“NATIONS”
by Brother Don Sewing
Fowarded by Pastor Charles Dowell Jr.

Since this article was written it has been modified to use the correct name of the Messiah as to our date. The Brother has been through many changes and has now repented and is sticking with the Truth. Glory!!!

Pastor Dowell’s comments. You will need to have a working knowledge of the Scriptures to understand this article. It cannot be a personal opinion or and idea, you have put mental ascent to. It must come from Truth. The fact is, Jesus, Moses nor any of the Hebrew Israelites were of Caucasian descent can easily be proven. The establish religions today have done everything to paint an image into our minds as to the color of the people of God. I would suggest, that you do your own study. You will find out that God has a people a nation of people that are HIS. Not just one color of people. I express this as a fact, because of the lies that have been handed down throughout the ages. Black people have been made to feel inferior in America and the British Isles because of the history they have handed down to us.

I personally believe according to the scriptures, NO flesh of any color will enter into the Kingdom of God. However the fact remains, that Jesus was not White. I am sure this will offend many people. That is none of my business. Truth will not be concealed based on the color of one skin. But in order for us to understand history, we must base everything we believe on facts, not based on what we have been told. We in this country have been trained, but not educated in the Word of God. YAH will saved all who believe on His Son, And those who life style reflects the change that only HE can bring about. Makes no difference of the color! I challenge any preacher, teacher or student to bring facts as written by the scriptures. All of this nonsense of trying to decide what color are Gods people is nothing but natural carnality. But it is time, and has been high time, for the people to know the truth about this subject. I just so happened to be a man that does not care what an ignorant, uninformed being believe. I have an audio message in great detail preached about this subject. If you would like to obtain a copy of this message then please write and send an offering to help cover postage and handling.

NATIONS

By Don Sewing

Greetings in the strong name of Jesus the Messiah, to them that have obtained like precious faith and are earnestly contending for the faith once delivered unto the saints. Truly it is a blessing to worship the Mighty One in Spirit and in truth, being filled with His Spirit and walking according to His Torah.
The reason for this writing is to address the issue of “race” relations in The Body of Messiah. This issue is addressed from the perspective of Torah because too many times we hear this issue addressed from secular and political perspectives which offer worldly rather than spiritual solutions.
The “race” issue needs to be rescued from the false Messiahs (false pagan Christians) who use it to foment anger, bitterness, and resentment in people of color rather than forgiveness, healing, and restoration. Prayerfully approach this writing with an open heart to truth. May this writing prove to be a moral and a spiritual challenge to brothers and sisters of all nations to live up to the claim of being those who keep the commandments of The Mighty One and the faith of Yahshua Messiah.

For the purposes of easier reading and reference, I have divided this writing into the following sections:

SECTION I: THE ORIGIN OF MAN

SECTION II: “RACES” OR NATIONS?

SECTION III: TORAH PERSPECTIVE

SECTION IV: MARRIAGE IN THE BALANCE

SECTION V: OUR RESPONSIBILITY.





SECTION I: THE ORIGIN OF MAN

Did we all descend from Adam ( and Noah )?

“And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” ( Gen. 1:26, 27 )

The Hebrew word ‘man’ in this passage of scripture is the same Hebrew word for ‘Adam’. The root word for ‘Adam/man’, which is #120 in Strong’s, is a word from #119 in Strong’s which is often translated as ‘red’, such as “Ram’s skins dyed red” ( Ex. 25:5 ), “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red” ( Pr. 23:31 ), or though our sins be “red like crimson”
( Isa. 1:18 ).
Whereas Mr. Strong has otherwise done a generally good work in constructing his concordance, here he has drawn the conclusion in his definition that this word for “red”, from which we get the word “Adam/man”, means to ‘show blood in the face’. This definition is a cornerstone for many “white” separatist groups that proclaim that since only the “white” man shows blood in his face, the word “Adam/man” only refers to the “white” man, and that people of color are of a “different creation”.

