The Barrier is Broken in Messiah - ONE FOR ISRAEL

Dr Erez Soref President of  ONE FOR ISRAEL  Shalom! At a time when the UN is falsely trying to accuse Israel of 'Apartheid' (which literally means 'apart-hood' in Afrikaans), we are determined to stand together as One New Man in Messiah!  Israel is a mixed society with Jews, Arabs and other minority groups, all having equality before the law. In contrast, the Apartheid regime of South Africa separated Whites and Blacks by law, prohibiting living together, traveling together, studying together, and even going to the same cinemas or beaches. That kind of separation and rejection is the opposite of love. Here at Israel College of the Bible, want to display God's love and bring glory to him through our unity.  Yeshua's prayer recorded in John 17, shortly before he died: "I pray not on behalf of these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their message, that they all may be one. Just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory that You have given to Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one - I in them and You in Me-that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me."  As our Jewish and Arab staff and students have been made new in Messiah, we can love each other, learn side by side, grow together and serve together, showing the world that Yeshua can break down every barrier between us. There is no divide that Yeshua cannot overcome, and no brokenness that he cannot heal. We are not only learning how to study the Bible in depth together, but we are also learning how to walk it out in our everyday lives. By taking this message out to the world, others can see that our Messiah is the Prince of Peace. WATCH THE STORY OF HOW SAM MET HIS MESSIAH! Sam Nadler was a hardened atheist, war veteran and drug dealer. He was invited to a Bible study, and went to laugh at the believers... but some time later, ended up with an inexpressible joy that will last forever! He has since written some great Bible studies for new Jewish believers who found themselves in the same situation he found himself in... "Jesus saved me! What do I do now?" Sam's discipleship books are used all over Israel and beyond. WHY DON'T MANY JEWS ACCEPT JESUS AS MESSIAH? It can be bewildering considering that Yeshua the Messiah was an Israeli-born Jew, grew up in a Jewish community, practiced Jewish laws and customs, worshiped God at the Jewish Temple, his original followers were Jewish, and that all of his teaching was based upon and rooted in the Jewish Scripture that so many Jewish people find him incompatible with Judaism. Continue reading... COME AND SEE ISRAEL FOR YOURSELF! Come and visit the land of Israel through One for Israel Ministry Trips! Bring your church, ministry team, cell group, family or come and join a trip on your own! Not only will you tour the Holy Land, visiting the ancient biblical sites right out of the pages of the Bible, but you will also have a chance to engage and serve with the "Living Stones" - local Jewish and Arab believers in Yeshua (Jesus), as you serve shoulder to shoulder throughout the ministry trip. Continue reading... FOLLOW US:

More at: www.oneforisrael.org

ONE FOR ISRAEL, 47 Pinkas david St. POB 13401, Netanya, 42138 Israel

Why God Made Israel His Choice of Nations - SAM NADLER CHARISMA NEWS

God selected Israel from among the nations because it was the least likely choice. (Flickr )

Why God Made Israel His Choice of Nations

1/30/2017 SAM NADLER  CHARISMA NEWS

As you read this, we are preparing to return to Israel for our ongoing ministry to Messianic leaders and outreach to unbelievers in the land. Though some may question why we choose to travel so far every year, understanding God's plan for Israel clarifies this issue and leads us to pray and do all we can to reach out to Jewish people here and around the world. 

To help us better understand, let's look first at Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29), those through whom God chose to birth a nation and ultimately bring the Messiah into the world.

Why Leah? 

Though Jacob loved beautiful Rachel, it was through her weak-eyed sister, Leah, that God chose to most impact the history of Israel and more abundantly bless the world. The priesthood, through Leah's son Levi, would foreshadow the eternal priesthood and sacrifice of Messiah (Heb. 8:5, 10:1). The kingship through her son Judah would provide the Davidic dynasty and the eternal King, Messiah Yeshua.

We read in Genesis 29:31, "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren." Barrenness was a genetic family condition for both sisters, just like their Aunt Rebekah and Great-aunt Sarah.

Though God allowed Rachel to remain barren for a longer time, He granted Leah the ability to conceive. But why Leah? Rachel, like the nations of the world, was alluring but spiritually unproductive. Leah was the unlovely and unloved one. In keeping His promise, God chose to use Leah because, in her weakness, she best pictures the people of Israel.

