2 Ways Christians Stop Short of Fully Connecting With Israel - REVIVEISRAEL.ORG STAFF CHARISMA NEWS

The Olive Tree metaphor of Romans 11 demands that Christians see themselves as "grafted in" to Israel. (Flickr)

2 Ways Christians Stop Short of Fully Connecting With Israel

7/28/2016 REVIVEISRAEL.ORG STAFF  CHARISMA NEWS

In Part 1 of this series, we learned that according to the Bible, "Israel" can mean: A) the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the Jewish people; B) the Jewish nation in its land: and C) the emnant of believers in Yeshua—Jew and Gentile together.

The Olive Tree metaphor of Romans 11 demands that Christians see themselves as "grafted in" (covenantally connected) to Israel in a way that reflects the fullness of all three dimensions of biblical Israel. This is God's formula for bringing about the "fullness of the Gentiles/nations," "all Israel being saved," and the Second Coming of Yeshua (Rom. 11:25-26).

Before we study what this full "grafting in" might look like in our day, I want to look at how Christians have been connecting to Israel in ways that are good, but stop short of the fullness that we are seeking.

1. A+B, without C: Connecting with Israel or the Jewish people OUTSIDE of gospel faith – Over the last several generations, many Christians have discerned in Israel the fulfillment of the many biblical prophecies concerning the in-gathering of the Jewish people and the restoration of our nation. After centuries of mistreatment of the Jews, Christians have accepted the biblical mandate to lovingly "provoke" unbelieving Israel "to jealousy" (Rom 11:11). 

Many lead tours to the Land, visit the IDF, meet with politicians, rabbis, etc.; others have donated finances or planted trees to help the nation; and many take a strong pro-Israel political stance. These are all good, but can totally miss "C"—the Israel that is the Israel of faith—the spiritual remnant of Israeli believers in Yeshua.

Romans 9:6 and 11:17-18 tell us that not all of Israel is fully Israel. If one's primary mode of connecting, of grafting into the Olive Tree, is through the unsaved Jewish majority, then one is essentially grafting to branches which are (at least at this stage) cut off from the tree! That's not a good formula for "partaking with them of the rich root of the olive tree!" It's impossible to take blessing and nourishment from the root if you're grafting into branches that aren't even connected to the tree! This error was quite forgivable a generation ago, when the believing remnant in Israel was so tiny as to be practically invisible, but today the Jewish nation is experiencing a spiritual restoration and a growing, maturing remnant of the faithful in Yeshua. It's time for the fullness of the Olive Tree grafting relationship!

2. Jewish/Hebrew "roots" Torah teaching – Today, there is much popular teaching about the "Jewish roots" of the faith. Learning about the Hebraic background of the Scriptures, Jewish culture, the Feasts, etc. can be beneficial—as long as it does not come with a promise to find through their observance spiritual benefits that we already have in Messiah. But connecting with the laws and culture of a people is different from actually connecting with them in a relational way.

Think of it like this: Eating out regularly at a sushi restaurant may help you to appreciate Japanese food, but it may not help you actually connect with the reality that is Japan. Of course, an appreciation of the national cuisine, or studying the language and history of Japan, can help foster deeper relationship with Japanese people—but it shouldn't be mistaken for the relationship itself.

The Olive Tree of Romans 11 is a "people tree," not a "Torah teaching/doctrine tree." According to Paul, the root of the tree (God's covenant people) is to be identified more with the Abrahamic covenant of faith and promise, than with the later Torah-based religious practices that came to define the boundaries of Jewish identity (Gal. 4-5; Rom. 10:4). In context, Paul's whole point is about the right relationship with other peoples in the tree—not with observing Sabbaths or Feasts.

This "tree" of the people of God is also like a rainbow, demonstrating an incredible variety of the unique cultures and identities of the nations, whom John could visibly recognize in his vision (Rev. 7:9). This mistaken way of "connecting" or "grafting" with Israel through Jewish roots teaching can actually be a great deception. One may find himself with a supposedly "Jewish," or "biblical" way of living and practicing his faith, but without any of the biblical connections with Israel—neither A, B nor C!

In the end, according to our experience, this can lead to a very unhealthy focus on the details of one's own religious practice, identity and even the deception of thinking that you have Jewish or Israelite "blood" (Rev. 3:9). 

