Zion and Yeshua's Return

 "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against YHVH and against His Anointed…? ( Psalm 2:1-2). "For YHVH has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place:  'This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it'" (Psalm 132:13-14).  "And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east" (Zechariah 14:4).

There isn't a more maligned word or term in our day than "Zion", including all the adjectives, nouns, etc. associated with it. Anti-Semitism - Jew hatred - has taken on a new label. Any Jew is now named, derogatorily, a Zionist, or a Zio. However, in great contrast the Scriptures lift Zion up and make mention of her 164 times, mainly as a reference to Jerusalem, or specifically to Mount Zion. 

Psalm 48's 14 verses constitute a love song to YHVH's city: "In the city of our Elohim, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.   Elohim is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together.  They saw and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away.  Fear took hold of them there, pain, as of a woman in birth pangs… As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of YHVH of hosts, in the city of our Elohim; Elohim will establish it forever. Selah… Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments.  Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers; Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following.  For this is Elohim, our Elohim forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death" (emphases added). 

Every verse in this psalm is loaded and worthy of highlighting and/or exclaiming. What a glorious future for YHVH's home city, the "marked one" (one of Zion's meanings), the one He loves and longs for! Thus, in raging and plotting vain things the people and the world's rulers, who are nothing but proxies of YHVH and Messiah's enemy, invariably turn against His people, His land, and chiefly and ultimately against His beloved Zion. It is no wonder that these ones identify everyone who is, at least ethnically, part of Israel as a "Zionist", being ignorant of the many different, positive, connotations of this term. 

Spiritual and physical Zion is surrounded by several outer layers: The people of Zion, such as the "daughter of Zion", Jerusalem, in the physical and literal sense, and the land of Israel. Isaiah 62 provides an excellent example of these close associations, all connected with Zion and its "layers". Let's traverse through this chapter, moving from one phase to another until we reach the ultimate goal, which is presented so impressively in this text. Isaiah 62 depicts the pathway of Messiah’s return, and notably sets it off by mentioning Zion.  

"For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns". YHVH's topmost priority concerning this physical location and its spiritual goal is clearly stated here.  "The nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of YHVH will name.  You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of YHVH, and a royal diadem in the hand of your Elohim". YHVH's intention for His beloved city is to be highly esteemed and recognized by all of humanity and be a symbol of His own glory.  "You shall no longer be termed forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for YHVH delights in you, and your land shall be married.  For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your Elohim rejoice over you". This section now 'spills' into the land in which Zion/Jerusalem is situated, like a jewel in its setting. This is a call that involves Zion's sons and their devotion, love, and investment in the Land. "I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace, day or night. You who make mention of YHVH, do not keep silent and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth". Zion's sons are now enjoined to not only 'marry' the Land, the location where Zion/Jerusalem is situated, but they are also to be spiritually engaged in intercession that emanates out of genuine care and love, cooperating with their Elohim in wresting His beloved abode until it is established according to His desire for her. "YHVH has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength: 'Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies; and the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine, for which you have labored.  But those who have gathered it shall eat it, and praise YHVH; Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts". Again, it is not only the natural and spiritual condition of Zion/Jerusalem that is being brought to bear, but the entire land. Its freedom from bondage and its fruitfulness form an integral part of the instatement of Zion. The "watchmen" are "shomrim", which also means "protectors" or "guards". Marrying the land and rescuing it from its desolation (v. 4), means caring for and tending it. Concerning man’s role in the Garden of Eden it says: "Then YHVH Elohim took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it" (Genesis 2:15, emphasis added). 

 "Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples!" This call takes us to yet one more phase; the return of those who are still in the diaspora.  All this for the sake of the next eventuality: "Indeed YHVH has proclaimed to the end of the world: 'Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him'" (emphases added). We have now reached the peak and goal of this missive of grandeur. Zion, its surrounding landmass, its people, their collaboration with their Elohim, the preparation for and return of those who had been outside the land, all of that precedes the coming of Zion's Salvation! Yes, Messiah's coming is heralded by all of the above-mentioned: "And they shall call them [they shall be called] the Holy People, the Redeemed of YHVH". And as for the city: "And you shall be called Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken".  Zion’s lofty role explains YHVH’s disdain for the high places (bemas) that have so often been erected throughout the land, even when used for His worship. He is not satisfied with substitutes or alternatives. This is something that we too should take note of in our relationship with Him and His Word. 

