Every year at Christmas we are reminded of the remarkable prophecies concerning the birth death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and how they substantiate His deity and the faithfulness of God.

We’ve established here, here, here, and here that more than 2500 years ago, the prophets Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and others like them foretold many events that predict the coming of Jesus Christ and which are ultimately fulfilled by Him.

Jesus clearly reveals that Messianic prophecy points to Him. He said to the Jews, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These Scriptures testify about me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life…if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me, (John 5:39, 46. See also: Matthew 5:17, 21:42; 21:41-45;26:24,31,56; Mark 12:10; 14:27,62; Luke 4:16-21; 18:31-33; 22:37).

Messianic prophecy is one of the many infallible proofs concerning the truth of the gospel and Christ’s claims within it. Messianic prophecy shows us, among other things, the kind of Person the Messiah was to be when He came. It also reveals when and where He would arrive, and how He would be born. Here is a list of twenty-nine prophecies occurring in twenty-four hours in the experiences of Jesus of Nazareth.

1. He was to be sold for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14-15).
2. He was to be betrayed by a friend (Psalms 55:12-14; Matthew 26:47-50; John 13:18).
3. The money obtained was to be cast to the Potter (Zechariah 11:13; Matthew 27:3-10).
4. His disciples were to forsake Him (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:27).
5. He was to be accused by false witnesses (Psalms 55:11,109:2; Matthew 26:59, 60).
6. He would be struck on the cheek with a rod (Micah 5:1; Matthew 26:67).
7. He was to be beaten and spat upon (Isaiah 50:6; Luke 22:64).
8. His appearance was to be disfigured (Isaiah 42:14; Matthew 27:29,30).
9. He was to be silent before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-14; 1 Peter 1:23).
10. He was to be wounded and bruised (Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 27:26, 29).
11. His hands and feet were to be pierced (Psalms 22:16; Luke 23:33; John 20:25-27).
12. He was to be crucified with the wicked (Isaiah 53:12; Mark 15:27, 28).
13. The people were to ridicule Him (Psalms 22:8; Matthew 27:41, 43).
14. The people were to be astonished (Psalms 22:17; Isaiah 52:14; Luke 23:35).
15. He was to pray for His persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Psalm1 109:4; Luke 23:34).
16. The people were to shake their heads (Psalms 109:25; Matthew 27:39).
17. His garments were parted/lots cast for clothing (Psalms 22:19; John 19:24).
18. He was to cry: ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46).
19. He was to thirst (Psalm 69:3, 21; John 19:28).
20. They were to give Him gall and vinegar (Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34; John 19:28).
21. He was to commit Himself to God (Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46).
22. His friends stood at a distance (Psalms 38:11; Luke 23:49).
23. His bones were not to be broken, yet were out of joint (Psalms 34:20; Exodus 12:46; Psalms 22:14, 17; John 19:31-36).
24. His side was to be pierced (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34-37).
25. His heart was to be broken (Psalm 22:14; John 19:34).
26. Darkness was to cover the land (Amos 8:9; Matthew 27:45).
27. He was to be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; John 10:11, 17-18, Galatians 2:20).
28. His death was to be voluntary (Isaiah 53:12; Psalm 40:6-8; John 10:11, 17).
29. His death was to be substitutionary (Isaiah 53:4-6,12; Daniel 9:26; Matthew 20:18; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 1:5,6).

These events were all fulfilled in detail in 24 hours in the experience of Jesus of Nazareth. According to the law of compound probabilities, the chance that they all happened together by accident is 1 in 537,000,000.

Messianic Jewish Testimony

During the last hundred years or so many Jewish people have been brought to believe in Jesus as their Messiah as the result of studying Messianic prophecy. Here is just one example:

Mordecai S. Bergmann was brought up in the strictest of Jewish religious sects, the Chassidism. When he was fourteen, he was sent to Breslau to study under the Chief Rabbi there. Returning later to Kalisch, he applied himself diligently to the study of the Talmund. Later in life, he came to live in London, where he organized a small synagogue, and in which he ministered for two years. Taken ill, he entered a German hospital where he remained for six weeks. While there he started to read a German Bible which was on a shelf in the ward.