For the original article, visit reviveisrael.org.

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VIDEO: Romans 11 Explained, Part 3 Ron Cantor MESSIAH'S MANDATE

VIDEO: Romans 11 Explained, Part 3

Ron Cantor —  June 4, 2016  MESSIAH'S MANDATE

For a very long time I have wanted to go through Romans 11, verse by verse. It has been the most ignored chapter in the New Testament for 2000 years. I hope Parts 1 and 2 were a blessing to you. In Part 3 we look at Paul’s words in Romans 9—so passionate, so devastating that he begins this section with the preface: “I am not lying.” What was the apostle going to share that was so difficult to believe that he had to say, “Hey, I really mean this!”

Watch here: Romans 11 - Part 3

WATCH PARTS 1 AND 2

Ron Cantor - VIDEO SERIES: Romans 11 Revealed

VIDEO SERIES: Romans 11 Revealed

Ron Cantor —  May 25, 2016

Has the Church replaced Israel? Has God rejected his people, Israel? Why does Paul talk so much about the Jews and Israel in Romans? Check out our new series on Romans 11.

Is the Veil and Hardening Over Israel Being Lifted? - GRANT BERRY CHARISMA NEWS

Note: As we quickly approach the last days before Yeshua/Jesus returns, the mystery to awaken and restore Israel into the family in the One New Man, becomes paramount in God's Glory plan to establish His kingdom upon the earth. In this light, the Holy Spirit is shifting His focus onto a very necessary spiritual restoration that must occur between Jew and Gentile members of the family of God, so that His end-time plan can be realized through us. We call this The Reconnection, where both groups are intricately linked and greatly in need of one another, yet presently, the family of God is quite divided and separate.

As a result, I am beginning a new series called, "What is The One New Man?" In these articles we will explore and re-examine the pertinent Scriptures on The One New Man, as well as issues relating to Israel and the Church, and we will interview leaders from both sides of the family to gain a better understanding. However, the main goal is to help bring the body of Messiah/Christ into a greater unity and depth of understanding of this mystery; not through a Gentile or Jewish lens, but rather through our Father's eyes and heart, who longs for His family to be one and to be united into His end-time purposes and plans—in order for us to be mobilized us into the fray (John 17:23). 

If you haven't read part 1 of this article, which lays the foundation for a better understanding of Romans 11, please click here.

Romans 11 Continued

So, what is the first thing that the apostle Paul writes to us in Romans 11 about the people of Israel? He asks us a question. In fact in the first 11 verses he actually asks three questions and all of them refer to the fate, path and outcome of the Jewish people—each with a different consequence. The first relates to the part of Israel who believe in Yeshua, the second to those who do not and the blindness that is upon them, and the third speaks of the balance of Israel that is to be restored towards or near the end, who are still veiled.

Except with his third question and response, he uses the rest of the chapter to explain this complexity to the church (those who rejected and are still blinded), and God's redemptive heart and position toward His first-born children, who will ultimately be restored. Indeed I believe that everything he has written and explained to us thus far in these three vital chapters (9-11) of Romans concerning Israel and the church, is so that we may fully grasp and comprehend this mystery that surrounds Israel's spiritual restoration towards the end, as well as our most significant role to help in this process.

This is highly significant to us during these days that we gain a fresh understanding of these verses. For there are many of us in the church who have over spiritualized these Scriptures now believing that the Israel of God is found solely in the church. Actually downgrading Israel's role to that of any other nation or people, while Paul makes clear to us that they are a covenant people (verse 27), and that their call and gifts are irrevocable (verse 29), which is not only crucial to our understanding, but also to our eschatology.

With all due respect, I believe this theology to be incorrect, because the bride is not complete and ready until physical Israel is properly restored to the family of God, which is very different from what is mostly taught today in the church. For Israel is the missing piece of the puzzle, not only with the re-establishment of the Jewish branches with the current remnant of Jewish believers, but also with Israel's final spiritual awakening, which comes with the final harvest of souls toward the end of the age (Romans 11:25-27).

In fact, I believe that our reconnection to our Jewish roots is the final act of restoration for the church, which not only prepares us for His coming to establish a Messianic kingdom upon the earth, but also to aid in the balance of Israel's salvation. What an honor! For did not Jesus tell us that the first would be last and did He not tell them that you will not see me again until you say, "Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:39). In other words, it is not until they are spiritually awakened that they will be able to make such a comment.

