I want to elaborate on some feedback we received concerning a Bible Q&A from 2016 that I re-wrote last week. It concerned a question a reader asked about interracial marriage.
I will share with you some of the behind the scenes discussions, touch on a comment that was made, and two comment requests. We will be very candid, and also connect some of these things to current events. I really want everyone to think about this.
A Comment Request
Last Saturday evening, a comment request was made on the Bible Q&A in question.
The readers comment said, “Deuteronomy 23 speaks of interracial marriage”, and they left two links, one to a video, and one to a link from a message forum.
I did not approve the comment as the links were to another church’s teachings. I let them know via email, sending them our Community Guidelines.
A respectful email came back Sunday evening.
The reader tried to use Genesis 38 to explain God killed Judah’s mixed sons so they did not interfere in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. However, that is not what Genesis 38 discusses at all.
God killed Judah’s sons as they were either evil or did not adhere to what God wanted. It had nothing to do with skin color. Ironically enough, God allowed the Israelites to marry people outside their tribe, just not those in the land of Canaan, (Deuteronomy 20:10-15, 21:10-13).
God Blessed Ishmael
My response to this reader triggered another thought.
One I added to this Bible Q&A late Sunday evening. So if you missed it, you should really take the time to read that section.
You will learn, God blessed Ishmael, and God was with Ishmael who was half Israelite, half Egyptian. God never condemned Ishmael for being half of each race, something Ishmael certainly had no control over.
A Readers Comment: “Us” Verse “Them”
In response to this Bible Q&A, a commenter said,
Yes, I know that once a gentile receives Christ they become an Israelite by adoption but that does not change their skin color nor give us license to marry them.
God’s Word is not about us verse them. God’s Word is not about one race being superior to another. I fear certain teachings have led many to come away with this idea, that their race is somehow better than other races.
I am sure the commenter does not feel that way. I am just sharing my experience with you over the years in my interactions with others who have shared similar thoughts.
For those who may not understand. The “us” means “Israelites.”
The “them” in the readers comment means “gentiles”. As I said in my comment reply to this individual, “gentiles” can mean “heathen” which is anyone who does not accept God. That can also be someone who is an Israelite.
Now I have news for everyone here.
This is not a Caucasian website. This is not an Israelite website. This is a Christian website for Christians of every shape, color, and size. Due to God’s blessings and our work, we have readers all over the world. We have Caucasian readers, we have African readers, Asian readers, Mexican readers, and we even have biracial readers. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
My goal is not to embarrass anyone, my goal is to make you think for yourself. My goal is for you to ensure your doctrine is Biblical doctrine which always aligns with the entire Bible.
Distinction Between Israelite And Gentile
My thoughts on this comment continue as the individual adds,
There’s a distinction between Israelite and gentile in the word old & new testaments for a reason.
Absolutely.
The Israelites are descendants of Adam down to Abraham to Isaac and Jacob who became Israel. God chose this family to spread His Word to the world, (Acts 10:36, Mark 16:15). That was their purpose, and why God was always on their case in the Bible.
As for the gentiles, that would be either foreign nations or non-believers. Salvation did not become available for them until our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth. Speaking of Jesus, remember what Christ said of the centurion who was considered a “gentile”, but displayed more faith than any Israelite, (Matthew 8:5-10).
It’s a prime example, our genealogy is tied to our flesh, not our spirit which is our soul.
We should also remember, Jesus was to be “King of kings and Lord of lords”. The flesh genealogy of Jesus Christ was to remain Israelite so this could be fulfilled. The Tribe of Judah was known as the king lineage, while the Tribe of Levi was the priestly lineage.
Jesus Christ was half of each Tribe, hence why He is “King of kings and Lord of lords”.
Reality, Perception, And Culture
The commenter added,
Almost every commercial on TV now is mixed raced couples. There is a reason for that.
First off, that is an extreme exaggeration to try and build a point which is pretty disingenuous. This was not the topic of our Bible Q&A and it certainly does not disprove any Biblical material. Folks, let’s always stay 100% truthful and on point, that will help us figure things out.
Now there is certainly an increase and overrepresentation of race and relationships portrayed on television, the internet, and so on. Of course there is a reason for it, there is a reason for everything we are seeing. However, this has nothing to do with skin color, that is simply another distraction and point of contention.
In reality, this is all about causing further division in our nation, and destroying our culture and history.
