TO FOLLOW YESHUA FOR REAL?

SITTING AT HIS FEET  -  Luke 10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.  40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

Luke 10:41   And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

WHOSE LIFE IS IT? : 1Cor. 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

DOES YESHUA MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER?

Matt. 13:45   “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

YOU HAVE DIED

Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Phil. 3:8 Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith;  10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  11 that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

HE WHO LOVES HIS LIFE

John 12:25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

THE NARROW GATE

Matt. 7:13   “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

GATHER OR SCATTER

Matthew12:30 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

A JEALOUS GOD – ALL OR NOTHING

Exodus 34:14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)

HE IS WORKING STILL

James 2:14   What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?  15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food,  16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?  17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

James 2:18   But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.  19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder.  20 Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?

ENTERING HIS REST

Heb4:9 So then, there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God;  10 for whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his.

Heb. 4:11   Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience.

PURPOSE

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

POWER

Phil. 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

John 1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;

WITHOUT HIM YOU CAN DO NOTHING

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

THE ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY

2Cor. 4:16 ¶ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.

2Cor. 4:17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

INVEST YOUR TALENTS

LEARING HOW TO HEAR

James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:22 ¶ But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Matt. 7:24 ¶ “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock;

Matt. 7:25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Matt. 7:26 And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;

Matt. 7:27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.”

LEARNING HOW TO WAIT

Psa. 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD!

expect something” in the sense of looking forward to it

6960. hDw∂q qaœwa®; a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect: — gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).

This root means to wait or to look for with eager expectation.

(Gen 49:18). Waiting involves the very essence of a person’s being, his soul (vRp‰n; Ps 130:5). Those who wait in true faith are renewed in strength

There needs to be a culture in our lives where sharing our faith is just as important as reading the Bible, praying, and being with others.

Blessings to understand and embrace God’s plan for the Jews and the nation of Israel!

Jeff Bernstein

5 

STEPS TO PROVOKE JEWISH PEOPLE TO JEALOUSY

REVISED EDITION

©2011 Jeffrey Bernstein / Gates of Zion  All Rights Reserved

I trust the words that follow will help better equip you  to bring the precious gift of salvation to Jewish people.  My heart’s desire is to share this with all who are the physical as well as the spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham so they will be better equipped to gather the lost sheep of the House of Israel to our great Shepherd and King.

The salvation of the Jewish people is so close to God’s heart, so crucial and important that scripture declares the nations of the world are saved for the purpose of making them jealous!

Jewish people will one day see that their Gentile neighbors have been blessed beyond measure by the riches of salvation that first belonged to them and still belongs to them!

When this happens, they will be magnetically drawn to Yeshua and  passionately desire the very salvation that was once proclaimed by their Jewish brethren in first century Israel!

The salvation of Israel is close to the heart of God – real close!  Yeshua wept over only one city: Jerusalem.  He is still weeping.

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, (Luke 19:41)

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:11)

The promised result will be the salvation of all Israel!

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; (Romans 11:26)

The following are five easy steps which I believe the Lord has given me to impart to both Gentile and Jewish believers in Yeshua.  My purpose is to equip you to effectively participate in the salvation of Israel which will culminate in the greatest revival ever!

And what a revival it will be!  Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, informed us that when Israel receives her Messiah it will mean life from the dead! (Romans 11:15).  If that is not revival, what is?

My goal is that your life and your words to be so full of God’s presence, knowledge, wisdom and love that Jewish people upon meeting you and hearing you will become so jealous that they will run to their Messiah!

I am going to begin with those of you who are not Jewish. Did you know that far more Jewish people enter the Kingdom of God through Gentile rather then through Jewish believers?  Gentiles who know Israel’s Messiah are especially effective when they know how to communicate to Jewish people in a Jewish way about the Jewish Messiah.

If you are a Gentile believer in Yeshua it is crucial for you to first understand who you are in the Messiah. This is a key. This knowlege will enable you to powerfully communicate the truth from your heart to Jewish people in a way that will cause them to become envious of you!  And that is the idea!

The word of God clearly describes those chosen among the Gentiles:

Ephesians 2: ¹² that at that time you were without Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  ¹³ But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.