Why Israel? 

Like Leah, God chose Israel not because it was the greatest of the nations, but because it was the least (Deut. 7:7-8). Of all the peoples, Israel was the least likely to succeed (apart from God).

Doesn't it seem ironic that God enabled Abraham and Sarah, an elderly, barren couple not only to conceive, but also to bless "all the nations of the earth" (Gen. 22:18b)? So, through the unlikely seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Leah, the blessed Redeemer would come.

In each generation, God continued to choose the least. The unloved, weak-eyed Leah, who had no outer beauty, pictures our Messiah. Just as Leah was not attractive to Jacob, Israel did not find Yeshua appealing to their sight. Isaiah wrote that Messiah would have "no appearance that we should desire him" and He would be "rejected by men," yet amazingly fruitful and prosperous, for "he shall see his offspring" (Is. 53:1-10).

God's choice of Leah demonstrates that it is not our external beauty but rather God's eternal blessing that brings true and lasting fulfillment. Yeshua started His hillside sermon, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). The Lord's love is for the unloved, and His grace is for the rejected. Those in this position truly understand that apart from Him, they can do nothing (John 15:5).

But Why You? 

When each of us see ourselves as we truly are, we will acknowledge that in reality, we are poor. Yeshua goes against the grain of all human judgment as it points out in 1 Cor. 1:20 (NLT), "God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish." His kingdom is given to the poor, not the rich; the feeble, not the mighty; the unloved, not the desired.

Yes, it is "[his] strength is made perfect in weakness" so we may prove that "[His] grace is sufficient" (2 Cor. 12:9). When we recognize our unloved weaknesses and choose to depend on His grace, God will use us to be the witness of His everlasting love.

Many believers can feel unqualified to witness effectively to the "lost sheep of the House of Israel." For instance, Paul was well-trained in the Torah, the Hebrew language and rabbinic theology. Yet even with all these credentials, he was spiritually blind. Only after he was physically blinded could he gain spiritual sight. He could see the crucified one who is the victor, who overcame death and also saved him, and one day would redeem all Israel.

Therefore, Paul was unashamed to preach the Good News. He knew the power to save all who believe is not found in all the qualifications or education that this world can offer, but in Good News alone, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). Like Paul, our main ability to effectively witness to the Jewish people is not in our strength, prosperity or status in the world but by grace alone that God provides. Paul had to become like Leah to be used by God. As with Paul, God sometimes has to make the high places low, for He still chooses the weak and unloved as witnesses of His love and power to all with ears to hear.

Being Unloved 

Today, Leah is unloved once again. Following the Holocaust, Israel was tolerated by the nations of the world. But now Israel and Jewish people everywhere are once more the bulls-eye of Satan's war with God. When Yeshua saw His people, Israel, He felt compassion for them, because they were "fainted and were scattered, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt. 9:36). Today, Israel is still without their Shepherd, and Yeshua still feels compassion for them. Today the harvest is plentiful, and the need for laborers remains great. Consequently, we should seize the opportunity to minister God's grace to the Jewish people. All local churches and believers can take part in ministering His compassion and grace to "harassed and helpless sheep."

Being His Instrument

Just as God chose Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah, He also chooses us today to point others to Messiah. How will he do this? God keeps His promise and uses each of us just as we are: poor and weak, but trusting in His all-sufficient grace and power. Unrecognized by Jacob at the time, Leah was God's instrument of blessing for Israel's future; unrecognized by Jacob today, we modern "Leahs" are God's present instrument of blessing for Israel. Let us trust in His promises and together reach out to His lost sheep, whether they are in Israel, in New York City or perhaps right next door.

For the God of Leah is the Savior of the world. 

Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus who has been in Messianic ministry for more than 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the gospel to the Jew first but not to the Jew only and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, to subscribe to Sam's new podcast or to invite Sam to speak at your church, visit: wordofmessiah.org.

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What Scripture Says About the Importance of Hanukkah - SAM NADLER CHARISMA NEWS

The celebration of Hanukkah is very important in Scripture. (Flickr )

What Scripture Says About the Importance of Hanukkah

12/22/2016 SAM NADLER  CHARISMA NEWS

Hanukkah. Though many believers may not take much notice when they see this Jewish holiday on the calendar, we find in the book of John that Yeshua did not look at it this way. In fact, He celebrated it.