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
( Gen. 1:24, 25 )

Because the word “living creature” can also be translated “living soul” as in Gen. 2:7, the conclusion has been drawn that people of color were created before Adam. There are those that go even further and say that these people were the “beasts” that were created in the above passage of scripture. If we rightly divide this passage, we will see that the term “living creature/soul” is a generic term for the cattle, creeping things, and beasts, for in verse 25 the scripture only mentions those three and not the “living creature/soul” specifically ( also see Gen. 9:10 ). Furthermore, these beings were delineated by “kinds” as were all plants and animals, whereas all throughout scripture, men of all colors and ethnicities are delineated by “nations” and never by “kinds”. Also note that these beings were not made in the image of YahVeh.
It should be “all scripture” that is our criteria for determining truth. That criteria is applied to the “White Adamic race” doctrine in the remainder of this section.
In Exodus ch.9, there are many references to the plagues of Egypt coming upon “man and beast”. As we know that the children of Israel were sheltered from these plagues in Goshen, this was most certainly referring to the Egyptian people and their livestock. The word for “man” used in those references is same as the word for “Adam”. Therefore to say that the word “Adam/man” only refers to the “white” man, one must also say that the Egyptians were “white” people. Archaeology shows that the Egyptians were many shades of color. It also shows that the majority of these people were people of color. Generally, faith should not rely upon science for its basis. Yet, should the rich archaeological history of Egypt be set aside in favor of an ambiguous definition in Strong’s concordance?

“And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.” ( Lev. 24:17, 18 )

Again the word for “man” here is the same as the word for “Adam”. Does this mean that there is only a penalty for killing a “white” man? Does this mean that if one kills a person of color, then they only have to make it good, beast for beast? Could this have been the mentality of the European slave traders who religiously justified the deaths of tens of millions of African slaves during the slave trade? After all, if the African people were a “different creation” and sub-human, why should the slave traders have been concerned about incurring the judgment of YahVeh for their actions?
How is it that there were people created before Adam if Adam was the “first man”
( I Cor. 15:45 )? Do people of color need to be redeemed if only “in Adam all die”
( I Cor 15:22 )? Can there be separate creations of man when Eve was the “mother of all living” ( Gen. 3:20 )? Why do women of color have pain in childbearing ( Gen. 3:16 )? To some of you these may be elementary questions. Yet, my intent is to reach out in compassion toward those who are sincerely seeking YahVeh that have been indoctrinated with teachings like these. May The Spirit of Yah guide them out of these teachings and into all truth.

“And behold, I , even I , do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.” ( Gen. 6:17 )

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by The Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:”
( II Pet. 3:5, 6 )

“And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;” ( II Pet. 2:5 )

“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” ( I Pet. 3:20 )

There is another belief held by some that the “other races” of men ( i.e. people of color ) survived the flood in addition to Noah and his family. This assertion is based largely on a narrow definition of the Hebrew word for ‘earth’, which can mean the whole earth, or a region, depending on the context. The word ‘earth’ is assumed to mean only a region of the world by those holding to this belief. Therefore it is put forth that these “other races” of men survived because they were in a region other than that of Noah.
Brothers and sisters, does the whole counsel of Scripture confirm this belief? Did YahVeh destroy all flesh “in the earth” AND “under heaven”? If the word for ‘earth’ only means a particular region and not the whole earth, what are we going to do with the phrase “under heaven”? Does not Scripture say that YahVeh “spared not the old world” and that “the world that then was…perished”? What about Noah being the “eighth person”, seeing that “eight souls were saved by water”?
Scripture overwhelmingly declares that the flood was worldwide and that only eight people survived. The only way to assert that people of color did not descend from Adam and Noah is to say that they were among the “beasts” which were taken onto the ark, “by two and two”. Furthermore, one would have to believe that these “beast races” do not have souls since only eight souls were saved by water.


SECTION II: “RACES” OR NATIONS?