You need to understand that you or your ancestors either recently or way back in time were pagans and outsiders to the Kingdom of God.  It was only the Jewish people who knew the one true God.  Those who were not Jewish nor connected to Israel were simply not part of the Kingdom of God. If you are not Jewish then:

You were without Messiah

You were an alien

You were a stranger

You had no hope

You were without God

You were far off

BUT

You have been brought near

Near to what?

To The Commonwealth of Israel!

Another biblical explanation of this is found in the analogy of the olive tree:

 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:24)

Do you see this?  The tree of faith is their tree.  It belongs to the Jewish people.  Faith in the Messiah is a faith that came to the Jewish people and through the Jewish people.  Yeshua Himself said, “Salvation is from the Jews.”

If it wasn’t for the Jewish people you would not have salvation!  There would be no bible, no covenants, and no Messiah!

You have been adopted by the God of Israel, by their God. The God of the Jewish people has become your God through the Messiah of the Jewish people.  It is crucial for you to understand this and know this truth deep within your heart.

When it comes to reaching the Jewish people this is something you must get before you can give it away.

It is imperative for you to allow God to transform you by giving you His heart for His people.  So before we begin I want you to earnestly pray for the heart of one of our greatest Rabbis:  The apostle Paul.

I tell the truth in Messiah, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, ² that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Messiah for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh. (Romans 9:1-3

The reason why Paul says he is not lying is because what he is about to declare is difficult to believe!  Can you imagine giving up your salvation for anyone? Even for a nation? Paul wanted us to know that he was willing to give up his eternal salvation for the salvation of his Jewish brethren! If Paul was willing to give up his salvation for the salvation of the Jewish people, what are you willing to give up? What am I willing to give up? That my friend is a sobering question.

Ages earlier, Moses also was willing to have his name blotted out of the book of life for the sake of Israel’s survival.  This sacrificial love comes from above and represents the very heart of God. His love for Israel is massive and everlasting. As you pray for God to impart His heart for Israel to you there will be a transformation of your very soul and an impartation of His sacrificial love for His ancient people who remain to this very day the apple of His eye.

Not only was Paul wiling to sacrifice his salvation for the salvation of Israel but this same man who once said, “Rejoice always”, had continual grief and sorrow in his heart over the spiritual condition of his people.

If we would be effective champions for God and rescue Israel from the grip of the enemy we also must carry this burden.  Allow the Holy Spirit to make you sensitive to how far the people of Israel have wandered from their God.

Today perhaps more than ever, we remain the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

The very people who first brought the good news of Messiah to the world for the most part no longer know Him.  Perhaps only 1% of Jewish people world wide know the Messiah.  This a very small remnant. Imagine…99% of Jewish people today do not yet know the Messiah.  God is about to change this and we are called to be the agents of that change!

Every nation has it’s own glory but Yeshua is the glory of Israel.

A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32)

We are called to restore the glory to Israel!  What an honor!

Therefore know this: The salvation of the Jewish people is no small thing. It is the key to world redemption. When Israel embraces her Messiah the world will be forever changed.

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15)

The salvation of Israel will bring about the greatest revival the world has ever known!  Realize this: All hell is arrayed against it, while all heaven awaits it.  The opposition against Israel embracing her Messiah is overwhelming and intense. This is why the chosen ones among the Gentiles have not yet fulfilled their call to provoke Israel to jealousy.  For countless centuries, the enemy has darkened the minds of our Gentile brothers. They have not yet embraced God’s great purpose for them to cause Israel to return to her King.

That time has now come. It is full time to turn the tables on the enemy.  It is our prayer that all who are called among the Gentiles by the Lord God of Israel will see God’s plan for Israel’s salvation and give themselves to it. May all those from the nations who know the Messiah dedicate themselves in a spirit of love to bring salvation back to the ones who first gave it to them with an unmatched focus, zeal and passion in this great end-time revival!

Let’s get started!

FOR GENTILE BELIEVERS IN YESHUA:

It is respectful to begin any spiritual communication with a Jewish person by simply asking him if it would be OK for you to share your heart with him.  If he agrees (which most Jewish people will) then look at him/her in the eyes (if possible with tears in yours) and make the words within each of the following five steps your own:

1) There is one thing in my life that is so precious that if given the choice I would rather die than lose it.  The amazing thing is that it belongs to you and your people!  I love, worship and serve your God!  There is only one God: The God of Israel; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You know Him as The Name, HaShem and The Lord, Adonai.