Let me explain.
When some instantly see an overrepresentation of one race, or races in marriage in the public space, it quite literally creates disdain, and that is the desired outcome by the globalists who have created this new image for us.
While there is nothing wrong with the aforementioned, it should always be balanced by reality. We often hear words like “inclusion” and “equality”. Yet, how equal and inclusive is society when they overrepresent one race or relationship type in the public space?
This is by design, to create the division Jesus told us about. To pit race against race. In the end, it means none of us are going to work together to solve any real problems as we are too busy being upset by this new overrepresentation that we see on some screen, as if that is reality which affected us personally.
Think about it…
For years, our government has allowed unchecked illegal immigration which has dramatically changed our nation. The individual foreigners do not destroy our nation per se, it is when illegal and uncontrolled immigration is allowed.
That is when it destroys our nation as immigrants are not assimilated into our culture, and instead, their culture is allowed and begins to challenge our own. There can only be one culture for a successful United States. A Christian culture.
The downfall of our nation is now apparent. We can thank those who have promoted multiculturalism, and our own government who made this possible. Where is the outrage for that?
All of these things have led to the moment we now live in. A specific race or marriage has nothing to do with it at this point. Focusing on those things simply takes our eye off the ball and the real enemy who is dividing us so we cannot work together. So we cannot see the globalist agenda that is taking place before our eyes.
Instead of focusing on that, we spend far too much time examining and bickering over the color of our flesh which has nothing to do with our place in God’s Family and His Everlasting Kingdom.
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We spend far too much time bickering amongst each other instead of uniting under God’s Word and calling out Satan who seeks the demise of the entire human race.
A Second Comment Request
Two nights ago, a second comment request came in. It concerned the word “bastard” in Deuteronomy 23:2 which they cited along with Deuteronomy 23:7-8. If you do not understand the theory, you will need to follow the link before proceeding.
They explained, these verses mean,
“If an Israelite man took an Edomite daughter as wife it would be three generations of their children interbreeding with Israelites to breed out the Edomite genes.”
I did not read any of that in those verses.
In order to gain complete context, you should read Deuteronomy 23:1-8 to see what disqualified someone from being a part of the Congregation of the LORD.
Further, if that were even true of genetics in just three generations, then why in Deuteronomy 23:2 can the children “not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation”?
In one verse it’s tenth generation, in another it’s third generation. In verse 3, God even uses “tenth generation” and “forever” for the same offense found in verse 4.
If God was concerned with “breeding out” genes here, why such a difference?
If God was concerned with “pure” genes,
Why did He say the Edomite (part Esau, part Ishmael’s family) was “thy brother”?
Why did God allow the Israelites to marry women from outside of their tribe, (Deuteronomy 20:10-15, 21:10-13)?
Look, an Edomite at the very most would have been half Israelite. So an Israelite father and Edomite mother would have a child that is 3/4 Israelite and 1/4 Edomite.
Now get a piece of paper and work out each successive generation for this example, and also the example in Deuteronomy 23:2, assuming one Israelite parent.
By the third generation, the child of the original Israelite and Edomite couple would be 15/16th Israelite.
By the fourth generation, the child of the original Israelite and “heathen” couple would be 15/16th Israelite, (Deuteronomy 23:2).
So there is no reason for ten generations to play out if God was talking about diluting genes, the dilution would be equal within one generation for each example.
Further, the aforementioned ideology would mean that even today, one could not be accepted into God’s Congregation until the third or tenth generation. Yet we know that is not true as we will document in our Closing Thoughts.
God’s concern was heathen culture and practices would be passed down to each succeeding generation which would certainly infiltrate “His Congregation”. That’s the point.
Just like what has occurred in our own nation over time. That was God’s entire point in 1 Kings 11:2, “for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods”.
Those are God’s Words, not mine.
In Deuteronomy, God wanted to ensure all heathen practices were removed before they could enter into His Congregation, and it takes generations in some cases for that to become a reality.
People have a way of holding onto their customs and culture from one generation to the next, especially in big families. God did not want any of that in His House, just as He said in 1 Kings 11:2.
Remember, the Israelites had a difficult enough time trying to accomplish that on their own as they always fell astray.
Further, the Strong’s definition of the word “bastard” in Deuteronomy 23:2 references a “heathen mother”. The word “heathen” in our case means,
“A person who is not Christian”.
