Gentiles proselytes a foreshadow of God’s Eternal Plan!

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By Terry Cropper

An interesting fact that many Christians are not aware of is Gentiles were always welcome and assimilated by faith into the Israel of God during the Old Covenant. The calling of the Gentiles was always God’s plan!

Throughout the Bible shows that God’s sovereign grace has always been extended to Gentiles from the very beginning to also be a part of His Israel. This means that people from all ethnic nationalities were always welcome to be a part of God’s people Israel. Our objective in this article is to show God always had a “foreshadow remnant” of believers who wanted to fellowship with Him and be a part of His Israel.

Not every person who left Egypt was an Israelite. Among the foreigners living in Israel were those who had accompanied them on their flight from Egypt. Exodus 12:38 A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock. Exodus tells us a “mixed multitude of people went up with” the children of Israel.

These people had a desire to worship God and marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. For how long? Their presence during the quail incident, indicates that these people were still with the Israelites at least one year after the first Passover. That means that the mixed multitude was present at Mount Sinai, some fifty days after the Red Sea crossing. This means they were present at the giving of the Law!

People from other nationalities who had a sincere desire to worship God were welcome and assimilated (absorbed equals) into “Israel,” through faith and obedience to the conditions of the covenant. In other words through God grace the back door was always open to the gentiles nations (ethnoi)?. Those who hold the approach to scripture and believe the promises of God only apply to the biological fleshly seed of Abraham will never tell you foreigners gentile were always welcome and assimilated (absorbed equals) into “Israel,” through faith,

An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; them he may take part, like one born in the land… The SAME law applies to the native-born. And to the alien living among you” (Exodus 12:48-49) Other verses are (Numbers 9:14; Isaiah 56:4a, 6-7) Israel as a people were neither better nor worse than other people. This is why the Mosaic law contains detailed teaching concerning aliens and strangers. The ten northern tribes was never strangers to God or Israel.

This command continually remind the Israelites of how they should behave towards aliens living among them. The prophets also speak of a time coming when the strangers shall share in all the privileges of Israel (Ezekiel 47:22 ; Isaiah 2:2 ; 11:10 ; 56:3-6 ; Micah 4:1).

So under the Old Covenant system there were people from other nationalities who had a desire to serve God by faith. They were assimilated and absorbed as equals into Israel as long as they had faith and were obedient to the covenant. These aliens were called proselytes. The Greek term προσήλυτος (proselytos), as used in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) for “stranger”, i.e. a “newcomer to Israel”; a “sojourner in the land”, and in the Greek New Testament for a first century convert to Judaism, generally from Ancient Greek.

It is certain that Biblical authors refer to proselytes, though describing them in paraphrases. Exodus 12: 48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to Jehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger (προσήλυτος) that sojourneth among you. 50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that Jehovah did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

Exodus 12 provides for the proselyte's partaking of the paschal lamb, referring to him as a "ger" that is "circumcised." PROSELYTE (προσέλυτος, from προσέρχεσθαι): The "Ger." Term employed generally, though not exclusively, in the Septuagint as a rendering for the Hebrew word "ger," designating a convert from one religion to another.

Deuteronomy 23:7-8 speaks of the third generation of Edomites and Egyptians that may enter the assembly of the LORD. These people of Edomites and Egyptians were not former members of the lost sheep of Israel or (the 10 northern tribes) scattered (Diaspora).

It is an historical fact that any Gentile that had a sincere desire to worship and joined themselves to יהוה (YHWH) practiced the normal facility of immersion in a pool of water called a "Mikveh." Hebrew: מִקְוֶה / מקווה. The name is derived from the Hebrew word for ‘collection or gathering’ and speaks of a "place where the waters of immersion are gathered." It’s a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion into Judaism to achieve ritual purity.

The baptismal water (Mikveh) was referred to as the womb of the world, and as a convert came out of the water it was considered a new birth separating him/her from the pagan world. As the convert came out of these waters his/hers status was changed and he was referred to as “a little child just born” or “a child of one day born again”. In other words, whatever passed through the waters of Mikveh was then cleansed, purified, and sanctified, MADE HOLY! The mikveh (ritual baptism of purification) was located to the south of the Temple close to the Huldah gate. And did not begin with John the Baptist.

The term arises from the creation account when God gathered the waters and separated the land from the sea. From this springs the idea that in all acts of Mikveh there is a separation made by the water. It is said when the children passed through the Red Sea on the way to the promised land and were thus separated and sanctified unto Moses from Egyptian defilement, that this was a mikveh. The passing through the waters of the Red Sea is called a mikveh by Jews.

Take, for example, 1 Corinthians 10:2 where Paul writes about the Israelites being “baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” From the events at the Red Sea, the people of Israel fully identified themselves with Moses, and he with them.

So it was God who the designer and originator of this baptism (by baptism we mean immersion). Mikveh symbolism as it applied to all prior washings and cleansings are rolled into ONE BAPTISM, ONE MIKVEH! All water baptism of the New Testament have their beginning in these ancient Mikveh cleansing, purification washings of the Jews.

The Mikveh-baptism was another type and shadow of the –baptism in Christ. Peters ONE BAPTISM points to there being only one holy cleansing MIKVEH for the purification, sanctification, and justification of the convert and that being the one according to Acts 2:38.