Your God , The God of Abraham, has given me a reason to wake up every morning. He has shown me my purpose in life. Before I came to know Him my life was meaningless. Now I am fulfilled as a person as never before. I feel like I am alive for the first time!

2) I want you to know that the book I live by, that instructs me how to live my life, and gives me words of hope and promise is your book.  The bible inspires me and challenges me to live life to its fullest. But it is your book, written by your people and has been preserved by them at the cost of their own blood. I cannot express my gratitude and thankfulness with adequate words.  If it is okay with you, I want to thank you, as a representative of the Jewish people, from the depth of my heart for this inexpressible gift.  The bible is a precious gift from your God to your people and then to me. I am so thankful for youand your people. If it wasn’t for the Jewish people I and the entire world would be lost.

3) I want you to know that the promises that have transformed my life belong first to you. I have received blessing upon blessing through my relationship withyour God.  Even the precious gift of eternal life is mine! I have received the precious promises that God made to your people from time immemorial.  My life has been transformed through these promises but I want you to know that these promises are first yours!

4) Long ago my ancestors were pagans but I am now a member of the household of faith in the one true God who made the heavens and the earth. I was once an outsider, a Gentile, a foreigner but now I have been brought near and have become part of the commonwealth of Israel. I have become a partaker of the covenant God made with your people.  I have become an adopted son/daughter – one of God’s chosen ones. I am a son/daughter of Abraham through your God and the covenant your God made with your people. 

5) To sum it up: I have received an inheritance that makes me richer than a billionaire! I want you to know that the inexpressible gift I have received is none other thanthe inheritance of Israel.  It belongs to you. It is your inheritance!       

I guarantee you.  The vast majority of Jewish people have never heard such words!  Ask your Jewish hearer what they think about what you have shared. If they are open to hear more you will know it!

When you sense there is an open door, trust the Holy Spirit to speak though you in detail about the life, death and resurrection of their Messiah!  Be ready to lead them in prayer to ask Yeshua to come into their lives.

Is there anything more exciting?

Remember that when you are speaking to Jewish people you are speaking about their Messiah who was sent by their God.

FOR JEWISH BELIEVERS IN YESHUA

Those of us who are Jewish believers in Yeshua also must understand who we are in Messiah in respect to our Jewish brethren who do not yet know HIm. It is vital we remember that we are not only members of the Body of Messiah but also members of the “Tribe” and part of Israel. We should not communicate to our fellow Jews with an “us / them” mentality. Daniel, as he interceeded for Israel, prayed, “We have sinned”. We also should see ourselves as part of the nation.  It is so much more effective to tell fellow Jews that we have rejected the Messiah in contract to being accusatory and telling them they have rejected the Messiah.“  Identify yourself as a Jew and member of the tribe. The apostle Paul who did not suffer from an identity crises became a Jew to the Jews.  This is a frame of mind and the way to position yourself when speaking to fellow Jews.

But just the same as with Gentile believers there is great power in the testimony of what God has done to change your life.  As a Jew who now knows the Messiah you want to share the life changing power that has transformed you and help other Jews see that this transformation comes through our God, the God of Israel and not through some foreign religion.

There are two sections especially written with Jewish believers in Yeshua in mind in this e-book. In my experience these truths have been effective in communicating with Jewish people who do not yet know Messiah.  The first section contains three main points you will want to clearly communicate. I have shared this way with Jewish professionals in New York City and have left them both speechless and with a desire to find out more.

I cannot over emphasize that we Jewish believers in Yeshua must position ourselves as Jews when speaking to our fellow Jews who do not yet know the Messiah. They must come to know we have not joined another religion. We have not converted.  We not only remain Jewish after we embrace our Messiah but we become more fully Jewish than ever.

Romans 2:29 On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God.

In the Jewish community Jewish people will typically ask other Jews, (in sort of a Yiddish or at least with New York Jewish accent)  “So, what do you do for a living?”   When you are asked this question I want you to volunteer the following information:  If you are not asked this probing question, bring it up yourself and answer it anyway!

