Older brother is Israel, including all the Jews today.
Younger brother are the Gentiles who follow Yeshua.
From Luke 15
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with [d]prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the [e]pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, [f]‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”
As I engage with the song below
I realise the weeping for Joy that the LORD has as this Jewess sings of her love; “the LORD GOD Almighty reigns”. For her, that LORD encompasses the Messiah and Ruach as well as the Father.
As we meditate on this truth, let us pray for more of His elder sons and daughters to come to him in the name of Yeshua. Hallelujah!
Gentiles have lost so much by not embracing the G-D of the Hebrews. I am including Christian Gentiles. When we Christians threw out the Jews and their traditions from the Early Church, we also discarded their Yehovah-given wisdom and insights.
The Church of Yeshua began with 12 Jews, then 70, then 120 and many more. Jesus came to the lost sheep of Israel and he came to fulfil — not to replace — the Law. Generously, the GOD of the Hebrews invited Gentiles into the Fold after the resurrection. The Gentiles, such as the woman who was willing to settle for Jesus’ crumbs, and later those who were welcomed by Peter (through Simon the Tanner at Joppa), embraced Jewish people and culture. In fact, Paul had to instruct Galatians not to go beyond what was necessary to follow Jesus: faith and holy conduct.
But foolishly, the Gentiles eventually took over the Church of Jesus; the pendulum swung to over-rule Jewish input completely. Consequently, we lost truths, the alignment with GOD’s time table, and ultimately, the Jews themselves. The Gentiles — in their anti-semitic bias, lost wisdom. Not only through Catholicism was this lost, for if only through that we’d have regained it at the Reformation (1500’s). But we have not regained it, not at all, not even after all these centuries.
Rousseau grappled with this in 1762 in Emile:
“Oh Man! Seek no further for the author of evil; thou art he. There is no evil but the evil you do or the evil you suffer, and both come from yourself. Evil in general can only spring from disorder, and in the order of the world, I find a never-failing system. Evil in particular exists only in the end of those who experience it; and this feeling is not the gift of nature, but the work of man himself….”
How alike is this to Paul in Romans 7:18:
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good, I do not find.”
Praise GOD that through faith and with the help of the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. Evil can be overcome. Paul encourages in Ephesians 3:17-19,
“… that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of GOD.”
All the fullness of GOD, I purport, rests in the knowledge given to the Jewish people from the times of Abraham and Moses. All the fullness of GOD comes through the worship of Him at His feasts times and in His holy ways.
Oh, but how much have we Gentiles lost? The Jews still have that which we lost when we separated from the Jewish Believers. We can’t pinch it from them now; but we can reclaim a great deal if we recognise their traditions hold many keys for us, just as we hold keys for them as they await their Messiah.
We are not called to revert or convert to Judaism, but we are called to,“Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…”
When, in obedience and love, we remember that Jesus was crucified, not at Easter but during the holy festival of Passover, which GOD designed from centuries before to mark what would be the death and resurrection of His son, Saviour and Messiah, when we acknowledge and celebrate the truth of who the Creator of the Universe is, then we gain an insight and wisdom that He gave to the Jewish people, His chosen ones, all that time ago.
It’s all good for our learning
Irrespective of what we’ve lost we can regain. Nevertheless, we “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God….” (Philippians 4:4)
GOD loves us, comforts us, heals and delivers us.
My prayer today is, “May the Gentile Believers begin to embrace the truths of our Jewish roots, and may the Jewish people forgive our ignorance and trust those who follow Yeshua to love them and regard them as our big brothers. And one day, may all those who seek — both Jew and Gentile — find the Messiah promised by Jehovah G-D so long ago, Amen.”
It’s so important to get the grounding in the Word of GOD to hold onto our faith through all eventualities. Christians make up 80% of the religious persons currently being persecuted worldwide. We cannot take for granted that we will hold on to our faith for even Jesus said,
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)
While many of you reading this post will be rock solid in your Biblical foundations, some close to you may not be.