As a reader in the Synagogue he knew the Pentateuch and portions of the prophecies by heart. The verses in Daniel chapter 9, which record in the first portion of it Daniel’s great prayer, were very familiar to him, for these verses are repeated every Monday and Tuesday by religious Jews; but the later part of the chapter which records the prophecy of the seventy weeks (of years) is never read; in fact, the rabbis pronounce a dreadful curse on anyone who investigates this prophecy. They say, ‘Their bones shall rot who compute the end of time.’

Remembering this anathema, it was with fear and trembling that he went on to read the prophecy. Coming to verse 26, and reading the words, ‘Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself’ he threw the Bible down, thinking it was a Christian Bible and altered from the Hebrew original to favor their view that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish Messiah.

But though he did so, he could not put the words out of his mind. They sank deeper and deeper into his soul, and wherever he looked he seemed to see them in flaming Hebrew characters. The result was he was greatly disturbed in mind and heart. After a time, he again took up the Bible, and without thinking of any particular passage opened it at Isaiah chapter fifty-three. He was arrested by the words: 

By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living (stricken to His death) for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? (Isaiah 53:8).

This seemed to be the answer to that question he had been asking himself ever since he had read the words, ’Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself, ‘and which seemed to be confronting him everywhere. For whom then, if not for Himself, was the Messiah to be cut off? Here the answer was plainly revealed to him: ‘For the transgressions of my people was He stricken.’

On leaving the hospital he went home, put on his phylacteries and tallith, in order to perform the prescribed prayers; but found he could not utter a single sentence of the prayer book. One message, found in Psalm 119:18 came to his mind, ‘Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.’ He kept on repeating it for nearly two hours. Then he left the house and walked along the street, still praying the same prayer.

The Lord led him to the home of Dr Ewald, a Jewish believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. To him he unburdened his heart. Here, for the first time, he learned that the Messiah, who was to cut off for the transgression of His people, was the Lord Jesus whom the Christian Gospels proclaimed to be the incarnate Son of God, and only Savior of sinners, and whom the Jewish nation had rejected. After studying the Messianic prophecies diligently with the help of his friend, he accepted the Lord Jesus as his Messiah and personal Savior.

As a result, he suffered much persecution at the hands of his former Jewish friends, but was uncompromisingly steadfast in his new faith, and was greatly blessed and used to win other Jews for Christ.

For all classes, no matter how cultured, or how primitive, there is one Word of truth-the Cross-to the wise, to the barbarian, to Greek and Jew, to everyone. The gospel is the power of God. The gospel preacher is an ambassador demanding surrender to the kingdom of heaven. It is God’s ultimatum. He shows us the way things are. The gospel is neither theory nor an abstraction, but it is the reality behind everything. We either recognise it or perish.

Christ is our King, Advocate, Redeemer, Propitiation, Judge, Healer, Sorrow-bearer, Wisdom, Sanctification, Redemption, Prophet, High priest, Bread of Life,  Water of life, Bridegroom, Strength, Keeper, Friend, Hope, Salvation, and Passover.

He is not only all these things that I have mentioned: He is also our Mediator, our Sanctifier, our Justifier; in fact, it would take volumes to tell what He desires to be to every individual soul. I once read this wonderful description of Christ. I do not know where it originally came from, but it was so fresh to my soul that I would like to give it to you:

Christ is our Way; we walk in Him.

He is our Truth; we embrace Him.

He is our Life; we live in Him

He is our Lord; we choose Him to rule over us.

He is our master; we serve Him

He is our Teacher, instructing us in the way of salvation.

He is our Prophet, pointing out the future.

He is our Priest, having atoned for us.

He is our Advocate, ever living to make intercession for us.

He is our Saviour, saving to the uttermost.

He is our Root; we grow from Him.

He is our Shepherd, leading us into green pastures.

He is our true Vine; we abide in Him

He is the fairest among ten thousand; we admire him above all others.

He is “the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person”; we strive to reflect his likeness.

He is the upholder of all things; we rest upon Him.

He is our Wisdom; we are guided by Him.

He is our Righteousness; we cast all our imperfections upon Him.

He is our Healer, curing all our diseases.

He is our Friend, relieving us in all our necessities.

He is our Brother, cheering us in our difficulties.