If you are a Jewish believer in Yeshua you can say the following with all honesty whether you work “full time” in the “ministry” or not. It is my conviction that all who are called into the Kingdom are ministers.

So, (nu) what do you do for a living?

“I speak to Christians everywhere letting them know that everything they have, spiritually speaking, comes from us.”  The bibles they read are from us and the God they worship is our God. They would have no concept of a Messiah if it was not for the Jewish people.

When I share this with Jewish people they almost always enthusiastically agree!  If there is more than one of them they will say one to one another, “He is right!”  Some will even begin preaching to you make sure you know  Jesus was Jewish!  It opens doors wide!

In fact in my experience I have discovered that most Jewish people are secretly proud of Jesus!  “Here is a Jew that has done rather well for Himself.”  Much of the world for the past 2000 years has been greatly influenced by his life and his words.  Not to mention all the real estate that is owned in his name!

Even to Jewish people who don’t yet believe in Him, Yeshua is the most influential Jew who ever lived.

The next truth I want you to communicate really gets Jewish people thinking. Remember 99.9% of Jewish people who do not believe Yeshua is the Messiah, have no idea why they believe or should I say disbelieve the way they do.

One of the most powerful things you can communicate to your Jewish hearer is that the decision to reject Yeshua as the Messiah is a decision that has beenmade for him by someone else.  Help them to see that this was a decision made by our leaders almost two thousand years ago.  Jewish history shows us that our leaders at that time were corrupt political appointees of Rome.  Even the Kohen Gadol, the Great High Priest paid for his position!

Have you ever asked the question why you have you allowed religious politicians with such compromised character and lack of integrity make such an important and far reaching decision on your behalf?

I belong to a growing number of Jewish activists who have taken a hard second look at those world changing events that took place in first century Israel.  After painstaking study over many years we have concluded that our corrupt Theo-political leaders during that time made a colossal mistake that has affected all of us with confusion and a tragically distorted view of our history.

Furthermore they acted in a way that was against Jewish law!  Again, Jewish historians have determined that these leaders of ours were political pawns of Rome.  These Jewish leaders who paid bribes for their positions of power made a vital, life defining and far reaching decision that effects what we Jewish people believe to this very day

Like you I grew up with a very negative perspective toward one of our sages, the great historical figure English speaking Gentiles know as Jesus.  It is an historical fact this world changing Rabbi was rejected as our Messiah only because of the selfish ambitions of our corrupt religious political leaders.  They were threatened by his popularity and authority.  Even they admitted that no one ever spoke like him. The people of Israel flocked to him. Our leaders were determined to eliminate him because he was a threat to their political power base. It was they who rejected him as Messiah and not the people of Israel.  And this decision has been passed down to us to this very day.  We are among many Jews from all walks of life from Israel and all over the world that have rightly questioned this monumental but absolutely mistaken decision.  We are determined to restore integrity to our Jewish judicial legacy.  We are the ones who gave the world an understanding of the rule of law.  This is a wrong that needs to be made right.  I dont’t know about you but I and thousands upon thousands of Jewish people throughout the world have decided to think for ourselves.

Would you be interested in hearing more about this?

If your Jewish friend is open to hear more, you will know it immediately.  Ask him/her to let you know what they think about what you just shared. If their response is positive take the conversation to the next step.

Trust the Lord to speak through you as you reveal the glorious truth of Messiah Yeshua to your Jewish friend.

Here are five steps to take the conversation further and the second session designed to help Jewish believers in Yeshua.

Remember to always ask for permission to share your heart with your Jewish friend. I never had anyone refuse me.  Pray for humility and brokenness. Speak deep into the spirit of your hearer. If possible allow tears of joy and sorrow to well up in your eyes as you make these words your own:

1) I am speaking to you as a fellow Jew. Something amazing that has completely changed my life.  I believe I have recaptured our faith.  In synagogue I always wondered, “Where is God?”  Did you ever ask the same question? I would fast on Yom Kippur but were my sins really forgiven?  Something happened to me.  Now I know my sins are forgiven. I can actually experience God’s presence.  It is awesome. It is hard to believe. I have to sometimes pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming.