I am so saddened
A friend of some 20 years has moved away from Jesus as the son of GOD and Saviour. She still loves him and enjoys him, but no longer recognises he is the Truth or that he died and conquered death through resurrection for the sake of others. He has become for her, a way and is her way to peace and joy on earth, but salvation is no longer necessary, and he is no longer the only way to the GOD of mankind.
How sad.
And if I grieve, how much more does he, who died for her, even as she undermines — albeit without intent — his work.
How we can stay sure
The world is shrinking, not in mass but in time. We can cross nations and continents in hours. As we have become familiar with different cultures, we have learned about the different religions. From those not directly involved, all religions that seek peace have, over decades, become lumped together. People claim there are many roads to GOD and that all religions are the same. But we who understand who Jesus is, and what he did, recognise there is no one else with the authority to defeat sin, and to bring us into relationship with the Father. We must be sure our foundations are solid and based on Truth… how we do that is to study the Bible for ourselves and see what is actually inside the book.
Father, Creator, One True GOD
Who is the Father? His name is Yehovah. YHWH. Some say Yaweh, Elohim, Adonia, Abba, “I AM”. This one GOD is the father who describes himself as: “the father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Genesis 50:24; Exodus 3:6; Deuteronomy 6:10) and as the GOD of the Israel (1Kings 8:22-27)
“Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; and he said: “Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” There is only one GOD who fits this category. And Jesus only pointed to one GOD. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Importance of the Name of Yehovah
If you open Google search engine and look up Nehemia Gordon or Rood Awakening (Michael Rood), you can dig up aspects of a fascinating story of how Bible Scholar Nehemia discovered the missing letters of YWHW on 11th September 2001, best known as “9/11”.
Aspects of proof of the Name of G-D: Hebrew Manuscripts
Nehemia Gordon with Michael Rood
Value in knowing our Hebraic Roots
Over the last decade or so, there has been an increasing international move amongst Christians to discover more of their Hebraic Roots. Jesus was Jewish and many Gentile followers of Jesus are thinking, “Why not learn more about Jesus’ culture and the Law of GOD that Jesus fulfilled?” For some it is curiosity that draws them toward investigating the Hebraic roots of Jesus, but for others it is much more. Some people experience a pull from grace towards a reversal to legalism as they study the Law, festivals and roots of Jesus. They reject the necessity for them. Others experience more of GOD, a deepening of understanding and relationship through their investigation, and they embrace the Hebraic roots.
I am interested and I value the discoveries. Learning how different the Hebrew texts are from the Greek translations of the New Testament for example, is fascinating and helpful to my growth.
Hebraic Roots and Knowledge offer some spiritual protection
But there is further reason to know our Hebraic roots. It is not necessarily in practising the law or even the feasts that we grow in our faith, although the feasts are very enjoyable. But it can be as simple as having an awareness of these feasts which prevents us looking at our GOD as though He is common to all religions.
It is not in practising the law, nor in the study of Hebrew, but simply in the recognition of GOD’s name and identity, and how He identifies himself, that we can arm ourselves against the wave of atheism and globalism which seeks to erase the uniqueness of our Judeo-Christian faith and values, and erase the power and truth of the Gospel of Jesus, Messiah and Saviour of the world.
Over and over again in Biblical scripture, GOD calls Himself the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the GOD of Israel. I believe He’s done so for such a time as this.
He is not the GOD of Buddha or Thailand, of Confucius or China, or of Mecca and Mohammed. He is the GOD of Israel. He is the Creator of the Universe, and the lover of all Mankind. He is the One True GOD. Allah may be One. But Yehovah is the One True GOD and like Him there is no other.
When Pilot asked Jesus, “Are you a king then?” this was our lord’s response,
“You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37)
Oh, let us pray that those who have heard his voice will hold fast, knowing and not becoming confused. For some, that will mean digging into the Hebraic ways, to understand more of Jesus. For others, it will be tracing the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham, even back to Adam, to solidify understanding and confidence in the identity of our Saviour. Let us all be sure to hold onto the unique identity of Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew), and hold onto the knowledge that we have been adopted by his Father, the One True GOD and Creator of the Universe, by the power of His Holy Spirit; this is so that we might continue to live in the Spirit, and not in the flesh as other mortals do, for this life and forever.