I have heretofore used the word “race” in quotation marks because the term is not Scriptural. It is a man made concept. “Race” is a term popularized by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution which classifies men primarily by the color of their skin. Furthermore, this theory along with other such theories puts the darker skinned “races” at the bottom of the chain, next to apes, and put the lighter skinned “races” at the top of the chain, next to gods. Does not the “beast race” doctrine bear a much closer resemblance to these evolutionary theories than to Scripture? If Satan is the ultimate source of these evolutionary theories, then from whom came this “beast race” doctrine?

“By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.” ( Gen. 10:5 )

“These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.” ( v. 20 )

“These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.” ( vv. 31, 32 )

YahVeh divided man into “nations” after the flood, whereas in the beginning he divided the animals and plants into “kinds”. These terms are not interchangeable. In other words, there are no “nations of beasts” or “kinds of men” in Scripture. Nowhere in Scripture will one find men classified as “black men”, “white men”, “red men”, “yellow men”, etc. While one may find general physical descriptions as in the Song of Solomon ( 1:5 & 5:10 ), the classification of man is always by nations. The word for nations (“goyim” in Hebrew and “ethnos” in Greek ) is defined as ‘nationality or ethnicity’. To employ the term “race”, which is very similar to “kind”, and then apply it to man is without Scriptural support. These “racially” divisive doctrines are simply unScriptural.
Henceforth, I will employ the term nations rather than “races” except in cases where leaving the term “races” may better aid in understanding.

Genetic Science

“And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;”
( Acts 17:26 )

This is indeed a strong witness that all nations of men came from Adam, and furthermore, from Noah. This is the only conclusion that we can come to if we use the whole counsel of scripture for our guide. Genetic science provides us with yet another strong witness of this truth. The term “race”, according to genetics, has no real scientific value. There are about 6 genes out of 100,000 that account for skin color. Furthermore, 85% of genetic differences occur between people of the SAME skin color whereas 15% of genetic differences occur between people of DIFFERENT skin color. In other words, if you are “white”, then you are likely to have more genetic similarities with non-“whites” than with other “whites”. One might think it to be the other way around.
A more thorough explanation of how genetic science supports the “one blood” truth of Scripture can be found in the book, “One Blood – The Biblical Answer to Racism” by Ken Ham, Dr. Carl Wieland, and Dr. Don Batten, published by Master Books.

“And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be YahVeh God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.” ( Gen. 9:20-27 )

Amongst those who do consider people of color to be descendants of Adam and Noah, the “Curse of Canaan” doctrine is yet another attempt to justify “racial” supremacy. Many believe that Noah pronounced a curse upon all “black” people in this passage of scripture.
Once again, the criteria of “all scripture” is applied in this instance to this teaching in the remainder of this section.
First of all, Noah cursed Canaan, Ham’s son, and not Ham because Ham had already been blessed ( Gen. 9:1 ).
Secondly, this “servant of servants” curse upon Canaan came to pass in Scripture as a result of being conquered by the Israelites (who themselves were once servants of the Egyptians). Many of the Canaanites were destroyed at this time and they were left few in number.
Thirdly, most “black” people in our day did not descend from Canaan, but rather from the three other sons of Ham, which were Cush ( Ethiopia ), Mizraim ( Egypt ), and Phut ( Libya ).
The proponents of this belief point to the condition of poverty and servitude experienced by many of the world’s “black” people. What they tend to forget is that Egypt and Ethiopia reigned as great empires for many years after this curse was pronounced. Also, earlier in history the Western Europeans were backward and barbaric peoples. Furthermore, Eastern European people were once sold into slavery to Muslims. My point here is that slavery and servitude historically were not exclusively a “black thing”. These have been experienced at some point in time by all nations of men.