"The Feast of the Dedication [Hanukkah] was at Jerusalem, and it was winter. Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's Porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him, saying, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly'" (John 10:22-24).

Here, John makes it very clear that this event took place during the Feast of Hanukkah. Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew word hanakh, which means "to dedicate," and so in English it is called the "Feast of Dedication," commemorating the time when the Maccabees led Israel in the purification and rededication of the Temple after its desecration by the Syrians in 168 BCE.

But why did John see it as so important to mention Hanukkah in this passage? Remember what Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable ..." When we understand the context of John 10, we better understand this passage, for when the people asked Yeshua, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly (v. 24b), they were really wondering, "Where is the Messiah, the greater Maccabee? The people were expecting Messiah to be a political warrior to throw out the Romans, just as the Maccabees had thrown out the Syrians. They did not realize Messiah had come for a much greater purpose: to demonstrate God's faithfulness as He fulfilled God's promise given to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12:3).

 The Savior from God

"So, rather than saying, "Yes, I am He," Yeshua answered: "I told you, and you did not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you" (John 10:25b-26).

With a mere yes, Yeshua would have been accommodating Himself to the people's narrow expectation heightened at the time—only part of the full biblical picture to come later. But to say no would have been a lie. So Yeshua wisely responded, "I've already told you." In both word and deed, He had already answered their question (John 8:58; 10:25).

God provides the eternal salvation we need, not merely the temporary solutions we desire. Is your faith in God's Word, or in your own expectations and experience? Like Job, true faith sees beyond the immediate and trusts God's wisdom and care: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." (Job 13:15a).

With the Maccabees, short-term faith was required. They pointed to a temple desecrated by an oppressive Syrian regime and said, "Let us defeat them and rededicate the temple." However, Yeshua points directly at each of us and says we are the desecrated temple that need to be cleansed and rededicated in order to walk with God. The problem, O Israel, is not outside of you but within you. Our need is not for a quick fix of short-term problems, but an eternal relationship with God.

The Shepherd to God

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, nor shall anyone snatch them from My hand" (John 10:27-28)

His sheep have faith in Him: "My sheep hear My voice." His sheep are His followers: "They follow Me." There is mutual recognition and a reciprocal action. The shepherd knows and directs His sheep, and the sheep respond in obedience. Messiah guarantees eternal life to His followers. People do not always understand what eternal life is. Some think their eternal rest will be in their coffin. Passing a cemetery one day, an Irishman paused at a startling inscription on one tombstone. He read the words: "I still live." Puzzled, the Irishman scratched his head for a moment, then exclaimed: "Goodness, if I were dead, I'd be honest enough to admit it!"

Eternal life comes from God by faith in Yeshua, who alone can relate us rightly to the eternal God. Furthermore, eternal life is a new kind of existence for believers. It is God's own life. Through Yeshua, the fullness of God dwells within us—and His life will never end. God is immortal; those who believe in Yeshua will live on with Him. Messiah then teaches we must have faith in Him as the Son of God.

The Son of God

"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them from My Father's hand. My Father and I are one" (John 10:29-30).

Yeshua's assertion that He is one with the Father is meant to give assurance to His followers: "No one will snatch them from My hand" any more than from the "Father's hand." Defeat is measuring your life by the size of your problem; victory is measuring life's challenges by the size of your God. God has provided salvation in Messiah, His eternal Son. By dying for sins, He conquered death.

Despite temporary trials, there is ultimate victory in Messiah. Yes, Messiah demands a greater loyalty than the Maccabees because He provides greater security. Trust in Him as the Savior, Shepherd and Son. Yeshua is the Victor, and following Him brings the victory. 

Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus who has been in Messianic ministry for more than 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Gospel to the Jew first but not to the Jew only and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, to subscribe to Sam's new podcast or to invite Sam to speak at your church, visit: www.wordofmessiah.org.

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Why Would the Jewish Messiah Have to Come Twice? - SAM NADLER CHARISMA NEWS

"Why would it be necessary for Messiah to come twice?" The doubtful ask. "Didn't He do it right the first time? (YouTube)

Why Would the Jewish Messiah Have to Come Twice?

