With Derek and Sharon taking a little vacation, I’ve been catching up on some other podcasts at work, including Chris White‘s Nowhere to Run. Today he had some rather interesting material on Jews and Judaism, including a good summary rebuttal of the Khazari Theory (starting about the 21 minute mark). For those who haven’t heard of that theory before, it basically states that all Ashkenazi (i.e., German) Jews are actually Turks that converted to Judaism. Ergo, the Jews we know today supposedly aren’t really the Jews, so it’s okay to hate them. Chris does an excellent job of putting a stake in the heart of this rather popular bit of anti-Semitism.
About the only thing that I raised an eyebrow on is that in the context of discussing a certain segment of the Jewish people who are leaving Israel because they think she is doomed to be destroyed–and was in fact set up by the world for that express purpose–he raises the possibility that they are essentially right but that what Satan meant for evil, the Holy One was using for good. While I appreciate the fact that he is ultimately giving glory to God, I think we need to nip the idea that Satan is behind the rebirth of Israel or the coming Temple in any way, shape, or form in the bud.
Scripture is very clear (see Ezekiel 36-37 in particular) that the Eternal One takes full and sole credit for resurrecting Israel from the dead. In fact, He does so not for the sake of the Jews, but for the sake of His own reputation (36:21ff). To give the Adversary even the possibility of any credit at all is to dishonor the Holy One.
Anyway, other than that quibble, I thought Chris did an excellent job on the subject. He already gets far more views than I do, but hopefully this will serve to give him a few more.
Shalom.
The Return of Benjamin 
Scripture is very clear (see Ezekiel 36-37 in particular) that the Eternal One takes full and sole credit for resurrecting Israel from the dead. In fact, He does so not for the sake of the Jews, but for the sake of His own reputation (36:21ff).
Do you have, know of, a post or article in this vein?
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Dang, you’re fast. :)
What are you looking for in an article?
Shalom.
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Shalom uvracha Michael,
Interesting, do you think that the next Temple that will be rebuilt – the one anti-Messiah will sit in and mandate to be worshiped is the Ezekiel Temple?
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I’m pretty sure it is. For one thing, I like the symbolism of a Temple redeemed from the Antichrist. It would make the three Temples much like the Parable of the Sower:
The First Temple is the man who receives the Word/Sh’khinah with gladness and quickly springs up, but the cares of the world (e.g., idolatry) enter in and eventually strangle him to destruction.
The Second Temple is like the hard dirt of the path in which the Word/Sh’khinah came, but could not take root at all because of its hardness.
The Third Temple is a picture of redemption, built without the Word/Sh’khinah dwelling inside and under the dominion for a time by the Prince of this World, but redeemed out of bondage by the Word Made Flesh, who then dwells in it and sits upon its throne to direct it in true worship of the Living God.
For another, I know the Jewish groups preparing for the rebuilding of the Temple want to base it on Ezekiel’s prophecy.
It is possible, of course, that they won’t be able to build it as large or as grand as Ezekiel describes it due to finances, politics, or whatever. In this case, you may have a situation much like with the Second Temple where an initially relatively humble structure is expanded and beautified later.
Shalom
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