Amen.
God is Love, God is Peace, but the reverse is not true
The New Age and One New Religion seek peace. They find it through love. But while GOD is love, they make their search for peace and love their focus and their god; that is not the same as finding GOD. Just as loving thy neighbour before loving GOD is a shaky foundation, so too is searching for love or peace for its own sake. That will lead us astray.
Be not tricked nor confused
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)
GOD does not test or trick us and is not the author of confusion. So, if you find yourself with a lack of clarity, the confusion is not of GOD. And if you find yourself tested beyond your faith, that is not GOD either. Whatever draws you to GOD is true, whatever draws you away is not of Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. If you seem far away from GOD, guess who moved?
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:22a) Be assured. He will never leave you nor forsake you. And as you dwell in the Word and remain in fellowship with other Believers, neither will you depart from him. But be aware: the enemy is prowling around like a lion, (1 Peter 5:8) seeking to lead you away. So, do not take your faith for granted in these days of increasing peril, temptation and lies. Dwell in the LORD, abide in Him (John 15) so that you cannot be led astray.
What is the Jewish mindset? Oh, how it is different to that of any other culture’s.
I have been reading Ezekiel. I am a watchman and I find Ezekiel difficult to understand in places, but do comprehend the calling in a small way. Oh, how it must have grieved Ezekiel to have to say the things he did to the people. And oh, how the Word suggests they ignored him.
The Jewish mindset is superior in intellect, thinking way outside the box. If that’s accurate, that would explain how a <1% of the world’s population has won over 25% of Nobel Prizes. That’s just one example of their extraordinary creativity, ability, and genius.
In truth, I think the LORD our Father GOD made this nation of Jewish people gifted and hugely intelligent. But in their giftedness, they were self-sufficient (historically) and sought to blend in (Ezekiel 23). Oh what a price the Father has paid for His generosity.
And today, their giftedness blesses humanity; research and development in medicine, technology, military defence are second to none. I’d love to know how they think, so I can think and create too, as they do.
But how can I convince one who is vastly superior in capability and talent? How can I draw Jews to Jesus? I can’t, but I can learn their ways.
Or how can we win over to Yeshua those who have, for the majority, rejected the Father? How can we possibly draw Israelis and other Jews back to Truth unless they seek it? The truth is, we can’t. But Yehovah can. And in these Last Days, His Word says He will. We must prepare, study and befriend.
Prepare for Aliya: the return of Jewish people back to Israel; prepare for WWIII: Armageddon and the Mark of the Beast; prepare for the world to turn against Jews and we stand in the gap — practically, politically, and prayerfully. We intercede for their restoration to the Father and we intercede for His will on the earth as in heaven. His will includes the return of His chosen people to Israel and their acceptance of Yeshua as Messiah.
We can study: learn our Hebraic Roots so we can talk intelligently with those who know their Torah. We can learn Hebrew (I’m starting with the alphabet and customary songs and prayers). Learn about the feasts and festivals, enter into conversations and share their stories by listening and discussing. They like to question and to discuss.
Let us genuinely befriend our older brother, the Jewish nation, and the Jewish people. Let us learn our own roots to the Father. And let us provoke them to jealousy as necessary, by our faith in and relationship with Adonai.
How often has the Father said in His Word, “I shall….. and they will know I am the LORD.”
Oh, how He wants the Jewish people to acknowledge Him. So let us acknowledge them and Him to them, that they may be jealous (Romans 11:11) and turn back to Him.
Father has bequeathed His people with giftedness but they have a stubborn heart; He has given us faith and relationship as He’s grafted us into the vine. Let us engage with Jewish people to discover their personalities and thought processes, that they might learn of our blessings through Yeshua, and yearn for the same.