So, let's take a look at these questions and responses and the three paths of the Jewish people with their ultimate journey to faith.

Path No. 1 and the First Question – the Remnant

"Did God reject His people? By no means!.... So too at this present time there is a remnant chosen by grace." Here, Paul addresses the first issue that relates to the Jewish remnant who believes in Yeshua.  Through Elijah's experience with Israel's apostasy who thought he was the only one left who believed, Paul explains to us from the time of Jesus to this present day there would be a remnant of Jewish people who would believe.

Indeed, Jewish believers founded the church and they took the gospel out to the nations, so the rest of God's family could be grafted into the faith. And over the first century there were a decent number of Jewish people who actually believed. These Scriptures have also applied to a remnant of Jewish believers coming to faith over the centuries up until this modern day and from the time of Yeshua/Jesus to now, there have always been a small remnant of Jewish believers coming to faith.

Path No. 2 and the Second Question – Those Veiled

"What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.'"

Much can be said about this explanation, especially regarding our understanding of the timing of Israel's hardening. Did it come upon them, because they rejected Yeshua, or was it already on them before Messiah/Christ came? In my 2nd book The Ezekiel Generation, I dedicated a whole chapter to this subject, in our understanding of the different veils upon mankind (Chapter 8), and how they actually came about. I would encourage you to read it.

While we can trace the explanation to this hardening of Israel to the Torah (five books of Moses) in the book of Deuteronomy (29:4), we are also aware that all humankind's hearts are veiled to God as a result of sin, which naturally hardens. However, it is not until Israel and Judah totally abandoned God to their idols that the Lord commands Isaiah to proclaim a blindness and deafness upon them, which has remained to this day (Isaiah 6:9,10). And it is to this Scripture that I believe the apostle Paul is referring to here. Regardless, those of Israel whose eyes were not opened remained under this curse, up UNTIL the appointed time when this veil will be removed (verses 25-26).

Path No. 3 and the Third Question – Israel Restored

"Again I ask: Did they stumble beyond recovery? Not at all!"

Again Paul questions us, however this time it relates solely to those Jewish people who have still not believed and remain under the veil. Please note however, that they are still referred to as Israel in this text (verse 11).

Did they stumble beyond recovery? Not at all! And Paul makes clear to us that there is a future redemption for Israel that is still to come. For what else can these Scriptures refer to? And one must ask the question as to why the church fathers did not see this when Scripture is so clear concerning Israel's ultimate restoration. Paul writes ... "How much greater riches will their fullness bring! ... For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ... And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ... After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! ... I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening IN PART UNTIL the full number of Gentiles has come in, and IN THIS WAY all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:11-27).

Unequivocally, the veil and hardening over Israel will be lifted. If we are willing to accept it, it is already begun through the Messianic Movement and the many thousands of Jewish believers who are now coming to faith during these days. Please note here that since Israel took back possession of Jerusalem in 1967, more Jewish souls have come to Messiah than in the last 1900 years put together.

This is the first part of this mystery to be revealed and according to Scripture there will be a mass awakening of Israel of a final remnant—a turning to the Lord with a great repentance (Zechariah 12:10). But will this happen between God and Israel alone, or is His church the catalyst to help bring this about? To be continued ... 

Grant Berry is a Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus and author of The New Covenant Prophecy and The Ezekiel Generation. He has founded Reconnecting Ministries with the specific focus to help the church reconnect spiritually to Israel and considers it vital to the kingdom of God in the last days. His website is reconnectingministries.org.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

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The Olive Tree: The Relationship of Jew and Gentile - GRANT BERRY CHARISMANEWS

An olive tree (Flickr )

The Olive Tree: The Relationship of Jew and Gentile

1/13/2016 GRANT BERRY  charisma news

Perhaps the greatest analogy ever given by the Spirit of Jew and Gentile in the family of God in the Bible is penned in Romans 11, when Paul paints this imagery of the olive tree. Here we see a brilliant illustration of what has taken place between Jew and Gentile in the kingdom of God through Yeshua/Jesus.