Here is another beautiful excerpt from an old saint known as Gotthold:

For my part, my soul is like a hungry and thirsty child; I need His love and consolation for my refreshment.

I am a wandering and lost sheep, and I need Him as a good and faithful Shepherd.

My soul is like a frightened dove pursued by the hawk, and I need His cross to lay hold of and to wind myself about.

I am a sinner, and I need His righteousness,

I am naked and bare and I need His teaching: simple and foolish; and I need the guidance of His Holy Spirit.

In no situation, and at no time, can I do without Him.

Do I pray? He must prompt, and intercede for me.

Am I arraigned by Satan at the Divine tribunal? He must be my advocate.

Am I in affliction? He must be my Helper.

Am I persecuted by the world? He must defend me.

When I am forsaken. He must be my Support. When I am dying, He is my Life. When moldering in the grave, He will be my Resurrection.

Well then, I will rather part with all the world, and all that it contains, than with Thee, my Savior. And, God be thanked! I know that Thou too art neither able nor willing to do without me.

Thou art rich, and I am poor.

Thou hast abundance, and I am needy.

Thou hast righteousness, and I sins.

Thou hast wine and oil, and I wounds.

Thou hast cordials and refreshments, and I hunger and thirst,

Use me then, my Savior for whatever purpose, and in whatever way Thou mayest require.

Here is my poor heart, an empty vessel; fill it with Thy grace.

Here is my sinful and troubled soul, quicken and refresh it with Thy love.

Take my heart for Thine abode; my mouth to spread the glory of Thy name; my love and all my powers, for the advancement of Thy, believing people; and never suffer the steadfastness and confidence of my faith to abate—that so at all times I may be enabled from the heart to say, “Jesus needs me, and I need Him and so we suit each other.

His Sheep Hear His Voice

Christ says, “My sheep hear my voice … and they follow me” (John 10:27). A gentleman in the East heard of a shepherd who would call all his sheep to him by name. He went and asked if this was true. The shepherd took him to the pasture where they were and called one of them by some name.

One sheep looked up and answered the call, while the others went on feeding and paid no attention. In the same way, he called about a dozen of the sheep around him.

The stranger said, “How do you know one from the other? They all look perfectly alike.” “Well,” said he, “you see that sheep toes in a little; that other one has a squint; one has a little piece of wool off; another has a black spot and another has a piece out of its ear.”

The man knew all of his sheep but also their failings, for he did not have a perfect one in the whole flock. I suppose our Shepherd knows us in the same way.

Another Eastern shepherd was once telling a gentleman that his sheep knew his voice and that no stranger could deceive the. The gentleman thought he would like to put the statement to the test. So he put on the shepherd’s frock and turban, took his staff, and went to the flock.

He disguised his voice, and he tried to speak as much like the shepherd as he could, but he could not get a single sheep in the flock to follow him. He asked the shepherd if his sheep never followed a stranger. He was obliged to admit that if a sheep got sickly it would follow anyone.

So it with a good many professed Christians. When they get sickly and weak in the faith, they will follow any teacher that comes along; but when the soul is in health, a man will not be carried away by errors and heresies.

He will know whether the “voice” speaks the truth or not. He can soon tell that if he is really in communion with God. When God sends a true messenger, his words will find a ready response in the Christian heart.

Christ is Our Shepherd

In these dark times, Jesus Christ is our tender Shepherd. It is the work of the shepherd to care for the sheep, feed them, and protect them.

1. I am the good shepherd (John 10:11).
2. My sheep hear my voice (John 10:27).
3. I lay down My life for sheep (John 10:15).

In the wonderful tenth chapter of John, Christ uses the personal pronoun no less than twenty-eight times, in declaring what He is and what He will do.

In verse 28 He says ” They shall never perish; neither shall ANY man pluck them out of my hand” – no devil or man shall be able to it. In another place, the Scripture declares, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

You may sometimes think He has not been a very tender Shepherd to you: you are passing under the rod.

It is written, “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6). Just because you are passing under the rod is no proof that Christ does not love you.

A story is told of a man who lost all his children. No man could ever have loved his family more; but scarlet fever took them away, one by one; and so the whole four or five, one after another, died.