The following verse (in the next chapter, 63) immediately announces again:  "Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah. This One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? – 'I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save'" (Isaiah 63:1). Before our Messiah's return, and contingent upon it, there is a call to be spiritually and physically involved in the location He has chosen. Much of this is taking place right now before our very eyes, and yet there is more to heed and respond to.  Abba's ongoing actions and inspiration regarding these matters have seen some of their literal fulfillment, even if many are not aware of such, yet there is more if what the Word describes is anything to go by, which of course it is!!!! 

A study of Isaiah 62, which highlighted this train of events, took place at an evening gathering that we attended in Jerusalem. Just prior to that meeting, 5 of us went to the Friends of Zion Museum in town. This place "brings to life the stories of Christians who loved and supported the Jewish people". It is the story of non-Jewish Zionists who had the vision, took action, and were committed to the return of the Jews to their homeland, some of whom did so even before the Jewish awakening.  https://fozmuseum.com/

Earlier in the day, coming up to Jerusalem, we stopped at a major junction, where there is now a national heritage site. The khan, which was built as a wayside inn during the Ottoman period, is situated in the narrow opening of Wadi Nahshon on the main road connecting the lowlands with Jerusalem. This road saw fierce battles during the War of Independence, and in memory of the men and women who took part in them, a heritage center was established in the khan, dedicated to those who broke through the road to sieged Jerusalem bringing much needed water, food and ammunition to its residents at a great risk to their lives. https://en.parks.org.il/reserve-park/gay / 

Above we saw that according to Isaiah 62, involvement in Zion's destiny and her surrounding environment is to be both spiritual and physical.  Psalm 84 highlights the heart of those who long for YHVH's courts in Zion. In fact, it may be stated that the roads to Zion go through their hearts. Verse 7 tells us that "they go from strength to strength; Each one appears before Elohim in Zion". The early Christian Zionists and the local Jews of 1947-1948 who were willing to give up their lives for the sake of breaking the siege of Jerusalem did not forget her. They all responded in some way to, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth -- If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy" (Ps. 137:5-6). 

The raging flames of the present global conflagration are surely signaling that the day of Elohim's union with His beloved city is closer at hand. 

Caught-Up

 Caught-Up

No, this title is not associated with the rapture. It actually points to the opposite.  In this case "caught-up" is meant to convey something more like a situation when a criminal is caught up with and arrested by the police. 

In Jewish tradition, the book of Jonah is read on Yom Kippur. (Oops, haven't we just completed celebrating Succot? 😊) Yeshua refers to an episode in this prophet's life that foreshadows His act of redemption, by comparing the former's circumstances to His own three days and nights of internment in the grave (ref. Matthew 12:39-41). Moreover, the story of Jonah's flight from his divine calling and assignment may also cast light on the corporate entity of Israel, especially the redeemed ones.

YHVH calls Himself the Elohim of Israel, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  In the "last days" the Spirit of the prophets of old, especially Elijah, will be (and is) turning the hearts of the progeny of those forefathers back to their true identity, as a witness and testimony of His faithfulness in keeping the covenant with the progenitors. YHVH's faithfulness forms one aspect of this destiny, while the other one is the role that His chosen people are called to fulfill in the latter days.

YHVH’s people (Israel and Judah) have a responsibility, a task in this world not unlike Jonah’s.  But when the called-out ones, from Judah and Ephraim/Israel, try to dodge their mission YHVH brings on tribulations so that the nations find themselves crying out to their gods for help and are looking for the cause or culprit. The ship's Captain may just have to cry out, “Awake oh Israel, and put off your slumber, come up on deck and raise your voice to your Elohim!” Like Jonah, Israel cannot escape, or remain asleep at the bottom of the ship, but will have to face all those on deck being tossed to and fro by the storms of distress and fear.  The Elohim of Israel will make it evident who is the cause of this frightful situation. Among the unredeemed, there may be those who will try to spare us, as they row and even discard all their precious cargo overboard, but to no avail. Just as was the case with the sailors in the Jonah narrative, so will they be faced with a great dilemma once they find out that there are people on board whose Elohim is the Creator of heaven, the seas, and earth.

When YHVH's people realize that they are the culprits, responsible for the dangerous life-threatening storm, they will be forced to decide what to do about the situation.  Let’s follow the Jonah narrative: “Then they said to him [Jonah], 'Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?' So he said to them, 'I am a Hebrew; and I fear YHVH, the Elohim of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.' Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, 'Why have you done this?'" (Jonah 1:8-10a). The end-time tribulation is (at least in part) the consequence and catalyst that falls on the nations, including Israel and Judah, because Israel refuses to respond to their identity and the calling that goes along with it (see Malachi 4:5-6).