2) When I would read the Siddur in synagogue and recite the Hebrew blessings during the holidays something was missing.   Now when I read the bible which of course is our book, written by our people – I am amazed, I am even overwhelmed. I actually become filled as if I had a satisfying meal. I now realize the bible is much more than literature.  It is actually God’s instruction to us. They are His words.  They are alive!

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

3) For the first time I understand and realize there is an unseen world that is more real than the world we can see, touch, smell, taste and hear.  Our heritage as Jews is to be familiar with this unseen realm. It is where God resides.  Moses, the Prophets of Israel – all of them heard the voice of God.  They were connected with heaven.  God is spirit, and since we are made in His image we also are spiritual beings. There is a quality of life that does not depend on physical circumstances.  The richest of blessings come from the unseen spiritual realm.  It is the world of angels; seraphim and streets of gold.  I received the spirit of God and my eyes were opened to see this world for the first time. It is the real world.  Everything we see today with our physical eyes will one day pass away.  Only the unseen eternal realm will last forever.  The most famous Hebrew prayer is the “Shema”.  Shema means to hear.  I believe I have heard from heaven.  This is not crazy, it is our heritage!

4) When times of trouble came to me in times past I would often fall apart.  But I now know that what God says is true. The promises He has given us gives me hope, strength and faith when the world around me is falling apart.  When I take my worries, fear and concerns to God in prayer I am relieved of the burden. I am no longer overwhelmed by the cares of this life.  I can truly say for the first time, that God Himself takes care of me each day – moment by moment. It is both comforting and exhilarating.

5) I was scared to die when I was younger. Terrified! As I grew older I began to accept death but it caused me to wonder what life was all about.  It goes so fast and then you are gone. Do you cease to exist?  Forever?

Did you ever wonder why you are here on this planet and what happens when you die? I certainly did.  But then something very unusual and unexpected happened to me. It was like a veil over my mind was lifted. It was as if I was blind my entire life and suddenly my eyes were opened. I was able to actually know for the first time in my life that there really was a God who loved me.  He became real, more real than life itself. I was changed. I know now that this is the reality of what it means to be a Jew.  I discovered eternal life is our heritage as Jews.  To know and experience God is the very purpose for which we were created and to be with Him forever.  Abraham knew this. He and his descendants were chosen to reveal this truth to the entire world.   This is the purpose of the Jewish people! 

____________________________________________________________________________________

If you believe this e-book could help your congregation let me know.  For a donation to the Gates of Zion, you can print it out and distribute or email it to your entire congregational or if you are a pastor to your entire church membership.

This is an ongoing living revelation.  Stay current through this web/ blog at www.gatesofzion.net .

All contributions can be sent through our web site by clicking on “Donate” or checks can be made out to:

Gates of Zion

PO Box 55123

Phoenix, Arizona 85078

Any questions please feel free to e-mail me at jeff@gatesofzion.net

Thank-you for participating in the salvation of Israel!

Your servant in Messiah,

Jeffrey Bernstein

Gates of Zion

jeff@gatesofzion.net

www.gatesofzion.net

For the most part these lovers of Zion take no part in bringing the greatest blessing of all to the descendants of Abraham: Salvation! Why is this?  The answer is simple.  To bring the gospel to Jewish people is not politically correct, especially in Israel.  If you are a Christian and want to remain friends with secular Jews, especially influential ones and even more so with those who are observant and/or religiously or politically active then you must be silent about the Messiahship of Yeshua/Jesus and make sure you do not support or are involved with Jewish evangelism.

Even though Yeshua/Jesus is without doubt the Messiah of Israel speaking about the need for Jewish people to embrace Him and supporting those who do so is not only politically incorrect but will cost you the friendship of many Jewish people who do not yet know who He really is.  However it was He who said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26) and  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

I realize that the Christian Zionists are motivated by their love for Israel and the Jewish people.  And that many of them think by “loving” the Jewish people yet being silent about their need for Yeshua that their hearts will open and they will eventually come to Messiah. Yet this is categorically untrue and furthermore it is unbiblical. It grieves my heart that these loving Christians who actually have amazing access to the hearts of so many Jewish people choose to deny the very people they claim to love the greatest blessing they can give them!