In this picture, the olive tree represents Israel, along with its branches, many of which are broken off through unbelief. The root of the tree is the Godhead, which provides its life and existence, and the wild olive tree along with its branches, are God's children from the nations, who are now grafted into Israel. This may be somewhat of a humbling image to modern-day believers, but it wasn't at all then, as Gentiles coming to Yeshua were incredibly grateful to become a part of Israel's rich heritage and history (Rom. 9:4-5) and to be grafted into Israel's covenants and promises as co-heirs. We should never forget our humble beginnings, which Paul reminds us of in this chapter.

Through faith in Yeshua, Gentiles could now be grafted into the olive tree (kingdom) and inherit its promises along with the people of Israel, who also believed; while unbelieving Israel was broken off through unbelief, but would be restored before the end, so that the family of God would be complete. Here we see a total picture of the children and family of God from beginning to end, His call to the first-born Israel, and His call to all of the other children from the nations and how we are all grafted together.

And for the first couple of centuries, not only did both groups co-exist, but they harmonized in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with great power and anointing upon them. However, their unity in the Spirit did not wipe out their callings, as it was evident that Jews continued to practice their heritage. Nor was it God's will for Gentile believers to become like Jews, but only in the Spirit, which the apostles made clear to us at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, and for both groups to dwell together in unity, despite their different callings.

Indeed, it was quite evident that the apostles continued to hold to their traditions as Jews (Acts 21:17-21), now having the grace and power of the Lord to do so (Rom. 8:4), so that they could also win their own people to the faith, which is vital for us to understand and contemplate during these days of Reconnection to help win Israel back to faith.

However, by the time Rome took control of the church, the Jerusalem church was no more and the percentage of Jews in the body of Messiah/Christ had greatly diminished. In addition, most of the church fathers misunderstood and wrongly interpreted Israel's plight and journey through their rejection of the gospel, thinking that God was now finished with Israel and teaching that the church had succeeded and replaced them.

This action actually severed the Jewish branch of the faith, then firmly establishing the Gentile branch as the only viable option. This is one of the main reasons why we see the church and Israel so separately, when in reality we are so interconnected and intricately linked. And so for the past 1,600 years, even amid the spiritual restoration of the church, this Gentile characteristic to the church has remained.

So much so that as the Lord now looks to awaken Israel in the last days and as a result, for the natural branch to re-emerge, it is just so foreign for Gentile believers in the church to even contemplate, just as it was for the Jews back then, when Gentiles first started to come in. Isn't it interesting how the tables have turned? For there are numerous analogies we can draw between the two parts of the family when it comes to this spiritual reconnection between Jew and Gentile.

This is because the church still sees itself as Israel's replacement rather than its commonwealth, which it has been grafted into. And in light of the time and hour we are in before the Lord returns, this breach must be healed and our unity with our Jewish family restored; not only to help bring the balance of Israel forth because we are the catalyst of this mercy, but to complete the family and to prepare the bride for the Lord's coming.

The church is not a separate entity, but intricately linked into the vine, with a huge role to play out in Israel's spiritual restoration. Up to this time, the church has not yet properly understood this restoration because of its disconnection. This is the longing of our Father's heart, to restore His first-born and make us one.

The Israel piece is the final piece of the puzzle that ignites the rest, and just as God used them to bring us life through Yeshua/Jesus, so now in turn to complete the family circle, the church would be used to bring life back to them. Israel's spiritual restoration is absolutely essential to our future well-being and final destiny in the kingdom of God.

With this background in mind, we are now ready to take a closer at Romans 11, which we will do in February. 

For part one of this article, click here.

Grant Berry is a Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus and author of The New Covenant Prophecy and The Ezekiel Generation. He has founded Reconnecting Ministries with the specific focus to help the church reconnect spiritually to Israel and considers it vital to the kingdom of God in the last days. His website is reconnectingministries.org.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

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Is Romans 11 the Key to the End Times? - GRANT BERRY CHARISMA NEWS STANDING WITH ISRAEL

Grant Berry believes the church needs to see its connection to Israel in a fresh light. (Courtesy of Grant Berry )

Is Romans 11 the Key to the End Times?

 

1/12/2016 GRANT BERRY  charisma news

As we quickly approach the last days before Yeshua/Jesus returns, the mystery to awaken and restore Israel into the family in the One New Man, becomes tantamount in God's glory plan to establish His kingdom upon the Earth.

