Yesterday I brought you two articles involving Jonathan Cahn and his response to the Tucker Carlson / Ted Cruz debate about basically whether the Jews of today are the same as the Jews in the Bible.
Or said a little differently, is the Nation-state of modern Israel with its 6-pointed star the same as Biblical Israel with the Menorah?
Spoiler alert: Jonathan Cahn came out firing and said of course they are the same.
If you missed any of that, you can read it all here to catch up:
But now I want to advance the discussion a bit because my Inbox and Comments were flooded this morning when I woke up.
EVERYONE talking about this topic.
And I haven't had people this mad at me since I told the Catholics they should really stop praying to Mary!
Actually, that's not entirely true...the feedback is running about 50/50 right down the middle as best I can tell.
To be very clear, I'm not anti-Israel at all. Not in the slightest.
Reading some of your comments, it's clear some of you didn't read the articles at all because you were angry at things I never said.
Here's a recap of where I stand:
I support and bless the Jewish People of the Old Testament. God tells us to do so, and it's clear he picked them for a special purpose that will be fulfilled at the end of the age.
To that point, "Replacement Theology" seems totally dead in the water and not something I am promoting.
The Bible also makes clear that God is the one who scattered Israel and he will be the one to also bring them all back.
Are we all in agreement on all of that? Everyone good?
The only thing I am saying is I don't agree with playing the "Shut Up Racist!" card to people like Tucker Carlson who are asking questions and asking whether the modern Nation-state of Israel is the same as Biblical Israel.
Jonathan Cahn says of course it is, and he's probably right. But I completely disagree with this notion that Tucker should not be allowed to even have a discussion about it. That seems very wrong to me.
I also don't think it's improper or as off-base as Jonathan Cahn makes it out to be to simply ask the question about the current nation-state of Israel.
We know Satan counterfeits EVERYTHING God does, right? That's basically one of his only go-to moves.
God has his Trinity, and so in Revelation you see the demonic Trinity.
God creates his Rainbow, and well....if you've ever lived through the month of June you know that Satan surely has his Rainbow.
I could go on and on, but it's not at all unreasonable to think that with God's most cherished people, Israel, that Satan would not try to counterfeit that in the last days.
God creates Israel through the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and he gives them the Menorah as a sign of who they are.
Then in 1948, the Rothschild family plays a critical role in creating modern Israel, and their flag is the six-pointed star, not a Menorah.
Here's more on the differences between those two symbols:
1. The Biblical Symbol: The Menorah
The Menorah (seven-branched lampstand) is the only symbol explicitly given by God as a sign for Israel.
It appears in Exodus 25:31–40 (design given by God), Numbers 8:1–4 (lighting instructions), and is repeated throughout the Old Testament.
The Menorah was placed in the Tabernacle and then in Solomon’s Temple as a perpetual reminder of God’s presence and light.
Even today, the Menorah is the emblem on the official seal of the modern State of Israel, flanked by olive branches.
It is thus the most ancient, biblical, and God-given symbol of Israel.
2. The Six-Pointed Star (Star of David / Magen David)
The six-pointed star (hexagram) is not found in the Bible as a God-given symbol for Israel.
Its association with Judaism is relatively late in history:
Became a Jewish community symbol in medieval Europe (about 12th–14th century).
ADVERTISEMENTAdopted more widely in the 17th century as a general Jewish symbol.
In the 19th–20th centuries, it became central to Zionism, and later was placed on the flag of Israel (1948).
Historically, the hexagram also appears in other cultures (Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic art, even in alchemy and occult use).
In the Bible, a “star” symbol connected to Israel is not the six-pointed star but the “Star out of Jacob” prophecy of Messiah (Numbers 24:17).
3. Key Contrast
Menorah → Directly commanded by God, used in worship, symbolizes divine light, covenant, and Israel’s calling.
Star of David → Later cultural and political adoption; not biblically mandated.
✅ Answer in Short
The Menorah is the proper, God-given biblical symbol of Israel.
The six-pointed Star of David is a much later symbol that became associated with Jewish identity and modern Israel but does not originate in Scripture.
So did all the Jews get "beamed up to a spaceship and then the fake Jews beamed back down" as Cahn mockingly asks? No, of course not. But it's not unrealistic to ask if this is a different group since they are clearly waving a different flag. Isn't that kind of a big thing? God tells Israel to use the Menorah, and they use a six-pointed star with no origin in scripture but ties to Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic art, even in alchemy and occult use?
And Tucker's the bad guy for just asking the question?