Hawaii and Guatemala have, in the last couple of weeks, experienced the eruptions of local volcanoes. These have come shortly after the relocation of their respective Israeli embassies in Jerusalem. No other earthquakes have been reported, and no other countries have opened embassies in Jerusalem, so far.
What does this mean?
A friend recently said she’d heard ofa teaching that states a volcanic eruption means hell is expanding. Well, when the enemy is active, it suggests it is feeling threatened.
Hallelujah!
It would seem hell is angry with these two nations who have come alongside Jerusalem. And so it is threatening, looming large, expanding its territory.
How can we respond?
I am led to pray 1 Chronicles 4:10, the prayer of Jabez:
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”
Do Not Fear
So, should be stop moving embassies to Jerusalem to avoid volcanoes?
No. We should not give into the enemy. Instead, let’s know that the enemy doesn’t like embassies in Jerusalem, and therefore we must place more of them there.
As against the wishes of the terrorists, we must not give in to fear of the enemy.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10)
As we ask protection from the Creator and Father, we may or may not stop natural disasters, but we can be sure GOD’s “will is done on earth as in heaven”. And that is always a good and righteous thing.
The current Anti – Anti-Semitism movement in the British press and on tv news is an opportunity for the British people to recognise how the nation historically has been ambivalent and sometimes downright anti-Jewish. In modern history, the media has been biased against Israel, defending Palestinian terrorists.
Currently in British politics, the row over anti-Semitism in the Labour Party is very high profile. But I’ll come to that in a moment… Britain has a history of ambivalence to the Jewish people and a little look at 20th century history will demonstrate this.
Modern History
Historically, one man represented a movement of support for Jewish people after the turn of the twentieth century. Lord Balfour stood, as did others, for an Israeli state to be formed for the Jewish people. In November 1917, the Balfour Declaration sited the support and intention of this. The government supported this idea.
Leading up to World War II
Recognising an evil and racist Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany, and anticipating the worst, many Jewish people fled Germany leading up to World War II. But of those who fled, most were turned away from free nations, such as USA and UK, and ended up in Nazi Concentration Camps within a few years.
Although Palestine, a non-sovereign territory under British rule, could have taken many Jewish people, the British government had put a strict limit on the number of Jews allowed per annum to immigrate, though there was no such limit on Arabs. Just when the Jewish people needed a haven, they were locked out of safe territory.
Late 1940’s
After World War II, the world was stunned to see what had happened to six million European Jews when the concentration camps were liberated. People turned their eyes to the notion of an Israeli state once again.
A vote was taken in the United Nations for the formation of the State of Israel. It was in 1947, just thirty years after the Balfour Declaration. But Britain abstained.
Nevertheless, the nation of Israel was formed “in a day” on 14th May, 1948.
But the next day, surrounding Arab nations attacked. Only a miracle enabled the out-resourced, out-manned, baby nation of Israel to defeat their enemies.
As I join the dots of politics and history, I realise
Britain never intended to honour the Balfour Declaration; not really.
The British never expected Israel to survive, and I purport, nor did they care. As far as the British government was concerned, the Arabs would deal with the situation as they chose, and when Israel was inevitably squashed, the British government could say, “Oh well, we tried.”
Today in British Media
The British media are not letting go of a story about the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, mixed up with anti-Semitism. It’s a bit bazaar, given that the BBC investigated itself and admitted its anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, pro-gay bent. But it, like some other British media, seem to have persisted in drawing out Mr Corbyn and others over this racism and have not let go.
Two years ago, one high-profile Labour Party member, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, made anti-Semitic remarks, but was not ousted from the Party. He still has not been. Since then, there have been further anti-Semitic activities. The Labour Leader shrugged his shoulders at a rally and suggested it was a private issue of conscience. He added he’d like to route out the anti-Semitism and any racism in the Party.
So what’s going on?
The current anti-anti-Semitism (no, this is not a typo) is an opportunity for British people to recognise how the nation historically, has been anti-Jewish, and the majority of main-stream media has, up until very recently, sided with the Palestinians rather than be neutral in its reporting. But as I see it, the current situation within the Labour Party has served to “convict” Sky News and the BBC, and they’ve both recently tempered their stories and their quick responses to events in Israel and with the Palestinians, seeming more ginger in their approach rather than judgmental.
