Sunday, 29 April 2012


Aloha, brothers and sisters in Yeshua!

Am Yisrael Chai! (עַם יִשְרָאֵל חַי


Forward: Israel

The fact that the modern Nation of Israel exists is proof that God exists.

For example, Ezekiel 37 predicted the reformation of the modern Nation of Israel over 2,000 years before it happened (even before it had been scattered), and this was a highly unusual event. If you search the history books, I believe that you will be hard pressed to find another nation of people that was scattered about the world for over two thousand years, was decimated by a satanic madman and then was regathered to their ancient homeland, reviving their ancient language (possibly Zephaniah 3:9), turning a wasteland into some of the most productive farmland on the planet (e.g., Ezekiel 36:8,11,33-36, Amos 9:11-13, Isaiah 27:6, Isaiah 51:3; possibly Isaiah 35:1-2, Isaiah 41:18-20), discovering some of the worlds largest natural gas and shale oil reserves (e.g., probablyDeuteronomy 33:18-19, improbably Deuteronomy 33:13,24, Deuteronomy 32:13, Genesis 49:25), etc. (all as predicted by the Word of God, over 2,000 years in advance).

Did you ever consider God's purpose for Israel? Although it does not seem to be stated outright in God's Word, it seems clear that Israel is to be a unique people (e.g., Deuteronomy 14:2) -- keeping the Laws of God, which seem peculiar to those who do not have a relationship with God -- and a light unto the nations, bringing strangers into the nation, and thus into a covenant relationship with God (e.g., Exodus 12:19,48-49, Isaiah 14:1).

Being human and succumbing to their human desires, they did not (and, even today, do not) want to be a peculiar people for God. They wanted to (then, and want to, now) be like the rest of the nations (e.g., 1 Samuel 8:4-5). God, having created each of us in His image (i.e., with a free will of our own), did not force himself upon them when they rejected Him but warned them and then allowed them to experience the folly of their ways (e.g., 1 Samuel 8:6-22), as He does with each of us.

One day, soon, all of the enemies of Israel will be no more (e.g., Isaiah 41:11-13), even though Israel may be purified before Yeshua returns (e.g., Zechariah 13:8-9).

Background
On this last Feast of Passover, during the Passover Seder that we attended, one of our brothers in Yeshua at the table where we sat kept referring to himself as a Gentile and a non-Israeli. When he did this, I felt like the Ruach Ha'Kodesh burned within me and related Scriptures came into my mind. So, at one point, I said something like, "Is Yeshua your savior?" He said, "Yes." Then I said something like, "Then you are an Israeli."

That did not play well. Oi, yoi, yoi. He (a non-Jew) and his wife (a Jew) did not like what they perceived to be a blurring of the lines between Jews and Gentiles, at all, and they were expeditious and unyielding in their delivery of their "correction" of my "misunderstanding."

It was clear that they are set in their ways and that no understanding could flow given the inflexibility of their belief. Thus, I did not bother to push the issue too far, since that would merely have led to yet another fruitless argument.

On the other hand, when I got home, I quickly rushed to the Scriptures and wondered if I may have been the one who was confused.

One question that we might ask is, "What did Paul mean when he talked about believers in Yeshua being grafted into the Nation of Israel in Romans 11?"

Another question that you might ask, if you believe that you can disregard God's Laws (Torah), as if it were no longer of any consequence thanks be to Yeshua (the Savior of Israel), "Why did Paul mention the remnant of faithful Israelis that God mercifully kept who did not bow down and worship a demon lord who the rest of Israel submitted themselves to during the days of the first advent of Elijah, analogous to the remnant of faithful believers who God had kept in Paul's day (Romans 11:4-5)?" If God's Law has been neutralized, so to speak, by the work of our Savior, then why does Paul need to make mention of a remnant who did not violate the first and second commandments?

Confusion
There seems to be a lot of confusion going around, these days.

Many of the Ekklēsia of Yeshua seem to be doing exactly what the religious folk of Yeshua's time did. We are picking and choosing what we want to believe and understand in order to suit our own objectives.

On the mainstream side of the house, all of God's true Feasts (e.g., Leviticus 23) have basically been done away with, and some Feasts, like Passover, have been replaced with holidays that originally involved the worship of demon gods (e.g., possibly Ēostre or Ishtar in the case of Easter). In general, many of those who claim Jesus as their Savior seem to forget that He is an Israeli of the Tribe of Yehudah (i.e., a Jew) who went by the Hebrew name of Yehoshua or Yeshua (which means something like Yehowah saves). Furthermore, it seems as though many of Yeshua's Ekklēsia, today, seem to believe that God's Law is a curse, rather than being perfect, and the conduct and life choices of people who hold this conjecture seem to clearly authenticate this belief.