The New Creation

“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: Yea, though we have known Messiah after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Therefore if any man be in Messiah, He is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” ( II Cor. 5:16, 17 )

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
( Jn. 1:13, 14 )

Those of us who are born again, of water and of The Spirit, have become a new creation altogether, regardless of our ethnic origins. If there is such a thing as “race” as it pertains to man, then there are two "races": the Adam “race”, born after the flesh, and The Messiah “race”, born after The Spirit. According to Scripture, we as The Messiah “race” are born of a different seed than those who are of the Adam “race”:

“Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woolen come upon thee.” ( Lev. 19:19 )

“Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.” ( Deut. 22:9 )

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” ( I Pet. 1:23 )

Many try to use the first two of the above scriptures to make a case against marriage between the nations. Their argument is that such a union would be a mingling of divers seeds, and thus, a defilement of the creation of YahVeh. The above scripture from I Peter, however, makes it clear that those of us who are born again, regardless of our ethnic origins, are of the same incorruptible seed. The mingling against which YahVeh commands now, as he also did under the first covenant, is that of mingling with those of the corruptible seed, or unbelievers:

“Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.” ( Deut. 22:10 )

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?”
( II Cor. 6:14 )


SECTION III: TORAH PERSPECTIVE

“And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to YahVeh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.” ( Ex. 12:48 )

“Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” ( Ex. 22:21 )

“Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” ( Ex. 23:9 )

“And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am YahVeh your God.” ( Lev. 19:33, 34 )

The word ‘stranger’, as written in The Scriptures above, refers to those who were foreigners dwelling in the land of Israel. A modern equivalent would be the “racial” and ethnic minorities in the United States. In His infinite wisdom, we see that YahVeh allowed the children of Israel to experience the cruel bondage of slavery in Egypt in order to teach them to be compassionate towards strangers once they were to be delivered and given their own land. It is interesting to note that twice we see that the stranger is to be “as one that is born in the land/among you”. It is part of our corrupt, sinful, human nature to magnify the differences which we have with one another, and to love those who are different, not as ourselves as commanded in Scripture, but rather less than ourselves. YahVeh puts a special emphasis on loving the stranger. It is true that all are commanded to "love your neighbor as yourself". Yet, YahVeh puts great responsibility on those who have social advantage, "…for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…" ( Lk. 12: 48 )
The strangers referred to in Torah primarily referred to Egyptians who came out of Egypt with the children of Israel. These historically were, in today’s terminology, “black” people. This is evidenced by today’s Arab population which descended from Ishmael who himself was half Egyptian and half Hebrew. Many Arabs have some “black” facial features, yet their skin is generally lighter and their hair is generally of a finer texture.

The stranger in covenant VS. the heathen nations

YahVeh commanded that the stranger be loved as oneself and treated as homeborn in the nation of Israel. Does this mean that there is a “universal brotherhood of all mankind”? Certainly not, for there were certain nations of men from which the children of Israel were separated. For what reason did YahVeh command this separation? Was the issue skin color, nationality, or rather was it COVENANT? A superficial understanding of the following verses have caused some to assert that YahVeh commands His people against marrying those of a different skin color or ethnicity.
One more time, the criteria of “all scripture” is applied in this instance to this teaching in the remainder of this section.

“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them ( the 7 Canaanite nations ); 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 YahVeh be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.” ( Deut. 7:3, 4 )

“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of YahVeh; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of YahVeh for ever: because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.” ( Deut. 23:3, 4 )

These two passages of Scripture clearly show that not everyone in the world was to be treated the same. There were people from whom YahVeh separted His people. Is there any indication in these passages that this separation was based upon skin color or ethnicity? Were not the reasons for separation based upon the behavior of these heathen nations?
There are other problems with the assertion that YahVeh separates “His people” from those of a different skin color or nationality. Israel was not ( and is not ) a “racially” homogeneous nation. Two of the Israelite tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, were fathered by the two sons of Joseph ( a Hebrew ) whom he bore by Asenath ( an Egyptian ) ( Gen. 41:45, 50-52 ). ( *Interesting note: Many professing believers, who claim to be of the “White Israelite” “race” and discriminate against people of color, firmly believe that they descended from one of these two tribes. Figure that one out. )
Also, a mixed multitude came up out of Egypt with the Hebrews ( Ex. 12:38 ) and became a part of the nation of Israel. This shows that the Egyptians and the Hebrews mixed with one another even before the exodus from Egypt.
Scriptures brought forth in this writing thus far make clear a difference between how the children of Israel were to deal with the strangers who came into covenant with YahVeh, and how they were to deal with the heathen nations. We see that both groups, the strangers and the heathens, were often composed of people of color. Skin color was not the determining factor of separation.
In the next section, the application of these commandments throughout Scripture is examined. This will give better understanding of how these commandments are to be applied in our time.