The word of God is clear that acts of love alone does not do the job.

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,Who bring glad tidings of good things!”16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom. 10:15)(

These well meaning Christian Zionists have been wrongly taught that since the established church has alienated the Jewish people by persecuting them in the name of Jesus for centuries that it is best for them to be silent when it comes to sharing the gospel.  This my friends is an insidious form of anti-Semitism and an affront to the very purposes of God!

I realize this sounds tough but does not Romans 1:16 declare the gospel is for the Jewish people first?  Did not Paul, the apostle to the gentiles write that salvation has come to the nations to make Israel envious?  (Romans 11:11)

To love Jewish people without giving them the truth that leads to eternal life is loving them all the way to Hell!  Or maybe you think that Jewish people by virtue of their chosen status do not need the Messiah to enter the Kingdom of God?

If that is true then Yeshua/Jesus must have been mistaken when he proclaimed,  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Yes the church has truly blown it for countless centuries by persecuting, murdering and harassing the Jewish people in the very name of their own Messiah and King.  But the answer for Christians is not to go to the other extreme and deny the gospel to the very people who brought it to them!  No, the answer is to learn how to effectively and lovingly share this truth with Jewish people and be led by the Holy Spirit in doing so.  I am thankful for all those who love Israel and the Jewish people but the time has come to love them for real and bring them the greatest blessing the world has ever known.  Messiah!  Their Messiah!

 
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Passover is the oldest celebration known to mankind, but it is not only about Israel’s deliverance from slavery 3,500 years ago, but speaks of and points to an even greater deliverance hear and now.

Passover has been observed in the same manner year after year at the same exact time for 3,500 years! Passover begins on the evening of the 14th day of the 1st month of the biblical calendar. On the eve of Passover you can go outside, look up and the moon will be full. The Passover celebration lasts 7 days.

This year (2011), Passover began on April 18 and ends on April 26. Holy Thursday and Easter happen to fall during this period, although that’s often not the case.

During Passover, we remember what God did, what He will do and most of all what He is doing now!

There is an eternal parallel and connection between Israel and Israel’s Messiah Yeshua. No place is this more evident than Passover.

During this webinar, Jeff Bernstein, founder of Gates of Zion, shares …

1) A synopsis of the Passover Seder meal within an abbreviated Passover Haggadah (the telling) within a New Covenant perspective

2) Specific, eye opening revelations about this feast that will enrich and strengthen your faith

Blessings to enrich and strengthen your faith through understanding of Passover!

This does not mean merely hearing audibly but rather a hearing within; a revelation; an understanding that goes deep into your heart, into your innermost being.

Those who only read or hear biblical truth audibly without experiencing its penetrating life changing power can easily be led astray into unbelief by the very strong, convincing secular humanistic mindset that inundates us daily.

James whose Hebrew name was Yakov, the brother of Yeshua, warns us of this so called wisdom and explains where it comes from.

James 3:15 – this wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

The wisdom that comes from God is spiritually discerned by those who have received the precious gift of the Holy Spirit.

1Cor. 2:13   These things we also speak, not in words whichman’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

You see, to believe in an invisible God and have faith that he actually freed a nation of slaves leading them on dry land through the midst of a raging sea and that the death of a man 2000 years ago can change your entire life today is absolutely and unequivocally pure FOOLISHNESS to the modern “educated” and sophisticated person, and I mean FOOLISHNESS!

Isn’t it cool that Yeshua actually rejoiced over this and praised his Abba?

Matt. 11:25   At that time Yeshua answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

Why can’t we get it? It is not through our own wisdom that we can know God!

1Cor. 1:20   Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Think about it. Doesn’t it seem foolish, even absurd that the death of a Jewish Rabbi 2,000 years ago has anything to do with you or me?  And to think that this dead and buried Rabbi rose from the grave and is now alive sounds even more absurd and ridiculously foolish.  God who inspired the scriptures understands this fully. He knows that the real life changing truth concerning salvation must be spiritually discerned. The intellectual humanistic mindset which is so prized in our modern culture utterly fails to see the power of God’s plan. In fact if you see the entire Passover saga of death and resurrection as simply a nice story or myth you are on your way out!

