THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS
AND THEIR BELIEFS
Robert Hyatt
1995
1. What is a Jew?
2. Who was the first Jew?
3. What is an Israelite?
4. What is a Hebrew?
5. What about the Lost 10 Tribes?
A Jew in the literal sense of the word is any descendant
of Judah. Judah was one of the twelve sons of Israel.
Israel was the son of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the first Hebrew according to the Bible. It
stands to reason then, that any descendant of Abraham is a
Hebrew. Abraham had two sons, namely Ishmael (the Arabs) and
Isaac. Isaac received the birthright and Ishmael did not.
Isaac had two sons, namely Esau and Jacob. Jacob
received the birthright. His name was changed to Israel.
Israel had twelve sons. Their names were:
1. Reuben 7.
Gad
2. Simeon 8.
Asher
3.
Levi
9. Issachar
4. Judah
10. Zebulun
5.
Dan
11. Joseph
6. Naphtali 12. Benjamin
Joseph received the birthright, but it was passed on to
Ephraim. Joseph's inheritance was given to both Ephraim and
Manasseh his sons.
When the Israelites entered the land of Israel they were
divided into twelve tribes or divisions, known as the Twelve
Tribes of Israel. These 12 tribes were:
1. Reuben 7. Asher
2. Simeon 8. Issachar
3. Judah
9. Zebulun
4. Dan
10. Ephraim
5. Naphtali 11. Manasseh
6. Gad
12. Benjamin
Under the Law of Moses, Levi received the Levitical
Priesthood as their inheritance. Moses gave Aaron his son, a
Levite the Priesthood, better known as the Aaronic
Priesthood. Since the Levites were holders of the Priesthood
and therefore had no land inheritance, the Lord caused that
each of the Twelve Tribes give up four of their cities so
that the priesthood of Aaron would be represented.
Under Israelite law there was a Prophet, an Elder
representing each of the Twelve Tribes, and a chief priest or
Cohen as they were called. Shortly after the Israelites
settled the land of Palestine, they wished to have a King.
The Prophet Samuel named Saul to be the King over the
Israelites. Saul was not a Jew. He was from the tribe of
Benjamin.
After the death of Saul, David was named King. David
was from the tribe of Judah therefore a Jew. After David
came King Solomon. After Solomon, Rehoboam was to be King
but he refused to become King so a great civil war and
division of the people occurred. Two Kingdoms came into
existence: The Kingdom of Israel, headed by Jeroboam, and
the Kingdom of Judea headed by Rehoboam. The Kingdom of
Jeroboam included ten tribes. The Kingdom of Judea consisted
of two tribes namely, the tribe of Judah, and the tribe of
Benjamin. The tribe of Levi also chose to stay in Judea
because the Temple was there.
In 722 B.C., the Assyrians captured the Kingdom of
Israel and carried them northward. Their whereabouts is
unknown, so we refer to these tribes as the Lost Ten Tribes.
Additional Information About the Jews:
1. The Jewish Bible is called the Torah. These are the Laws
that Moses gave them from Mount Sinai.
2. The Old Testament and the Torah are incomplete. They
both refer to missing books such as Jasher, Nathan, Gad,
Ahijah, Iddo, Shemaiah, Jehu, The Acts of Solomon, The Wars
of the Lord, and the Sayings of the Seers to name a few.
3. Some common Christian terms and the Jewish equivalent:
CHRISTIAN JEWISH
--------------------------------------------------------
CHURCH - SYNAGOGUE
GOSPEL - TORAH OR THE LAW
SCRIPTURE - VERSE FROM THE BIBLE
HOLY GHOST - SPIRIT OF GOD
CHRIST - THE MESSIAH
JESUS - JE SUIS
BAPTISM - RITUAL OF MIKVAH
PRIEST - COHEN
APOSTLE - HIGH PRIEST
BISHOP - RABBI
4. Today there are three different kinds of Jews:
Orthodox, Reformed, & Conservative.
5. Some Jewish Holidays:
Passover (Exodus 23:15)
Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16)
Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:16)
Feast of the Trumpets July 1st - no work (Numbers 29:1)
Day of Atonement July 10 - no work (Numbers 29:7)
Week of Fasting July 15 - July 22 (Numbers 29:12)
Sabboth Day Saturdays no work (Exodus 35:2)
6. Some Jewish terms and their meanings:
Yom Kippur - Jewish Holiday : Same as Day of Atonement
Bar Mitzvah - Jewish ceremony whereby a boy age 13
enters adulthood and gains accountability.
Gentile - Anyone not a Jew
Kosher - Reference to certain kinds of meat that are not
to be eaten.
Yamaka - The little black hat worn by Jewish men.
7. Some basic beliefs of the Jews:
A. They are still awaiting the coming of their Messiah.
B. They believe only in the Old Testament.
C. They do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
D. Orthodox Jews still believe in many of the original
laws of Moses.
E. Believe firmly in the Ten Commandments.
From the time of Christ until the 19th century, the Jews have
been scattered all over the world. After Orson Hyde
dedicated the land of Jerusalem for the return of the Jews in
fulfillment of Bible prophecy, the Jews from all over the
World have had an inner desire to return to their homelands.
The Jewish leaders of today and The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints have a strong bond of friendship. The
Church now has an institute building, and many other
administrative buildings in Israel. They also have special
charge to take care of the Garden of Gethsemane.
Concerning the Battle of Armageddon: Just prior to the
ushering in of the Millennium and the Second Coming of
Christ, a great battle will occur just outside of Jerusalem
in a valley called Armageddon.
This battle will last about 3 1/2 years. The Bible says that
over 200 Million people will fight in this great battle, and
when it is over, only 1/6 will remain. There will be no rain
at all during this period. It will take the Jews 7 months to
bury the dead and 7 years to bury and burn the weapons of
war. Just at the end of this battle Christ will come and
help the Jews defeat their enemies.
The Millennium will then be ushered in and Christ will reign
as King of Israel for a Thousand years. Jerusalem, Israel
will be the religious capital of the world. There will be
another Jerusalem in America, Jackson Co. Missouri. It will
be the administrative capital of the World.
There is no doubt that the Jewish people are a chosen people,
but they have strayed away from the truth, and until they
worship the God of the Old Testament (Jesus Christ), the same
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they will not receive the
many blessings that they so much enjoyed in Biblical times.