Now when Deuteronomy was written, everyone outside of the Israelites were “heathen” people. Salvation was not yet available to them. Notice, a “heathen” is not someone of a certain race. A “heathen” is identified by their belief, their mark even.
Today, Salvation is open to everyone.
So then, if a purple person has accepted Jesus Christ…
Are they still a “heathen”?
Closing Thoughts
A common motto on this site is, the Bible does not have any contradictions. To add to that, God hammers away at critical points all throughout the Bible, over and over again. Yet, for something that is supposed to be so clear, no one can seem to counter the points I have brought forward, points from God’s Own Mouth.
Now what we do find in the Bible is God overwhelmingly inviting anyone who will accept His Son into His Congregation.
God told us “whosoever will”, and anyone who accepts Jesus Christ becomes “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”, (Revelation 22:17). God even said, they “are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God”, (Galatians 3:29, Ephesians 2:19).
Does that not speak volumes to you?
These words are echoed in 1 Thessalonians 4:5 where we are told Gentiles are those “which know not God”. Then in 1 Corinthians 12:2, Paul told the Corinthians “ye were Gentiles”, but now no more as they accepted Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:11-22 really spells this out.
Now then, if not being accepted into God’s Congregation until the “third” or “tenth generation” was due to our genealogy, it would contradict these verses which never mention it.
Instead, these verses bind all believers into God’s Congregation due to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, they are no longer “gentiles” or “heathen” if they have accepted Jesus Christ as the Bible has documented. Christ fulfilled so much when He sacrificed Himself for us, He opened the door to “whosoever will”. He did not do that so we could build up walls over skin color, or relationship choices and the resulting children.
When we put this all together, it completely backs up everything we have documented for you. It completely documents we are accepted by God into His Congregation based on our beliefs, not our skin color.
…the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
Friends, this world we live in, this fight we are all waging against Satan has nothing to do with white, black, purple, or yellow. It’s a fight for souls. Satan is not concerned with white, black, or purple people. Satan wants to destroy your soul and he doesn’t care what race you are, or if you are mixed from a couple or more.
Think about it.
The flesh is a very temporary thing, and God is not a respecter of persons, (Acts 10:34). You either believe that or you do not.
I hope this discussion has given you much to think about. I hope it makes each and every one of us think about our beliefs. I hope we ask ourselves, do I believe something because I was taught it, or do I believe it because I can document it for myself?
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
Titus 3:9
Thanks for reading, A Discussion Around Deuteronomy 23
A Discussion Around Deuteronomy 23
I want to elaborate on some feedback we received concerning a Bible Q&A from 2016 that I re-wrote last week. It concerned a question a reader asked about interracial marriage.
I will share with you some of the behind the scenes discussions, touch on a comment that was made, and two comment requests. We will be very candid, and also connect some of these things to current events. I really want everyone to think about this.
A Comment Request
Last Saturday evening, a comment request was made on the Bible Q&A in question.
The readers comment said, “Deuteronomy 23 speaks of interracial marriage”, and they left two links, one to a video, and one to a link from a message forum.
I did not approve the comment as the links were to another church’s teachings. I let them know via email, sending them our Community Guidelines.
A respectful email came back Sunday evening.
The reader tried to use Genesis 38 to explain God killed Judah’s mixed sons so they did not interfere in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. However, that is not what Genesis 38 discusses at all.
God killed Judah’s sons as they were either evil or did not adhere to what God wanted. It had nothing to do with skin color. Ironically enough, God allowed the Israelites to marry people outside their tribe, just not those in the land of Canaan, (Deuteronomy 20:10-15, 21:10-13).
God Blessed Ishmael
My response to this reader triggered another thought.
One I added to this Bible Q&A late Sunday evening. So if you missed it, you should really take the time to read that section.
You will learn, God blessed Ishmael, and God was with Ishmael who was half Israelite, half Egyptian. God never condemned Ishmael for being half of each race, something Ishmael certainly had no control over.
A Readers Comment: “Us” Verse “Them”
In response to this Bible Q&A, a commenter said,
God’s Word is not about us verse them. God’s Word is not about one race being superior to another. I fear certain teachings have led many to come away with this idea, that their race is somehow better than other races.
I am sure the commenter does not feel that way. I am just sharing my experience with you over the years in my interactions with others who have shared similar thoughts.