In this light, the Holy Spirit is shifting His focus onto a very necessary spiritual restoration in God's family between Jew and Gentile, in order that His end-time plans may actually come about through us. I call this The Reconnection, and the truth is that both groups are intricately linked together into these plans and are actually in great need of one another. Yet presently, the family of God is divided and separate.

As a result, I am beginning a new series called "What Is the One New Man?" In these articles we will explore and re-examine the pertinent Scriptures on the One New Man, as well as issues relating to Israel and the church, and we will interview leaders from both sides of the family to gain a better understanding. However, the main goal here is to help bring the body of Messiah/Christ into a greater unity and depth of understanding of this mystery; not to necessarily see it anymore from either a Gentile or Jewish lens, but rather through the heart of the Father who longs for His family to be one; to be united into His end-time purposes and plans; and to mobilize us into the Frey (John 17:23).

ROMANS 11 – PART 1 

Romans 9-10

To gain a full understanding of Romans 11, we must first read chapters 9-10, which lay a firm foundation for the apostle Paul's prophetic outline between Israel and the church, which also greatly relates to the end times. Romans 11 does not refer to Jewish believers per se, but rather to the rest of Israel (the Jewish people) who are still broken off due to a rejection of the gospel and, as a result, how the Gentiles in the church should relate to them.

Chapters 9-10 speak to us about God's election of promise and mercy for both Jew and Gentile. It is actually through Isaac that our offspring will be reckoned, that when it comes to the acceptance of the gospel, there is no difference between us. Both Jew and Gentile need to accept Yeshua/Jesus through faith, (the Isaac of God), to become children of the promise.

He reached out not only to those from Israel who came through the law, but to all of His children He was to call from the Nations, which God initiated shortly after the cross and resurrection through His Jewish apostles. It was always God's plan to reach out to gather His other children (John 10:16), and Paul quotes Hosea here to confirm God's calling to the Gentiles (Rom. 9:25).

However, this was a major challenge and stumbling block for Israel to accept, because of the law that they were given from God. Because they had learned to pursue it through works and not by faith, to attain a law of righteousness that had little room for the mercy of God, which was to be found in His only begotten Son, who was at the end of the law for all who believed. "Look! I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed" (Rom. 9:33).

The apostle Paul makes the sovereignty of God clear to us in these chapters: "Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (9:20) In other words, who are we to question God in the scheme of things? But the religious leaders could not accept this and then led most of Israel astray. God had moved on from the old system of the law, which brought sin into account, into the New Covenant in which His law would be circumcised into our hearts through His Holy Spirit, where we would all know God for ourselves (Jer. 31:31-34).

Any of the Jewish people who accepted Yeshua/Jesus at this time, of whom there were many, helped to establish the new community of believers the world now calls the church. For all believers were now welcome into the kingdom of God, both Jew and Gentile alike. The playing field concerning its entrance had now been leveled. However, this did not wipe out Israel's heritage and covenants, of which believing Gentiles were now associated to through faith. Yeshua/Jesus transferred Israel's authority to the apostles, away from the Levitical priesthood and they took the gospel out to the nations so that all of the other children in the family could be grafted into Israel's covenants and promises. This is our destiny and God's ultimate plan to unite us and make us one.

This can be extremely confusing to us today, some 1,600 years later, in light of the fact that physical Israel is still broken off spiritually, and because the church severed its Jewish roots and heritage through the Roman assimilation (fourth century), establishing Christianity as a separate and distinct religion.

In so doing, the church disconnected itself from the very body it was grafted into in order to represent, and something huge was lost, fully replacing Israel with the church. In reality, according to Scripture, belief in Yeshua/Jesus became the only true and proper extension of Judaism and those of us who now believe in Him from the nations also belong to Israel, because we are grafted into their covenants and promises, and are now supposed to represent her as its commonwealth (Eph. 2:11-22). But we do not replace the natural branch, as ultimately Israel still needs to be grafted in to complete the bride and family of God, which Paul fully outlines in Romans 11 when he addresses their restoration.

