Solomon's Temple

The Lord's timing never ceases to amaze me.

My scripture reading has had me in 1 Kings 8 this week. For a few weeks, I have been reading about the time leading up to the building of God's holy temple in Jerusalem. Today, I read Solomon's prayer of dedication over the temple, and it spoke to me in ways like never before.

It is interesting to note that right now, the Jews are in a time of mourning that leads up to Tisha b'Av (9th of Av) on the Hebrew calendar. The three-week mourning period began on the 17th of Tammuz. This year, the corresponding dates on the Gregorian calendar are July 24 to August 14. So what does this have to do with Solomon dedicating the temple?

The 9th of Av was the very day that Solomon's temple was destroyed by Babylon, and the very day that the second temple was destroyed by Rome.  The temple destructions are the main reason of mourning for the Jewish people

Sadly, throughout history, many other terrible things have happened to the Jewish people on Tisha (9th) b'Av. For example:

• The spies returned from Canaan on the 8th of Av. By the 9th, all Israel was mourning.
• The Bar Kochba revolt in Israel was crushed on this day by Rome in 135.
• The Jews of England were expelled on this day in 1290.
• The Jews of Spain were expelled on this day in 1492.
• World War I broke out on the 9th of Av, which of course led to World War 2 and the Holocaust.
• Deportations began on this day from the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka in 1942.

No wonder it is a day of mourning for the Jewish people.

A few things jumped out at me today while reading 1 Kings 8.

About 11 months after the temple was completed, the Ark of the Covenant was placed into the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles... the feast that commemorates Yehovah dwelling with His people. As soon as the ark was established, the glory of the LORD filled the place and the priests were so overwhelmed that they could not continue ministering. What an awesome moment that must have been!

In his prayer of dedication, Solomon acknowledged the vastness of Yehovah. The king declared that He is too vast even to be contained in the heavens and the earth, but then he humbly asked the LORD to come and dwell in the temple that he built for His holy name.

Over and over again, Solomon pleaded for the righteousness of the people of Israel. He acknowledged that they would continue to fall into sin and begged the Lord to be merciful.

Solomon then prayed for the foreigners in verses 41-43:
Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

Even though I have been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel through Yeshua the Messiah, I came to Him as a foreigner.

Ephesians 2:12-13 says this:

...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. But now in Messiah Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.

Hallelujah!  I am forever grateful to God's people Israel, and yearn for the day that Israel is fully restored to the Kingdom of the LORD.

That Other Kinsman with the Shoe

As I return from the land of Israel, I am marveling at how my daily Bible reading has been matching up with what I just experienced while in the land.

Two things jump out.

First, a visit to Shiloh coincided with my reading of the account of Hannah, Samuel, and Eli the priest.  Having now seen Shiloh - the place where the miskhan (tabernacle) stood for 369 years, the passage has become much more vivid in my mind.  The rise of the prophet Samuel marks the end of the Shiloh tabernacle.

I just want to mention one thing about Shiloh before moving on to the second thing.  The spot where the tabernacle rested is surrounded by low mountains.  Pilgrims would offer their sacrifice and then eat their portion of the sacrifice on one of these hills, while looking at the mishkan.  Their pottery plates, oily from the meal, would then be broken on the site.  If millions of people broke pottery here every year for 369 years, you would expect to see evidence of pottery shards.  

And can we?  Yes!  They were EVERYWHERE on those hills... pottery shards from the time of the Judges.  I only had to stoop down and pick them up.  The crazy thing is, those shards could only be found on the side of the hills that were facing the mishkan.  The back side of those hills?  Not a single shard to be found.

Ancient pottery shards lying on the ground at Shiloh

The second thing to jump out for me is the story of Ruth, which is read in synagogues at Shavuot (which also coincided with our visit and with my own reading of Ruth).  Ruth is one of my favorite books of the Bible, so I happen to write about her often.  You can re-read my first post about Ruth here if you'd like.

There is one thing that has always stumped me in the story of Ruth.  What was with that other kinsman redeemer that was closer to Naomi's line than Boaz?  I had never given it too much thought before, but I was curious this time and asked the Lord to give me wisdom as I read through it.  The Lord did not disappoint... here is what He showed me.  It's quite simple, actually.

Someone else had a legal right to Naomi's family land and to Ruth.  Boaz was willing to be a redeemer, but he had to go through proper channels to ensure that his redemption of Ruth was legal.  

In the same way, all the earth is legally under the rule of the evil one, ever since the Garden of Eden.  The devil is the default.  Our Redeemer Yeshua, however, came and redeemed the world from sin and death legally, in a way that satisfied God's holy law.  He shed His blood for us to fulfill what is written. Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews 9:22 show us that God's legal way of redemption for us is the blood of atonement.

