Beginning with the Old Testament patriarch Abraham, God began to build a nation, later called Israel, which he raised up for a special, world=blessing purpose. Following Adam and Eve’s fall, He chose the nation of Israel to be His “chosen generation,” His “royal priesthood, His  “holy nation,” His “peculiar people” (Exo. 19:6/Ps. 135:4). Because of this He gave them what I refer to as His “light commission,” stating that His chosen ones were to obey His Law, thereby making them a “light to the Gentiles.” A “Gentile” (heathen) is anyone who is not a biological Israelite–a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who was renamed Israel. In Isaiah 42:6 God spoke to Israel, saying: “I the Lord have called you in righteousness, and I will hold your hand, and will keep you and give you for a covenant of the people, for a light to the Gentiles. “The people” meant “Gentiles.” Note that God was speaking to and about the Tribes of Israel who would serve as His light to the rest of the world. He also stated that the Gentiles, who lived in spiritual darkness, would “come to your light” (Isa. 60:3) because they would see Him (God) in them. Through their obedience to Him, God would manifest Himself through them and would be the light seen by the Gentiles among whom they would eventually live (Isa. 60:20).

But Israel failed to fulfill the Lord’s commission. Instead of being the light that destroyed Satan’s darkness, they embraced his darkness. As a result the Lord sent the Word Who, by becoming a man like all other men, became His Son Who would bring His Father’s light to His chosen people–Israel, most of whom to this day do not know that they are Israelites. Due to having lived among the heathen Gentiles for many generations, and having taken on their spiritual characteristics, hundreds of millions of self- professed Gentiles are not aware that they are in fact Israelites. It was to three Israelite tribes (Judah, Benjamin and Levi–called “Jews”) that God sent His Son Who, in 27 A.D. announced that He was their Messiah. In John 3:19 and 8:12 He proclaimed that light had come into the world and that He was the light Whom God had sent to the Lost Sheep of Israel (Mat. 15:24) whom He had scattered throughout the world due to their rebellion against Him. See White Fields. To be continued. L. J.