Romans 11

Perhaps the apostle Paul had insight from the Holy Spirit as to how the church would turn against the Jews, that he writes this chapter specifically to the Gentile side of the family, "I am talking to you Gentiles" (verse 13). For while Paul made it clear to us about the entrance into the kingdom being the same for both groups and explaining how unbelieving Israel was now broken off, he never lost sight or desire for them to be grafted back in again. In fact, Paul goes as far as to say that he would be personally cut off and even cursed for the sake of his own brethren (Rom. 9:3). Can you imagine this with your own salvation?

However, now that he has imparted this background and laid this foundation, he is able to explain better the path of Israel and how we should relate to them, which he outlines in Romans 11. Please understand, as a Jew, no one had to tell Paul or give him a heart for his own people, as this was just natural for him. Even to suffer at their hands, their stonings and the like, especially with all of the revelation he had received from God concerning Israel, their rejection and their awakening.

But to the Gentiles, now coming into the faith and who were not blood brethren, he penned an outline of instruction from the Father in how to position themselves toward the firstborn in the faith, despite their current rejection, which we will address more fully in part two of this article. In addition, he makes it very clear that God has not forsaken Israel; that they can be grafted in again and he paints a prophetic picture of their future gathering and spiritual reconnection. 

Tune in Wednesday for part two of this article.

Grant Berry is a Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus and author of The New Covenant Prophecy and The Ezekiel Generation. He has founded Reconnecting Ministries with the specific focus to help the church reconnect spiritually to Israel and considers it vital to the kingdom of God in the last days. His website is reconnectingministries.org.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

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LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE FEATURED BOOK

PAPERBACK: $5.95

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Buy here: Why Israel? by Steve Martin

Why Israel? Why not? This little booklet consists of messages previously written in my books, which of themselves contain many various themes. I wanted to devote one book to just Israel and the Jewish people, and so this small booklet was compiled.

As you read the following, consider the truth contained in Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, which spell out the commitment of God the Father to choose a people who will be a light to the nations. He chose the Jews, and gave them the Promised Land of Israel. It does not matter what other national governments try to say, do, or accomplish apart from the plans and purposes of the Lord. 

They will fail. His Word is true. It is eternal. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and thus His commitment in keeping His promises made to the Jewish people will be fulfilled. I hope you stand with them in these last days. 

Steve Martin

Founder 

Love For His People, Inc.

The Rest of the Hanukkah Story Standing With Israel - SUSAN MICHAEL/ICEJ CHARISMA NEWS

Will our nation and our churches pass the Israel Test? (iStock photo )

The Rest of the Hanukkah Story

12/2/2015 SUSAN MICHAEL/ICEJ  charisma news

The story of Hanukkah takes place during the period between the Old and New Testaments, when Antiochus IV Epiphanes became the King of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. While the Hellenization of the region, including Judea, already threatened the survival of the Jewish religion, Antiochus seemed obsessed with ensuring the demise of the Jewish faith and thereby, the future of the Jewish people. 

He not only murdered the High Priest, Onias III, but he slaughtered 40,000 inhabitants of Jerusalem. All sacrifices, the service of the Temple and the observance of the Sabbath and feast days were prohibited. The Temple was dedicated to Zeus, the Holy Scriptures were destroyed, and the Jews were forced to take part in heathen rites.

In his attempt to destroy every trace of the Jewish religion, the final assault was the slaughter of a pig on the sacrificial altar of the Temple, thereby desecrating it. The Maccabean family, from the priestly line of Aaron, led a revolt against this evil ruler and miraculously experienced victory after victory over the mighty Greek forces, until at last the Temple could be purified and its services restored.

As I noted in my article "What Jesus Understood About Hanukkah," the revolt against the forces of Hellenization actually saved the Jewish people from extinction because they would have assimilated into the pagan culture around them. This preservation of Judaism and the rededication of the Temple helped set the stage for the birth of Jesus into a traditional Orthodox Jewish home in Judea. It is no surprise that He went to the Temple for Hanukkah—the Feast of Dedication—in John 10.

The End of Antiochus and His Empire

But there is more to the story. The rededication of the Temple took place on the 25th day of Kislev, which was Dec. 14, 164 B.C. Within weeks, if not days, the evil Antiochus IV Epiphanes died suddenly. The Greek historian Polybius said that Antiochus was on an expedition to the eastern part of the empire to rob another temple when he died of a sudden illness and "certain manifestations of divine displeasure."

