Since the fall – God has engineered a plan and has since been in the process of restoring his creation back to Himself– his goal – to bring us back to the garden.

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.

How is this going to happen?

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

His plan was to designate a nation among the nations to serve all nations. Just as God ordained a man among men to serve all men.

Acts 13:47 “For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ “

NKJ Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

FIRST – proton {pro’-ton} – Meaning: 1) first in time or place 1a) in any succession of things or persons 2) first in rank 2a) influence, honor 2b) chief 2c) principal 3) first, at the first

The calling of Israel is eternally bound with the calling of Jesus.

The cry of faithful Israel over the centuries: Send us Messiah! No other nation ever expected or was ever looking for a Messiah. Only Israel. The nation chosen by God to bring salvation to the world. John 4:22 – Jesus Himself said, “…salvation is from the Jews“. This has largely not only been forgotten by the church but almost the exact opposite has been believed and embraced – that problems, opposition and hatred is from the Jews, not salvation. The church has been poisoned against the Jewish people.

The Messiah, the covenant in which you stand, the bible you live by, the adoption you embrace, the promises you believe all belong to Israel!

The nations are to become joined to Israel – Grafted onto the olive tree.

Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh — who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands –
12 that at that time you were without Christ, 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 Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

NEAR to what? – To the commonwealth of Israel -

Romans 11: 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Gentile believers in Jesus have ignored this command and have not only boasted against the branches but have made the natural branches their bitter enemies! They have literally bitten the hand that fed them!

The church mistakenly believes the Jewish people need to convert and become Christian – part of the church – IT IS THE OPPOSITE THAT IS TRUE! Gentiles need to convert and become part of the commonwealth of Israel. Jews do not need to convert to another religion – they need to become fully Jewish and enter into the covenant which was originally made with them!

Jeremiah 31: 31 ” Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah –
32 “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

It is the gentiles who must convert! The Jews need to be grafted BACK ON to the Olive Tree to which they once belonged. And the Lord Jesus, Yeshua came to this earth first to restore Israel and then working through them – restore the entire earth to Himself!!!!!!!!!!

Isaiah 5 ” And now the LORD says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him ( For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, And My God shall be My strength),
6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
8 Thus says the LORD: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

This is why the prince of darkness hates both Jesus and his brothers the Jews. They as Abraham’s seed are chosen to bless all the families of the earth. The devil hates the families of the earth so he hates those who are called to bless them!

Throughout history satan has inspired men to make it their business to murder Jews. The Philistines, Haman, Herod, Hitler, and the Islamic Terrorists today. Listen to the language of the Iranian president today – there is an unworldly evil in his words about the Jewish people and Israel. These maniacs never learn from history. “I will curse those who curse you” – Haman is hung from the very gallows he erected for Mordecai. You do not hear of the Philistines today. Herod died a terrible death. The terrorists today are doomed. Zechariah 2:8 For thus says the LORD of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.

The Heart of Paul for the Salvation of Israel

Have you ever considered Paul the apostle’s heart for the salvation of his people?

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)

He did not merely desire Israel’s salvation. He was willing to give up his for theirs!

For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, (Romans 9:3)

Imagine! Paul was willing to lose his salvation if it meant gaining the salvation of his people! The very thought staggers the mind!!!

Paul knew something most Christians today do not! That the salvation of the Jewish people is important, VERY IMPORTANT!

God’s call upon the Jewish people is that the nations would be blessed through them. They remain His light to the nations! Jesus proclaimed: “Salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22)

It is part of God’s end time plan to once again use His Jewish people to proclaim the message of Salvation!

There is a biblical appeal to the saints to reach out Jewish people with the message of Salvation. Only as Jews return to their God through Messiah Jesus only then can they fulfill their ancient call!

There is no greater way to bless the Jewish people!
AND
There are few greater ways to be blessed!

Become a partner with us as we proclaim the gospel to Jews in New York City

CHRISTIANS OWE JEWS A GREAT DEBT

The Christians of Macedonia and Achaia in the first century understood that their great spiritual heritage came from the Jewish people. They were eager in return to bless the Jewish people. They believed they had a debt to them.

They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. (Romans 15:27)

Christians today also need to see that they have a great debt to the Jewish people. In the beginning it was the Jewish followers of Jesus who first brought the gospel message to the nations. Today the greatest need among the Jewish people is to receive the very message of salvation that they first brought to the world.

Jesus Himself said,… “Salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22). If it was not for the Jews there would be no Jesus, no bible, no salvation, and no hope! How much is your salvation worth?

More than 99% of Jewish people do not know their own God. We remain the lost sheep of the House of Israel. The Shepherd of Israel is still searching for his lost sheep. We have been ministering to Jewish people in the former USSR for the past decade and are now engaged in bringing the gospel to Jewish people in New York City, the city with the largest Jewish population on earth!

