October 23, 2009
Around and around and around we go, where its stops no body knows...or do we? You may remember this little rhyme from your childhood. The reason that this came to my mind is because of living here, in Israel. No, I'm not referring to the peace process, although it too could fit the "bill".
What am I referring to? As we know, only Jews can legally come to Israel as new immigrants (immigration to Israel is called Aliya). Descendants of Jews (those whose mothers aren't Jewish, or those who have at least one Jewish grandparent) are also eligible, if they can prove it. In such cases, even though they will not be defined as "Jews", their right to immigrate will still be granted. However, all Jews or descendants of Jews must produce proof, by way of synagogue attendance documents, and/or Bar Mitzva, Jewish marriage or burial certificates, which are then subject to an Orthodox rabbi's approval and the relevant authorities in Israel. If your Jewish parents converted to Christianity, you are, as mentioned, still qualified to make Aliyah, though as a descendant of a Jew only. If you are a Jew who converted to Christianity, you could face a very serious problem in that the Aliya organizations would not only label you a non-Jew, but one who has chosen to forsake their "Jewishness" and is therefore a pariah to the Jewish People.
In Israel today many claim to know who is NOT a Jew, more so than who is a Jew, and thus the merry-go-round keeps turning. The Orthodox, along with the government, do not regard Messianic Jews as such. The Messianic Jews, for their part, say that the Jews, or Ephraimites who lost their identity, and who are claiming to have found it when they came to the Messiah of Israel, are not Jews. The Ephraimites, of course, do not view themselves as Jews, while many Jews believe that all Israelites, "lost" or found, still have to become Jews. Some Messianic Jews, who find their identity in Messiah, decry the Orthodox for not being "real" Jews, or the secular, as all of these do not follow the biblical Torah. Some Sephardic Jews believe that the Ashkenazi Jews originate from the ancient people called Khazars, and so are supposedly converts and not authentic Jews. And so it keeps going around… Now to make things even more interesting, some researchers are actually finding that the Afghani tribes, from which hails the Taliban, as well as many of the Palestinians could be descendants of Jews and of the lost tribes. Would you agree that there is a lot of confusion? Does YHVH have a solution for this mess?
Scripture says that "a house divided against itself cannot stand" (ref. Matt 12:25). Could this be another reason, why slowly but surely the nation of Israel may in a few short years become a Muslim country? Aside from the latter's incredible birth rate, there is one more factor on hand. In case you have not heard, the Hanif Religion of Abraham is embarking on an effort to unite Christianity, Judaism and Islam, under the one true god – "Allah", who "has no partners". Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed are the prophets of this religion with Mohammed being the last, although every generation has its messengers. I received an invitation to join them this past Sunday morning, probably as a result of sending (by mistake) last Friday's letter to someone in Jordan. If anyone is interested in the letter that was sent to me, I will forward it. It may be worth a read to see if this is the fishing net, that I pointed out in last Friday's letter, in reference to the first chapter of Habakkuk.
In writing to the Believers in Rome, the apostle Paul makes a statement that we too should take to heart: "I tell the truth in Messiah, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Messiah for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites [not only the Jews], to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Torah, the service of Elohim, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Messiah came, who is over all, the eternally blessed Elohim. Amen". (Romans 9: 1-5 emphases added).
How many of us carry this kind of burden for the children of Abraham "after the flesh, who are Israelites"? Paul then continues to define for us who he is actually talking about, please note that he uses "Israelites". "But it is not that the word of Elohim has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of Elohim; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed" (Romans 9:6-8 emphasis added). Let me clarify, the children of Abraham after the flesh are not the children of Elohim. There is a difference between those born of the flesh, and those born after the Spirit. Then who are the children of Abraham after the flesh? They all are. However, the Word of Elohim has not failed, so Paul clarifies and differentiates between the flesh and the Spirit.
Who are the children of Promise? Paul explains his burden in a very clear cut statement: "For this is the word of promise: 'At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.' And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of Elohim according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, 'the older shall serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.'" (Romans 9:9-13).
YHVH calls His children after those who are born from the womb of Sarah, and then chooses or elects Jacob from the womb of Rebecca. Paul was willing to give up his life in Messiah for the sake of those who were already named, "the children of Elohim". Does that mean only the "Jews", or also the whole house of Israel which is identified as the progeny of Jacob, including the multitudes that are still in the nations, knowing or not knowing who they are…?
As mentioned in last week's letter, under the caption "Warning", we are in the days in which the Spirit is turning the hearts of the children of the promise to their forefathers. I pray that all of us will have the same burden that Paul had for his brethren. Remember, YHVH said that He would send a strong delusion. Did He have our day in mind? That delusion comes from the "good" of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The unity of the three religions may sound like a good idea, for peace on earth good will towards men. But is it? Take a look at what is happening in Nigeria at the moment, to sight only one example. Will another nation fall into the hunters' net - the sword of Islam - or will they get caught in their "fishing net" and join that religion?