"For the men knew that he fled from the presence of YHVH, because he had told them.  Then they said to him, 'What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?' -- for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, 'Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. for I know that this great tempest is because of me'" (Jonah 1:10b-12).

Under comparable circumstances, we too will be forced into confessing our true identity, the reason for the storm, and the impending ruin of the ship. But this is not the end of our lesson. The world, by necessity, must throw us overboard, cut us off from their way of life (maybe we will not even be able to buy or sell).  If they do not get rid of us, the seas will become even more turbulent. Since we will not cast ourselves into the depths of the sea, having no other choice, even those well-meaning from among them who would prefer not to stain their hands with innocent blood, will end up throwing us overboard.  

When Jonah is thrust into the fathomless depths, he finds himself swallowed by an enormous fish. While there "… Jonah prayed to YHVH his Elohim (Jonah 2:1).  Notice that Jonah did not pray on the deck of the ship.  “And he said: 'I cried out to YHVH because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol. I cried, and You heard my voice” (2:2). Jonah, recognizing his low estate brought on by his own actions, admits to YHVH:  "Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O YHVH, my Elohim" (2:6).

Observation: This morning while standing in our 'saferoom' (bomb shelter), listening to the siren of an incoming rocket, I opened an email that had a YouTube attachment of Trump speaking at a Christian rally. Along with it was a clip of Kamala telling Christians that they were not welcome at her meeting.  A week or so ago the polls showed that Trump was ahead in all areas of American issues of concern and that if the Democrats were to win this election, they would have to pull a rabbit out of the magician's hat.  Religion, including humanism, is very much at the forefront of American politics.  Thus, in the last four years, especially from January 6, 2020, what has been labeled “radical Christianity” has been demonized and is being used now as Kamala’s trump card to win over many who have been worried about the Christian right-wing. In response, Trump showed his hand at a Christian rally where he seemed to no longer be on the fence but confessed to being a 'believer' and lauded the brave missionaries, pastors, rabbis, etc. who have laid the foundation of morality in America. 

I thought it interesting that this communication came before concluding my thoughts on the above, “Caught-Up”, letter.  Additionally, I read this morning the episode portraying Ahab's unrequited desire for Naboth’s vineyard and Jezebel's solution, when she had Naboth falsely accused of cursing Elohim which then led to his execution by stoning (1^st Kings 21). False accusations are also being hurled at Christians and Jews for undermining American rights to freedom and liberty or liberality. 

As believers in Messiah Yeshua, we may be at the point of being brought up to the deck to face our Elohim-given destiny.  

Out of the Archives "Paradigm Shift" (2001)

I'm sure you all have been following the news and are aware of the shifting sands of our history-in-the-making. We no sooner blew the shofar of the 1st of the 7th month on the mo'ed of Yom T'ruah, and violence broke out not only in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza but also in the Arab communities of what is termed 'Israel proper.' This did not come as a surprise to those with a keen sense of the prophetic or even to those with a little common sense and knowledge. 

 

When I awoke this morning, I had a strong feeling that we were experiencing a paradigm shift.  One which will take us from  'the Moses wilderness anointing and ministry' to the 'Yehoshua (Joshua) call'; from 'the Saul government' to the 'Davidic'; from 'the Elijiah mantle' to that of  'Elishah'; from 'the Zerubabel and Joshua' to 'the Ezra'. No matter which way we look at the change, there is an overlapping time period.  Just like the waves of the sea, each of these waves also has its time and space to reach the sands of the sea (Israel was to be like the sand of the sea).

Back in 1977, just before going to Israel for the second time, scriptures from Ezekiel 2 and 3 stirred my innermost being.  I am trying to remember if the following dream came before the trip, during, or after.  Anyhow, I saw a huge black rock mountain with the waves of the sea pounding up against it.   Suddenly a large wave came in from the sea, which had faces in it, among whom were the leaders of the Reformation such as Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and others that I did not recognize.  The wave covered the top of the mountain, but when it retreated to the sea, the massive rock had been broken into very large boulders.  As that wave receded, the waters of the next wave began to swell and it was actually formed from the very resistance of the first. This second wave seemed larger than the first. Once again, there were faces of men in the wave.  But this time, I did not recognize any of them.  As that wave moved up over the boulders and back out to sea, the large stones had been broken into smaller stones and pebbles, whose color was no longer black but much lighter.  Again, this wave resisted the next one but, at the same time, helped build it into an even larger wave.