Polybius hints at the very real possibility that the king suffered judgment by God. Whether he understood it to be the God of the Jews we do not know. The noncanonical book of 2 Maccabees claims that he did. But his sudden death is just one example out of many of the demise of those who have come against the Jewish people. Upon the king's death, the Seleucid kingdom began to weaken and fell into irreparable decline.

The Israel Test

The Bible is clear that God will judge the nations over their treatment of the Jewish people. Both Old and New Testaments teach this, and the principal has been played out over and over throughout history.

The most obvious explanation is the Jewish people are very special to Him. He did not just choose them, but created them through Sarah, who was past child-bearing years, and He takes their treatment by others very seriously.

More than this, God uses Israel to test the hearts of the nations, thereby exposing either their goodness, which leads to blessing, or their evil intent, which leads to judgment. Some have likened Israel to litmus paper that when dipped into water shows whether the water is acidic or alkaline. Israel exposes what is in the heart of people.

George Gilder, a venture-capitalist businessman, proposes in his book The Israel Test that Israel presents a moral and ethical challenge to the world and therefore has become the ultimate fault line. At the root of the Israel Test is the knowledge that Israel is contributing more to the human cause through its scientific, technological and financial advances than any other country in the world, except the U.S. He predicts that over the next two decades, Israel will grow into the dominant economy in the Middle East and one of the most productive economies in the world.

This is the test that Israel presents to the world: What is your attitude toward people who excel you in the creation of wealth or in other accomplishments? Do you aspire to their excellence or do you seethe at it? Do you admire and celebrate exceptional achievement or do you impugn it and seek to tear it down?

God is using Israel to test the hearts of the nations, and their future will be determined by how they respond. Could it be that the same test is at operation within the church?

In Romans 11, the apostle Paul addresses the attitude of the Roman church toward the Jewish people. He warned the believers to make sure their attitude was humble and honoring of the Jewish people. He even cautioned them about possible judgment by God if their attitude was not right. A church that honors its Hebraic roots, as wild branches that are grafted into the olive tree, receives great strength and nourishment. To dishonor the very root that supports our faith brings spiritual decline and even death.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes failed the Israel Test and his kingdom is long gone. Others throughout history have also fallen short on the test and experienced decline and extinction. My prayer is that our nation and our churches pass the Israel Test, exhibiting good hearts, and experience the many blessings God has promised.

Susan Michael is the U.S. Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem icejusa.org.

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A Prophetic Look at How God Will Awaken Israel

9/8/2014 GRANT BERRY   CHARISMA NEWS

Grant Berry on the Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis (YouTube)

Simply put, according to Scripture, the church is the chosen vessel of God to breathe spiritual life back into Israel. The apostle Paul makes this clear to us not only with an example of his own life and deeds, but also in Romans 11 as he reminds us about the mercy that we have received from God through our own salvation, that now we would release that mercy back to Israel.

"Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you" (Rom. 11:30-31).

Also in Romans, Paul encourages us speaking specifically about reaching the Jewish people, "How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Rom. 10:14).

Weren't most of us blind before we could see? So, shouldn't we be operating out of love and grace for those who are still blind? This would include the Jewish people, who have been supernaturally blinded by God Himself until the appointed time of their redemption (Is. 6:9-10). Should the flavor and the saltiness of our salvation and ongoing relationship with Yeshua/Jesus be like a fountain flowing from our hearts into the lives of those all around us who have yet to taste and see that the Lord is good?

Yet Israel's spiritual blindness has truly baffled us, with many in the church saying that God is finished with Israel, or has even replaced her. Yet the same text tells us that their hardening is only temporary, and as we come into the fullness of the Gentiles, so it says that all Israel will be saved. (Rom. 11:25-26) Jesus Himself has told us that the first would be last. In other words, His firstborn children must be spiritually awakened and re-grafted back into the Olive Tree at the end (the last), before Jesus can return in fulfillment of the covenants toward them and the numerous Scriptures to restore them back into the family of God.

If you are still unclear about this and God's unfailing love for Israel, which by the way does not condone everything they do, because they are still in need of redemption, listen to the prophet Jeremiah who had the daunting task of facing Israel's rebellion. "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the Lord (Jer. 31:37).

What Does 'All Israel' Mean?