For those who may not understand. The “us” means “Israelites.”
The “them” in the readers comment means “gentiles”. As I said in my comment reply to this individual, “gentiles” can mean “heathen” which is anyone who does not accept God. That can also be someone who is an Israelite.
Now I have news for everyone here.
This is not a Caucasian website. This is not an Israelite website. This is a Christian website for Christians of every shape, color, and size. Due to God’s blessings and our work, we have readers all over the world. We have Caucasian readers, we have African readers, Asian readers, Mexican readers, and we even have biracial readers. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
My goal is not to embarrass anyone, my goal is to make you think for yourself. My goal is for you to ensure your doctrine is Biblical doctrine which always aligns with the entire Bible.
Distinction Between Israelite And Gentile
My thoughts on this comment continue as the individual adds,
Absolutely.
The Israelites are descendants of Adam down to Abraham to Isaac and Jacob who became Israel. God chose this family to spread His Word to the world, (Acts 10:36, Mark 16:15). That was their purpose, and why God was always on their case in the Bible.
As for the gentiles, that would be either foreign nations or non-believers. Salvation did not become available for them until our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth. Speaking of Jesus, remember what Christ said of the centurion who was considered a “gentile”, but displayed more faith than any Israelite, (Matthew 8:5-10).
It’s a prime example, our genealogy is tied to our flesh, not our spirit which is our soul.
We should also remember, Jesus was to be “King of kings and Lord of lords”. The flesh genealogy of Jesus Christ was to remain Israelite so this could be fulfilled. The Tribe of Judah was known as the king lineage, while the Tribe of Levi was the priestly lineage.
Jesus Christ was half of each Tribe, hence why He is “King of kings and Lord of lords”.
Reality, Perception, And Culture
The commenter added,
First off, that is an extreme exaggeration to try and build a point which is pretty disingenuous. This was not the topic of our Bible Q&A and it certainly does not disprove any Biblical material. Folks, let’s always stay 100% truthful and on point, that will help us figure things out.
Now there is certainly an increase and overrepresentation of race and relationships portrayed on television, the internet, and so on. Of course there is a reason for it, there is a reason for everything we are seeing. However, this has nothing to do with skin color, that is simply another distraction and point of contention.
In reality, this is all about causing further division in our nation, and destroying our culture and history.
Let me explain.
When some instantly see an overrepresentation of one race, or races in marriage in the public space, it quite literally creates disdain, and that is the desired outcome by the globalists who have created this new image for us.
While there is nothing wrong with the aforementioned, it should always be balanced by reality. We often hear words like “inclusion” and “equality”. Yet, how equal and inclusive is society when they overrepresent one race or relationship type in the public space?
This is by design, to create the division Jesus told us about. To pit race against race. In the end, it means none of us are going to work together to solve any real problems as we are too busy being upset by this new overrepresentation that we see on some screen, as if that is reality which affected us personally.
Think about it…
For years, our government has allowed unchecked illegal immigration which has dramatically changed our nation. The individual foreigners do not destroy our nation per se, it is when illegal and uncontrolled immigration is allowed.
That is when it destroys our nation as immigrants are not assimilated into our culture, and instead, their culture is allowed and begins to challenge our own. There can only be one culture for a successful United States. A Christian culture.
The downfall of our nation is now apparent. We can thank those who have promoted multiculturalism, and our own government who made this possible. Where is the outrage for that?
All of these things have led to the moment we now live in. A specific race or marriage has nothing to do with it at this point. Focusing on those things simply takes our eye off the ball and the real enemy who is dividing us so we cannot work together. So we cannot see the globalist agenda that is taking place before our eyes.
Instead of focusing on that, we spend far too much time examining and bickering over the color of our flesh which has nothing to do with our place in God’s Family and His Everlasting Kingdom.
Study and news with a fresh Christian perspective in your inbox.
We spend far too much time bickering amongst each other instead of uniting under God’s Word and calling out Satan who seeks the demise of the entire human race.
A Second Comment Request
Two nights ago, a second comment request came in. It concerned the word “bastard” in Deuteronomy 23:2 which they cited along with Deuteronomy 23:7-8. If you do not understand the theory, you will need to follow the link before proceeding.
They explained, these verses mean,
I did not read any of that in those verses.
In order to gain complete context, you should read Deuteronomy 23:1-8 to see what disqualified someone from being a part of the Congregation of the LORD.