The application of the commandments by the children of Israel

Since YahVeh commanded Israel to love the strangers as themselves and receive those who came into covenant as homeborn, how far did this go? Did this include marriage? Or did they draw the line at marriage?

“And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith YahVeh God.” ( Ezek. 47:22, 23 )

The strangers were held in such high regard by YahVeh that they were to be given an inheritance along with the children of Israel. This was one way in which they were to be received as homeborn.

RAHAB

“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” ( Heb. 11:31 )

“Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” ( Jas. 2:25 )

“And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” ( Jos. 6:25 )

What a wonderful testimony of Rahab, a Canaanitess who was delivered by faith from the destruction of Jericho. The Canaanites were historically a medium to dark skinned people descended from Ham, as were Mizraim ( Egypt ) and Cush ( Ethiopia ). In today’s terminology, they would have been considered a different “race” than the Israelites.
Scripture declares that Rahab dwelt in Israel after escaping the destruction of Jericho. Did you ever wonder what happened to her afterwards?

“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab ( Rahab in Greek: 4477 in Strong’s ); and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” ( Mt. 1:5 )

Rahab, a Canaanite stranger who came into covenant with YahVeh, also married into the Israelite lineage by way of Salmon of the house of Judah. We know that this is historically accurate because Salmon was a part of the “Joshua generation” ( the sixth generation from the twelve sons of Israel ) who entered the promised land and conquered Jericho ( I Chr. 2:3-11 ). Furthermore, RAHAB WAS IN THE LINEAGE OF YAHSHUA THE MESSIAH. If “racial” purity were such a concern of YahVeh, why in the world would he have allowed a Canaanite to be in the lineage of the pure and undefiled Messiah?

RUTH

“And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people will be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: YahVeh do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” ( Ruth 1:16, 17 )

In this famous passage of Scripture where Ruth the Moabitess would not take "No" for an answer, we see another example of a stranger coming into covenant with YahVeh. I have heard it said that Ruth was not really a Moabitess, but rather an Israelite woman that dwelt in Moab. What saith the scripture?

“Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I AM A STRANGER?” ( Ruth 2:10; emphasis mine )

“Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, THOUGH I BE NOT LIKE UNTO ONE OF THINE HANDMAIDS.” ( Ruth 2:13; e.m. )

From the witness of scripture, we clearly see that Ruth was a foreign born woman who was different from the other Israelite women. Notice how she was treated when she had come into covenant with YahVeh:

“And Boaz answered and said unto her, it hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. YahVeh recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of YahVeh God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” ( Ruth 2:11, 12)

Seeing that Torah commands such a one to be received as homeborn, did this include marriage in the case of Ruth?

“And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. YahVeh make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: and let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which YahVeh shall give thee of this young woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, YahVeh gave her conception, and she bare a son.”
( Ruth 4:11-13 )

YahVeh, the elders, and the people of Israel blessed this marriage. This is yet another example in Scripture that receiving the stranger as homeborn did not exclude marriage. Ruth, like Rahab, was also in the lineage of Yahshua the Messiah. Ruth and Rahab are specifically mentioned here because they were born in heathen nations from whom YahVeh commanded the children of Israel to separate. The difference is that these two women had come into covenant with YahVeh, thus they became as homeborn.
Moses himself married a stranger, an Ethiopian woman, and was declared to be “FAITHFUL IN ALL MINE HOUSE” by YahVeh, even after this marriage, showing that he did not sin ( Num. 12:1-10, spec. v. 7 ). Also, Torah made a provision for the men of war to find a wife among the foreign, heathen nations in times of war ( Deut. 21:10-14 ).
Some beautiful examples have been demonstrated in which the children of Israel fulfilled the commandment of Torah to receive the stranger as homeborn. However, did the children of Israel always love strangers and receive them as homeborn?