 

As the third wave came in, again it had faces, this time of Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, Derek Prince and others. It washed over the stones of the beach and as it retreated to the sea these stones became small pebbles of varying colors.  Then, as before, this wave resisted the one that was arising behind it.  As the fourth wave grew it looked like a wave of seed, either wheat or barley.  As it passed over the pebbles and receded from the shore, they (the pebbles) turned into a beautiful white sandy beach.  This wave too, like the others, resisted the next one, but helped bolster it. This one looked like fire.  As this wave of fire descended upon the white sand, it covered it for only a short time and subsided as if absorbed by the sand.  But this time there was not another wave as the sea and the sand became like one sheet of glass. 

 

This is the time of a paradigm shift when one wave is moving off of the shore and another is forming.

  

Will we be riding in on the next wave or will we be resisting it?

 

Repentance and consecration always proceeded the next move of the Spirit.

 

Let's not be found sitting on what was, but what is and will be, in the words of Peter: "be established in present truth" (2Pet.1:12).

 

Shabbat Shalom, have a meaningful Yom Kippur.

 

And now, Israel, what does YHVH require from you, but to fear YHVH your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve YHVH with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep YHVH's commandments and His statutes (Deut. 10:12).

Prophetic Stance

 In an excerpt from Hebrew Insights into Parashat Nitzavim, we noted that Parashat Nitzavim may be subtitled “The Hebrew People - A Testimony of the Covenant and of the Promises”. Although Nitzavim is translated "You stand…" - it actually means "standing in position, standing firmly, or taking a stand"…. Embodied in the two Parashot is the definition of the nation, as well as the ultimate promise of grace. Interestingly, about the “nations” which “rage” and “the peoples” who “contemplate a vain thing”, with their “kings and rulers” (mentioned in Psalm 2:1-2), it is said that they “take their stand together against YHVH and His Anointed…” (v.2). In Hebrew “take their stand” is, again, “yit’ya’tzvu”, which places the latter in a parallel but contradictory position to those who are now standing in solemn formation before entering the land promised to them by their Elohim. Thus, these two “stances” present a choice of, where to stand and with whom… This takes us to Zechariah 9:13a. If there was ever a time for this word of prophecy to begin to take shape, it is now.

Through the prophet, YHVH declares: "I have bent Judah, My bow, fitted the bow with Ephraim". Zechariah further informs us that Judah is "like mighty men, who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle" (10:5), and that, "From him comes the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together" (v. 4 emphasis added). So here we are, the battle bow is mentioned once again. But as much as the "mighty men" are equipped for battle, they still lack the arrows. Notice that the Judeans are not the only ones who are called "mighty". Here is what Zechariah says about Joseph: "Ephraim shall be like a mighty man…" (10:7). Isaiah 11:11-15 also describes the battle theater that both Judah and Ephraim share. 

While Judah is engaged in the ground battle, much like Joshua in his battle with the Amalekites, Ephraim is to be more like Moses on top of the mountain with his hands lifted, so that the "ground" (earthly) battle may be won, while he fights the spiritual one on behalf of his brother (ref. Exodus 17:8-13). "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of Elohim, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:12-13). 

Ephraim, the bow is waiting to be filled with your straight arrows! Whether Judah is aware or not, if you are his brother, you must be his keeper, taking up your role during this formidable time. "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat [Yah judges]; And I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.  They have cast lots for My people, have given a boy as payment for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink" (Joel 3:1-3).

At this time of sifting and decision-making, YHVH says: "Proclaim this among the nations: 'Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.  Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, 'I am strong.'  Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O YHVH. Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations'" (Joel 3:9-12).  

The decision to join the battle and to be counted is NOW. The bow needs the arrow in order to succeed. But it doesn't end there. Back to Zechariah 9:13, where we already read: "For I have bent Judah, My bow, fitted the bow with Ephraim", which leads to a very exciting outcome: "And raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you like the sword of a mighty man." The joint warfare of bow and arrow results in a total union, of becoming a (one) sword, a unit that is no longer divided into two entities with two different roles. Now they are one, "sons of Zion", forming a sword in the hand of Yah that defeats the proverbial "sons of Greece". This requires Ephraim’s willingness to be placed by YHVH in Judah's bow, and thus to take part in the battle that Judah is fighting. Let's read the conclusion of the aforementioned "sword battle":  "Then YHVH will be seen over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. YHVH Elohim will blow the shofar, and go with whirlwinds from the south. YHVH of hosts will defend them; They shall devour and subdue with slingstones. They shall drink and roar as if with wine; They shall be filled with blood like basins, like the corners of the altar.  YHVH their Elohim will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land --  For how great is its goodness and how great its beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women" (Zechariah 9:14-17).  