Further, if that were even true of genetics in just three generations, then why in Deuteronomy 23:2 can the children “not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation”?
In one verse it’s tenth generation, in another it’s third generation. In verse 3, God even uses “tenth generation” and “forever” for the same offense found in verse 4.
If God was concerned with “breeding out” genes here, why such a difference?
If God was concerned with “pure” genes,
Look, an Edomite at the very most would have been half Israelite. So an Israelite father and Edomite mother would have a child that is 3/4 Israelite and 1/4 Edomite.
Now get a piece of paper and work out each successive generation for this example, and also the example in Deuteronomy 23:2, assuming one Israelite parent.
By the third generation, the child of the original Israelite and Edomite couple would be 15/16th Israelite.
By the fourth generation, the child of the original Israelite and “heathen” couple would be 15/16th Israelite, (Deuteronomy 23:2).
So there is no reason for ten generations to play out if God was talking about diluting genes, the dilution would be equal within one generation for each example.
Further, the aforementioned ideology would mean that even today, one could not be accepted into God’s Congregation until the third or tenth generation. Yet we know that is not true as we will document in our Closing Thoughts.
God’s concern was heathen culture and practices would be passed down to each succeeding generation which would certainly infiltrate “His Congregation”. That’s the point.
Just like what has occurred in our own nation over time. That was God’s entire point in 1 Kings 11:2, “for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods”.
Those are God’s Words, not mine.
In Deuteronomy, God wanted to ensure all heathen practices were removed before they could enter into His Congregation, and it takes generations in some cases for that to become a reality.
People have a way of holding onto their customs and culture from one generation to the next, especially in big families. God did not want any of that in His House, just as He said in 1 Kings 11:2.
Remember, the Israelites had a difficult enough time trying to accomplish that on their own as they always fell astray.
Further, the Strong’s definition of the word “bastard” in Deuteronomy 23:2 references a “heathen mother”. The word “heathen” in our case means,
Now when Deuteronomy was written, everyone outside of the Israelites were “heathen” people. Salvation was not yet available to them. Notice, a “heathen” is not someone of a certain race. A “heathen” is identified by their belief, their mark even.
Today, Salvation is open to everyone.
So then, if a purple person has accepted Jesus Christ…
Are they still a “heathen”?
Closing Thoughts
A common motto on this site is, the Bible does not have any contradictions. To add to that, God hammers away at critical points all throughout the Bible, over and over again. Yet, for something that is supposed to be so clear, no one can seem to counter the points I have brought forward, points from God’s Own Mouth.
Now what we do find in the Bible is God overwhelmingly inviting anyone who will accept His Son into His Congregation.
God told us “whosoever will”, and anyone who accepts Jesus Christ becomes “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”, (Revelation 22:17). God even said, they “are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God”, (Galatians 3:29, Ephesians 2:19).
Does that not speak volumes to you?
These words are echoed in 1 Thessalonians 4:5 where we are told Gentiles are those “which know not God”. Then in 1 Corinthians 12:2, Paul told the Corinthians “ye were Gentiles”, but now no more as they accepted Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:11-22 really spells this out.
Now then, if not being accepted into God’s Congregation until the “third” or “tenth generation” was due to our genealogy, it would contradict these verses which never mention it.
Instead, these verses bind all believers into God’s Congregation due to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, they are no longer “gentiles” or “heathen” if they have accepted Jesus Christ as the Bible has documented. Christ fulfilled so much when He sacrificed Himself for us, He opened the door to “whosoever will”. He did not do that so we could build up walls over skin color, or relationship choices and the resulting children.
When we put this all together, it completely backs up everything we have documented for you. It completely documents we are accepted by God into His Congregation based on our beliefs, not our skin color.
Friends, this world we live in, this fight we are all waging against Satan has nothing to do with white, black, purple, or yellow. It’s a fight for souls. Satan is not concerned with white, black, or purple people. Satan wants to destroy your soul and he doesn’t care what race you are, or if you are mixed from a couple or more.
Think about it.
The flesh is a very temporary thing, and God is not a respecter of persons, (Acts 10:34). You either believe that or you do not.
I hope this discussion has given you much to think about. I hope it makes each and every one of us think about our beliefs. I hope we ask ourselves, do I believe something because I was taught it, or do I believe it because I can document it for myself?