So when a Gentile wanted to convert to Judaism, he/she had to undergo Mikveh-baptism as a sign they were passing from Gentileism into Judaism, passing from idols to the true God, passing from life as a dead person to a new life in God, passing from the darkness of evil knowledge into the light of God's truth, and passing from paganism to accept the religion of the Jews.

A person who did not say as Ruth: (Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God), could not enter the waters of convert Mikveh because they had not brought forth the fruits of repentance (Turning to God from one's past sins, life, and identity). These could not be a convert to Judaism.

Each convert must make the same confession as Ruth at the time of their convert Mikveh-baptism: Your people shall become my people, and your God my God. All these Mikveh were by immersion and the name of God was invoked over them as they were either self immersed or was plunged under by a baptizer. The name "ADONAI ELOHIM EHJEH" (Lord God of Salvation and Deliverance) was pronounced over the convert.

After he/she underwent the Mikveh-baptism he/she come up as a new, "born again" creation, an Israelite in every way. They moved into a whole new realm of life. They moved out from being a gentile pagan into being Jewish. They took on new responsibilities. Isaiah 56 gives us a larger picture of the attitude of those foreigner converts ήπηλυτος that joined themselves to YHWH, "to minister to Him and love His name, to be His servant, keeping the Sabbath from profaning it, and laying hold on His covenant." And how YHWH promise to give them an everlasting name.

Josephus the Jewish historian describes the convert as one who adopts the Jewish customs, following the laws of the Jews and worshiping God as they do—one who has become a Jew ("Ant." xx. 2, §§ 1, 4; comp. xviii. 3, § 5)

In Esther proselytes ("became Jews") they embraced the Jewish religion, and submitted to the rites and ceremonies of it; were circumcised, as in the Septuagint version. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. (Esther 8:17)

The Greek word translated “baptize” is baptizo, the common Greek term for immerse, submerge or put into. The important point is that, in the Bible, “baptize” always means immerse. John the Baptist needed “much water ” for baptizing (John 3:23). Jesus, when John baptized Him, “came up immediately from the water ” (Matthew 3:16). When Philip baptized the eunuch, they “went down into the water” (Acts 8:38). Afterwards, “they came up out of the water ” (verse 39). Accordingly in the New Testament baptism in Christ is passing from life as a dead person to a new life in God, (Romans 6:4)

And during the New Testament times, we read about proselytes προσήλυτος, being present on the synagogue, while Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel. We read in the book of Acts of proselytes who come to Paul and Barnabas as they were leaving the synagogue, and invited them to speak further about the things of Christ on the next Sabbath. (Acts 13:42-43) Notice the distinction here between the “JEWS” and the “GENTILES” one group left the synagogue, and went about their business and the other group wanted to hear more on the next Sabbath!

The name "proselyte" occurs in the New Testament only in Matthew 23:15; Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43. These proselytes προσήλυτος were also not former members of the lost sheep of Israel or (the 10 northern tribes) scattered (Diaspora).

Then we read in Acts 2 when the Day of Pentecost had fully come their were proselytes, καὶ προσήλυτοι present. 5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, καὶ προσήλυτοι (Acts 2:10:5-10)

In Acts 2:5, Luke makes reference to Jews who were dwelling at Jerusalem during the Pentecost observance. Later, he describes them as "Jews and proselytes" (v. 10) as used in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) for "stranger", i.e. a "newcomer to Israel"; a "sojourner in the land", and in the Greek New Testament for a first century .. converts to Judaism, generally from Ancient Greek religion. However they were never former members of the lost sheep of Israel or (the 10 northern tribes) scattered (Diaspora).

One of the great foundations of the modern Christianity is that Acts chapter 2 is the birthday of the church. Wow!!!!! Jews, and Non Jews (proselytes) were being preached to and baptized on the day of Pentecost? Amazing! Of course these (proselytes) were considered as Jews and they prefigured, the Gentiles who were to become saved “in Christ”. These gentiles proselyte were not the diaspora or members of the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel of the scattered Israelites.

Now I have to ask you a question. Since you have seen how Jehovah made a way for gentiles to worship Him during the Old Testament dispensation does it make any sense to you that God would cut off that relationship with gentiles during the New Covenant eternal age? (Hebrews 13:20) Of course not!

Luke tell us about another extraordinary event that happen at the conference in Jerusalem. Acts 15:16 (NKJV) ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’

The Hebrew word translated “tabernacle” is ohel, which means “a tent, a covering, (dwelling) (place), home, tabernacle, tent.”

While Peter speaking, about Gentiles hearing the gospel. (Acts 15:7) James uses Amos 9:11-12 to give credence to the recent conversion of the Gentiles in the early church. Many Jews were objecting to this because there was uncertainty as to how the Gentiles were to now keep the Law of Moses. The essential argument from Peter’s earlier experience with Cornelius, a Gentile, was that God was also calling Gentiles to Himself. The apostles were not to put on the Gentiles a burden that no one could ever keep (i.e. the Law of Moses). Instead, the Gentiles will remain Gentiles, the Jews will remain Jews.

James was claiming that the gentiles are fulfilling this promises of Amos 9:11-12. By citing this passage, James is saying that this prophecy is being fulfilled in his time.

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