There's so much error being taught in the religious world today about the "Jews" being God's chosen people, that if you're for them God will be for you, if you're against them God will be against you! God did tell Abraham that, but where's it found that He told the Jews that? Without any purpose of being anti-Semitic, I'd like for us to look at some facts. PLease allow me to quote from a booklet by Evangelist John L. Bray, as he quoted from a number of Encyclopedia's. I don't have access to all of them, therefore can't quote directly from them. "Encyclopedia Britannica vol. 12, page 1054, the 1973 edition:

"The Jews As a Race: The findings of physical anthropology show that, contrary to the popular view, there's no Jewish race. Anthropometric measurements of Jewish groups in many parts of the world indicate that they differ greatly from one another with respect to all the important physical characteristics."

"The Encyclopedia Judaica Jerusalem, which is a Jewish encyclopedia, also says this, under the heading anthropology, Physical vol. 3, p. 50, 1971 edition:

"It is a common assumption, and one that sometimes seems ineradicable even in the face of evidence to the contrary, that the Jews of today constitute a race, a homogeneous entity easily recognizable. From the proceeding discussion of the origin and early history of the Jews, it should be clear that in the course of their formation as a people and a nation they had already assimilated a variety of racial strains from people moving into the general area they occupied. This had taken place by interbreeding and then by conversion to Judaism of a considerable number of communities. ...

"Thus, the diversity of the racial and genetic attributes of various Jewish colonies of today renders any unified racial classification of them a contradiction in terms. Despite this, many people readily accept the notion that they're a distinct race. This is probably reinforced by the fact that some Jews are recognizably different in appearance from the surrounding population. That many can't be easily identified is overlooked and the stereotype for some is extended to all—a not uncommon phenomenon."

"Racial and Ethnic Considerations. Some theorists have considered the Jews a distinct race, although this has no factual basis. In every country in which the Jews lived for a considerable time, their physical traits came to approximate those of the indigenous people. Hence the Jews belong to several distinct racial types, ranging, for example, from fair to dark. Among the reason for this phenomenon are voluntary or involuntary miscegenation and the conversion of Gentiles to Judaism." (Encyclopedia Americana, 1986, vol. 16, p. 7).

"A common error and persistent modern myth is the designation of the Jews as a 'race.' This is scientifically fallacious, from the standpoint of both physical and historical tradition. Investigations by anthropologists have shown that Jews are by no means uniform in physical character and that they nearly always reflect the physical and mental characteristics of the people among whom they live." (Collier's Encyclopedia, 1977, vol. 13, p. 573). (End of quote.)

Have you ever heard of the country of Khazaria? There's a good bit of information about it on the Internet. The reason it's of interest to this article is that at one time—in Medieval times—it was the largest nation in Europe. One of it's kings was named Bulan, and he's credited with causing his nation to convert to the Jewish religion. Some claim that it later became known as a Jewish nation. Jews were allowed to enter the country and live in peace. But the Khazaria people were Jewish only in religion. Later Russia began to dominate the area and eventually the nation disappeared and its people scattered in various parts of the world. Many of the founders of the little nation called Israel today are Khazar "Jews." In fact, Evangelist Bray says, "Of 14,000,000 so-called Jews in the world today 95% of them are the Khazar Jews." Again, presenting these facts are not intended in any way to stir up any ill will against the Jewish people, whether they are really Jews or Jews only by religion.

Please, let's look at Abraham who's regarded as the "father of the Hebrews." According to Genesis 11:10-26, Abraham was a descendant of Shem, one of the three sons of Noah. Abraham was the youngest son of Terah; though listed first. According to the Scriptures he was born in Ur of the Chaldeans (The word Ur means fire, and some believe the people that lived there were worshippers of fire.); it was in the southern part of the country we know today as Iraq.

Originally, it was a small territory bordering the head of the Persian Gulf between the Arabian desert and the Euphrates delta—the lower Tigris and Euphrates valley, or the southern portion of Babylonian.

According to Genesis 11:33, Terah took Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah) his wife, along with other members of the family and journeyed to a place the Bible calls Haran. So we assume from this that Sarah was born in the same area that Abraham was. By the way, Sarah was Abraham's half-sister, so Abraham was telling the truth when he said she was his sister! Now please note: Abraham and Sarah leaving their homeland and going into another land didn't change them from one race to another. They both, presumably, came from Noah through Shem. Later, God did promise Abraham He'd make of him a great nation; which became known as Hebrews, later as Israel, but this still didn't change him into another race. Many times the Hebrews are referred to as "God's chosen people"; and the Bible uses this term, but we need to remember that even in Old Testament times Gentiles could become a part of "God's chosen people." So their being chosen was not based on ethnic grounds; neither were all others barred from God's favor.

The word Jews, as far as I know, was not used until after the kingdom divided, shortly after Solomon died, and was applied to those who made up the little kingdom of Judah. According to Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, "After the Babylonian Captivity, all the descendants of Abraham were called 'Jews.'" This still didn't make them a different race.

What many are not willing to accept is: under the New Covenant, God has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe—see Galatians 3:22. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ, not in being a citizen of some literal nation. In fact, there's no literal nation on earth today where it can be truthfully said of it, "They're God's chosen people."

We need to accept and believe what the Apostle Paul taught! "There's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither bond nor free, there's neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:28, 29). "For he's not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he's a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter: whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Romans 2:28, 29).

We need to see that God's "Israel" today are His redeemed people! and that nationality has nothing to do with it. When we see this, then...we can understand why Paul could say, "All Israel shall be saved." To try to apply that quote to all literal Jews that have ever lived, or ever will live, makes it impossible to explain, or to support by Scripture. Again please notice the Word: "Esaias [Isaiah] also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved" (Romans 9:27).