It is interesting to note the custom of the shoe.  The close relative gave Boaz his sandal to confirm that he was giving up his rights to Ruth and to the land.  There is a custom in the Middle Eastern world regarding shoes.  To throw a shoe at someone is considered the WORST. POSSIBLE. INSULT. EVER. The bottom of the shoe is covered in dirt, and throwing a shoe at someone is like throwing dirt at them.  It is the ultimate in uncleanness.  Is there a connection somehow to that other kinsman?

Shoe-wielding protesters

We really don't relate to the shoe/insult custom here in the West.  But I find it interesting that there is another reference to the shoe in the scriptures.  Note the words of the Lord in Psalm 60 verse 8:

Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe.

Blessing the Brethren, Part 2

If you have not yet read part one, you may click here for it.

This second post will explore the church's responsibility toward Israel - the Jewish people - according to the scriptures.  Are we to be indifferent, judgmental, or even hostile?  By no means! 

According to Romans 11, the Jews as a nation were blinded in part so that we, the gentiles (the rest of the nations), could be grafted into the faith.  Romans 11 goes on to promise that someday, Israel as a nation will finally be redeemed by the Messiah when the fullness of the gentiles has come in.  God will keep the promises that He had made to Israel through the Abrahamic covenant, which is everlasting and unconditional (see Genesis 17:7).  Romans 11 says that we are not to be arrogant against the broken-off natural branches.  In fact, the opposite is true.

God has ordained through the Word that His people, today’s believers under the New Covenant, are to do the following in regard to Israel:

 

Bless Israel

Genesis 12:1-3 says, 

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.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
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.”

This is repeated (narrowed down) to Isaac in Genesis 26 and Jacob in Genesis 28.  Jacob’s name was changed to Israel.  Again, the Abrahamic covenant (see Genesis 17) is an everlasting covenant.

*It is very important to note that there are two different Hebrew words translated curse.  The first actually means curse, and the second means to treat as unimportant, ignore, lightly esteem.  A more accurate reading would be “I will curse him who treats you as unimportant.”

Comfort Israel

Isaiah 40:1-2 says

Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.  (Think of the pronouns here; He is talking to believers about Israel)
 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”

Matt 25:37-40

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’  (The Greek word for brethren means close kinsmen)

Make Israel Envious

Deuteronomy 32:21, Romans 10:19

But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; (yep - us)
I will move them to anger by a foolish nation. 

Romans 11:11 - 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 11:14 (Paul) if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

Intercede for Israel:

Psalm 122:6 –  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.

Is 62:6-7 - I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, (that’s us!) do not keep silent,
And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Support Israel

Acts 11:27-29

And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

Romans 14:27

For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they (we) owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings

Romans 15:25-27

But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.  It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.

1 Cor 16:1-3

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.  And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.

Share the Gospel with Israel

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.

The Apostle Paul, apostle to the gentiles, always followed this model by preaching to the Jews in the synagogues first.  Even when the Jews rejected him at Antioch in Acts 13 and Paul declared he would then go to the gentiles, he specifically meant the gentiles at Antioch.  In the very next chapter, he headed to Iconium and went straight to the synagogue.

We are not called to:

Judge Israel

Boycott Israel

Highlight Israel’s failures

Lightly esteem (ignore) Israel

There is a warning in Zechariah 2:8-9

For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you (Israel); for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.

The "apple of the eye" is the pupil.  Have you ever been poked in the eye?  It is one of our most sensitive parts.  God does not wish to be poked in the eye.

I will end with this.  About a year and a half ago, I sent this information to the missions committee at the church I have been attending.  (I did this because the sanctuary was FILLED with flags of the countries where missionaries were being supported, and there was NO Israel flag.)  To the great credit of the committee, and the pastoral leadership, they acknowledged the truth of this oversight.  They have since added mission support to (and the flag of) Israel.  Since that time, the congregation has seen tremendous growth, not only in numbers but in faith as well.  

This pouring out of blessing is NOT a coincidence!  Genesis 12:3 is a faithful promise from the Lord!

Blessing the Brethren, part 1

In Genesis 12:3, the Lord says to Abraham, I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses (a separate word, meaning to lightly esteem, ignore, treat as unimportant) you.

Scripture goes on to include other promises, which include the land (of Israel), the seed (of Messiah), and the blessing (of salvation) to the whole world.  The promises were narrowed down to Isaac and then to Jacob, also known as Israel.

This promise has not changed.  Blessings come to those who obey this command to bless Israel.

Recently, the Lord gave me an 'aha' moment.  I had been meditating on the letter to the sixth congregation in Revelation 3, the congregation of Philadelphia.  This particular assembly received only praise and no rebuke.  What was it about this congregation that set it apart?