12/6/2016 SAM NADLER  CHARISMA NEWS

Some followers of Yeshua are deflecting, if not avoiding, the "painful" truth of believing in the Second Coming.

"Why would it be necessary for Messiah to come twice?" the doubtful ask. "Didn't He do it right the first time? And if he is the Jewish Messiah, as you claim, where in the Jewish Scriptures does it say anything about two comings of the Messiah?"

Two Pictures of Messiah

The issue of two comings of the Messiah is neither non-Jewish nor particularly unusual to Jewish thought. For two millennia, the rabbinical community has been discussing, pondering and conjecturing the possible ways to resolve paradoxical and seemingly contradictory references to the Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures. On one hand, the Scriptures present a picture of the Messiah reigning:

 "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed ... He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord ridicules them ... [saying] 'I have installed My king on Zion, My holy hill" (Ps. 2:2, 4, 6).

"'The days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely'" (Jer. 23:5a).

 In these portions of Scripture and in many others (Gen. 49:10; Num. 24:17; Ps. 45:6,7; 110:1-7; Is. 2:1-4; 11:10; Zech. 14:3,4, 16 and more), Messiah is pictured as ruling and reigning over the enemies of God. This is a time of peace and joy; Israel is the chief of nations again, and the Lord and the Davidic throne are gloriously established in Jerusalem.

 But alongside this exalted scene we also see the picture of Messiah rejected:

"... Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing" (Dan. 9:26a).

 "Surely, He took up our pain and bore our suffering yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted ... Yet who of his generation protested?" (Is. 53:4, 8b NIV). 

 "But I am a worm, and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads ... you lay me in the dust of death ...they pierce my hands and my feet..." (Ps. 22:6a, 15c, 16b NIV).

 In these portions and many others (Isaiah 49:7; 50:6; Ps. 69:4-22; Zech. 11:12 and more), Messiah is seen as rejected and suffering in innocence for the sins of others, even as Israel is in spiritual blindness and judgment. Two different works of Messiah are presented:

• He will suffer and die for sins.
• He will reign and rule in peace.

 These two contrasting Scriptural pictures of the Messiah have brought about various theories of how the Messiah would be both reigning, yet rejected; a celebrated victor while also a sacrificial victim.

 Many ideas about Messiah are quite prevalent in rabbinical literature. There are the ideas of a resurrected Messiah, a leper Messiah, two Messiahs ("Messiah Son of Joseph," who will innocently suffer as Joseph suffered innocently and "Messiah Son of David," who will reign as David reigned), a beggar Messiah and more. Traditional Jewish scholarship has worked to understand these two very different pictures of the Jewish Messiah.

Two Comings of Messiah Revealed

The Prophet Hosea speaks to the subject as well, as he presents God speaking to wayward Israel:

"I will again return to My place until they acknowledge their offense and seek My face. In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me" (Hos. 5:15).

 We see God offended at Israel's sins and "return [ing] back to [His] place [heaven] until they acknowledge their offense." The implication is that when they "acknowledge their offense," He will return to them. This is clearly stated in Israel's response to the Lord's leaving:

 "Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth" (Hos. 6:3 NIV).

 Though He had left, they had confidence He would also certainly reappear. There was hope in the Lord's statement that their admission of guilt would bring about His return. In light of all this discussion it should surprise no one that the Messiah Himself would come and clarify these apparently contradictory pictures of His work. Similar to the portion in Hosea, Yeshua says to Israel:

 "You shall not see me again until you say 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord'" (Matt. 23:39b).

Following Yeshua's death, burial, resurrection and ascension (going back to His place), Peter proclaims to the Jewish crowds in Jerusalem:

"Therefore repent and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the One who previously was preached to you, Jesus Christ, whom the heavens must receive until the time of restoring what God spoke through all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19-21).

The New Covenant revelation regarding the two works of Messiah is not new. It is a clarification and fulfillment of what the Jewish Scriptures prophesied: that Messiah would come to die for our sins, be raised from the dead, go back to His place and return when our people acknowledge their guilt and call out to Him. As Joseph was at first rejected by his brothers, then later accepted; and also as Moses was first rejected by Israel, then later was accepted, so also Messiah would be rejected and later accepted.

