet gave Israel a short history lesson and ended with the statement that HE told them not to fear the gods of the Amorites.
Judges 6:11-14
“And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash, the Abiezrite: and his son, Gideon, threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
And Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where are all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee?”
An angel of the LORD appeared near an Oak tree where Gideon and his father lived. What was Gideon doing at this time? Why was he “threshing wheat by the winepress?” He was “hiding it from the Midianites.” He was the same as a modern day tax protestor.
The angel appears to Gideon and calls him a “mighty man of valor.” Gideon replies, “Why has all this befallen us?” He asks, “Where are all His miracles that our fathers told us” and “now the LORD has forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
Then Gideon is told an amazing thing. He was being sent by the LORD to save Israel from the hand of their enemy—the Midianites. But who was Gideon? What tribe was he from?
Judges 6:15-17 “And he said unto him, O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me.”
Gideon testified that his family was poor. The whole nation was impoverished. He was of the tribe of Manasseh. And he was the least, not the greatest, of his father’s house. A great choice to be the judge of Israel against the oppression of Midian; God told him that He would be with him and that he would smite the Midians. But Gideon answered that he wanted a sign to show him that God was with him.
Our nation is impoverished or I should say that the people of the United States of America are very poor. We are living in a corporation nation. We do not own any property, for we pay property tax. All Federal governments, state governments, local governments, lottery programs, pension funds, school systems, social security system, etc. are all mafia corporations and has a very wealthy, but hidden balance sheet. When you look at the CAFR reports, which are NOT made for you to look at, you will see that they are a profit making criminal organization. We are having our harvest (fiat money) stolen and most of us are not aware of what is happening.
Judges 6:18-20 Gideon took a kid—a young goat, unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour and he put the flesh in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto the angel under the oak, and presented it. The angel told Gideon to take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he followed the angel’s instructions.
Judges 6:21 “Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes and there rose up fire out of the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel departed out of his sight.”
This sign was given to Gideon. Their oppression was ready to be ended in a miraculous way. Who says that everyone is descended from the same person? Who says that everyone is equal? Who says that there are no covenant people in the earth? Who says that anyone can marry anyone and it would be okay? Who says that everyone can worship the true God?
God chose a poor tax protestor from the tribe of Manasseh, who was the least of his own family, to be the judge of His people Israel. It was Gideon who led the Israel people against the Midianites and was successful.It was Gideon who defeated Israel’s oppressors with a very small army. It was Gideon who would live a long life—Judges 8:32.
Right after Gideon led Israel to victory over the Midianites, the men of Israel asked Gideon to “Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also, for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian”—Judges 8:22.
What was Gideon’s answer? “Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you”—Judges 8:23.
There was forty years of peace in the days of Gideon—Judges 8:28.
But “as soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned again, and played the harlot with Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.
And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side….”—Judges 8:33, 34.
Conclusion
The United States of America has changed drastically in its two hundred plus years of existence. Who could hold office, who could vote, who is a citizen, what taxes can be given, who is responsible for the currency, etc., has all changed; but church doctrine has changed greatly too. Christianity is just like the world; the world is in the church!
Jim Jester summed it up best in his new book, “Will the Real Israel Please Stand Up!” on page 170:
“Most of what passes as Christianity today, gives the premise that the Old Testament was for Israel, and the New Testament was a change, which made God’s covenant open to everyone on the planet. You should now see the folly in this universal (catholic) theory. This theory says God made a mistake, as if He said, ‘Oops, I’ve got to do something different; time for plan B.’ So He sent His son to make things right. Does anyone see that this is an attempt to destroy the ‘everlasting covenant’, make God a liar, destroy the unity of the Godhead, and His omniscience?
As unpopular as it is, we must accept the fact that the Bible is an exclusive book for an exclusive people. Not to see the Bible this way also nullifies it as the infallible Word of God and makes it a book of tales.”
Both the Old and New Testaments say the same thing:
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which, my covenant, they broke, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD” – Jeremiah 31:31, 32.
“For finding fault with them, he saith; Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not saith the LORD” – Hebrew 8:8, 9.
These are a few of the reasons why I disregard the teachings of Answers in Genesis and thousands of other organizations and why I believe that God created all pure races separate and said, “God saw that it was good.”