I began to think about the meaning of the name Philadelphia.  It means Brotherly Love.  Phileo and Adelphos.  Loving the brethren.  Where else had I heard this concept of loving the brethren?

Immediately, Matthew 25 came to my mind.  Yeshua says, "inasmuch as you did to one of these the least of these MY BRETHREN, you did it to me."  The word used there, adelphos, literally means close kinsmen.  The context of the passage is the last days, and many would agree we are in those days now.  How you treat Israel matters!

Philadelphia is a blessed congregation.  Philadelphia holds the KEY OF DAVID.  They are definitely connected to their Jewish roots!

 The Key of David reference in Revelation takes us back to Isaiah 22.  In that passage, the keys to the kingdom had been in possession of Shebna - a foreigner - but they were taken from him and given to Eliakim, a Jewish man.

Similarly, in the fourth century,  the keys to the kingdom came under the authority of gentile Rome after Constantine declared Christianity to be the new legal religion of the empire. The Jewishness of the faith was virtually eradicated.  Today, this is changing as the roots of our faith are slowly being restored.

:

The letter goes on to say I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  There is much speculation as to the meaning of the synagogue of Satan, but I see a major connection to Replacement Theology... that evil doctrinal thread that runs through many churches which says that the church has replaced Israel in God's plan.

Philadelphia is also told this:  Since you have kept my command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world, to test those who dwell on earth.

The Greek word for persevere carries the meaning of remaining steadfast, undergoing, to bear a heavy load as an animal of burden. As one who is burdened for Israel, I can truly relate to this definition. Also, the Greek word for kept means to be protected within a sphere of danger (NOT raptured away, as many would believe).  Philadelphia is blessed with this promise.

There are not many in the world who bless Israel.  It can be difficult to find a congregation that actively blesses Israel.  Just as Philadelphia is only one congregation in the seven, could it be that only one in seven churches today understands their role in regard to Israel?

So what exactly is the church's role in regard to Israel?  I will write about it in my next post.  In the meantime, you can click here for a previous post on how to be like Ruth.

Update:  Part 2 is now available.  Click here to read it.

The Hitchhiker

I recently returned from a journey to Israel, during which I was blessed to observe the three Fall Feasts - a dream come true!  Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah), Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.  My heart is still bursting from all I saw and learned.

A soldier adds palms to the roof of his sukkah

Just before I returned home, I went out beyond the green line to a small village in the land of Benjamin in Samaria, to visit a sweet family that I know.  I had asked them if I could come and see their sukkah (a temporary booth, built every year in honor of the seventh Biblical Feast, Sukkot - a memorial of God's presence and provision during the forty years in the wilderness).

We had a wonderful visit that morning and ate lunch together.  After lunch, I needed to return to Jerusalem for the final Sabbath of my visit - the first day of Sukkot.  (During my 21 days in Israel, seven of them were Sabbaths because of the Feasts.  As a Gentile, I confess that I am not used to resting that much!)

As I was about to exit the community for the hour-long trek back to Jerusalem, I came upon an Orthodox Jewish man who was awaiting a ride to the bus stop from anyone who was willing to pick him up.  Since my friend in the village had already explained to me the procedure (and safety) of Israeli hitchhiking, I felt no qualms in offering this man a ride.

For twenty minutes, we had a lively and engaging conversation.  Even though he was born and raised in a rural area of Israel, he was fluent in English, telling me it was due to computer games, computer programming, and Hollywood.

I let him know right away that I had been visiting a family for Sukkot.  A few minutes later in our conversation, I let him know that I was a gentile... a Christian.  His surprise was palpable.  I could pretty much read his thoughts... "We don't get many of your kind way out here.  And Sukkot?  You even know what that is??"

Driving down the mountain, we spoke of Yeshua.  He had questions on how we could possibly worship three Gods.  I told him that I don't believe Christianity has done a great job at explaining who God is and what we believe about His nature.  Yeshua Himself said that He and His Father were one.  I affirmed that it is blasphemy for a man to claim to be God.

But then I posed the question from the other direction:  "But what is to stop GOD from becoming a MAN?"

Yeshua claimed that He was God.  But then He backed up His claim through His miracles, including the three miracles that ancient sages expected the Messiah to perform:  1)  Healing a leper, 2) Casting out a demon from a mute person, and 3) Healing a man who was blind from birth.

Not only did He do these three miracles, but many, many more.  Feeding thousands.  Walking on water.  He even raised his friend Eleazar (Lazarus) from the dead.  And finally the ultimate miracle:  His Own Resurrection. He had kept every single point of the Moses covenant perfectly, and as such, death had no hold over Him.  He was our Perfect Passover Lamb.  Only God could do that!  (Remember Abraham's words in Genesis?  God will provide Himself the Lamb).

