The Priesthood of John

John the Baptist.  It doesn't sound like a very Jewish name... he sounds more like a Presbyterian.  But who was he, and what did he represent?  I was listening to a recent message by Jonathan Cahn and wanted to share some of his amazing insights.

First, let's go back a bit.

In Genesis 22, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac.  It was a test, which Abraham passed. Scripture records Abraham declaring that the Lord would provide Himself a lamb.  At the time, the Lord provided a ram (notice, not a lamb - yet).  The ram was caught by its horns in a thicket of thorns.  On that day, one ram was substituted for one man.

(Isaac was probably older than this)

Fast forward to the children of Israel, enslaved in Egypt.  On the night of their escape, we see the sacrificed lambs providing salvation for each family through the blood on the doorpost.  On that night, one lamb provided for one family.

Fast forwarding again, we see the rise of the Levitical priesthood and the tabernacle and temple worship.  The  Levite priests would sacrifice the Passover lamb (and also the Yom Kippur goat, as well as other sacrifices througout the year) on behalf the entire nation.  At Passover, the lamb had to be examined and declared to be an acceptable sacrifice by the priest. On that day every year, one lamb was sacrificed for the nation.

Levites at work in the chamber of lambs

Do you see the progression so far?  So what does John the Baptist have to do with any of this?

John was the miracle child of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Zechariah, as we know, was a Levite and a priest.  His wife was also of the tribe of Levi.  Any son of theirs would also be a priest according to the law of Moses.

The two of them remained barren for many years, so that the hand of the Lord would be clearly evident when the time came.  Zechariah was visited by Gabriel while offering incense in the temple.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime event for a priest, to be called upon to enter the Holy Place and burn incense, and this was Zechariah's time.  It is no surprise that the Lord used Zechariah's time of major significance to announce another event of major significance.

Zechariah means The Lord Remembers.  Elizabeth means The Oath of the Lord.

The son's name would be Yochanan (John).  It means The Lord is Gracious.

There had been about 400 years of silence from the Lord, and now His hand was moving.   Yehovah had not forgotten His people.  Their names tell the story:  The Lord remembers His oath.  How gracious He is!

Baby John is the first to celebrate the Messiah.  Remember how he leapt in Elizabeth's womb when newly-pregnant Miriam (Mary) arrived at her home?  A prophetic moment for sure.  Yeshua's forerunner - announcing Him even from the womb!

Fast forward many years.  John is immersing repentant people in the Jordan River.

Side note:  Baptism (a Greek word) was nothing new.  Jews had been immersing for years.  It was an outward sign of cleansing, of new birth (and emerging like a newborn), of the start of something new.  Each time they worshipped at the temple, they would first visit a mikveh.  (Hundreds of these mikvot have been excavated all over Israel, including around the Temple Mount and also where the Essenes lived by the Dead Sea, and it is thought that John lived as an Essene for awhile).

So anyway, John the Immerser is going about his business, preparing people for something new. Malachi 3:1 speaks of him:   I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

Suddenly, Yeshua appears at the Jordan River, and what does John say?    John 1:29 records it: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

John, fulfilling his priestly role, declares the acceptable and final sacrifice.  Not just for one man, not just for one family, and not even just for one nation.  For. The. World.

The oath of the Lord, made in Genesis 3:15, is about to take place.  The head of the serpent is about to be crushed.

There is also great significance to the Jordan River.  But that is another post. Click here to read it.

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.

Torah Torah Torah

A few years ago, I posted two blogs in regard to "keeping the law."  If you haven't read them, you can go back and read them starting here.

I have continued to study the Word of God from a Hebraic viewpoint.  This means that I come across a lot of people who call themselves Torah Observant.  However, I have found that there is a variety of opinions on what Torah obervance looks like.  Let me share more of what I have learned since the previous posts on the subject.

The word Torah means instruction.  It comes from the root word yara, which means direction; as an arrow being aimed and shot toward its target.  In this sense, the whole counsel of scripture from Genesis to Revelation is the Lord's instruction, or Torah, that leads us to the final goal.  The first place that the word Torah shows up in scripture is in Genesis 26:5, where the Lord says that Abraham kept His laws.  At this point, the Sinai covenant had not yet been given to Moses.

Torah

So am I Torah observant?  Yes!  Torah - The Instruction of God, from Genesis to Revelation.

Understanding the covenants is key.  There are seven covenants between God and man.  It is not just a matter of Old Covenant/New Covenant.  If you want more information on them, I have written on the seven covenants here.  Sorry for the rabbit trails today, but it is worth your time.

We must know what covenant we are under and then discover what is required of us under that covenant.

The fourth of the seven, given to Moses on Mount Sinai, was centered on the tabernacle, and later on the temple.  Of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Sinai covenant, only 207 of them can be observed apart from the temple.  This is why there are Orthodox Jews in Israel that yearn for the temple to be rebuilt - so they can properly keep Torah!