We seem to be in a season of silence on Israel. Perhaps the next step is to expose the manipulation of the terrorist groups in and around Israel used to gain Western sympathy.
I believe
When will our nation look at historic reality? When will we recognise collectively and be moved to accept the Jewish people, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their right to exist in their country? When will we see they are not Christ-killers (the early church was founded entirely by Jews). When will British people see them, not as heinous military criminals, but as democratic allies seeking to protect their people from terrorism, and the lies and deceit of terrorist groups. When that happens, there will come a blessing upon our land.
Those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse Israel will be cursed. (Genesis 12:3)
I only just realised, very recently, why the battle over Jerusalem, Israel, and with the Palestinians continues. Of course the battle is a Spiritual one. But there is a political aspect too, and in human terms, Britain did not expect, in 1947/48, for the nation of Israel to survive. It was a problem left to the Arabs to solve and in 1948, a day after Israel was born, the nation was expected to die. This month, on the 14th of May, Israel celebrates it’s 70th birthday and some of the surrounding Arab countries think of their own defeat of 15th of May, a defeat which was inevitable if miraculous.
Israel exceeded all expectations. It continues to do so today, as it thrives, it is miles ahead of other nations in technology, medicine, and agriculture, and related aspects of each.
To this day, many Western nations do not act as though they care if Israel survives, and so they do not side with it over Jerusalem as capitol, or over Palestinian issues.
Propaganda vs Apathy
I’ve naively thought the struggle was against the Palestinian propaganda machine and the fear of Europe to stand up to terrorism. But my eyes have been somewhat veiled until this week.
I live in the UK so I will focus on the UK viewpoint.
The Balfour Declaration of 1914 sought to give Israel a nation. It was introduced from England and for that, UK deserves credit.
But by the time Statehood was granted to Israel a lot of very cold water had run under the proverbial bridge.
Just as the Jewish people needed refuge most, during the rise of Hitler in Germany, Jewish immigration to Israel was severely limited under the British Mandate, whilst Arabs were given much more freedom to move into the territory.
After the end of World War II the idea for a Statehood for Israel was fulfilled.
I only just realised the real reason Britain abstained in the vote for Israels’ statehood, and did not and has not helped the State. There are political excuses of course but really… they simply don’t care.
They left it to the Arabs to dissolve the nation in 1948. It was born and when it died the British and other abstainers could say,
“Well, we tried.”
But did the UK government really try?
When Israel survived the onslaught of Arab attack against all adds, the UK policy was and has since been luke warm toward its ally in the Middle East.
Wow! My eyes have been opened. May others’ also.
President Abbas and Palestine
As to the Palestinian perspective, most recently here is what President Abbas has told his National Congress,
“From the 11th century until the Holocaust that took place in Germany, the Jews were subjected to a massacre every 10 to 15 years. But why did this happen? The Jewish issue that was widespread in all the countries was not because of their religion, but rather their social behaviour related to usury and banks.”
Historically, this is the response that was used against them, throughout centuries, but it was on the backs of Europeans calling the Jewish people “Christ-killers” so of course the prejudice was based on religion. Further, also due to prejudice, when the Jewish people were denied the right to merchant or agricultural work, the major industry left open to them was banking.
Abbas, in the same speech, referred to the founding of Israel as “a colonial project” and not as coming from the Jews, which contradicts the other prejudice against them, that of Zionism. Abbas cannot have it both ways: is Israel based on a Zionist principle, motivated by Jews? Or is it a result of the Holocaust and Allies from the War orchestrating a homeland for the Jewish people?
Who created the modern State of Israel?
Ultimately, it is a project from the Creator of the Universe who said he would deliver the Jews and one day a new nation would be born “in a day”.
And so it was, and so it has been, and so it will be until Jesus returns. The coming of their Messiah is near. May the UK side with it, before it is too late for Britain.