Yeshua did not just back up his claim of being God through miracles.  He is the fulfillment of everything written about Him in the Tanakh.  The entire book Hebrew scriptures points to Him.  He fulfilled every single prophecy that was written about Him.  There are hundreds.

The seven Feasts, as outlined in Leviticus 23, are also a foreshadowing of Him.  He fulfilled the four Spring Feasts perfectly at His first coming, when He became the ultimate Sacrifice for all mankind. He was Messiah, son of Joseph, the Suffering Servant.  The Lamb.

He will fulfill the Fall Feasts when He returns, as the Messiah, Son of David, the Conquering King, when He returns to set up His kingdom on Earth.  In Jerusalem.  The Lion.

My new hitchhiking friend did not agree with me, and that is okay.  History is full of forced conversions that were ugly and cruel.   In fact, I apologized for that cruel history; for the way that my people treated his people.

I made another friend in a shop on Ben Yehuda Street, another Orthodox Jewish man.   I kept going back because we had such great conversations.  People have tried over and over to tell him about Yeshua.  But he looked me in the eye and said, "I am not going to believe it unless God Himself reveals it to me."  I wonder if he realizes that he was paraphrasing the truth found in John 6:44 - No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Romans 11 tells us that Israel will be blinded in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  Isaiah 8:17 confirms this:  And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.

So I continue to love my Jewish friends, tell them about Yeshua when the door is opened, and love them unconditionally, whether they choose to follow Yeshua as Messiah or not.  I trust God for the outcome that He has already foretold.

As for me, I believe that Yeshua IS the Messiah that was prophetically foretold in the Hebrew scriptures, otherwise I wouldn't follow Him.  And if He IS the prophesied Messiah, then trusting in Him is the most Jewish thing that a Jewish person can do!  No need to "convert" to a Gentile faith, only a need for teshuvah (repentance, or turning) from sin to the One who paid the price in full.

BDS - What Are They Really After?

This post may seem like it is political in nature, but bear with me. I will connect the dots biblically, I promise.

Perhaps you are already familiar with the BDS Movement against Israel.  Or perhaps you have no idea what I am talking about. If not, it is time to unpack this movement so you can understand what is going on today.

BDS stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanction.  It is merely a continuation of 4000 years of hatred that is inspired by satan himself, who knows his time window for mischief is short.  This time, it is wrapped in "justice for Palestine" packaging, but when it is seen for what it is, you can see that there is nothing new under the sun.

The early boycott movement began before Israel was a nation, when the Arab League voted on December 2, 1945, to boycott Zionist goods in the British Mandate of Palestine.  When Israel became a legal nation in 1948, the Arab League broadened the boycott to include all companies throughout the world that do business with Israel, as well as their business partners. 

The objective was to isolate the Jewish state from the international community, as well as to inflict economic harm.

Drats.  It didn't work, as Israel became one of the most successful and prosperous nations in the world, despite being the size of a postage stamp and being surrounded by hostile enemies.  

In 2001, a new approach was begun by those who wished to destroy Israel as a nation.  Trying to legitimize their boycott, they adopted human rights language and falsely accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" and "apartheid."  

Let's just stop right there and look at several facts.

• Arabs living in Israel with full citizenship:  about 1,500,000.  
• Jews living with full citizenship (or no citizenship) in Jordan (formerly 77% of Palestine): 0. 
• Jews living in Saudi Arabia:  0.  (They are not even allowed in)
• Jews living in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, Iran, etc:  Maybe a handful.

After Israel became a nation, Jews that were living in these various Middle Eastern countries had to flee due to persecution, many with just the clothes on their backs.  The postage-stamp-sized country of Israel took them in and gave them citizenship.

Who cleansed who?  Who really practices apartheid?   SMH.   (That means Shakes My Head, in case you are like me and didn't know what it meant until I asked my children).

The BDS movement picked up steam in 2005 when a group of Arab Palestinian organizations formed a coalition (ironically, the same year that Israel vacated Gaza, which did NOT lead to peace but to the launching of many rockets into Israel and two wars).

Here are the stated goals and objectives of the BDS movement against Israel:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

Well, number 2 has already happened.  See above... remember the 1,500,000?  Some of them are members of the Knesset and one is even a judge on Israel's Supreme Court.

Numbers 1 and 3 have nothing to do with land or justice and everything to do with wiping out the Nation of Israel.  

Regarding number 1:  God gave Israel this land as an everlasting possession (Genesis 17:7).  It is only right that Israel should "occupy" their God-given land.  The wall was erected as a protective measure, after the second Arab Intifada (uprising) in the early 2000s.  It cut down on the suicide bombers by at least 90 percent.  I travel frequently through Tijuana and see a similar wall to the one I saw in Bethlehem.  Nobody accuses Mexico or the United States as being "apartheid."  Also, that little blurb in number 1 about "All Arab lands"?  They don't just mean "the West Bank and Gaza." When you hear them at the rallies chanting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" they are referring to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean sea.  They mean all of Israel.