We cannot do this alone and need your prayers and financial support. Wont’ you help us gather the lost sheep of the House of Israel back to their true Shepherd? Please prayerfully consider making a generous contribution toward the salvation of the Jewish people and becoming a monthly supporter of the Gates of Zion. Blessings will follow as you bless God’s ancient covenant people and begin repaying the debt that can never truly be paid in full

I will bless those who bless you And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

THE RETURN OF MESSIAH TO JERUSALEM

Jesus spoke to the city of Jerusalem and proclaimed, You will not see me again until you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:39)
Jesus will not return to the earth until he hears these words from his own people, the Jews, from his own city, Jerusalem.

Jesus is not welcome today among most Jewish people. What will need to change to bring about such a welcome to him from Jerusalem? The answer is simple: Multitudes of Jewish people will need to enter the Kingdom of God and embrace Jesus as the Lord God of Israel!

This cannot happen unless the church becomes proactive in effectively getting the gospel to the Jewish people. We Messianic Jews are too few and we surely do not have the resources to get this all important mission accomplished.

We need Christians to partner with us to get this job done! The greatest concentration of Jews of any city in the world is New York City!

This is an investment that cannot fail: “And so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26)

Working among the Jewish people -

1 Corinthians 9:20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law;

Paul was already VERY Jewish – why did he emphasize this?

The gospel as preached in the 1st century has become a message that is very difficult for Jewish people to receive. There should ONLY be one stumbling block.

Romans 9:33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

Understand the UNBIBLICAL stumbling blocks – remove them

1 History of anti-Semitism in the church
2 Jewish misunderstanding of Jesus and Christianity
a.Three gods?
b.How can God be a man
c.How can the rabbi’s be wrong?
d.Why is there not peace on earth
3 That you convert to Christianity
4 Born a Jew and will die a Jew

PROVOKING ISRAEL TO JEALOUSY

The scriptures are clear: 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). Can you see what the Apostle Paul is saying here? That the very reason for salvation coming to the Gentiles is for the express purpose of making Jewish people jealous so they would want this salvation for themselves! I believe most Christians read past this scripture without ever realizing that it is calling out to them! Of course God loves every individual He calls into His Kingdom. Yet He has a strategy, a plan that is way bigger than any one person. His plan concerns the restoration of all things! The very salvation of mankind! In this big picture the salvation of the gentiles is purposed to bring the Jewish people back into covenant with their King. The fact is that in the past 2000 years Christians have hardly provoked Jews to jealousy. On the contrary Christians have provoked Jews to despair and anger by persecuting them in the name of Jesus for centuries! Yet the mandate for Christians to bless the Jewish people is so clearly evident throughout the bible. I believe the time has fully come for Gentile Christians to finally be the catalysts God intends them to be and provoke Jewish people to the jealousy that will cause them to embrace their own Messiah! The question is: How can this get done? What will make Jewish people jealous of Christians? I have honestly never met a Jew who was jealous of a Christian. I am sure there have been individual Christians who have provoked individual Jews to jealousy but surely this has never happened on a significant scale.

I believe the Lord has shown me how this can happen. I am excited at the potential of the entire body of Christ embracing, understanding and fulfilling their purpose to bring salvation back to the people from whom it came!

In order for Christians to really provoke Israel to jealousy, there needs to be a change in the very way they see themselves. There must be a paradigm shift in the Christian mindset. Again, Paul clearly tells the Gentile believers in Ephesus: Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:11-12

Romans 9: 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;
5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

This is how I believer Gentile believers are too approach their Jewish friends:
“The most precious and valuable possession I have is something that comes from your people. I want you to know I am eternally indebted. If it was not for the Jewish people I would be lost in the darkness without God and without hope. I was once a stranger, an outsider when it came to the One True God who is the God of Abraham. I now worship and have given my life to your God. I have become his child and have become part of his family which from time immemorial has been and is your family. I have become part of the covenant God made with you. The promises which are yours have now also become mine. The word of God I live by has been written and preserved by your people even at the cost of their own blood. Their words are life to me. Without them I would perish. I am at a loss as how to express my thanks. I am indebted to you. And it is your Messiah who has set me free from death itself and opened my eyes to see the glory of the one true God, who is your God. the God of Israel.”

We at the Gates of Zion are committed to helping Christians throughout the world understand their call to bring salvation to the Jewish people. Romans 11:11 is in the word of God because it will come to pass! We are here to impart this biblical truth and equip our Gentile brothers and sisters to make a real impact for God in the Jewish community. To arrange for the ministry of the Gates of Zion to come to your church, e-mail us at goz@pactec.net. To receive a free subscription of our monthly newsletter e-mail us at the same address. The prayers and financial support of Christians who love the Jewish people is a key to our ongoing ministry.

To contribute to the Gates of Zion please make out your checks to Gates of Zion and mail to
Gates of Zion
PO Box 55123
Phoenix, Arizona 85078

Yours for the Salvation of Israel,

Jeffrey Bernstein