- 1 Ashkenazim is not Hebrew or Shemetic
- 2 Why did God allow this to happen to His people?
- 3 Japheth, Esau and Canaan are now globally known as Israel
The identity of the people known worldwide as Jews is an interesting one. In this post, I use the Apocryphal books and the Bible to illustrate that they are part Japheth and not Hebrew Israelites. With the aid of DNA data, I show that they are genetically indistinguishable from Cypriot Greeks, a people that are an admixture of Edom, Japheth and Canaan. The Most High uses paternal genealogy to identify the Hebrews but the Ashkenazim uses maternal genealogy. The ancient Israelites have multiple maternal lineages but only one paternal bloodline. The Ashkenazim however trace one maternal linage, but have multiple paternal genealogies.
If you have followed our recent postings on the lost tribes of Israel, you have probably wondered who are the present Ashkenazi Jews in the State of Israel and how do they fit into this whole narrative of dark skinned Hebrew tribes? I have also thought deeply about that and on why they call themselves Ashkenazi Jews.
Ashkenazim is not Hebrew or Shemetic
According to Genesis 10:2-3, Ashkenaz is the son of Gomer the son of Japheth, Noah’s eldest son. That suggests that Ashkenazi Jews are descended from the Japhetic bloodline and not from Shem; which consequently rules them out from being Hebrews.
An argument some make is that Ashkenazi is just the Hebrew word for German because a lot of the Jews were living in Germany. But why would they pick a name that identifies them with Germany when historically, there were many more Jews living in Russia? Analysis of a Wikipedia Y-DNA haplogroup table however shows that they are more genetically identical to Albanians, Armenians, Cyprian Greeks, Italians and Turks rather than to Germans or Russians.
Ashkenazi DNA is more European than Middle Eastern
They have similar J, G and E1b1b Y-DNA haplogroup ratios. In fact, they are more genetically identical to these European groups than they are to Middle Eastern populations.
Admittedly, the data in that table has other questionable issues like percentages not adding up to hundred and the missing numbers not included under the ‘others’ column. Perhaps there are other Y-DNA groups that are in the Ashkenazi Jewish population that are not included which would make the population more genetically divers than it already is. Interestingly, Wikipedia used the same study to compare the Ashkenazi Jews with the Middle Eastern populations and the data looked slightly different (see below yourself).
Haplogroups G, I and R1b now show additional data. This makes the Ashkenazi Jew Y-DNA distribution barely distinguishable from that of the Turks or Armenia and almost a duplicate of the Cypriot Greeks. The Nebel study total now adds up to 100%, but the Behar study is still not showing the missing 27.9% of data. I like to think it is an unintended omission on the part of Wikipedia.
Many Europeans are as genetically ‘Jewish’ as the Ashkenazim
If DNA determined Israel Jewish ancestry, then Albanians, Armenians, Greeks and Turks would probably form the bulk of the citizenry. The state of Israel however does not use DNA as proof of Jewishness; rather, it is the maternal family tree history that is utilized to determine ancestry. In itself, that is not the Hebrew way. The Bible describes the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not the God of Sarah, Rebecca and Leah.
Incidentally, mitochondrial DNA studies published in the prestigious journal Nature communications shows that maternal DNA from Ashkenazi Jews comes predominantly from Southern and Western Europe dating back several thousand years* (see reference at the bottom of the page).
Based on DNA alone, we can come to the conclusion that the Ashkenazi Jews have predominantly European genes. An alternate possibility is that a large chunk of Armenians, Albanians, Greeks and Turks could be Ashkenazi Jews. Either way, the presence of the Ashkenazi Jews in the State of Israel fulfills the prophecy in the Gospel of Luke:
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. – Luke 21:24
Japheth and Canaan often replaced Shem in the Holy land
The Hebrew Israelites have been taken away captive into other lands, and in their place are the gentiles who have control of Jerusalem. This may not be great news for the current inhabitants of Israel, but for the rest of humanity, it is fantastic. Why do I say this?
The Bible according to Luke 21:24 makes it clear that Jerusalem will be under the control of Gentiles (Japhetic bloodline, see Genesis 10:5). They will remain in charge until the end of the dispensation of Grace and the true seed of Jacob returns to possess the land. After that time, there will be no more grace, and God will refocus on Israel and his seed alone.
