Correction in Our Teaching:
Christians We Are Not, But Rather "Born Again Messianic Jews"

Revelation 2:9 “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the Synagogue (assembly/church) of Satan.”

Claiming to be a Jew in the context of the first century A.D. (and in the context in which Jesus was speaking) wasn't about a bloodline or a race of people. In that day and time, when people got saved, most of them didn’t call themselves “Christian”. But rather “Judean”, which people now say "Jews".

The term “Christian” was very rarely used in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., but then later made extremely popular by the western Roman Catholic Empire and the eastern Byzantine Orthodox Catholic Church.

In this bible verse, Jesus himself is calling a truly saved person a “Judean/Jew”, not a Christian. The contrast in Revelation 2:9 is between those who say that they are Jews and those whom Jesus recognizes as truly belonging to Him. Therefore, the spiritual meaning of being a Jew goes beyond merely physical ancestry or an outward religious identity.
The phrase "synagogue of Satan" confirms that Jesus was talking about a spiritual condition of people's souls, and not about race and where people come from.

Notice in Revelation chapters 1-3, the menorah is a symbol for the New Covenant church, not for Pharisee Judaism, and not for the Old Covenant.

Each light of the menorah represents a different time era of the church (from the 1st century A.D. to the last generation during the Great Tribulation), and different congregations and characteristics of different followers of Jesus throughout time.

In Revelation, Jesus is pictured among the lampstands, and the lampstands are connected with the congregations addressed in the book. Therefore, the menorah/lampstand imagery is connected directly with the people who belong to Jesus and who are expected to remain committed to Him in both spirit and truth, John 4:24.

Notice that the biblical symbol for followers of Jesus isn’t a fish (pagan Dagon symbol), or a cross (pagan sun symbol). But rather the menorah symbol directly connected to the Sabbaths and biblical holy days such as Hanukkah and synagogue worship.

The menorah is rooted in the worship of the God of Israel. Its appearance in Revelation therefore demonstrates the continuing Israelite and biblical foundation of the New Covenant assembly/church/ecclesia/ekklesia/church rather than presenting the followers of Jesus as a religion disconnected from Israel.

Romans 2:28–29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

In this verse, it’s basically saying the same as Jesus in Revelation 2:9, that you are not a spiritual Jew just because you are born a physical Jew.

Romans 2 explains that the identity God is looking for is inward and spiritual. Physical circumcision by itself does not make someone righteous before God. God requires circumcision of the heart, meaning a heart that has been changed, born again, John 3, and is truly submitted/surrendered to Him.

John 3 teaches us to be born again, born into the Israelite tribes, via water baptism of full immersion, not sprikling. Notice in John 3-4 that Jesus and his disciples were baptizing people in water. And notice that there are no infant baptisms in the entire bible. Infants can't repent if they don't even understand what repentance means. Acts 2:37-38.

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Being born again is therefore not merely adopting a religious title. It is a spiritual transformation in which a person becomes part of the people/nation/church/tribe of God and receives a new spiritual identity through the Spirit.

And John 6:53 teaches us to partake in the Passover communion.

John 6:53 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”

The unleavened Passover bread and the Passover cup of real wine therefore point directly to Jesus as the source of eternal life. The Passover communion reminds the followers of Jesus that His body and blood are central to the New Covenant and to salvation. Without observing Passover, on Passover evening at sunset, we are not saved.

Gentiles are grafted/adopted into the tribes/family/nation/congregation/assembly/synagogue of Israel

Romans 11:11-26 “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?

For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bear not the root, but the root thee.

Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou stands by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear:

For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

For if thou were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”

The picture Paul gives is not of Gentiles being planted into an entirely separate tree. Instead, Gentiles are pictured as wild olive branches that are grafted into the already-existing good olive tree of John 15. They become participants in its root and its blessings of salvation.

Therefore, salvation does not mean that Gentiles replace Israel with a totally unrelated religion. They are brought into the same family/tribe/nation/congregation/synagogue, promises and spiritual heritage and laws of Israel.

Romans 9:4 “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.”

The northern 10 tribes of Israel got taken into Assyria, to Germany to the UK. They forgot who they were.

Their loss of national identity did not erase their ancestry or God's promises concerning Israel. Although these white Israelites were scattered among the nations in the USA, British Empire, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa and other places, the northern tribes remained part of the House of Israel in God's plan.

The Judean/Jew tribe got taken into Babylon and Persia, but was allowed to go back to the land of Judea, and maintained their identity as Jews/Judeans.

Because the Judeans returned to Judea and continued to be identified with that land and heritage, the Jewish identity remained much more visible in history than the identity of the scattered northern tribes.

Modern gentiles in Africa, Jamaica, Korea, China, and all across the world, can be adopted into both the Judean tribe and Israel, as the Judeans/Jews are part of the whole “House of Israel”.

Therefore, the spiritual adoption of a believer is connected with Israel as a whole. The Judeans/Jews are not separate from Israel, but are one portion of the greater House of Israel that will ultimately be reunited in the 2nd Resurrection of Isaiah 65:20 Revelation 20 and Ezekiel 37.