Indeed, I am concerned about the impact upon the wonderful joint family system that exists in India as so called modern Christianity spreads throughout the country and potentially ruins the core of their family values via the propagation of its wrong interpretations of God's Word (often asserting, as satan does, that we are free to do whatever we feel like doing) as it has helped to do to the family system in the likes of England, America, Europe, New Zealand, Taiwan, etc.

On the Messianic Jewish side of the house, many also hold to man-made traditions that run counter to the teachings of God, like not pronouncing God's name (יהוה), even though God gave it to us, and it is written 6,519 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Also, in many Messianic circles, men wear head coverings when praying and women pray and teach God's Word with their heads uncovered, contrary to God's Word (1 Corinthians 11:1-16). Etc. Furthermore, I have seen Messianic types hold Jews and Jewish customs in such high regard that they, at times, seem accept them above the Word of God.

So, we believers in Yeshua, as a whole, seem to be all messed up.
By the way, a lot of these misunderstandings and misapplications of The Way come from good intentions. For example, many so called Messianic believers understand the danger that replacement theology poses to the people of Israel (which asserts that the so called Christian church has replaced the Nation of Israel). Thus, some will not tolerate what they perceive as any belief that might seem to lead in the direction of replacement theology. Indeed, replacement theology is unbiblical and is wrong, but God's Word would also seem to assert that stating that all believers in Yeshua are not a part of Israel is also wrong. (Needless to say and beyond the scope of this message, if you have any hatred for Israel or the Jewish people, whom God calls the Apple of His Eye in Zechariah 2:7-8 and His First Born Son in Exodus 4:22, you have serious issues that you might want to work out with God, ASAP, before it is too late for you -- e.g., Genesis 12:1-3.)

Purpose of the Nation of Israel
As previously mentioned, we believe that the Nation of Israel is supposed to be a light unto the world via their living of God's Word. Gentiles were supposed to enter into God's Covenant with Israel through Israel (e.g., Isaiah 56:3-8).

Israel failed in the days prior to the first coming of the Savior of Israel, and we are still failing today.

Pride Can Lead to Confusion
However, there is a natural tendency for each of us to forget ourselves and to, somehow, believe that we are more perfect, less sinful and more knowledgeable than we are. We each seem to naturally believe that we are the ones with the "real truth." We have seen it, over and over again, in ourselves.

All, including ourselves, have gone astray (Romans 3:23-26). For example, churches that worship on Sunday do not even seem to understand the concept of the Sabbath Day, which is strange given the fact that it is one of God's Ten Commandments -- the one that starts with the word, "Remember" (Exodus 20:8-11). In order to justify this error, all kinds of plainly wrong interpretations of God's Word are introduced. Some (i.e., many) even going so far as to claim that God's Law no longer applies to us. (That is, some would assert that God's Law is something that we should not do, lest we be cursed.) However, if you been subscribed to this list for any length of time, at all, you must know that God's Law is love (Matthew 22:37-40), and Yeshua said that not even the smallest part of His Law has been done away with (Matthew 5:17-20). So, how can it be possible that a church that wants to do away with God's Law in order to justify failing to gathering together on God's Sabbath Day (e.g., Leviticus 23:3) can have the only Truth?

Again, we are all fallen, and none of us is righteous (Isaiah 53:6). It is probably safe to say that unless we are living entirely in submission to God and His Word, we have each accepted one or more delusions that we prefer to part of God's Truth, to our own misfortune.

Are Gentile Believers a Part of the Nation of Israel?
There are a lot of alleged reasons for why the Apostle Paul wrote the Book of Romans. However, the best explanation that we have heard to date states that Paul was trying to bridge the divide that was emerging between the Jewish and non-Jewish believers in Yeshua -- a divide which seems to be even greater, today, and which works powerfully for the kingdom of satan and against the Kingdom of God. If you carefully study Paul's letter to God's Ekklēsia in Rome, you might notice that Paul seems to deal carefully with the issues that are bringing division amongst these two groups of people who, though they came from separate backgrounds, should be one in Yeshua (e.g., Galatians 3:26-29 and Ephesians 2:11-18).