It also may help us to better understand what the phrase all Israel actually means. While it is obviously a remnant, the Scriptures here relating to all Israel are different from the others in Romans; the key word being UNTIL, which means "up to the time of." When you tie this verse into other Scripture like Zech. 12:10, which speaks of a mass awakening of Israel, we know that their hardening will come to an end.

If you word search "remnant" in Romans, two references come up. The first in 9:27 tells us that as a total only a remnant will be saved and that is true, because many rejected over all time. The second reference is more specific to a particular time, which not only includes all of the apostles and all of the Jews who founded the church from the time of Messiah up until the time of Israel's awakening. But it also includes Jews like myself who have been chosen during this time of ingathering and focus of the rest of God's sheep from the nations (John 10:16). We are a remnant chosen by grace. However, the awakening at the end is different, as the hardening is lifted when the Father's work is completed in the nations. Just like at one time, the Gentiles ingathering into the kingdom was still a mystery (Col. 1:27), so with Israel's awakening another mystery is revealed. The last shall be first and the first last. In addition verse 26 in Romans 11 ties in perfectly here to Ezekiel's prophecies (Ez. 36:22-28; 37:9-11)."Where God will turn godliness away from Jacob. And this is my Covenant with them when I take away their sins."

As we near the time of the fullness of the Gentiles, which I believe we are quickly approaching, something different takes place with the people of Israel. The veil, the hardening that has been in place for over 2,500 years, gets removed (Is. 6:9-10), and they are fully awakened. This is the mystery revealed, as Israel is also part of the bride that must be prepared for His coming. In this manner the spiritual family becomes complete between Jew and Gentile, and Israel along with her commonwealth from the nations are in place to rule and reign as co-heirs with Yeshua/Jesus, when He comes!

Even here though there is a falling away if we believe the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecies to be taking place at the end here, as opposed to 135 AD (Zech. 13:8), when Jerusalem was ransacked right before the end and two-thirds perish, with only one-third remaining. However, whoever is left, obviously a remnant, MUST be fully awakened and restored, because once that veil gets lifted, every Jew will come into repentance, so that the broken-off branch gets re-grafted back in and the family is then complete for Jesus' return. But this does not happen on its own, just with the Father and Israel as the church now thinks and believes.

The Father's Glory Plan

This is the Father's glory plan to show Himself through Israel's spiritual awakening to the nations (Ez. 36:22-28), but also through the church to work through them with His mercy; our intercession and evangelism (Ez. 37:9-11). Does this help you to understand this better? Can we please try to consider that as we enter this time of transition into the fullness of the Gentiles that perhaps there are adjustments that we will need to make concerning Israel and this spiritual awakening, which must take place? Looking at time as a whole may help us to better understand this. For hasn't God now spent equal time on His Jewish and Gentile family throughout history? Two thousand years on His firstborn children since Abraham's call and two thousand years on His children from the nations. However, as we come down to the end, we know that Israel must be spiritually restored. So the Holy Spirit is beginning to move us into this direction so that Israel can be awakened and the bride prepared for His coming. As a result, this time we are coming into is different from the past, as the family must be reconnected spiritually and become one.

However, what we may not have seen properly up until this time is that we are intricately linked together to bring about God's glory upon the Earth. I believe this to be God's design to finally unite His family between Jew and Gentile. For if Israel's spiritual awakening will bring this glory (Ez. 36:22-28), who is it that will breathe life back into them? Will it just be between them and God, or does God always work through humankind to bring about His plans? Didn't God work through Israel to bring the gospel to the nations through His Jewish apostles? Now, in turn, to complete the family circle, He desires to work through us in His church to help breathe that life back into the Jewish people. It makes perfect sense when you think of it in this family light. What a plan!

I always say that if we truly knew the significance and consequences of this transaction in us, we would actually run to it with all of our heart, with all our might, and with all our strength!

Grant Berry is a Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus and author of The New Covenant Prophecy and The Ezekiel Generation. He has founded Reconnecting Ministries with the specific focus to help the church reconnect spiritually to Israel and considers it vital to the kingdom of G-d in the last days. His message focuses on the unity, love and healing that the Father wants to bring between Jew and Gentile yet clearly points out the differences and misunderstandings between the two groups. Now is the time to look more carefully into this mystery to make way for healing and reconnection in the Spirit. For more information, please visit reconnectingministries.org.