Regarding number 3:  The Arabs would have you believe that Resolution 194 is simply a call for the return to Israel by the Palestinian Arab people who fled when the surrounding Arab leadership initiated the war against Israel.  It's not.  Out of the 15 paragraphs of Resolution 194, only one paragraph dealt with the return of refugees.  One of the stipulations of that paragraph stated that the returning refugees be willing to live in peace with their neighbors.  There are numerous things that are very interesting to note about Number 3:

• Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen all voted against Resolution 194. 
• Israel is not mentioned at all by name in resolution 194.
• There is no call for justice for the many Jewish refugees that were forced to flee Middle Eastern countries after 1948. 
• No Arab country will offer citizenship to the Palestinian Arabs that were displaced by the war.
• 50,000 displaced Palestinian Arabs HAVE returned to Israel and gained citizenship.
• When they mean "refugee right of return" they do not mean the original 500,000-700,000 people who fled during the War of Independence.  They mean the 5 million descendants of them as well.  Goodbye Jewish demographic.

Moving on... Do you know about the BDS-sponsored Israeli Apartheid Week in colleges and universities?  In its own words, "Israeli Apartheid Week  (IAW) is an international series of events that seeks to raise awareness about Israel's apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign."

So there you have it.  This campaign takes place annually in Feb/March at colleges and universities across the US, Canada, Britain, South Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.  They bring in speakers and have all sorts of events and rallies that try to delegitimize the nation of Israel.

One of the saddest things about this insidious BDS malarkey is that CHURCHES have believed this nonsense and jumped on board.  Some of the churches that have voted to boycott Israel are Presbyterian USA, Church of Scotland, the worldwide United Methodist Churches, and most recently, the United Church of Christ.  In addition, many para-church organizations have jumped on board as well.

Do they not understand Genesis 12:3?  Isaiah 40:1?  The heart of our Lord in Matthew 23:39 as He WEPT over Jerusalem and His brethren?

So how does this connect to the Bible?  I alluded to it earlier when I said that satan knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12).  He has been trying to destroy the Jewish people since they became a nation thousands of years ago in Egypt. 

Revelation 12:17 gives us a little insight as to satan's order of attack (which incidentally parallels God's order of things... to the Jew first):  

And the dragon was enraged with the woman (Israel), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  (That's us).  

Satan hates it that he just can't seem to win against Israel. 

In Revelation 3, the church at Philadelphia, the sixth of the seven churches, was commended for its faithfulness and was promised protection within the sphere of danger.  Maybe this is a stretch, but could that prophetic church example be connected to the sheep in Matthew 25, who blessed "the least of these my brethren?"  Brethren in Greek is adelphos, and literally means close kinsmen.  Philadelphia means loving the brethren.  Could this be why very few churches are actively blessing Israel and most are turning away from them... because it was prophesied in Revelation? One church in seven loving the brethren??

Psalm 83 gives us further insight into the motives of Israel's enemies.  It really isn't about land, or justice, or "apartheid."  It's about hatred.

You can read the Psalm on your own and see for yourselves the long list of Israel's surrounding enemies, but let me highlight two verses. 

Verse 4:  They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,

That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

Verse 12 (in referring to punishment for Israel's enemies)  Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”

Do you wish to stand firmly with Israel?  We need a BDS alternative!

How about this:  Bless, Defend, and Support!

Joseph the Dreamer

So I have this friend, "Al," who loves searching the scriptures as much as I do.  He often will send me a question over a Biblical precept, asking for "my wisdom," and then he will proceed to send me paragraph after paragraph of insanely anointed insights.  Often his insights will then be a springboard to discovery of even more "aha" moments in the Word.

The latest volley of ideas took place over the story of Joseph in Genesis.  Now Joseph is one of my heroes, and I have blogged on him before because of the way his life parallels that of Yeshua.  You can read it here if you feel like it.

The coversation centered on Joseph's two dreams in Genesis 37.

Joseph dreaming of grain sheaves

In the first dream, the sheaves of grain belonging to his brothers bowed down to his upright sheaf.  Now if that isn't enough to tick off brothers - already irritated by their dad's favoritism toward this little twerp - he continues with another dream.

In the second dream, the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.  Not his star, not him as a star, but him.  Even Jacob becomes annoyed at this point.  "Shall your mother, brothers, and I all bow down to you??" he asks.  The verse then tells us that Jacob kept this in his mind.  In other words, he didn't Let It Go. (Did you just get that song in your head?)

The strange thing about Jacob's response was that Joseph's mother had already died back in chapter 35.

So what do these two dreams mean, and why does the second dream appear to be so much more far-reaching?