Ephraim
Around and around and around we go, where its stops no body knows...or do we? You may remember this little rhyme from your childhood. The reason that this came to my mind is because of living here, in Israel. No, I'm not referring to the peace process, although it too could fit the "bill".
What am I referring to? As we know, only Jews can legally come to Israel as new immigrants (immigration to Israel is called Aliya). Descendants of Jews (those whose mothers aren't Jewish, or those who have at least one Jewish grandparent) are also eligible, if they can prove it. In such cases, even though they will not be defined as "Jews", their right to immigrate will still be granted. However, all Jews or descendants of Jews must produce proof, by way of synagogue attendance documents, and/or Bar Mitzva, Jewish marriage or burial certificates, which are then subject to an Orthodox rabbi's approval and the relevant authorities in Israel. If your Jewish parents converted to Christianity, you are, as mentioned, still qualified to make Aliyah, though as a descendant of a Jew only. If you are a Jew who converted to Christianity, you could face a very serious problem in that the Aliya organizations would not only label you a non-Jew, but one who has chosen to forsake their "Jewishness" and is therefore a pariah to the Jewish People.
In Israel today many claim to know who is NOT a Jew, more so than who is a Jew, and thus the merry-go-round keeps turning. The Orthodox, along with the government, do not regard Messianic Jews as such. The Messianic Jews, for their part, say that the Jews, or Ephraimites who lost their identity, and who are claiming to have found it when they came to the Messiah of Israel, are not Jews. The Ephraimites, of course, do not view themselves as Jews, while many Jews believe that all Israelites, "lost" or found, still have to become Jews. Some Messianic Jews, who find their identity in Messiah, decry the Orthodox for not being "real" Jews, or the secular, as all of these do not follow the biblical Torah. Some Sephardic Jews believe that the Ashkenazi Jews originate from the ancient people called Khazars, and so are supposedly converts and not authentic Jews. And so it keeps going around… Now to make things even more interesting, some researchers are actually finding that the Afghani tribes, from which hails the Taliban, as well as many of the Palestinians could be descendants of Jews and of the lost tribes. Would you agree that there is a lot of confusion? Does YHVH have a solution for this mess?
Scripture says that "a house divided against itself cannot stand" (ref. Matt 12:25). Could this be another reason, why slowly but surely the nation of Israel may in a few short years become a Muslim country? Aside from the latter's incredible birth rate, there is one more factor on hand. In case you have not heard, the Hanif Religion of Abraham is embarking on an effort to unite Christianity, Judaism and Islam, under the one true god – "Allah", who "has no partners". Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed are the prophets of this religion with Mohammed being the last, although every generation has its messengers. I received an invitation to join them this past Sunday morning, probably as a result of sending (by mistake) last Friday's letter to someone in Jordan. If anyone is interested in the letter that was sent to me, I will forward it. It may be worth a read to see if this is the fishing net, that I pointed out in last Friday's letter, in reference to the first chapter of Habakkuk.
In writing to the Believers in Rome, the apostle Paul makes a statement that we too should take to heart: "I tell the truth in Messiah, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Messiah for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites [not only the Jews], to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Torah, the service of Elohim, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Messiah came, who is over all, the eternally blessed Elohim. Amen". (Romans 9: 1-5 emphases added).
How many of us carry this kind of burden for the children of Abraham "after the flesh, who are Israelites"? Paul then continues to define for us who he is actually talking about, please note that he uses "Israelites". "But it is not that the word of Elohim has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of Elohim; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed" (Romans 9:6-8 emphasis added). Let me clarify, the children of Abraham after the flesh are not the children of Elohim. There is a difference between those born of the flesh, and those born after the Spirit. Then who are the children of Abraham after the flesh? They all are. However, the Word of Elohim has not failed, so Paul clarifies and differentiates between the flesh and the Spirit.
Who are the children of Promise? Paul explains his burden in a very clear cut statement: "For this is the word of promise: 'At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.' And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of Elohim according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, 'the older shall serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.'" (Romans 9:9-13).
YHVH calls His children after those who are born from the womb of Sarah, and then chooses or elects Jacob from the womb of Rebecca. Paul was willing to give up his life in Messiah for the sake of those who were already named, "the children of Elohim". Does that mean only the "Jews", or also the whole house of Israel which is identified as the progeny of Jacob, including the multitudes that are still in the nations, knowing or not knowing who they are…?
As mentioned in last week's letter, under the caption "Warning", we are in the days in which the Spirit is turning the hearts of the children of the promise to their forefathers. I pray that all of us will have the same burden that Paul had for his brethren. Remember, YHVH said that He would send a strong delusion. Did He have our day in mind? That delusion comes from the "good" of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The unity of the three religions may sound like a good idea, for peace on earth good will towards men. But is it? Take a look at what is happening in Nigeria at the moment, to sight only one example. Will another nation fall into the hunters' net - the sword of Islam - or will they get caught in their "fishing net" and join that religion?
Ephraim
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