But of course we have to go to the Bible, because you can get very far off-course by just dreaming up things in your own head and not checking to see if they are anchored in scripture.
And it turns out Revelation has two references to, basically, "fake Jews":
Revelation 2:9
"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
Revelation 3:9
"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."
Now, how about some context?
I turned to ChatGPT for some further context on those verses and it gave me this:
Context in Revelation
Both Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 occur in letters to the churches (Smyrna and Philadelphia).
Jesus is addressing small, persecuted Christian communities in the Roman Empire.
These verses mention opposition from certain groups who claimed Jewish identity but were, in Christ’s judgment, spiritually false.
Main Interpretations
1. Historical/Jewish Opposition in the First Century
Many scholars believe this refers to certain Jewish communities in Asia Minor (where these churches were located) that opposed early Christians.
In the Roman world, Jews had legal protection to worship freely. Christians, however, were seen as a breakaway sect.
Some Jews may have denounced Christians to Roman authorities to distinguish themselves from the church.
From this view, Jesus calls them “Jews and are not” because although they were ethnically Jewish, they rejected Him as Messiah, thus not truly God’s covenant people in the spiritual sense.
2. Spiritual Israel vs. False Claimants
In Paul’s letters, true Jewishness is defined spiritually, not just ethnically (Romans 2:28–29: “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly…”).
These verses may echo that thought: those opposing Christ’s followers might claim to be God’s people, but by rejecting the Messiah, they revealed themselves as aligned with Satan, not God.
The “synagogue of Satan” is then symbolic — meaning a gathering aligned against God’s purposes, even if outwardly religious.
3. Later Interpretations (Caution)
Through history, some groups misused these verses to promote antisemitism, claiming they mean all Jews are “false Jews.”
But the context is specific: not all Jews, but certain hostile opponents of the church in those cities.
The Bible itself affirms God’s ongoing covenantal role for Israel (Romans 11). So a blanket application against Jewish people is a distortion.
Now let's talk genetics and DNA tracing, because that was a big topic Jonathan Cahn brought up in his video.
Until a few years ago, I thought Jews were just Jews, but then I started hearing a whole bunch of people talking about being Ashkenazi Jews.
I had never heard that term before until it started going viral a few years ago.
People like the Krassenstein brothers proudly proclaimed they were Ashkenazi Jews, I believe if memory serves correctly.
So even here we see distinctions being made.
On the one-hand, we're told "The Jews are the Jews!" of course they are exactly the same as Biblical Israel, and yet on the other hand labels seem to be applied creating sub-groups within them. I suppose maybe not so different than the 12 Tribes of Israel? You had 12 different and distinct Tribes but all part of Israel?
So again I turned to ChatGPT to ask what exactly makes someone an Ashkenazi Jew and I got this answer:
Ashkenazi Jews are a Jewish ethnic group whose historical roots trace mainly to Central and Eastern Europe. The word Ashkenaz originally referred to a region in medieval Hebrew thought associated with Germany. From about the 10th century onward, Jewish communities in the Rhineland (Germany/France area) developed distinctive traditions in language (Yiddish), liturgy, religious interpretation, and culture. Over time, many migrated eastward into Poland, Russia, Lithuania, and beyond. Today, Ashkenazi Jews make up the majority of the Jewish population worldwide.
Connection to Biblical Israel
This is a debated but important question, and the answer has multiple dimensions:
Religious and cultural continuity: Judaism—whether Ashkenazi, Sephardi, or Mizrahi—maintains continuity with the religion and covenant of ancient Israel. Ashkenazi Jews see themselves as descendants of the Biblical Israelites, preserving their faith, scriptures, and covenant identity through exile and dispersion.
Historical migrations: After the Roman destruction of Jerusalem (70 CE) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (135 CE), Jews were dispersed widely throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. Some of these exiled Judeans and their descendants eventually became the core of the Ashkenazi community in Europe.
Genetic studies: Modern population genetics shows that Ashkenazi Jews carry a mixture of Middle Eastern (Levantine) ancestry—consistent with descent from ancient Israelites—combined with varying degrees of European admixture from their time in Europe. This makes them both tied to the Biblical Israelite bloodline and also shaped by the lands they lived in over centuries.
Not the only Jewish group: Ashkenazi Jews are one branch of the Jewish people. Other groups, such as Sephardi Jews (from Spain, North Africa, and the Mediterranean) and Mizrahi Jews (from the Middle East), also trace their heritage to ancient Israel but developed different traditions and dialects depending on geography.
Summary
Ashkenazi Jews are Jews who developed their identity and culture in Central/Eastern Europe.