The first dream was fulfilled when Joseph's brothers came to him in Egypt, saved their lives, provided for their families, and revealed himself to them as their long-lost brother.

Al's questions regarding dream number two were, "Who are the sun and moon?  And why only eleven stars?  If they represent the tribes of Israel, shouldn't there be twelve?"

He went on to reference Deuteronomy 4:19... And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.

A side note here: worship of the elements certainly did happen and become widespread. The sun represented various gods, and the moon represented various goddesses in cultures all over the globe.  Look at the evidence in some surprising places:

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Mayan sun god

Moonstrance in a Catholic church

Sun and moon on top of a Muslim mosque

Al asks, "Could the dream make reference to the fact that all creation will one day bow down before Jesus? And furthermore, even the idols and false gods to whom man bows down (sun, moon, stars, etc.) will themselves one day bow down before the one true Savior?"

As I ruminated on the idea of all of creation bowing to the Creator, I began thinking that the Biblical pattern of "To the Jew First" (see Romans 1:16)  in these two dreams was apparent.  The first dream was only to the Jews, of which He is one (which is perhaps why the eleven bowed to the one... Yeshua wanted to identify as one of them).

The second dream, however, clearly includes all of creation.  I believe there are still eleven stars in the second dream because Yeshua Himself is still identifying as a Jewish member of the human race.

Al found it interesting that Jacob (who was also given the name Israel back in chapter 35, just before Rachel died) didn't seem to have a problem with the first dream, but he refuted the second dream.   He was obviously greatly bothered by the idea of bowing down to his own son.

Probably one of the biggest stumbling blocks in Judaism today is that they believe God couldn't (or wouldn't) manifest Himself as a human being.  They see the worship of a "man" as idolatry.  And IF that Man hadn't backed up His claim of Sonship through all his miracles and resurrection and precise fulfillment of hundreds of Messianic prophecies, I would have agreed with them.

This attitude of Jacob (Israel) toward Joseph's second dream foreshadows the attitude of Israel today.  However, the dream did happen and all will come to pass as foretold.  The gospel has circumnavigated the globe and is on its way back to the nation of Israel.

For if their [Israel] being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Watchmen on the Walls

I just returned from my third trip to the place where the Lord God has chosen to put His name - Jerusalem.

At the beginning of the trip, I asked Him for eyes like the servant of Elisha - to be given a glimpse into the heavenlies and the spiritual warfare going on over His holy city.  Then I waited and watched.

Throughout this trip, we were interceding for Israel - through prayer, worship, dance, and supporting our friends here.

We were blessed to be here for the day they celebrate called Shavuot. Biblically,  this is one of the three pilgrimage feasts required in the Levitical law.  

For the Jewish people, it is a grand celebration of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Many stay up all night studying Torah,  and the celebration continues all day. [Believers in Yeshua commemorate the giving of the Holy Spirit on this same appointed day of Shavuot, aka Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2].  As the festival drew to a close, we joined the thousands of worshippers at the Kotel, or Western Wall. They were dressed in their best and had come to the Wall to pray.

As I was praying for the Holy Spirit and the revelation of Yeshua to fall on these chosen people, God drew my attention to two groups of birds at the Wall.

On the right side of the wall where I was, in the women's section,  four doves were nestled in between the stones, keeping watch. The stalwart doves did not move the entire time I was there. They silently kept watch.

Meanwhile, to the left, a loud contingent of noisy birds made a ruckus. They appeared to be causing trouble as they swooped back and forth to the wall, screeching loudly, darting and disappearing like cockroaches into small openings between the stones.

At first I thought they were bats, but a team member told me they were barn swallows. Loud little buggers.

I was in awe as I watched the picture of spiritual warfare going on right in front of me.  (The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.)

Several nights later, we came again to the Kotel to pray.  The doves were still faithfully keeping watch in their places, unmoving and stalwart.  The loud, angry birds from the previous night were nowhere to be seen.  What a picture of God's steadfast watch over His chosen people, as He waits for His perfect timing to reveal Himself to them.  Meanwhile, the enemy noisily plots and schemes against them, all in vain.

 The Lord did not answer my prayer in the way I had asked Him.  Instead of giving me a glimpse into the spirit world, He chose to use the natural world to answer my prayer.  I know that the picture in the heavenlies is much bigger, but God in His mercy gave me what He knew I could handle.

The Church as a Midwife

We owe a huge debt to Israel.

Without the Jews, we would have no covenants, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible, and no Messiah!  Yeshua Himself declared in John 4:22, "Salvation is of the Jews."

But God's plan was not only for the Jews.  They were His starting point, to be a light to the nations.  But they are also going to be His ending point as well.  Romans 11 tells us that it was for our benefit (the Gentiles) that the natural branches (Israel) were blinded in part, so that salvation could go out to the rest of the world, and then the nation of Israel would be saved.  We are also warned in Romans 11 not to be arrogant toward those natural branches.