The fact that gentiles are in charge of Jerusalem means that there is still grace to save the non Israelite, otherwise, all our gospel preaching since 1948 has been in vain.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the Hebrew Israelites were replaced in the holy land, the Babylonians, Assyrians and Romans did the same. They expelled the Hebrews and brought in the heathen to live in the land.
Why did God allow this to happen to His people?
Israel rejected The Most High
We are all familiar with the story of Israel, how they continually rebelled against God even after they were established in the land of Canaan. They were repeatedly punished by being invaded and subject to taxation and captivity by the surrounding heathen nations. This rebellion is best underlined in the book of Judges, which was an endless cycle of rebellion, captivity, repentance, deliverance, and back to rebellion again.
At some point, God got fed up with things as they stood and decided to eject them as He had promised to do if they did not obey Him (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The children of Israel had lusted after strange Gods, and gone the way of the heathen Nations. They had moved God to anger and Jealousy by rejecting Him. So He decided to reject Israel and move her to Jealousy and anger.
I will move them to jealousy with those; which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. – Deuteronomy 32:21
What shall I do unto thee, O Jacob? Thou, Juda, wouldest not obey me: I will turn me to other nations, and unto those will I give my name, that they may keep my statutes. Seeing ye have forsaken me, I will forsake you also; when ye desire me to be gracious unto you, I shall have no mercy upon you. – 2 Esdras 1:24-25
Your houses will I give to other people that shall come; which not having heard of me yet shall believe; to whom I have shewed no signs, yet they shall do that I have commanded them. They have seen no prophets, yet they shall call their sins to remembrance and acknowledge them. – 2 Esdras 1:35-36
The kings of Judah failed. Therefore he gave their power unto others, and their glory to a strange nation. – Eccleciasticus 49
God therefore promoted aliens
The kings, and the people had rejected the Most High. God therefore called a different nation, one that never knew Him. A nation without prophets or priests, a nation that has never seen God’s miracle, but one that will keep His law and statutes nonetheless.
This nation believes in God, but does not know Him. Having neither priest nor prophet, they do not practice the faith of the patriarchs with the accompanying ritual sacrifices. Neither do they practice faith in the slain and risen Messiah. Instead, they adopt a form of Judaism forged in the captivity of Babylon; which relegates the law at the expense of the traditions of men (Talmud).
Nevertheless, God will give them His name (2 Esdras 1:24) and the world will refer to them as Israel (Revelation 2:9, 3:9). The land and the blessings of God’s people were passed on to a strange people who were not a people before. This people shall be raised high, but the true Israel shall be made low (Deuteronomy 28:41).
Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. – Lamentations 5
A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire? Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. – Psalm 79:1-8
The heathen posses God’s heritage
God’s inheritance is in the hands of a heathen nation that is called by His name. From our analysis above, this people are probably the bloodline of Japheth (in part at least). Incidentally, The presence of the Ashkenazi Jews in Israel also fulfills the prophecy given through Noah:
God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. – Genesis 9:27
The word enlarged used here is פָּתָה (pāṯāh) which does does not simply mean roomy, but to morals as in to delude or deceive. Let me put this passage to you using simpler words. Japheth will be deluded into thinking that he can deceive his way into establishing himself permanently in the tents (place/stead) of Shem. He shall take the name, the home and the life of Shem as his own; a classic case of impersonation.
Does that mean that I believe all the Jews in Israel are deliberately impersonating the Hebrew Israelites? Absolutely not! In fact, I think that most Ashkenazi Jews around the world genuinely believe that they are the true Hebrews described in the Bible. God has allowed them and most of the world to believe this delusion (פָּתָהK1 Kings 22:21-23).
Japheth, Esau and Canaan are now globally known as Israel
And Canaan shall be his servant. A lookup of the word Canaan in Strong’s dictionary gives us (1) the son of Ham and (2) merchants. Perhaps someday we will do a more detailed study on Canaan, but today, I will focus on the merchant side.
We are however all familiar with the history of how the Europeans decimated the indigenous people of the Americas and Australia. These were identified as the lands and people of Ham in my previous post here. And Canaan shall be his servant; this could also symbolically (in addition to the physical meaning) be speaking about how global commerce has been hijacked by the Ashkenazim. We see it in the stock exchange (Bernie Madoff?), banking and finance (Federal Reserve Bank?), News and Entertainment industry (mainstream media, Hollywood?) and even in the transatlantic slave trade. The same people have dominated all these sectors and determine what the rest of the world gets or knows.