The British governments from modern history to today need to open their eyes, and like the US and Canada (present government excluded), and other countries who said “yes” to the formation of the State of Israel, or have encouraged it’s freedom to exist since, need to embrace and openly and diplomatically accept Israels’ sovereignty: its right to exist and right to determine its capital city.
Rethinking: Gentiles to Consider our Jewish Roots, Jews to Consider the Salvation of the Cross
“Crossover to Passover” is a painting that was created by my brother – in – Yeshua, Kenneth Weston.
Here is his story about the drawing:
Whilst celebrating the Passover with my Jewish Mishpocha – family, as Yeshua – Jesus our Master Rabboni would have it, I rough-sketched a drawing onto my paper napkin, .
The Rabbi, still spiritually-veiled, said, “Nothing missing nor broken Kenny eh?…Shalom let us thank Elohim Adonai, for our kinsmen Israelites who freely chose to look at the curse, which Moses held up on a stake!”
Sarah, instantly I sensed in my spirit the Rabboni Yeshua – Jesus, as He was held up on a stake, and became a curse even though a spotless Passover Lamb. His unconditional love sacrificed, removed sin from every Jew and Gentile who repents from their wicked way, being turned back to Poppa Elohim as our Father.
During this Seder – Passover, I had been looking with my spiritual mindset as a Jew in our Meshiach (Messiah). I could see both the stake that Moses held up after the Passover, and the cross which the Gentile Christians were soon to celebrate (I cannot say the word “Easter” because we Jewish people know is from the pagan name Ishtar).
Symbolically, I then saw the stake become the cross, and in my spirit I heard the words “Crossover to Passover”—“Tell Israel and the Gentiles”.
Then I realised that the cross is an inanimate object, like an obstacle waiting for a miracle to happen. For when both Jew and Gentile as One New Man* celebrate Passover thanks to the Passover Lamb Yeshua – Jesus, then their daily crosses become animate in their lives. At this moment, in the Spirit I heardfaintly, “Keep your eyes on the Passover Lamb of God.”
A few days later I was asked by a locally well known prayer coordinator, if I would attend a prayer meeting to pray for peace in Israel, and to join others in celebrating Easter. My reply, gently and with love was, “Easter is no more an obstacle for me; I have celebrated Passover with the Passover Lamb Yeshua – Jesus; I don’t need a meeting for peace, I have the shalom of the Passover Lamb within me.
She answered as Shaul – Paul warned the Gentile not to do, “Our Easter is a new festival meal which God will add to His others. Don’t keep going on about this Passover Meal Seder.”
I have mentioned these spiritual obstacles before Sarah. You may be interested in the answer I was given, given you and your husband seek to help the Gentile Christians to be more like those that Paul – Shaul taught, until many were bewitched in the days of Rome.
I asked the woman if she would be interested in returning to the day of the Lord’s Sabbath, as our Lord Jesus and His disciples did.
Her answer is the very reason why I completed the picture: “Crossover to Passover” for she said, ” We Christians are not Jewish”
I replied that the Lord’s Sabbath is for Israel only, but that Gentiles are grafted into the Cultivated Olive Tree of Israel.
She replied, “No I am a Christian grafted into the vine, and we are now the branches. We are the new wine; we are not Israel!”
I was starting to see these spiritual obstacles now through my mustard seed faith. They were not the size of mountains, but only small seeds of replacement theology. This then, is not about the seed at all.
I simplified this misunderstanding between us, by saying Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are part of the Commonwealth of England…Sow? When a Gentile is grafted into the Cultivated Olive Tree of Israel, they become spiritually part of the Commonwealth of Israel through Jesus Messiah the Son of Israel. And I am not a Jew in the Spirit nor you a Gentile, but we are equal.
Her reply suggests to me that you and Alan have a mission!
She said, “In this grafting you the Jew become a Christian like me.”
My reply before wiping my Shalom of my feet was, “The people in that spiritual Olive Tree Paul tried to teach you, are neither Orthodox Jews nor Gentile Christians. In fact every spiritual obstacle has been removed — praise God — for His only Son. He became our Loss Maker.