What does that mean for us as New Covenant believers, under the blood of Yeshua?  James 2:10 tells us that if we stumble on even one precept of the law (Sinai covenant), we have broken the whole thing.  Do you see how impossible it is?  

Hebrews 7:12, speaking of Yeshua our High Priest, tells us, For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 

Yeshua fulfilled the entire Sinai Covenant perfectly, for us, putting to death the laws of the flesh once for all.  It is finished, He said as He hung on the tree, taking on the curse for us with His dying breath.  Having fulfilled every precept of the Sinai Covenant, He is now our living Torah.

The Sinai Covenant dealt with the flesh.  The New Covenant deals with the spirit.  The Holy Spirit is our living Torah.

Yeshua gives us a major hint in the gospels.  When He sent out the 12 (a very Jewish number) disciples prior to feeding the 5000, He sent them to a Jewish crowd.  There was no need to give them any dietary warnings - they were kosher.  Then in Luke 10, we see Him sending out 70 (number of completeness) to a very Gentile area, prior to feeding the 4000.  What did He tell them?  Eat such things as are set before you.  There was a good chance that some of these Gentiles were going to give them pork BBQ.  

Yeshua was preparing his disciples to carry the gospel to many cultures - cultures who were never given the Sinai Covenant.  Can you imagine witnessing to someone, and they invite you to dinner, and you have to refuse them because they are serving bacon-wrapped shrimp?  The highest form of fellowship in scripture is to dine with someone.  What an insult that would be, and a stumbling block to the gospel!

Yeshua said that if we loved Him, we would obey His commandments.  What were His new covenant commandments?  Love God, and then love people.  The external precepts (flesh) were completed and the internal precepts (spirit) were magnified.  Romans 8 tells us that love is the fulfillment of the law.  This is our directive in this age of Messiah, until He comes again.

The Spirit of God is Moved

Short post today.  I just wanted to put into writing an insight that the Lord gave me this past week.

Last week, I finished reading all the way through the Bible.  It took me nearly four years, because I like to stop and ponder (and investigate) the meanings of words.  I then went back to Genesis 1:1 to start over.  I wondered if it were possible to get new insights this time around that were different from last time.  I was not disappointed.

In verse 2, we read this:
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Wanting just a little more insight, I went to my trusty Blue Letter Bible app and clicked on the interlinear to peek at the original Hebrew.  The word for hovering (or moving, in some translations) is rachaph, which means to be soft, or to be moved, to cherish.  Figuratively, it is used in the sense of a mother hen brooding over her chicks.

Isn't that a beautiful thought?  That Elohim thought so highly of the earth He was creating?   That He cherished it?  I find it very heartwarming that He cared so very much about the abode that He was preparing for us.

Then today, another verse popped into my head, which really brought it home for me.  Matthew 23:37 says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Can you see how Yeshua cherishes His people as He weeps over Jerusalem?  It breaks my heart, knowing the grief He felt for His Israeli kinspeople, knowing the time of terrible testing that was coming for them.

But two verses later, we have the blessed hope:  Yeshua says, For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say,"blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."  It is one of my very favorite Hebrew sayings:  Baruch haba b'shem Adonai!

The Jewish people will say it again soon, when Yeshua returns, for He cherishes them!  And at the same time, we who know Him now will get to see Him face to face!

Rambling Hanukkah Thoughts

I am sitting here just hours before Hanukkah is to begin, with lots of thoughts swirling in my head. So I am going to try and write them down here. I guess what I am saying is, don't expect to read a clearly-written essay here on Hanukkah.

I am surrounded by Christmas, everywhere I go. Really, it gets to be a bit much for me. For several years now, I have chosen not to celebrate it, for reasons that are hashed out elsewhere on this blog.  One thing I will reiterate it about Christmas though, is its non-biblical Babylonian-Greco-Roman origins. Tuck that away while we look at Hanukkah. The word means Dedication.

The origins of Hanukkah go all the way back to the book of Daniel.  Daniel prophesied that a great one would arise but then die young, and this happened to Alexander the Great. The prophecy continued and said that kingdom would be divided among four leaders. It was.

Two of those leaders, the Ptolemy regime of Egypt, and the Selucid regime of Syria, were constantly fighting one another. (See Daniel's discussion about the king of the north and the king of the south in chapter 11... these details were fulfilled with amazing precision).

If you look at a map of the Middle East today, you will see the northern country of Syria (smaller than back then but still there) the southern country of Egypt. And going back to our story, you can't help but notice just who is caught in the crossfire of these two warring kingdoms.

One of the descendants of the original Greek-Syrian Selucid king was Antiochus IV. He hated the Glorious Land and wanted to wipe out the Jews, or at the very least, he wanted to Hellenize them... make them into Greeks.  He hated that they were different, set apart, and that they would only worship יהיה, the One True God.

So evil was Antiochus that he desecrated the holy temple, sacrificed a pig on the altar, and demanded that the Jews worship HIM.