A mixed nation comprising Japheth, Esau and Canaan now identify as Jews. How did this come about? By careful planning and a slow execution of those racial mixing plans over centuries (see here for details)
Greeks (Japheth) became Jews
Perhaps you are wondering how the Ashkenazi Jews got into Judaism if they are not Hebrews? There is a passage in Maccabees that might help us out.
Antiochus made the Jews citizens and he became a Jew and proclaimed God through all the nations that he went. Hence Greeks (Japheth) became Jews till this day. – 2 Maccabees 9:14-17
This passage in the apocryphal book explains how Europeans became Jews during the Greek Era. Antiochus spread Judaism through Europe and the East; wherever he went. It is no wonder the Apocrypha was removed from the King James Version of the Bible in 1826.
The DNA comparison I showed above showed that the Ashkenazi Jew Y-DNA haplogroup profile was almost a duplicate of the Cypriot Greeks group. This passage in Maccabees probably explains why that is so.
The role of Antiochus
The Greeks became Jews in the days of Antiochus and they sought to make Jerusalem their home. This has been the goal of the gentiles for centuries. It is the basis for all the centuries of crusader wars and Japhetic attempts to control Jerusalem.
And when he had gathered about fourscore thousand with all the horsemen, he came against the Jews, thinking to make the city an habitation of the Gentiles. – 2 Maccabees 11:2
Finally, there is a passage I will refer to:
A bastard shall dwell in Ashdod and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. – Zechariah 9:6
This passage in Zechariah talks about judgment upon the people followed by salvation.
Today, when we talk about bastards, we generally understand it to be a child born out of wedlock. However, that is not the Bible meaning of a bastard.
A look at the Strong’s dictionary indicates that the word used means a mongrel (born of a mixed race union). So the Bible is saying that a mixed race people will live at Ashdod; the largest port city in Israel. So, are the Ashkenazim a mixed race people? Absolutely.
Note that this prophecy was given in the post-Babylonian Era when the Jews has already returned from exile. So this race mixing was a future event. I believe this occupation of Ashdod by a mongrel race was fulfilled in May 14, 1948.
God uses Paternal not maternal lineage to determine geneology
A DNA profile of the average Ashkenazim will show European, African, Asian and Neanderthal admixture in every one of them. They are not a homogeneous group; instead they have been mixing with all the other races throughout their history; just like the Greeks.
Using maternal ancestry to determine Jewishness only amplifies this genetic mixing. Take a look at North Africa, the Greeks ruled the region for a while spreading their seed and genes in the region. Then came the Romans and the Moors all doing the same. This give rise to today’s North Africa and Middle East, a very genetically heterogeneous pool of people with inputs from all three bloodlines.
Ashkenazim is no more Hebrew than the 12 tribes chart
The Hebrew however are a homogeneous people, they do not practice race mixing. This is one of the reasons why I disagree with the 12 tribes chart of Hebrew Israelites that is circulating on the Internet. The Latinos are a mixed race people and cannot according to God’s word be Hebrew Israelites or members of the 12 tribes.
In concluding, this post is not written to chastise Japheth or Ashkenazim, but to point out that God has not lost control of the world He created. Everything we see happening does so only because God permits it. He even turns it around for the good of the heathen and gentile nations. For as long as the Hebrew Israelites are in captivity or exile, the kingdom of Satan will continue to be depopulated through salvation grace in the blood of the risen Messiah.
The gentiles will have access to the throne of Grace and entry into the commonwealth of Israel. God turns every hardship into a blessing and He outsmarts the wise that seek to overturn His counsel.
*Marta D. Costa, Joana B. Pereira, Maria Pala, Verónica Fernandes, Anna Olivieri, Alessandro Achilli, Ugo A. Perego, Sergei Rychkov, Oksana Naumova, Jiři Hatina, Scott R. Woodward, Ken Khong Eng, Vincent Macaulay, Martin Carr, Pedro Soares, Luísa Pereira, Martin B. Richards. A substantial prehistoric European ancestry amongst Ashkenazi maternal lineages. Nature Communications, 2013; 4 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3543
Some data used came from youtube ‘Esau is not the white man’ by user Yah-God Everything.
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