Acts 11:26 “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”

Notice the wording: the disciples “were called Christians.” The passage does not say that Jesus encouraged His followers to adopt that name, nor does it record the disciples announcing that they had chosen it for themselves during the lifetime of Jesus.

Acts 26:28 “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuade me to be a Christian.”

1 Peter 4:16 “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

Those are the only 3 bible verses that uses the word "Christian/Christians". So obviously, it wasn't the main word/term for the followers of Jesus in the first century A.D. The main terms were actually "Jews", "followers of The Way", "followers of Christ" and "disciples of Christ/Jesus."

But as the new term "Christian" grew in the first century, people knew what it meant to be called Christian.

It meant forsaking the idea of multiple gods. The followers of Jesus worshipped the one true God of Israel rather than accepting the many gods worshipped throughout the Roman and gentile world. Their faith demanded complete, total loyalty to the God of Israel.

It meant forsaking all evil, including holidays of the pagan religions.

Following Jesus required separation from idolatry and religious customs that honored other gods. A true follower could not simply add Jesus/Christ to existing pagan worship (Christmas, Easter, Sunday, etc.), despite what the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox Church instituted for their pagan followers.

Being a true Christian in the first century meant making a vow at baptism to observe the 7th day Sabbath and all of the biblical holy days.

Baptism represented a commitment to a changed life and obedience to God. It was not merely adopting the name of a religion, but entering into a covenant relationship in which a believer committed himself to living according to God's ways. It was being born again at baptism of full immersion, and everyone knew this and used these terms.

It meant becoming a Jew and serving the one true God of Israel, but with Jesus as the promised Messiah and Savior which replaced circumcision and animal sacrifices, thereby also replacing the previously unclean meats/animals, Acts 10.

Jesus is therefore understood as the fulfillment and center of the New Covenant. The believer becomes spiritually identified with the people of the God of Israel while recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah and Savior. Under this New Covenant understanding, physical circumcision and animal sacrifices and dietary laws are no longer the means by which the covenant relationship is established.

It meant that would you need to suffer persecution because gentiles hate Jews, and all of the world (both Jew and gentile) hate God’s truth and the one true GOD of Israel.

The first generations of the followers of Jesus therefore did not expect acceptance/friendship by the world. Their loyalty to Jesus and to the God of Israel would automatically bring rejection, hatred, punishment and even death. They understood the danger involved in converting to a Jew/Christian.

It didn’t mean pre-tribulation rapture, but rather persecution and suffering.

The emphasis of the New Testament warnings to believers is repeatedly on faithfulness and endurance through trials and tribulations. 1 Peter 4:16 itself speaks directly about suffering as followers of Christ.

But in today’s world, “Christian” means a false gospel. It’s a false Christianity, extremely different from the Christianity of the 1st century A.D.

The modern use of the word "Christian" includes an enormous range of false churches, cult denominations, false doctrines, pagan holidays and demonic practices. Therefore, simply using the title “Christian” does not by itself demonstrate that someone is living according to the teachings and practices of Jesus the Christ and the earliest congregations and apostles.

In the time of Christ, the followers of Jesus and his disciples were not called "Christian" by Jesus or by each other. Peter and Paul both made some mistakes. We need to go back to the actual time of Jesus and the evangelism/teaching of Christ even before Paul.

The ultimate standard must therefore be Jesus Himself: what He taught, how He lived, what He commanded His disciples, and the gospel that He proclaimed during His earthly ministry. Rather than allowing a later religious label to define the faith, we must examine the teachings and example of Jesus and seek to live according to the truth He delivered.

We should not want to be associated with “Christians”, who worship:

The Egyptian and Roman day of the sun via Sunday and Easter,
and who worship Queen Easter,
and who celebrate the fall of Adam and Eve at Christmas,
and worship 3 gods via the Catholic/Orthodox Trinity doctrine,
and worship the lie of the pre-tribulation rapture,
and celebrate witchcraft and demons at Halloween, All Saints Day,
and are extremely ignorant of scripture,
and are lost and deceived,
and who condemn us for our obedience and reverence to God,
and who use demonic/Assyrian/Aramaic false names for God,
and who reject his holy word, commandments, baptism and Sabbaths.

We are not like them. Not even close!

Jesus will say to Christians, “Get away from me, I never knew you.” Matthew 7:21-23
We are spiritual Jews. Therefore we should call ourselves "Born Again Messianic Jews."

Don’t call me a dirty Christian!
Call me a “Born again Messianic Jew!”
Not that we follow Pharisee Judaism, which Paul repented of, but rather Messianic Judaism.

Let’s stop saying “go to church” and replace it with “go to synagogue”.

Congregation/Synagogue of Israel

Exo. 12:6 "And ye shall keep it (the Passover lamb) up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening."

As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we also continue to pay tithes/taxes into the Kingdom of God.

Menorah Usage Commanded

Lev. 24 commands using 7 candles or a menorah in the worship assembly every service. The menorah represents followers of Jesus throughout all time, and that we are "little gods", little lights, receiving our energy/power from the big Almighty light/God, Jesus, King of kings, LORD of lords

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