The return of the Messiah is mentioned many times in the New Covenant (Matt. 24-25; I Thess. 1:10, 4:13-5:9; Rev. 22 and more). This is because the Jewish Scriptures will be fulfilled in every detail. Just as Messiah had to suffer and die for sins, so He will also return to reign and bring peace.

The Jewish Scriptures predict that one day our people will "look to Me, whom they have pierced through. And they will mourn over him as one mourns for an only child" (Zech. 12:10) at His Second Coming. So look to Him now, trust in the atonement He made by His death for your sins and receive the new life that He gives to all who come to Him. 

Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus who has been in Messianic ministry for more than 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Gospel to the Jew first but not to the Jew only and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, to subscribe to Sam's new podcast or to invite Sam to speak at your church, visit: www.wordofmessiah.org.

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If Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, Then Why Don't Most Jews Believe in Him? - SAM NADLER CHARISMA NEWS

Many Jews wanted a Messiah who would immediately remove Roman domination from Israel and return it to its former glory. (YouTube)

If Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, Then Why Don't Most Jews Believe in Him?

 11/16/2016 SAM NADLER  CHARISMA NEWS

To many Jewish believers, it seems rather strange to think that the Messiah could have come but that comparatively so few of their people believe in Him. The question is often expressed like this: "So, with all the scholars and rabbis searching to discover the Messiah, you're the only genius to figure this out?"

The number of living Jewish people who believe in Yeshua numbers somewhere between 200,000 and more than a million. Though this number is not insignificant, it is still not the majority of the Jewish people. Many believe truth is determined by majority vote. However, as much as this may play a role in the politics of men, it has little to do with the truth of God.

In the Hebrew Scriptures (the Tanakh), the prophet Isaiah declares that most Jewish people would not recognize the Messiah when He first came: "Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form or majesty that we should look upon him nor appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him" (Is. 53:1-3).

God knew and revealed to Isaiah a truth that seems obvious once we understand it: The majority of people don't want God's way of salvation—not even religious people. In fact, that's exactly what Isaiah goes on to say: "All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Is. 53:6).

It was prophesied that although He would be our sin-bearer, the true Messiah would be rejected by the majority of the Jewish people when He first came. Isaiah makes this matter crystal-clear by further stating: "The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God" (Is. 10:21).

God recognized that only a "remnant," a tiny portion of the whole nation, would believe and make teshuvah (repentance). Only this remnant would "return ... to the Mighty God." This prediction is fulfilled in the Jewish people (like me) who have come to believe in Yeshua.

The New Covenant (see Jer. 31:31-34) also compares the present situation with the time of Elijah the Prophet, when the majority of the Jewish people were apostate: "So then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5).

Though the Scriptures make clear the phenomenon of general unbelief, there will be some who still wonder how the rabbis could have missed it. It helps to understand that the Messiah whom God promised and sent was not the Messiah for whom the world or the rabbis were looking. Instead, they wanted a Messiah who would immediately remove Roman domination from Israel and return it to its former glory.

But the purpose of Yeshua's coming was to die for sins as the perfect Passover Lamb. Rather than vindicate the self-righteous judgment of the rabbis, Yeshua insisted the religious leaders of Israel repent as well. This was intolerable for the rabbinical leaders, and, though many in Israel did accept Yeshua as Messiah, the majority of the Jewish people and rabbis rejected Him, just as the prophets had predicted.

However, there will come a time when our people as a nation will come to believe in Him. The Prophets also spoke of this future day: "And I will pour out on the house of David and over those dwelling in Jerusalem a spirit of favor and supplication so that they look to Me, whom they have pierced through. And they will mourn over him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly over him as a firstborn" (Zech. 12:10).

"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (Ps. 118:22).

One day our people will trust in Yeshua, their Messiah and King.

But before this glorious time, we are told that a "remnant" of Israel will believe in the Messiah. You can be part of this remnant if you will acknowledge Yeshua for what the Tanakh and the New Covenant declare Him to be: the true Messiah of our people. Shalom! 

Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus who has been in Messianic ministry for over 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the gospel to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the Body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, to subscribe to Sam's new podcast or to invite him to speak at your church, visit: www.wordofmessiah.org.   