1Cor. 1:18   For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

When it comes to knowing God and understanding his will we are all on the same “playing field”.  A doctor of philosophy from Harvard has no advantage over a uneducated penniless child living on a garbage dump in rural India.  In fact the poor child may be in a better position to know the truth!  This is mind blowing and one of the things I just love about God.  Guess what?  He is not impressed by us! The only way we can thrill Him is by our faith.

No wonder faith is spoken of as being precious!

1 Peter 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being muchmore precious than gold…

and you know how precious gold is these days!

What does this have to do with the Passover Lamb? Absolutely nothing specifically! But I believe the Lord is inspiring me to share these insights with you because in order to understand and see the truth within the bible we must have eyes to see and ears to hear.

1 Cor 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;  28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,  29that no flesh should glory in His presence.

If you attempt to know God from a human perspective you will fail! If you read the bible as mere literature you will not understand its message.

1Cor. 2:6   However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,  8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1Cor 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knowsthe things of God except the Spirit of God.  12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

To conclude, the Lord himself told his disciples that those who trusted in themselves, and took pride in their own understanding were blind.  It is amazing how our world view can so blind us so we cannot see the simple truth before our eyes.  No wonder Yeshua warned us that many, not a mere few, will be deceived.

Matt. 13:13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeingthey do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.14And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

“Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.’

16But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear

Wow! I would say it is an excellent idea to ask God to keep us from blinding pride that will ultimately cause us to completely waste our lives rejecting the truth and believing a lie.

The scriptures and the Messiah himself speaks of and exposes Satan or the devil.  Secular humanistic thinkers would have us believe this evil personality is in reality a superstitious myth.  The Lord told us that Satan is a liar from the beginning and the father of lies.  In other words he is good at lying. Real good! He has had quite a while to hone his craft. How clever of him to inspire the “wise” of this world to deny his very existence!  There is nothing more dangerous than having an enemy you do not even believe exists!  I would say you have no chance of survival if that is the case.

Here are some questions to seriously ponder:

Was it merely a coincidence that Yeshua/Jesus was killed on Passover?

The Passover lamb was to be completely consumed and not a bone of it was to be broken.

Was it merely a coincidence that Yeshua/Jesus was already dead and therefore the Roman solders did not break his legs or any other of his bones, as was their practice, to speed up the death process during crucifixion?

The blood of the Passover lamb was applied to the lintel and the doorposts of the door of the home.

Was it merely a coincidence that the blood of Yeshua/Jesus when he was crucified would have dripped in the same location as the blood of the Passover Lamb?

The Passover Lamb’s blood protected the family from the plague of death, as death passed over each household where the blood was applied.

Is it a coincidence that the blood of Yeshua/Jesus causes death to pass over those who have his blood applied by faith to the door of their hearts?

Here is the narrative in the book of Exodus

Exodus 11:2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: “On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’S Passover.

Ex. 12:12 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Is it a coincidence that Yeshua/Jesus is called the lamb of God?

John 1:29   The next day John saw Yeshua coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This is a scripture you will hear again and again this time of the year.  The three wise men saw this star and they knew a King was born. But they also knew this was no ordinary King. This was the King of the Jews and this King was born to be worshipped!  They must have known something.  That this King of Israel was beyond any other King ever born. They did not come to just have a glimpse of him, or merely bring him gifts but they came to worship. Why would this newborn king warrant worship? The most vain kings might have desired worship but these wise men purposed to worship this King who was only days old!  They must have known something.  This King of the Jews was the Messiah and they knew it. They knew he was not the King of Persia nor the King of Egypt.

He was born King of the Jews and as we know he died King of the Jews.  He remains King of the Jews to this day. He will always be King of the Jews.  Where are the wise men today who also know this?

Chanukah is the Hebrew word for Dedication, hence it is called the Feast of Dedication and is also known as the Festival of Lights. Chanukah, although not one of the biblical Feasts of the Lord, is mentioned in the Gospel of John and it appears the Messiah Himself observed this day.

John 10:22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

23 And Yeshua walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.

Since the Feast of Dedication concerns the dedication of the temple during the time of the Macabees, it was no coincidence that the Lord was in the temple at this time.