Sadly, church history shows that the opposite happened.

Replacement Theology arose in the second century among the early church fathers.  This theology (wrongfully) teaches that God is done with the Jews for good, and that all blessings and promises have been transferred to the church.  Perhaps these church fathers were well-meaning; after all, the Jews had been kicked out of the Holy Land with no prospect of ever returning.  That would take a miracle!

However, this dangerous theology has led to the death of millions of Jews throughout the 19 centuries of their exile.  There has been persecution, pogroms, expulsions, the Crusades, blood libel accusations, forced conversions, accusations toward the Jews of deicide (aka "Christ killers"), the Spanish Inquisition, and the Holocaust, all too often perpetuated in the name of the Jewish Messiah.

This theology also continues today in many (if not most) mainline denominations, in spite of the totally miraculous return of the Jews to their Promised Land.  Whoa!  Talk about messing with one's theology!  This explains why so many Christians today are actually AGAINST the rebirth of the nation of Israel - treating it as a renegade nation instead of the fulfillment of God's promise, thousands of years ago, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But God has given the church a very special role to play in these last days.  We actually get to be the midwife for Israel's spiritual rebirth - forerunners, so to speak.  Intercessors.  What a privilege!  There are four things that Scripture calls us to do.  (He who has ears to hear, let him hear!)

**Update!  Four years later, I realize that I forgot one.  So make that five ways!

#1 - Bless Israel

Genesis 12:1-3 says, 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.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
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.”

This promise was repeated to Isaac in Genesis 26 and Jacob in Genesis 28.  This promise to Israel, regarding the Land, the Seed, and the Blessing, is the Abrahamic covenant.  It is everlasting and was never rescinded.

Notice the promise of blessing to those who bless God's people.  Scripture also gives us warnings if we neglect to bless them.  There are two words used for curse in the above reference.  The second word for curse actually means to lightly esteem, or to treat as unimportant.

Zechariah 2:8-9 says, 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. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.

#2 - Comfort Israel

Isaiah 40:1-2 says

Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”

Says your God.  (Think of the pronouns used here... comfort MY people says YOUR God)
 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”

Matt 25:37-40, in the context of the last days, says “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’  (The Greek word for brethren literally means relatives or close kinsmen).

#3 - Make Israel Envious

Deuteronomy 32:21 (repeated in Romans 10:19) says,
But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation;

I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.

Romans 11:11 - 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 11:14 (Paul is speaking here) if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

#4 - Intercede for Israel:

Psalm 122:6 says –  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.  (Another scripture with a promise!)

Is 62:6-7 - I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

And just who are these watchmen?  It's you who make mention of the LORD.  Do YOU make mention of the LORD?  Are you His follower?  If so, He's talking to you.  You must not keep silent!

**Here it is, the missing fifth directive in regard to our treatment of Israel.

#5 - Support Israel

Acts 11:27-29

And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

Romans 14:27

For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they (us) owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings

Romans 15:25-27

But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.

1 Cor 16:1-3

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.

Musings on the Fifth Commandment

Exodus 20:12 tells us, Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Obedience to the fifth commandment comes with a special blessing, unlike the other nine.  Could there be more to this commandment than meets the eye?

I have said before that Yeshua did not come to Earth to start a new religion called Christianity. (I know, I am changing the subject, but bear with me). 

He is the Messiah, the fulfillment of all that was written about Him in the Tanakh, the Hebrew scriptures (aka the "Old Testament"). Christianity is simply a continuation of YHVH's plan. He was first promised in Genesis 3:15 as the Seed of the woman... the first suggestion of parenthood in scripture. 

Biblical Judaism and Christianity were both birthed from the ultimate parent, YHVH Himself.  But scriptures are filled with all sorts of family analogies.  We can also say that Christianity was birthed out of Biblical Judaism, after Yeshua came to earth - as the Seed of the Woman - and was sacrificed for our sins.  In this way, Biblical Judaism can be called our parent faith.  (Rabbinic Judaism, birthed after the destruction of the temple, re-wrote Biblical Judaism).

The early church was all Jewish.  But as it grew and expanded, it became more and more Gentile.  By the fourth century, the Roman Emperor Constantine had adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.  Tragically, he (and so many others) did not like the Jews.  He forbade any Jewish expression of faith within the Roman church.  The Sabbath was abolished and the day of worship was changed to Sunday.  The Biblical feasts - which ALL point to Yeshua - were made illegal, and are still generally not taught in the church today.  The faith became something that was totally unrecognizable to the Jewish people (much like Joseph, who had fully taken on the look of an Egyptian and was not known by his brothers).