The poor stricken parents went over to Great Britain, and wandered from one place to another, there and on the continent of Europe. At length, they found their way to Syria. One day they saw an Eastern shepherd come down to the brink and looked at the water, but they seemed to shrink from it, and he could not get them to respond to his call.

He then took a little lamb, and put it under one arm; he took another lamb and put it under the other arm, and thus passed into the stream. The old sheep no longer stood looking at the water. They plunged in after the shepherd, and in a few minutes the whole flock was on the other side, and they hurried away to newer and fresher pastures. The bereaved father and mother, as they looked at the scene, felt that it taught them a lesson.

They no longer murmured because the Great Shepherd had taken their lambs one by one into yonder world, and they began to look up and look forward to the time when they would follow the loved ones they had lost.

If you have loved ones gone before, remember that your shepherd is calling you to “set your affection on things above” (Colossians 3:2). Let us be faithful to Him, and follow Him, while we remain in this world. And if you have not taken Him to be your Shepherd do so this very day as we celebrate the Birth of our Wonderful and Gracious Saviour. Have a blessed and meaningful Christmas.

How do we select ten top stories of the year when, in reality, there were one hundred ten prominent happenings during the year as the last days wind down? Let me share some that I feel are worth discussing. All of them have prophetic implications.

1. The Rise of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Cabal and their Rush to Global Government

Ten years ago, had you heard of Klaus Schwab? How about Yuval Noah Harari? Were you tracking them even five years ago? Of course not. Today many are aware of this crowd and their one-world intentions. A lot of our readers understand this is the true shadow government. Revelation 13 outlines their scheme well.

2. The Stirring Up of the Spirit of the Antichrist

We all see the new lawlessness and rebellion in every aspect of society! Its current overdrive was sparked in my hometown, Minneapolis, in May, 2020 with the George Floyd ordeal. Now police forces are reduced, criminals face no bail, and prosecutors encourage more lawlessness. But the spirit of the Antichrist is everywhere–in our government, in our schools, and more. It is priming the pump for the real Antichrist.

3. Government Knows Best–Trust It

That has been the mantra in the Western world for almost three years. Trust the government for vaccines, to properly handle pandemics and other health issues, and to keep you well! Millions bought into it. Millions will now transition from trusting government to trusting the Antichrist.

4. The Rise of the Green Dragon: The Worship of Mother Earth

Entire continents have caved to the religion of climate change and environmentalism. They worship mother earth rather than loving Father God. Joe Biden wants to block the sun to fight global warming. In the name of saving energy, farmers in Europe are being put out of business, an action that is inviting a famine. Sane people know this is lunacy, but they are helpless when their governments mandate foolishness.

5. The Race Towards Digital Currency: Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)

Why are we surprised when our authorities tell us cash is going away? A cashless system plays a prominent biblical end-time role. More than 100 nations are exploring CBDCs, according to the IMF. The Biden Administration is pushing this. It is being portrayed as the answer to many of the world’s problems! We could see it in 2023.

6. The Decline of America, Rise of Radical Liberalism, and Lack of a World Leader

Although it’s tough to watch, America is in decline. At the same time, name even one global leader. Leftists are trying to make America a liberal paradise like Venezuela. Sadly, the result is more like a banana republic. Progressives are attempting to accomplish what every other Socialist/Communist country has: Destroy the middle class, obtain unending power, create a permanent welfare state, and create total dependence. You can’t have a superpower when the goal is global government.

7. Christians Are Canceled; Jews are Under Attack

When Sam Brownbeck’s National Committee for Religious Freedom needed a bank account, they went to J.P. Morgan Chase. They quickly realized their account was closed! They are fighting back. At the same time, Jews are under attack in many countries. Assaults have increased over 100% in the last year. New York City attacks against Jews are up 125% in the last year. The “people of the book”, Jews and Christians, are hated as the Bible foretold.

8. The Rise of Strong Delusion and Global Deception

How else do you explain the rage that girls can become boys and boys can become girls? That men can join women’s sports and change clothes in the ladies’ locker rooms? And that all of this is totally normal and healthy? Trans-identifying kids in the U.S. have increased by almost 1,000% in the last two years. How do you explain the love of killing a baby in the womb, at any stage of life, with a torturous procedure? God will not tolerate this much longer!