Clearly, throughout Scriptures, Israel is a special nation that God chose to be an example to the world, to bring the world to God via their model (which was to include living in obedience to God's Word and receiving various special blessings and protections from God as a result of that ongoing obedience). It seems clear that God, from His choosing of the Nation of Israel, has always made provisions for non-Israelis to enter into the Kingdom of God (and, thus, the Nation of Israel) -- e.g., Isaiah 56. Also, clearly, God knew that Israel would not keep its calling (Deuteronomy 31:16). Thus, that calling was ultimately fulfilled by God, Himself, in Yeshua.

In Romans 11, a causal read would seem to suggest that Gentile believers in Yeshua are indeed grafted into the Nation of Israel -- if Israel is the figurative olive tree, that is. However, as we mentioned, many so called Messianic believers will challenge that interpretation. The question is, which, if either understanding, is correct (i.e., is the one that God intends)?

In Romans 11:16, the root of the tree is probably Yeshua (the first fruit of God). In Romans 11:17, the branches that were broken off clearly seem to be Israelis who have refused to receive their Messiah, Yeshua, and the branches that were grafted in clearly seem to be Gentiles who did accept the Israeli Messiah (Yeshua) as their own, personal Savior. Furthermore, in Romans 11:24, Paul seems to clearly state that Gentile believers were cut out of their wild olive trees and grafted into the good olive tree. Is the good olive tree Israel? (It would seem to be a natural conclusion of Romans 11:24.)

While I do not think that any true follower of Yeshua is going to try to stake a claim to the earthly Nation of Israel, we are clearly grafted into the good olive tree, of which Israeli believers in Yeshua are a natural part, whether that is "merely" God's Kingdom to come on earth (headquartered in Jerusalem) or something else. However, Romans 11:11 does state at least part of our calling as believers in Yeshua.

Our Responsibility to Unbelievers, Especially Israeli Unbelievers
From our understanding of Romans 11:11, believers in Yeshua now have a kind of reverse calling to the original calling of the Nation of Israel (actually, it is the same calling). We, through our salvation, are supposed to provoke Jews to jealousy and, thus, to receive their Messiah (and our Messiah) through our example to them. We might argue that as the Nation of Israel has failed in its calling, we also seem to be failing in our calling. (Did the world come to Yehowah as a result of the example set by the Nation of Israel in the days before Yeshua? Also, have all Jews received salvation based upon our example, yet?)

Could it be that God will, once again, have to step in and take things into His own hands, this time due to our failure? Revelation 6:9-11 and Revelation 7 may (or may not) suggest that. Currently, whether we like it or not, we have a lot of bad history to make up for, as well as contemporary, apparently apostate, churches who would side with satan and say that the Nation of Israel has no right to exist (e.g., Revelation 12:13), even though God has established them (Ezekiel 37).

How might we, as believers in Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel, provoke Jewish non-believers in their own Messiah to Jealousy, as God's Word says that we are to do? Will satan's tactics achieve anything other than satan's goals? Perhaps we should consider what God wants us to do and how God wants us to live (e.g.,Matthew 22:37-40). If we manifest God's Kingdom, here on earth, starting with the way that we treat God and others, which person would not want to be a part of that? Why do think that satan is fighting so hard against those who would keep the Commandments of God (e.g., Revelation 12:17)? Could it be that he knows that living God's Way is good for us and others; thus, he wants no examples of those who keep God's Word to exist on planet earth?

By the way, as believers in Yeshua, whether Jewish or formerly Gentile, we are one new man in Yeshua, being reconciled to God in one body through Yeshua (Ephesians 2:11-18). We are no longer alienated from the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12). We are all one in Yeshua and heirs to the promises given to Abraham (Galatians 3:26-29;4:1-7). Thus, if we manifest God's love, as individuals, and as His Ekklēsia, as a whole, then we just might achieve God's idea for us to provoke Jewish and non-Jewish unbelievers, alike, to jealousy and, thus, draw them in to the Kingdom of God.

How to Help to Build God's Kingdom
Focus on God, and seek to do His Will, always. Pray to Him continually (e.g., Ephesians 6:18). To live His Word, you have to know His Word. To know His Word, you have to read His Word. So, pray and read God's Word during the best part of each day.

Be patient and kind with others, including all who do wrong (e.g., 2 Timothy 2:24-26). In general, focus most of your correction upon yourself (e.g., Luke 6:42) and try to walk in God's Word (i.e., His Law/Torah). Your Godly example will do far more than your words.


Salvation


Calls to Action


Israel


Egypt


Iran


Belgium


United States


Preparing for Passover (a bit late for this year...)
  • Matsah Mayhem


Miscellaneous


Have a great weekend.

God bless, and Shabbat shalom,
Darwin and Ani

Posted by Britannia Radio at 09:21