Enter the Maccabees.  The family of Yehuda ben Mattathias of Modi'in led a rebellion against the Syro-Grecian invaders, and prevailed against massive odds. Maccabee means hammer, and this small band of devout Jews totally hammered the Greeks.

The Grecian influence, at least for the, time being, was eradicated. Once again, the people of God could live a set-apart life to the glory of God, driving out the unholy so that they could live holy.

Holy means set apart. It is the separating of the profane from the sacred. It is to avoid mixing truth with deception.

The problem that remained for the Jews following their great victory was that the holy temple was an unholy mess.

Quickly, the temple was repaired, restored, and made beautiful again. It was time to rededicate it. The story tells us that there was only enough oil to burn in the temple menorah for one day, but that the oil lasted miraculously for eight days, which is how long it takes to prepare new oil for temple service.

Whether this part of the story is true or simply legend, the fact remains that the temple was rededicated for service to יהיה, just as it was originally dedicated by King Solomon in 1 Kings. Back then, they actually had such a blast during that week of dedicating the holy temple that Solomon added a second week of celebrating.

But when that week was over, we read,
"On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people."

There was great joy in the restoration of the holy temple and the eradication of Grecian influence.  And today, WE are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the breath of the living God!  We have the opportunity, if we so desire, to celebrate this Feast of Dedication known as Hanukkah.  It is not required; Romans 14 makes this clear regarding the Biblical celebrations.  But it truly is a great time to remember and re-dedicate!

Deeper Thankfulness

This past weekend, I had the privilege of worshipping at the congregation of Jonathan Cahn, author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah.  It is that time of year again - Thanksgiving - and like many pastors throughout the world, Jonathan gave a message on being thankful.

I have heard many messages about thankfulness through the years, but this year's message really dug down deep.  I probably won't do his message justice, but let me summarize.

Let's go right to the name of Judah (or Yehuda).  The word itself means praise and also thanksgiving.  This is the word from which came the words Jews and Judaism.  This is also the tribe from which came our Redeemer Yeshua.  We will come back to more root meanings at the end of this post.

The Word often tells us to be thankful.  You might be familiar with 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which says, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Rejoice all the time!  Pray all the time!  Be thankful all the time!  This is God's will for you!

Romans 1:21 tells us that among other things, people were not thankful,  They walked a path of darkness.  Giving thanks in all things helps to avoid this darkness.  Thankfulness is crucial to an abundant life of peace.


The opposite of thankfulness is complaining.  Complaining takes away the blessings that thankfulness brings.  A heart of complaining makes us miserable. We are confessing that we are not blessed.

Thankfulness opens the doors to more blessing.   The Greek word Eucharistia means thanksgiving over the bread.  In Hebrew it is the hamotzi.  We westerners make the mistake of blessing our food.  It's not the bread that we should bless, but the Creator Who provided it. The hamotzi is clear and to the point:  Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

In Judaism, there are brachot (blessings) for everything.  This is why, in Fiddler on the Roof, the Rabbi is able to come up with a blessing for the Czar and also for a sewing machine.  Every one of the Jewish brachot is directed to God in thankfulness.

And it's not about how much you have, but how much you are thankful for what you do have.  Yeshua gave thanks on the hillside over five loaves and two fish.  Thankfulness causes multiplication.

Complaining, on the other hand, causes a reverse miracle.  Keep complaining and you'll lose what you do have.

Jonathan shared a story of when he was serving with a team in Haiti.  They arrived back in the US and were eating at a restaurant.  One of the team members complained because his chicken club sandwich had cheese on it and he hadn't ordered it that way.  Jonathan pointed out to him that if he had wanted a chicken club sandwich in Haiti, he would have been handed a club and a live chicken and told to procure his own sandwich.

We must decide to be thankful in all things, even when faced with difficulty.  Even the bad stuff.  In Acts 5:41, for example, the disciples were thankful that they were worthy of persecution.  In Matthew 5, Yeshua tells us to REJOICE when we are persecuted.

Philippians 4 is a good place to park if you need peace of mind and heart.  Verses 6 and 7 tell us,  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Do not forget thankfulness when praying through problems.  Problems help to sharpen our faith.

Now back to the name Yehuda.  The root to this word is yod.  A yod in Hebrew is a letter that sounds like our letter Y.  But the deeper meaning is a hand.  An open hand. The Hebrew word for hand is yad.   In scripture, open hands were lifted in praise and also when thanking God.  An open hand is a symbol of giving.  The one who gives love, forgiveness, blessings, love, and so forth are open to receive those things abundantly in return.

A closed hand, however, such as a fist raised to God in complaining, is a picture of being closed off to receiving blessings, love, forgiveness, and so forth.

Cultivating an attitude of thankfulness is an exercise.  It gets easier as you practice it.  Start writing down a thankful list.  And be thankful for difficult people - they help you build character.

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS.  Did you know that Thanksgiving is based of the biblical feast of Sukkot?  The early pilgrims were Puritans who observed the Biblical feasts.  The first American Thanksgiving took place in early October of 1621 and evidence shows that it was a Sukkot celebration.