“In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my Sabbaths.”
( Ezek. 22:7, 8 )

“The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: Yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.”
( Ezek. 22:29 )

A further look at this chapter shows that Israel was in a time of great apostasy when these words were spoken. The people were immersed in such sins as idolatry, adultery, covetousness, laying with menstruous women, etc. The failure to love the stranger as oneself and receive him as homeborn was listed among these gross sins. If the same is taking place in the body of Messiah today then are we not in a state of great apostasy as well?
Examples from Scripture have been given where foreign-born people were allowed to come into covenant with YahVeh and marry within the nation of Israel. Following are other examples from scripture in which YahVeh separated the children of Israel from foreigners.

“Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. And Shecheniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken stranger wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.” ( Ezra 10:1-3 )

Here we have an example of the children of Israel being separated from foreigners, and more specifically from the Canaanites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites
( Ezra 9:1 ) These passages of scripture are often used to preached “racial” separatism. Was “race” the issue in this example of separation? What about Rahab the Canaanitess marrying Salmon? What about Ruth the Moabitess marrying Boaz? Was not the separating factor COVENANT rather than skin color or ethnicity? Was the real issue the fact that the children of Israel did “according to their abominations” ( Ezra 9:1 ) and that these people were referred to as the “people of these abominations” ( Ezra 9:14 )? Is there a clear difference which Scripture makes between the strangers who came into covenant with YahVeh, and the “people of these abominations”?


SECTION IV: MARRIAGE IN THE BALANCE

Most of the content of this writing has centered upon the issue of marriage between the nations because I have found it to be the most controversial of all “race” issues in the body of Messiah. There are relatively few of those who profess faith in Yahshua the Messiah who will not fellowship with those of other nations. However, there are many who will fellowship but will not marry with those of other nations. There are “blacks” who will not marry “whites” as well as “whites” who will not marry “blacks”. That is probably the case with all nations in between. I have sought YahVeh much in prayer for His wisdom and counsel on this matter, and this is the place to which I have come:

TWO EXTREMES:

#1: NEVER LAWFUL/NEVER EXPEDIENT ( FORCED SEGREGATION )

“But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” ( Jas. 2:9 )

I have dealt much with this extreme throughout this writing. Those on this extreme believe that marriage between the nations is wrong, and many of these people are strongly evangelistic about their belief. Sin is the trangression of Torah. This writing has demonstrated with Scripture that YahVeh separates His people on the basis of covenant rather than by skin color or ethnicity. There is no basis in scripture for “racial” divisions. Those who promote this belief are promoting the sin of respecting persons. Teaching that marriage with people of other nations is wrong indirectly teaches that something is wrong with those people merely because of their skin color or ethnicity. The promotion of this doctrine of “racial” supremacy is a far cry from the Master’s call to be “last of all, and servant of all”, “in honor, preferring one another”, and to “each esteem other better than themselves”.


#2: ALWAYS LAWFUL/ALWAYS EXPEDIENT ( FORCED INTEGRATION )

“Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” ( Rom. 14:22 )

Those on this extreme believe that those who do not desire to marry those of other nations for any reason are “racist”. Whereas I have found the first extreme to be more common among “whites”, I have also found this second extreme to be more common among “blacks”. Such a position leaves no room for personal choice and turns the healthy promotion of awareness of “racism” into a witch-hunt. This belief also promotes hypocrisy in that if a “black” brother or sister does not desire to “marry out”, no questions are asked. However, if a “white” brother or sister does not desire to do so, they are “suspect” at the very least. There are those within today’s “Civil Rights” establishment that promote such thinking. They are masterful at stirring up bitterness and resentment among their followers. Their rantings and ravings are a far cry from the Scriptural admonition to “follow peace with all men”, even in the face of injustice. Such people contribute as much to the “race” problems in America as Ku Klux Klan.