Even worse, the disassociation did not stop here.  Throughout history, Jewish people have been horribly persecuted, many times in the name of Christ.  Major events like the crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Pogroms, and the Holocaust, are accompanied by hundreds of lesser-known tragedies such as forced conversions, expulsions, tortures, and massacres.  It is not hard at all to understand why Jews would distrust Christians.

We did not honor our parent faith. 

Genesis 12:3 says this:  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.

There is a promise of blessing when we bless Israel.  There is also a curse attached to cursing them.  But it is important to know that two different Hebrew words are used for curse here.  The first one, arar, means to curse, and the second one, qalal, means to lightly esteem, or treat as unimportant. 

The very last verse in the Tanakh, Malachai 4:6, is in the context of the Day of the Lord, when Messiah returns to Earth. 

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.

Can this mean that the historical rifts between the Jews and the Christians will be healed in the days leading up to Yeshua's return?  I hope so!
 
The church has a lot of repenting to do for its sins against the Jews.  And many in the church still cling to Replacement Theology, the idea that YHVH is done with the Jews, has disowned them, and has instead given all the Biblically-promised blessings to the church.

To the early church fathers, Replacement Theology seemed logical.  The Jews had been scattered to the four corners of the Earth after the temple was destroyed 70 AD.  No ethnic group could possibly keep their cultural identity and then be re-gathered from such a scattering abroad, not even after one generation.  No, that was humanly impossible; it had never happened in the history of the world.

All that changed in 1948.  The miraculous  rebirth of Israel took place, as foretold in the scriptures.  The Jewish people came - and are still coming - from the four corners of the earth to settle in that little gem of land no bigger than New Jersey.

To cling to the idea that YHVH has disowned His chosen people is to miss the heart of the Father for His chosen people.  Yeshua gave us the story of the Prodigal Son.  It is a terrible thing for the church to take on the attitude of the arrogant older brother.

Now more than ever, we need to bless and esteem the members of our parent faith.  Very soon, Yeshua will return to the very soil of Israel and reveal Himself to those who do not yet believe.

A Fresh Look at the Third Commandment

For a long time, the term OMG has really bothered me.  People would throw His name around so casually!  Haven't they heard the third commandment?  I even wrote a blog post awhile back called "Oh, My Bob!"  (Click here if you feel like reading it).

I must confess, I have been looking at the original language of the third commandment, and have come to realize that the commandment is saying something altogether different than what I have always thought.

(If you think this releases you to run around OMG-ing, please read Ezekiel 36:23, Joel 2:26, and many other places - His name is YHVH and it is HOLY).

The text in question is Exodus 20:7:  You shall not take the name of YHVH your God in vain, for YHVH will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

First, the word translated take.  It means to lift up.  This is the origin of placing one's hand on a Bible in a courtroom and swearing an oath, in the name of God.

Now, let's look at the word translated vain.  It means falsehood; empty lies. 

Putting the two together, we see that this verse is telling us how serious YHVH is regarding the taking of an oath.  This can be confirmed many times in scripture. 

Remember the Gibeonites in Joshua chapter 9?  They dressed themselves up as if they had come from a long way, and tricked the Israelites into making a treaty with them in order to save their hides.  The Israelites made the mistake of not consulting YHVH first.  Later, when they realized that the Gibeonites lived nearby, this is what they had to say:

But the children of Israel did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers.
Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them.  Joshua 9:18-19

Even rash oaths must be honored.  Are you familiar with Jephthah's rash vow in Judges 11?  He came home from war, and enthusiastically promised YHVH that he would offer the first thing that he saw as a sacrifice.  He did not anticipate that it would be his daughter.  (Biblical scholars differ on the result of Japhtheh's vow).

In Matthew 5, Yeshua reiterated the importance of an oath, to the point of cautioning us not even to do it.  James 5 repeats this caution in verse 12.  But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

Are you with me so far?  You can search the scriptures and find much more on the importance of oaths.  The Lord God takes them very seriously.

Genesis 26:3 tells of an oath that YHVH swore to Abraham:  Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.  We can go through the book of Genesis and see this promise repeated several times.  Genesis 13:15 reveals that the promise is forever.

Hebrews 6:17 tells us that it is impossible for God to lie. 

Now that Israel is back in the land that was sworn to her by Almighty God so very long ago, there are many who would like nothing more than to see her gone, and her enemies fight tooth and nail to see that happen.   However, their fight is futile... God CANNOT lie.  His purposes WILL go forward, whether people like them or not. 

Israel has endured four major wars, countless minor wars, a media war, and a commerce war (the BDS movement, which stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions against Israel).  None of these things are working for those opposed to Israel.  Zechariah 12:3 warns us "In that day I will make Jerusalem a stumbling block for all people; all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth gather against it." 

Ouch.  I don't think it gets much clearer than that.