They are religiously and historically connected to Biblical Israel, preserving the Jewish covenant and traditions.
Genetic evidence shows strong Middle Eastern roots (consistent with descent from ancient Israelites), with some admixture from Europe.
ADVERTISEMENTThey represent one branch of the larger Jewish people, alongside Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews.
More here:
Core ancestry: Roughly 40–60% of Ashkenazi Jewish DNA is Levantine in origin, pointing to descent from the historic population of Israel/Judea.
European admixture: The remaining portion comes mainly from Southern and Eastern European populations, reflecting intermarriage during centuries of diaspora.
Y-chromosome (male line): Ashkenazi men overwhelmingly carry Y-DNA haplogroups common in the Middle East (e.g., J1, J2, E1b1b), shared with other Jewish groups and Middle Eastern peoples.
Mitochondrial DNA (female line): A higher proportion of European admixture is found in maternal lines, suggesting local European women converted into Jewish communities early in Ashkenazi history.
Conclusion:
Ashkenazi Jews are not “purely” Israelite by blood, but they do retain a direct genetic link to Biblical Israel, especially through paternal lines, while also incorporating European ancestry acquired in the diaspora.
What it seemed to be telling me is that the male lineage was largely Jewish but the female lineage was largely not Jewish.
And I am no expert, but I had always heard that traditionally the determination of whether you were Jewish or not was determined through your mother's line.
So I asked for clarity on that question and got this:
You’ve pinpointed a very interesting tension between biology and Jewish law.
1. Genetics (bloodline evidence)
Male lineage (Y-chromosome): Strongest continuity to Biblical Israel. Ashkenazi men overwhelmingly trace back to Middle Eastern haplogroups (J1, J2, E1b1b), the same ones found in modern populations of the Levant and other Jewish groups.
Female lineage (mtDNA): Much more European. Genetic studies show that many Ashkenazi maternal lineages trace back to women from Southern/Eastern Europe who became part of Jewish communities (likely through conversion in early centuries).
So yes, biologically the paternal line is more directly tied to Biblical Israel in Ashkenazi Jews.
2. Halakha (Jewish law)
Since around the 2nd century CE, Jewish law established that Jewishness is inherited through the mother(matrilineal descent).
The reason: practical and communal. Maternity is always certain, while paternity can be uncertain; also, mothers are the primary transmitters of religion and culture in early childhood.
This rule means that, legally, even if the father is Israelite and the mother is not, the child is not considered Jewishunless the mother is Jewish (or the child converts).
3. The Tension
By genetics: Ashkenazi Jewish fathers carry the stronger biological tie to ancient Israel.
By Jewish law: The mother’s line determines Jewish identity.
This produces the paradox you noticed: the line most emphasized by Judaism is the one with the least direct Israelite genetic continuity in Ashkenazim.
✅ Summary:
Male line = strongest genetic tie to Biblical Israel.
Female line = more European ancestry.
Jewish law = prioritizes maternal descent, not paternal.
Finally, I wrapped up with this...
Jonathan Cahn said in his video that not only can the modern Jews of modern Israel trace their bloodlines and DNA back to Biblical Israel, but it's actually more specific than that, and that he himself can trace his lineage directly to the Levitical Priests!
So I had to dig in and get more info, and it seems like he's right on this one as well, take a look:
Great question. Let’s separate what science can do from what it cannot when it comes to Biblical tribal lineage, especially Levites.
🔬 What Science Can Show
Y-chromosome markers: Because the Y-chromosome is passed father to son unchanged (except for mutations), geneticists can trace male lineages thousands of years back.
The “Cohen Modal Haplotype” (CMH): Studies in the 1990s found that a very high percentage of Jewish men with the surname Cohen or traditions of being priests (kohanim) share a distinctive Y-chromosome signature.
This haplotype (a cluster of markers within haplogroup J) is rare outside Jewish populations.
It points to a single male ancestor living roughly 2,000–3,000 years ago — consistent with the Biblical period of Aaron (Moses’ brother), the first High Priest.
Levites: There is also evidence of shared lineages among Levites (though less uniform than among kohanim), suggesting descent from ancient Israelite priestly families.
🚫 What Science Cannot Prove
It cannot name that ancestor as Aaron, Levi, or any specific Biblical figure.
Genetics cannot “prove” someone belongs to the tribe of Levi in a historical-religious sense — it can only show whether someone shares markers that cluster with populations traditionally identified as Levites or kohanim.
Conversion, adoption, and intermarriage over millennia complicate the picture. Not everyone called “Cohen” is genetically kohanic, and not every kohanic male today has the CMH.
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