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What the Feast of Tabernacles Means for the Millennial Kingdom - SAM NADLER CHARISMA NEWS

A Jewish sukkah (Flickr )

What the Feast of Tabernacles Means for the Millennial Kingdom

10/19/2016 SAM NADLER  CHARISMA NEWS

As the seventh feast of the seventh month of the biblical calendar, the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) points toward the culmination of God's redemptive program. Each year, as we read in Leviticus 23:39-43, we celebrate this harvest festival to rejoice in His sufficiency. We wave the lulav branches (Lev. 23:40) to the four corners of the earth, acknowledging God's provision for us and His sovereignty as the King of Kings who reigns over all.

Another important aspect of this yearly festival celebration takes place as we build our three-sided tabernacles (booths, or Sukkot) from these same branches in recognition of His secure protection over us. These flimsy sukkahs testify that, like the Israelites in the wilderness, we know our safety and stability comes from His ongoing care for us. Like David in Psalm 140:7, we declare that God is the One who is our sukkah (covering) in the day of battle.

Rejoice—The Best Is Yet to Come! 

As meaningful and joyous as this annual celebration is for us, the best is yet to come, for the Feast of Tabernacles points to more than merely our present provision and protection. Zechariah foretells that during Yeshua's reign in the Millennial Kingdom, the Feast of Tabernacles will be an annual celebration in which all nations will gather to testify that the LORD Himself is the source of all the bountiful blessings we enjoy.

A New Orientation

"Then it will be that all the nations who have come against Jerusalem and survived will go up each year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zech. 14:16, MEV).

God's Word reveals that the nations will one day gather to fight against Jerusalem (Zech. 12:1-14; Joel 3:1-2; Ezek. 38:4). It also tells us without a shadow of a doubt who will win this battle, for the LORD Himself will fight for His people (Zech. 14:3)!

Following the battle, the survivors from these attacking nations will once again go up to Jerusalem—not to make war, but to worship the LORD of Hosts, demonstrating their submission to the King of kings. As prophesied in Isaiah 2:2-3, "In the last daysthe mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall go and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (MEV).

All the nations will have a new orientation around God's Will and His Word as they worship Him annually in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles. Their annual schedule will then be aligned with the LORD's biblical calendar, as His priorities will be seen in their new confession to worship (Zech. 14:16). Those nations who survive will be, by the same grace that spared them, no longer God's foes but followers of the King.

Prefigured in the annual harvest festival, the Feast of Tabernacles anticipates the greater harvest of God, when all nations will be yielded to the Messiah, the King of Israel established on His glorious throne in His kingdom's capital, Jerusalem (Matt. 25:31).

The celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles is the future setting for the true worship of the King of kings. Yes, today we rejoice in Yeshua's complete provision and protection as He presently reigns over our yielded lives. But also, as it points to a certain future, we find this feast to be a significant testimony that annually honors Yeshua and anticipates His royal return.

As we recognize the centrality of Yeshua in the biblical calendar, we orient our lives around His authority, finding our full sufficiency and security in Him and becoming witnesses to His future Jerusalem-centered reign over all the nations.

What if I Don't Celebrate the Feast?

The very purpose of the Feast of Tabernacles is to demonstrate that God reigns over all His creation. However, in Zechariah 14:17-19, we see that during Messiah's future reign, there will continue to be resistance to His rule, for nations will refuse to go up to the Feast to worship the LORD of Hosts. Here, Zechariah clearly states that there will be a punishment for those who make such a choice.

Punishment? Yes, for Zechariah is speaking of the kingdom period, not of heaven. In the Millennial Kingdom there will be both believers and unbelievers living together on Earth. The punishment Zechariah speaks of will be a corrective way to bring the nations back to true worship of the one true God as His eternal love is demonstrated.

During the Feast of Tabernacles each year, we in the body of Messiah need to examine our attitudes. Do we worship Yeshua as the true King in every aspect of our lives? How do we uphold Yeshua's authority in our relationships, activities and finances?

For those with a heart yielded to Messiah, this celebration is filled with joy in sincere worship of King Messiah, the Lord of Hosts. Let us all honor Him through this Feast of Tabernacles as we rejoice in His eternal love! Come quickly, Lord Yeshua! 

Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus who has been in Messianic ministry for over 40 years.  Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Gospel to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the Body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country, and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship, and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, to subscribe to Sam's new podcast, or to invite Sam to speak at your church, visit: wordofmessiah.org.  

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