There is also a difference between having a healthy openness to marriage with those of other nations and having a carnal fetish for someone “different”. Such a fetish is idolatry. Many major newspapers carry such ads in their “Personals” section as “Salt seeking Pepper”, “Ebony seeking Ivory”, etc. There are those who legitimately seek companionship with others regardless of differences. There are others who wrongfully seek companionship BECAUSE OF the differences and exclude those of their own skin color or ethnicity.
Although most of this writing casts marriage between the nations in a favorable light, a clear separation from this second extreme is herewith noted. Such marriage should not be promoted in and of itself, but rather holy marriage in Yahshua regardless of the skin color or ethnicity of those involved should be promoted.

THE BALANCE OF TRUTH: ( ALWAYS LAWFUL/NOT ALWAYS EXPEDIENT )

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient…” ( I Cor. 6:12a )

Assuming that all other Scriptural criteria for marriage is met, marriage between the nations in Yahshua is always lawful. The truth of the matter, however, is that such marriage is not for everyone, nor should we try to make it so. Some are weak in faith ( see Rom. 14 ) and could not handle the pressure which could come from family, friends, society, etc. Others simply do not desire to marry in this way. Because such marriage is neither commanded nor condemned by YahVeh, we as the body of Messiah must respect the personal choice of our brothers and sisters, even if it differs from our own. Furthermore, whatever our personal choice may be, we must make sure that we are led of the Spirit, and that our motives are pure and not defiled by pride, fear, lust, etc.
We must also respect the sovereignty of YahVeh in the matter, especially in regard to what we teach our children. While it is wise to teach our children about the challenges which marrying someone of a different skin color or ethnicity could present in their lives, it may well be that YahVeh has chosen such a mate for our children. For us to close the door on this possibility would be to play "God".

But what about the “mixed” children?

This section would be incomplete without addressing this final concern which many in the body of Messiah have concerning marriage between the nations. The implication is that children from such marriages suffer from an “identity crisis” and receive ill treatment from their peers, therefore it is said that we as the body of Messiah should discourage such marriage for their sakes.
Children that do suffer from an “identity crisis” in this regard do so because of the gross ethnocentrism of our culture, even within the body of Messiah. If such children are taught that everyone of importance in Scripture is “white”, and that “white” is the standard for all of humanity, then it is understandable why they would have problems. If, however, we teach such children the truth that there were many great people in the Bible who were of mixed ethnicity
( Ephraim, Manasseh, Boaz, etc. ), and who were people of color ( Simon the Canaanite: a disciple of Yahshua [ Mt. 10:4; Mk. 3:18 ], Simon the Cyrenian who bore the cross of Yahshua
[ Mt. 27:32 ], Ebedmelech the Ethiopian who helped Jeremiah out of the dungeon [ Jer. 38:7-13; 39:15-18 ], etc. ), then there would be much less likelihood for such an “identity crisis”.
Concerning the issue of harassment and ill treatment of “mixed” children: blaming these problems on marriage between the nations is like blaming car thefts at the mall on rich people who bring their nice cars. The source of the problem is the children who are doing the harassing, and their parents who are not bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of YahVeh.

The Real “Identity Crisis”

The real “identity crisis” that faces The Body of Messiah today is that of what Kingdom we are to represent. Many “white” brothers and sisters know that “racial” division in The Body of Messiah is wrong and would like to oppose it, yet they yield to the pressure of being called a “nigger lover” who would make grandma “turn over in her grave”. Many “black” brothers and sisters also know that such division is wrong and would like to oppose it, yet they yield to the pressure of being called an “Uncle Tom” and a “sellout”. We must all choose this day whom we are going to serve, and whether we are of the kingdom of this world, or of The Kingdom of YahVeh. Our loyalty must be to Yahshua and our brothers and sisters of all nations rather than those who are simply of our own skin color or ethnicity.