She asked, “What do you mean?”
I replied: “He, Yeshua Meshiach, Jesus although he was innocent of any sin, he agreed to lose His right to live…So that we would not lose. He became my spiritual loss maker.”
When I got back to my studio I completed the message in the “Crossover to Passover” picture. Then something quite strange happened Sarah, I started to cry tears of joy, yet felt saddened for this woman and her Pastor.
So, it is with the Love of God in Meshiach Yeshua – Jesus that I say, yes please use this picture and my story of how “Crossover to Passover” came to be, even if you change it to your written way Sarah.
Shalom to you and your house all ways and always
Kenny
* Jesus will return when we are One New Man, Jew and Gentile, united in Yeshua
Ephesians 2:15
“…having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself onenewmanfrom the two, thus making peace,”
Sabbath is Saturday, the day the LORD rested after creating the universe and its living creatures.
For quite some time, the World has been putting Saturday and Sunday at the end of the calendar week, making Saturday appear to be the 6th day. The early Church drifted from its Jewish roots and determined that since 3 days after Jesus’ crucifixion he was raised and that was the first day of the week, Sunday, they would call it the Lord’s Day. Eventually it replaced the Sabbath as the day for congregational worship. Today some earnest Believers think Sunday is the Sabbath.
The fourth Commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11)
One cannot change the day God rested. We can discuss how we are not under law but under grace, and that is true. But do we kill, covet or commit adultery? Of course not. Those are Commandments and as such mark a better way to live.
So, why do so many of us take the Sabbath more lightly than other of God’s guidelines? I confess I’m not always perfectly resting on the Sabbath, doing nothing that would bring in income, directly or indirectly, what one would call “work”. I do rest on Saturdays, but admittedly sometimes it is hard.
How about you, reader? Do you keep the Sabbath – Saturday – Holy and unto Father God?
Apart from it being one of God’s Commandments, why is it of relevance today and are we to keep this commandment? The answer is that, apart from it being God’s Commandment which simply marks the better way to live, it also has to do with Israel and the Jewish people.
I am of the understanding based on scripture that the Jewish people are still God’s Chosen People. Discussion about that let’s save for another time, but we can agree I hope, that Jesus came for all of us, and for every nation, and he will come again when all the nation groups have had the witness of Jesus.
So, like all mankind, the Jewish people are invited to recognise Yeshua – Jesus’ name in Hebrew – as Messiah, the saviour of the World. And how will they be able to recognise Yeshua suddenly, if over 2000 years relatively few have? The answer is because the Jewish traditions – which have been hidden inside the Christian faith – must be released, revealed, exposed, to enable these people to see how the prophecy of their Messiah perfectly lines up with history.
Keeping the Jewish traditions hidden from view, such as using the first day rather than the seventh day as the “Sabbath”, makes it more difficult than it needs to be for the Jew to recognise he is meant to be a part of the Bride, the Church.
In Ephesians 2, Paul refers to the Gentiles as joining with all the Saints (in context: the Jewish Believers) as part of the Church. It is the One New Man, united by the faith in the Messiah, that will pull the Church through the challenges thrust upon it. (Ephesians 2:11-22) As you study and meditate on Ephesians 2 and 3, you will be able to see how God intends for Jew and Gentile to worship together.
Truly, if God is to minister and bring to the Jewish people the knowledge of Yeshua, then we, His Church, must help by allowing the Hebrew Roots of the faith to be exposed. The Sabbath only scratches the surface, but it is a start to revealing the Messiah and the Saviour as one and the same.
We can begin with aligning our day of worship with our Hebrew Roots. God’s choice of the Sabbath is recognisable to the Jewish people and it is Biblical, so I suggest a call to action: Let’s shift and use it.
**Next week I’ll send out an Extra Newsletter, on Thursday 21st, to share about Christmas. It’s a hot topic. It’s roots extend beyond the birth of Jesus, which most likely occurred in late September.**
