The world has labeled the prohibition of intermarriage "racism." Indeed, in some states, intermarriage was illegal into the mid-twentieth century; not necessarily on religious beliefs but for racial purity. Jews originally were not to intermarry to maintain their racial purity as the progenitors of the Messiah. God endorsed racial purity of the Jews, not out of hatred, but because they are the chosen people. God even provided His reasoning:
When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. (Deut 7:1-4; italics mine).God's reasoning for what liberals have labeled "Xenophobia" was for the survival of His fittest - His "chosen people." God wanted a Jewish man to become the Savior for one reason: Abraham had been faithful to God, and God wanted to bless him for his faith. None of the other "ites" mentioned above had been faithful; why then, would God reward them?
In spiritual matters, the "seed"of the man is paramount to the "receptacle" of the woman - the ova. Jesus himself was the seed of both Jews and non-Jews. For instance, Bathsheba was Jesus's ancestor (Mat 1:6) but if she was a Hittite, she was likely a convert to Judaism. Her lineage remains unknown, but Jesus may have been part Hittite through Bathsheba. Jesus's ancestor, Ruth, was a Moabite. On the other hand, Jesus's paternal ancestry (through Mary of course) was Jewish. Jesus whose make-up was an admixture racially but was thoroughly an Israelite through Jacob.
God sought to maintain spiritual purity through racial purity through the male line. Unfortunately marrying foreign wives and disregarding God's command from the Book of Deuteronomy above was rebellious. I don't believe the Jews are Xenophobic but obedient. They may not fully understand the spiritual reasons behind that, but Jewish racial purity is God's intent, especially considering the final part of the Abrahamic Covenant: "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev 7:4); then the number from each of the twelve tribes are named. The "sealing" were those who were set apart for salvation.
Spiritual fact: God wanted the Jews to remain racially pure. Spiritual outcome: Failing to, God enforced His command:
“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the surrounding peoples, but there is still hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Let us therefore make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the law. 4 Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we support you. Be strong and take action!” 10 “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. 11 Therefore, make a confession to Yahweh the God of your fathers and do His will. Separate yourselves from the surrounding peoples and your foreign wives.”Throughout the Bible, the Jews fornicated with other gods because of their foreign wives. God's reason for racial purity was for religious purity. Thus, what some call Xenophobia, in this case, was for proper and valid reasons. Racial purity can be for spiritual reasons, although in many cases it has been for ethnic purity which is prideful. Boaz taking the foreign widow, Ruth, for a wife was admirable because Ruth was righteous. If Boaz had taken a heathen wife for lustful reasons, that marriage would have been sinful.
Is modern-day intermarriage acceptable spiritually? As with Boaz and Ruth, it must be for right reasons. Gentiles are people of all non-Jewish races, and the mystery of God is that grace is for them as well. Intermarriage, as with Ruth, is not objectionable as long as the two are of one faith as Holy Matrimony is a covenant between man, woman, and God. On the other hand, Holy Matrimony can never be for people of different faiths. For instance, Allah is not the One True God because he never became flesh. Allah is an imposter God, and represents, it seems, the Antichrist. (See my earlier commentary on that thought.)
Is it okay for Jews (chosen people) or Christians (peculiar people) to marry Arabs? Yes with a provisio: They must be Christians for Christians or Judaists for Jews. Religious intermarriage is spiritually wrong. It is not a racial issue but an holy one.
Donald Trump's daughter converted to Judaism to make her marriage palatable to Jews. If she converted for right reasons, then maybe God honors that. If she converted because she was persuaded that legalism is the way to salvation, that is a noble and right cause. However, Judaism's legalism is not the path to salvation but an obstacle to it. Hence, the maybe should be definitely not!
On the other hand, according to scripture, Jared Kushner should have converted to Christianity. God would have honored that. In fact, all the 144,000 from the Book of Revelation who are "sealed" will be truly converted from Judaism to Christianity. Messianic Christianity is God's plan from the beginning!
When a Christian woman marries a Muslim, she is converted to Islam. If it was only to meet marriage requirements, perhaps it was not true conversion. Perhaps if she was not converted to Christianity at some time previous, her marriage was merely a continuation of paganism. Conversion is spiritually serious business; and never should conversion be for any reason other than persuasion (Acts 26:28). It takes a thorough convincing to become a Christian; likewise, serious reconsideration is needed for becoming unconvinced. There is a great penalty for reversing persuasions:
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Heb 6:6).A Christian who converts to Islam or any other religion shames Jesus; it is a violation of the Third Commandment which penalty is: "the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name (Jesus) in vain" (Exod 10:7; parenthesis mine). Reverting to paganism is blasphemous and re-crucifies Christ. In the case of Islam, that can be a racial issue as well because most Muslims are of other races. To marry a Christian Arab, for instance, is not an issue, but marrying a Muslim Arab is of great consequence. If conversion was serious, it is damning. If done merely to marry one of a pagan religion, it is humiliating to God and rebellious.
Inter-marriage between religions dilutes Christianity, and concentrates Islam. It minimizes Christ and elevates Mohammad. Taking the Quran (666) is damning. It is accepting the mark of the beast:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Rev 14:11).Converting to Islam is the most catastrophic and damning thing a Christian can do! Doing that for the sake of marrying a foreigner who God says to forsake and turn away is spiritually treasonous.
It's not impossible for a Christian to turn from the faith; Paul validated that. However, those of little faith are more apt to do that because they are more vulnerable to deception. Religious intermarriage is NOT okay with God! My personal position is that I care for the souls of people who covert to false religions.
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