SECTION V: OUR RESPONSIBILITY

In summary, the purpose of this writing has been to address the issue of relations between the nations in The Body of Messiah from a spiritual, Torah-centered perspective rather than from the often heard secular and political perspectives. Prayerfully, brothers and sisters of all nations will be challenged by this writing to come up higher in this area of our lives. One may ask, “How real is the problem of racism amongst those of us who claim to be true believers and filled with His Spirit?” Following is the experience of one:
A pastor who is a “black” man attended a primarily “white” United Pentecostal Church in his younger years. He, along with a few other “black” brothers were given permission to start a bus ministry whereby they would bus people in from the “black”neighborhood. This bus ministry was thriving. People were repenting, being baptized in The Name of The Saviour, and being filled with The Holy Spirit. Then, there was a deacons’ meeting wherein they discussed “concerns” about this bus ministry. One man stood up and said something to this effect, “If we let this bus ministry continue, then these niggers will come in here and marry our daughters”. The bus ministry was voted out. A reason was given that there was an accusation regarding mishandling the gas credit card. However, no evidence was provided. As a result, many people were shut out of this assembly and went back on their faith. Of course, Yah is able to keep those that are His own, nevertheless, the decision that these men made caused many people to stumble. By the way, a few months later, the bus ministry was restarted, only they bussed in elderly people from the “white” neighborhood this time.
Was this an isolated incident that almost never happens amongst those who profess faith in Yahshua? This writer knows of others and has talked with others who have personally experienced other such incidents. This is more common than many might like to believe.
The following question has been asked of this writer in times past: “What has been done in the past is past. What can we do about it today?” YahVeh has answer for us if we have an ear to hear what his Spirit saith unto us.

“For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” ( I Cor. 5:12, 13 )

The greatest sin in regard to relations between the nations in The Body of Messiah may not be committed by the extremists, but rather by the apathetic majority in their tolerance. There would have been no need for a “Civil Rights” movement had those who professed faith in Yahshua Messiah taken a stand and rooted this sin out of their midst in generations past. Because of their failure to stand, the "Civil" government was given more power to determine our "Rights" and used the "race" issue to accomplish this. Let us not repeat the same mistakes.

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish.” ( Lk. 14:28-30 )

Scripture declares all in Messiah are one, and that Yah does not tolerate “racial” or ethnic divisions in the Body. Taking a real stand on this issue will not come without a price. Salvation did not come without a price either. Our Lord and Savior shed his blood and laid down his life for our us. Is it too much to ask for members in The Body of Messiah to lay down their social privileges and the praises of men for the sake of healing and restoring our long standing divisions among the nations? The best thing to do to rectify the past is to stand for the truth on this issue whenever given the opportunity, and thus ensure that such divisions do not continue in the future. As Sabbath keepers, most are likely to come across those who make such divisions at some time or another. Remember that tolerance is not an option if we expect to enter into the kingdom of YahVeh ( see Lev. 19:17 & Pr. 24:11, 12 ).

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” ( Mk. 11:25, 26)

Finally, this is addressed to brothers and sisters of color. As tolerance of the sin of respecting persons is not allowed by YahVeh, neither is the sin of unforgiveness. Turn away from the false Messiahs who continually magnify the injustices which have been committed in order to manipulate emotions and win loyalties. Lay hold of Yahshua the true Messiah and forgive all wrongs of days past and generations past.

“Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, 'O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?'” ( Mt. 18:32, 33)

Do not be hypocrites and demand that “white” brothers and sisters pay up on their "hundred pence" debts ( Mt. 18:28 ) to you when The KING of kings has forgiven your debts to Him of "ten thousand talents" ( v. 24 ). Lay aside all fears and walk in faith which worketh by love.
You may ask, “Who are you to tell me these things?” I myself am a man of African descent. I am not exhorting you to do anything that I myself have not done. I am no stranger to the pain and suffering which has been caused by "racism", nor am I a stranger to the POWER which Yah has made available for all to be OVERCOMERS. Yah has brought me a long way in this area, and has even caused me to befriend people who have had “racist” beliefs. Through much prayer, patience, and love, I have seen His Spirit move and change their hearts. What He has done through me, He can do through all who are willing to yield to His Spirit. Blessed be The Name of YahVeh!

May God Bless you all is my prayer.

The King is Coming!!!