9. Running Amok: Apostasy in the Church

It would take a three-hundred-page book to summarize the current state of the church now. In the last two years, thousands have gone “woke”, seeker-sensitive, and more. Social justice has replaced salvation. Many teach that the church will make the world a better place–even perfect. The sheep are trying to find a solid church–and one that talks about issues of the day and Bible prophecy. Many churches want to tell people they can have their best life now.

10. The Staggering Rise of the Paranormal and Occult, Called Sorcery in the Bible

The world, and some in the church, are dancing with the devil. Social media encourages this and provides a platform. Even Christians dabble in things they know they shouldn’t. Then there is the blatant–the Commonwealth Games last summer that featured the re-creation of the Tower of Babel and a woman riding a beast–with many bowing down to the beast. This is all leading to rampant sorcery talked about in Revelation, and there it is combined with drugs.

What did you think the last days would look like? Believe the Bible when it calls our times perilous and filled with people possessing selfish, reckless motives. God is orchestrating events to wind up this amazing drama known as the Church Age. The last act may be on display. Expect a trumpet and a shout any day. (I Thess. 4:16)

© 2022 PNW-All rights reserved

 

 

In Rwanda, Uganda or anywhere in the Great Lakes region ‘Jewish’ has mysteriously ended up becoming shorthand for ‘Tutsi’ and these people consider themselves to be Jews/Hebrews who came from Ethiopia (Cush). It’s really troubling, deceptive and hypocritical for these guys who call themselves the blood brothers of the Jewish Jesus to practice lawlessness and ignore the most basic moral behavioural standards that the Lord set for humanity.

In addition, they repeatedly abuse their power by torturing, jailing, and murdering those who disagree with them and still call themselves Jews, unless they belong to the Synagogue of Satan Jesus warned about in Revelation 2:9!!! These are people who believe in the concept of Karl Marx who believed communism would have to be imposed violently and that the proletarians would only come to power by revolution. This all is completely irreconcilable with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Tutsi, claim to share the story of their beginning with King Solomon who had an affair with the Queen of Sheba who converted to Judaism and was sent back with their child. However, there is absolutely no genealogical evidence of Tutsi descent from the Israelites apart from the supposed offspring of the union between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba which has become the subject of one of the most widespread and fertile cycles of legends in Africa and the Middle East.

Let’s now see what the Bible has to say about all this, starting with the Old Testament.

The Ethiopian history described in the Kebra Nagast relates that Ethiopians are descendants of Israelite tribes who came to Ethiopia with Menelik I, alleged to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.  The legend relates that Menelik, as an adult, returned to his father in Jerusalem, and later resettled in Ethiopia. He took with him the Ark of the Covenant. In 1 Kings 10-13 and 2 Chronicles 9:1–12, we have an account of the visit in which the queen of Sheba made a long journey not just to see his wealth but to hear his wisdom.

What was the purpose of Queen Sheba’s visit?

1. The queen of Sheba came to see for herself if everything she had heard about Solomon was true. In other words, to satisfy her curiosity; she had heard of his fame, especially his wisdom, and she came to prove him, whether he was so great a man as he was reported to be. For instance, we are told that Solomon’s fleet sailed near the coast of her country, and probably it might have been put in there for fresh water and therefore she would go herself and know the truth of the report.

2. To receive instruction from him. She came to hear his wisdom, and thereby to improve her own so that she might be better able to govern her own kingdom by his maxims of policy. Our Saviour calls her the queen of the south, for Sheba, lay south of Canaan. In his public ministry, Jesus said: ‘The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, but now One greater than Solomon had come (Matthew 12:42, Luke 11). Jesus was said to be ‘filled with wisdom’ as a child (Luke 2).

3. She was religiously inclined, and had heard not only of the fame of Solomon, but concerning the name of the Lord, the great name of that God whom Solomon worshipped and from whom he received his wisdom, and with this God, she desired to be better acquainted.

4. She came to bring a noble present to Solomon of gold and spices, In Psalms 72 15: David had foretold concerning Solomon that to him should be given of the gold of Sheba, ‘Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.’ The present of gold and spices which the wise men of the east brought to Christ was signified by this in Matthew 2:11. Thus she paid for the wisdom she had learned and did not think she bought it dearly.