To that we may add Hosea's echoing cry: "For great will be the day of Jezreel…  In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely.  I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know YHVH" (Hosea 1:11c, 2:18-20).

Protocol

  Recently, I became reacquainted with the term “protocol,” as I am involved with a Canadian First Nation prayer group. Connections with other Indigenous groups from other nations who are protocol-conscious have also put this practice on my radar. These people groups all seem to understand the importance of “protocol” for and in their community and nation.

At our local meeting last Monday, held at our house, one couple, who have just returned from Canada, shared their recent experiences. The wife had also recently been to Australia for an Indigenous women’s conference. We were made more aware that by understanding Biblical protocol, these groups, from far and wide, know that the Jewish people are native to the land of Israel and see us as their “older brother”. 

In order to gain a more precise meaning of the term “protocol, at our meeting, we read its definition:  “The official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions”.   What immediately came to my mind was, that this is what the Apostles drew from the book of Genesis when they shared the gospel of the kingdom.  YHVH established the “protocol” of His Kingdom order in the family of humanity, and more specifically in Abraham’s family.  In my book Firstborn Factor in the Plan of Redemption, I (unwittingly) delineated YHVH’s “protocol”.  I called it “YHVH’s judicial order”, which is basically what protocol is.  When I mentioned to the group that the book of Genesis is YHVH’s protocol, one woman leaned forward and exclaimed in excitement, “these are the lost tribes of Israel!” referring to the first nations who were at the focus of our discussion.  Although this subject makes Messianic Jews a little nervous, I could not but hear the voice of the Spirit speaking “truth” to them. 

Several years ago, at an indigenous conference in Nazareth, a leader from the South Sea Islands delivered a very strong message to the Israeli Messianic believers, exhorting them to take up their mandate and responsibility as the elder brother. Most probably did not have a clear idea of what he was trying to convey to them, but how appropriate that was!

Because of “divine protocol” in the family of Jacob and Yeshua’s role in setting up His Kingdom in the House of Jacob, restoring the Kingdom to all Israel is paramount to the redemption of the rest of humanity, along with the creation itself. This is the reason for the strong call from the prophet to, "remember the Torah of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of YHVH. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:4-6). 

Those who embrace the gospel of the Kingdom and its Messiah need to ask the Holy Spirit whether they are from among those addressed in Romans 4:16, who have the “faith of their father Abraham” and are in the Messiah by that same “faith” because one cannot be in Messiah without it.   “Therefore know that those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7).  

“If you are in Messiah you are Abraham’s seed” according to the promise in the covenant to the Patriarchs (Galatians 3:29).  Being in Messiah doesn’t make one a descendent. No. It proves that one is of the natural seed and heir to that promise no matter where one currently resides. Restoring this identity by the New Covenant is supremely important in the prophetic fulfillment before the “great and terrible days of YHVH”. In fact, not having this identity restored at this time could jeopardize one’s witness and put one in danger of being caught in replacement theology, and worse… subject to the “curse”. 

To Know the Father

 In His High Priestly prayer, Yeshua requested: "… as You [Father] have given Him [Yeshua] authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true Elohim, and Messiah Yeshua whom You have sent” (John 17:2,3). Paul was also adamant about this all-important topic. In Ephesians 1:17, the following is recorded:  “That the Elohim of our Master Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him”. Being that we have to be born from above in order to be able to attain this knowledge, it takes going through a course of stages of spiritual growth and maturation. During the baby or toddler phase everything is about ‘me, myself and I’, as described by Paul: “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Messiah. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” (1^st Corinthians 3:1-3). We need not go any further… a toddler’s behavior is unmistakable.

In his first epistle, John elaborates on the stages of growth: “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake… I have written to you, children, because you know the Father” (1^st John 2:12-14).  Spiritual childhood entails first getting to know our new creation family. We cry out “Abba” and drink the "milk of the Word". Being nurtured, we learn that our sins were forgiven and that Elohim our Father loves, disciplines, teaches us Torah, and will take care of us. 