In fact there is a precious hidden treasure unknown by most Christians revealing a crystal clear picture of the Messiah in each of the Jewish festivals, Chanukah being no exception.

Yeshua announced Himself as the good Shepherd throughout John 10. What made him different from all before and after is that he laid down his life for the sheep. In another place:

John 2:19 Yeshua answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Yeshua was the ultimate” Chanukah/Dedication”.

He dedicated his life, his body, his temple, sacrificing it to dedicate a New Covenant Temple, not made with hands but of living stones!

1Pet. 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua the Messiah.

2Cor. 6:16 …For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them

And walk among them.

I will be their God,

And they shall be My people.”

Yeshua filled the meaning of the Feast of Dedication to its fullness.

This Feast has yet another profound meaning that is so extremely relevant for the time in which we live. The reason why the temple in Jerusalem had to be dedicated was because the Hellenists defiled it.  The Hellenists were Jews who adopted the Greek culture, which was the “sophisticated, globalizing super culture” of that day.  Many Jews not unlike the Jews of today assimilated into the dominant secular culture abandoning their faith in the one true God.

This falling away of Israel was during the reign of the Greek Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanies an anti-Messiah (Christ) in his own right. He appointed a Hellenistic Priest who desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar.

There was a righteous remnant led by Mattathias and later by his son Judah Maccabee who led a revolt against Antiochus and the Hellenists. The Maccabees defeated these enemies of God and dedicated the temple that had been defiled.

The lesson of Chanukah for us today is more than evident:

Secularization and globalization is attacking and undermining biblical faith right before our eyes to the greatest degree since Moses received the stone tablets on Sinai.

Male Jews under the reign of Antiochus were compelled to forgo the commandment of circumcision – the visible sign of the covenant they had with God.

Today we are being compelled with vigor to disregard the commandments of God for a more”sophisticated, humanistic” world view which sees biblical faith as an ancient, oppressive outdated superstition practiced out of fear of a God who does not exist!

The media, which surrounds us, has served to undermine the very fabric of a society that was once based on biblical principles.

Today you are seen as an uncouth bigot if you cannot see and agree that it is perfectly fine for men to be married to men and woman to woman. And that old archaic institution of marriage; who needs it?  Today marriage vows are meaningless. Life long commitment only counts if it makes you feel good. Being joined together before God and man has become a joke – Antiochus IV is alive, well and smiling broadly!

The faith of the new millennium is, if it feels good, then do it! If it doesn’t feel good discard it! Respect for parents, for elders and for one another is out the window. Faith in the living God is only for those who are ignorant. Morality is for nerds.  This scripture has come to pass before us all:

Is. 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;

Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

The good news is that light shines in the darkness but it has become very dark.

Where are the Maccabees? We need them now more than ever!

THERE NEVER WAS A PERSON ACTUALLY NAMED JESUS CHRIST!

Yes, that is what I said. There never was a person who went by the name of Jesus Christ!  In fact as comical as it may sound many of us Jews grew up thinking that Jesus Christ was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Christ! The person who countless millions have referred to by this name was actually an awe-inspiring Rabbi whom Jewish people know precious little about. His real name of course was Hebrew: Yeshua - which means “salvation”.  Since there was no such language as English during the time he lived he could not possibly have been named Jesus.  Furthermore His mother’s name was Miriam not Mary. And once again it is important to understand that Yeshua was a strictly observant Jewish Rabbi.

He never began a new religion and was in no way the founder of Christianity.  If you look at his teachings you will see they are profoundly powerful and insightful explanations of the Torah. In fact many of our Jewish leaders who were his contemporaries, even those who opposed him were astounded at his teaching!   After two thousand years Yeshua remains the most often quoted Jew of all time and without a doubt the most popular and  influential. There is no other Jew or any person in all of history who has had such a profound impact on humanity.

Yeshua never abandoned his Jewish faith. He is undoubtedly the most misunderstood sage and prophet in all of Jewish history.  There is no other person whose life, death and message is more misunderstood by his own people than the Rabbi from Nazareth.

The most pressing question is, can he be the Messiah?  As you carefully read this blog, do your own research and remain open minded I believe you will soon discover there is no way Yeshua cannot be the Messiah!