The Bible says: ‘Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So, she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants’ (1 Kings 10:13).

The Tutsi, claim Solomon had a sexual relationship with the Queen which resulted in having a baby and even the Christians in Ethiopia, to this day are confident that she came from their country, and that Candace was her successor, who is mentioned in Acts 8:27.

However, in the Bible, there is NO mention that the Queen of Sheba either married or had any sexual relations with King Solomon (although some identify her with the “black and beautiful” in Song of Songs 1:5). Rather, the narrative records that she was impressed with Solomon’s wealth and wisdom, and they exchanged royal gifts, and then she returned to rule her people in Kush. However, the “royal gifts” are interpreted by some as sexual contact. The loss of the Ark is also not mentioned in the Bible. Hezekiah later makes reference to the Ark in 2 Kings 19:15.

When she realised the extent of his riches and wisdom, she was overwhelmed and no longer questioned his power or wisdom. No longer a competitor, she became an admirer. In fact, her experience was repeated by many kings and foreign dignitaries who paid honour to Solomon. And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon (1 Kings 4:34 2 Chronicles 9:23).

What about the theory of being part of the lost ten tribes and the Ark of the Covenant thus making the Tutsi; Jews, Levites and Danites? The current tribes of Israel are Judah and Benjamin. The 10 lost tribes: Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Manasseh and Ephraim were deported from the Kingdom of Israel by the Neo-Assyrians around 722 BCE.

According to some historians, Jewish beginnings in Ethiopia started in the 15^th century which is why they claim to have descended from Israel. There are also a number of claims of descent from the ‘lost’ ten tribes by many groups including the Tutsi who trace the lineage back to the tribe of Dan which was the first of the ‘lost’ ten tribes of Israel. These ten tribes whether lost or not are NOT in any way related to the Tutsi people. Genealogical proof of Tutsi descent from the Israelites is therefore impossible to find.

Furthermore, the prophet Ezekiel was told to take two sticks and hold them in one hand, side by side. God told him to write ‘Ephraim’ on one stick (the popular name for the northern ten tribes) and ‘Judah’ on the other (the name for the two tribes in the south). Then he was instructed to hold them together in his hand so that they became one stick. This was like the miracle of Moses’ rod in Egypt. God was saying, ‘I’m going to make the two kingdoms into one people again, and I’ll be their shepherd.’ This is echoed by Jesus’ words: ‘I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.’Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Ethiopia are all mentioned in the Bible as distinct nations with different roles in God’s redemption plan for the nations.

The Bible tells us that during one of the bleakest moments in Jeremiah’s life, God demonstrated His power by providing help from a high-ranking African Ethiopian official known as Ebed-Melech who was working Zedekiah’s court. He risked his position and perhaps his life to rescue Jeremiah from a muddy cistern when the king had heard the advice of his officials that Jeremiah must die because he was saying, the city of Jerusalem will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon:

Here is the account as recorded in Jeremiah 38:6-11:

So, the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it. But Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, an important court official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, so Ebed-Melech rushed from the palace to speak with him.“My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone. “So, the king told Ebed-Melech, “Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury, where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope. Ebed-Melech called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes.” Then when Jeremiah was ready, they pulled him out. So, Jeremiah was returned to the courtyard of the guard—the palace prison—where he remained.

The Ethiopian Ebed-Melech risked his life to save God’s prophet, Jeremiah. When Babylon conquered Jerusalem just as Jeremiah had prophesied, God protected Ebed-Melech from the Babylonians:

The Lord had given the following message to Jeremiah while he was still in prison: “Say to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will do to this city everything I have threatened. I will send disaster, not prosperity. You will see its destruction, but I will rescue you from those you fear so much. Because you trusted me, I will give you your life as a reward. I will rescue you and keep you safe. I, the Lord, have spoken!’ (Jeremiah 39:15-18).