We mature into manhood when we learn the truth of our victory over the power of sin, the flesh, and the evil one.  “I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one… I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of Elohim abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (1^st John 2:13-14). At this stage we know Him as our Messiah, “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my [our] own derived from Torah, but that which is through faith in Messiah’s [indwelling presence], the righteousness which comes from Elohim on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:9-10).

The above leads us to the “father” phase: “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning…  I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning” (1^st John 2:13-14). We have now entered the reality of “it is no longer I who lives, but Messiah lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).  Fathers give life, therefore “… we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Yeshua’s sake, that the life of Yeshua also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death works in us, but life in you” (2^nd Corinthians 4:11-12).

Paul alludes to the fact that the believers do not have many fathers, “yet you would not have many fathers; for in Messiah Yeshua I became your father through the gospel” (1^st Corinthians 4:15).  In another reference he gives an example of his father’s heart: “But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all” (Philippians 2:17).  Fatherhood is a present experiential knowledge of Him who has been from the beginning, in order to become fully cognizant of our future involvement in setting the captive creation free from its bondage (ref. Romans 8:21). After all, He is the alef and the tav, the beginning and the end, the same yesterday, today and forever (ref. Rev. 1:8; Heb. 13:8)!

 

Netanel's Epilogue

 Netanel's Epilogue

For about a year or so now, a teacher named Netanel Ellinson has been embarking on a series of Bible (Tanach) studies. The vast materials he has taught, orally and in written form, on the book of Judges have been compiled into a book. The course of the study was just about to be completed when October Seventh burst into our lives, and Netanel was drafted to serve in Gaza. Shortly after, he wrote the book's epilogue. Here is its translation for you to ponder.

"These lines are being written a few days after the termination of my four-month spell in the war in Gaza, having been mobilized with the rest of Israel in the middle of the feast of Shmini Atzeret on the 7^th of October. Nowadays, living in a Hebrew State, with its army, government, offices, etc, we may pose the question, 'What is the relevance of the book of Judges, which covers a period during which, "everyone was doing what was right in his own eyes", and when no official state institutions were in existence?'

On that very trying day, when our enemies beat us so brutally, for several hours, we returned to the era of the Judges. On the 'eighth' day, we experienced being deprived of a State. The IDF was sunk in battle fog, with no commanding leadership and the other State authorities – a total eclipse had set in.  It was as though this 'thing' called the State of Israel had been turned off. Some call this genocide 'a one-day holocaust'. Others 'a pogrom'. I do not have the faculties to determine and make a categorical comparison, but I want to point out one main difference between the above portrayals. Even in the most disadvantaged first-line positions during those early hours, there were warriors with an upright Israeli spirit who fought back with every means at their disposal. The stories of their heroism, revealed in those moments, could fill up a whole library. It seems to me, therefore, that during those accursed hours, not having State-establishments and no military we returned to the era of the Judges. It was up to each individual to rise and act in power and might.

In those instances, it was as though the Judges were resurrected. Deborah rode tanks and faced dozens of terrorists. Ehuds fought stealthily with their meager means and against all odds. Yaels drove mallets into the heads of abysmal Siseras. We had Gideons who overcame their fears and lit the night's darkness. But mainly, thousands of Samsons lifted Gaza's heavy gates, crying out: "Let my soul perish with the Philistines" for the sake of rescuing their brethren. When, for several hours, the State imploded, we didn't return to the Diaspora. We returned to the days of the Judges. Each tribe and sector of Israel revealed its unique light; some by fighting, others by rendering a helping hand and support in different and multiple ways.

Those hours also proved that when all seems well and secure, and one can (supposedly) depend completely on State institutions to take responsibility and act, when the moment of truth comes, the needs are met by the mobilization of motivated hearts that sparkle like the individual stars of the Judges era.

The book of Judges seeks to point to the shining stars that are not visible in the sun's blinding light. But when the sun sets, they shine, giving off their special lights. The stories of the Judges of Israel are not just historical accounts of aloof nobles. On the contrary. They are the stories of everyday people from all walks of life. Not being blue-blooded royalty, who could have imagined these individuals to be so heroic? But in that moment of truth, they glowed, illuminating the night's dark sky and pointing the way.

You are my beloved brothers and sisters who took your stand when there was no one else to do so. "And in those days, each man was doing what was right in his own eyes". And you…  you did what was right."