The New Testament

In the New Testament, we are reminded that God does not limit His Kingdom to any race or group of people. He offers salvation to all people without regard to nationality. In Acts 1:8 we read, ‘You shall be my witnesses beginning in Jerusalem, Judaea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth.’ The witness for Christ starts in Jerusalem, in Chapters 1–7. Chapters 8 -10 take the witness further into Judaea and Samaria, and then finally it spreads from there to Europe and the heart of the Roman empire.

Thus, Luke is seen to be demonstrating how Jesus’ words at the beginning had been fulfilled by the end of the book, as the gospel reaches Rome with Paul, the witness of Christ to the Emperor himself. The only hint of expansion to the south is the conversion of the Ethiopian on his way home when Philip was transported to preach to him. He was reading the book of Isaiah 53 when Philip met him and it would seem a curious incident to include, were it not for Luke’s purpose of showing how the gospel spread. This is how the gospel first came to Ethiopia, brought by that Ethiopian eunuch, the first African convert.

Ethiopia known as Cush was located in Africa south of Egypt. As we’ve mentioned above through the story of Ebed-Melech, the Jews had had contact with Ethiopia in ancient days. The Psalmist says: Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals; let Ethiopia bring tribute to God (Psalm 68:31; Jeremiah 38:7), so this Eunuch may have been a Gentile convert to Judaism and that’s why he was reading aloud from the Book of Isaiah. Because he was in charge of the treasury of Ethiopia, his conversion brought Christianity into the power structures of another government. This is the beginning of the witness ‘to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8).

The Jews were and are still proud of the fact that their heritage came from Isaac whose mother was Sarah (Abraham’s legitimate wife), rather than Ishmael, whose mother was Hagar (Sarah’s servant). Nevertheless, Paul asserts that no one claim to be chosen by God because of his or her heritage or good deeds. God freely chooses to offer salvation by His sovereign goodness and mercy, and not because of our own merit.

Paul tells us that NOT everyone who claims to be a Jew is truly so before God. The upshot of this quote (Rom. 2:25-29) is quite simple: A true Jew according to Apostle Paul is one who has both the circumcision of the flesh and the circumcision of the heart, commanded in Deuteronomy 10:16. Not of the flesh only and conversely not of the heart only! Both are needed simultaneously. The other nations, if obedient to all the teachings of Jesus designed for non-Israelites, are considered just as righteous as Jews obedient to their covenant before God. Paul repeats the same argument later in Romans 9, where he will argue that not all descendants of Israel constitute the true Israel:

Not all who are descended from Israel are the true Israel, and they are not all the children of Abraham because they are his descendants by blood, but the promise was: “Your descendants will be named through Isaac” That is, it is not the children of the body Abraham’s natural descendants who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as Abraham’s true descendants (Romans 9: 6-8).

God is not the God of the Jews only, but the God of the entire world. God’s justice, like everything else, applies to both Jews and Gentiles alike. The law has been made known to all, including Gentiles, either by external providence or by internal conscience, and, as a result, God shall judge each person’s sinfulness against the law, the example and standard for which has been set in Jesus Christ (Romans 2:12-16).

Understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons, but in every nation, he who venerates and has a reverential fear for God, treating Him with worshipful obedience and living uprightly, is acceptable to Him and sure of being received and welcomed by Him (Acts10:34-35). He asserts that salvation for both the Jew and Gentile is through faith in Jesus Christ and as far His descent is concerned Jesus Christ, was not just a Hebrew descendant of Abraham but a Judean in the direct royal line of David!

While many points could be offered to refute the idea that the Tutsi are part of the lost tribes, the Bible teaches that descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are scattered all over the earth, will be regathered in their ancient homeland in the end-times.

Moreover, in Revelation 7:4-7, we see 144,000 Jewish men singled out for special ministry and protection, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes, including the so-called ten lost tribes. While many have tried to spiritualize this prophecy and make it a reference to the church, the clear and literal meaning in its context is that these are literally the twelve tribal bloodlines of Israel.

The ten tribes are not in any way related to the Tutsi people, or part of the ten lost tribes of Israel, nor the tribe of Dan or Manasseh. Israel is still Israel and will fulfil its central role in the events of the end times, just as the Bible predicts. Having said that, Paul urged us to avoid foolish and ill-informed and stupid controversies and genealogies and dissensions and quarrels about the Law, for they are unprofitable and useless (Titus 3:9).