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Tag Archives: Rabbis

Salvation … “To The Jew First!”

26 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by garybowers in Devotional / Misc

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Gospel, Messianic, Rabbis

Salvation Comes through the Jews

It never ceases to amaze me why so many Jews believe that Christianity is non-Jewish and/or exclusively a Gentile “religion.” But not only the Jews. Although far greater in number than Jews, proportionally even more Gentiles believe the same thing. At the very minimum, both Jew and Gentile forget or marginalize the fact that Jesus Christ was a Jew.

The historical evidence is clear: He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and given birth by a young Jewish woman. Although Mary was engaged to Joseph (both were descendants of King David from the tribe of Judah), they had not yet consummated their marriage; thus, the miraculous Virgin Birth of Jesus—the Son of God, Son of David, and Son of Man.

To be sure there are a good number of Jews who privately concede that the Christian faith came “through” the Jews; however, precious few have acknowledged publicly the Jewish heritage of Jesus. Or if they do, they consider him a traitor to Judaism as did many Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’s time. This despite awesome miracles Jesus performed, the greatest of which was his resurrection from the dead. In spite of Jesus’s 100% fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah and the indisputable evidence that Messiah would arrive before the (2nd) Temple would be destroyed (Daniel 9:25-26), they accused him of impersonating the Messiah.

When defending Judaism against Biblical Christianity, the majority of Jews equate Christians mostly with Roman Catholicism (which is not true Biblical Christianity) that persecuted Jews down through the centuries, spurred in large part by the erroneous and insidious doctrine of Replacement Theology. Thus, it is a painful reminder that Jesus was a Jew.

Unless it is with the negative connection of Jesus to “Christianity,” including the adversarial association with “Christian” persecution of Jews (which, indeed, is a grievous offense perpetrated by those who were and are Christian in name only), a striking example of how many Jews know so little of Jesus or his Jewish legacy is that of a former Jewish Rabbi whom I have met personally.

His name is Jonathan Bernis, born into an Orthodox Jewish family in the United States. His upbringing was such that he thought Christ was Jesus’s last name. He had no clue that Jesus was a Jew or that his name is a transliteration of the Hebrew name, Yeshua; or that Christ is from the Greek (Christos) which is a translation from the Hebrew word, Messiah. Later Jonathan became a Rabbi serving a Jewish congregation.

That is, until he experienced salvation (born again) through the risen Messiah, at which time he became a Messianic Rabbi and subsequently the leader of Jewish Voice Ministries International. This Messianic ministry has provided enormous medical aid to Jews in Russia, Ethiopia, India, and other places. More importantly, Jonathan and his staff have led thousands of Jews to personal faith in Messiah Jesus.

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(Jews for Jesus … Another Worldwide Messianic Ministry)

For the most part, those Rabbis and observant Jews who do acknowledge Jesus as Jewish often do so in the same context and with the same mindset of the Jews in Jesus’s time—not as the Messiah; but as a misguided man who attempted to usurp their authority and replace their traditions and the Mosaic Law with a cultic sect.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Ultimately, they accused him of blasphemy because he declared (truthfully and rightfully) to be the Messiah, the Son of God.

It was not Jesus’s intent to abolish the law (the universal moral truths as summarized in the Ten Commandments); rather he came to fulfil the law—meaning complete obedience that no other man or woman has ever achieved. He fulfilled the law not as an example for the Jews (or Gentiles) to also perfectly keep the Law of Moses. He did so because no one—past, present, or future—could keep the law in every point. Because he was sinless, Messiah Jesus was the only person qualified to complete the perfect, once for all sacrificial offering so vitally important and fundamentally necessary for God’s redemption of mankind. The Mosaic Law couldn’t do that because the sacrifices had to be repeated over and over. Thus, Jesus accomplished that part of the Law also, which meant that animal sacrifices are no longer necessary.

When speaking to the Samaritan (part Jew, part Gentile) women at the well, Jesus told her: “…salvation comes through the Jews” (John 4:22).

Just a few hours before his death and amazing resurrection, Christ Jesus confirmed his previous statement that he was, “the Way, Truth, and Life,” with these words:

“…This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:20).

Except from Messianic Jews, rarely do we see, hear, or read Jews saying much about the New Covenant and certainly not that Yeshua initiated that Covenant. In varying degrees and with different interpretations, they do believe that the New Covenant will commence when Messiah arrives. But they cannot or will not endorse the evidence that Jesus is the Messiah; that their (spiritual) salvation was available when Jesus arose from the dead … effected by personal belief in and invitation for Jesus to be their Savior. They are correct in their belief that their physical redemption (rescue) will be accomplished when Messiah arrives. For true believers including Messianic Jews, we believe that it will be Jesus’s return … The Second Coming.

The-New-Covenant

Instead, they still, as the Jewish Apostle Paul said in the first century, “…Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God” (Romans 10:3-4).

A Provocative Article

On March 22, 2016, the online site of Breaking Israel News posted an article entitled, Pity the Anti-Semites, written by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cordoza; which, in turn, had been reprinted from the original, published in The Jerusalem Post.

It is an intriguing article, directed satirically toward those who harbor dislike, even hatred, toward the Jews. But with the utmost sincerity regarding the astounding achievements of Jews in the fields of medicine, agriculture, science, computer technology, and innovation in general.

The theme of the article is unmistakable, captured by his opening sentence; then repeated about half-way through his post:

“Every anti-Semite knows that the United States and Europe would not be what they are today without their Jews.”

Let’s look at some other excerpts from the article that satirically (as directed to anti-Semites), but also sincerely demonstrate that the world has benefited in so many ways from many things that have come from and through the Jews.

Part of what he says can be found in some form or another in several Eye of Prophecy articles, with the same (without the sarcasm, which works for his article) recognition of the amazing State of Israel and the astonishing contributions made by Jews. For me, personally, it stems from my love of Israel and the Jewish people; which also results in many of my articles and both of my books expressing a “tough love” compassion that the Jews will have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to know that Yeshua is Messiah … how much he loves them.

Writes Rabbi Cordoza:

“The anti-Semitic world has a hard time with Jews, and we should feel some pity for all those who work relentlessly to give us a bad name. They boycott us in academia, journalism, European governments, the marketplace, and just in the streets of daily life. But let’s be honest.

“Aren’t they right? Are we not truly a nuisance? It’s not easy to live with Jews. We’re troublemakers and can be painfully irritating. There’s no escaping it.

“The trouble with us is that we are constantly breaking the rules. For thousands of years, we have survived powerful empires that did everything to try to destroy us—the Egyptians, the Romans, the Greeks, the Germans and others. In the 20th century, it looked as if they had finally succeeded. Six million of us were murdered in the Holocaust.

“Who would deny that this is highly irritating? And now they insist on boycotting us. But how can they? It would be suicide. Truly boycotting Jews, after all, would mean a lot more than banning a few Israeli products or universities. Anti-Semites would have to boycott many products on which their lives depend.”

Rabbi Cordoza then provides a partial list of Israeli/Jewish inventions, products, and services that, for example, “…have made major contributions toward healing people around the world and improving their quality of life. If not for these remarkable Jewish discoveries, most anti-Semites would be confined to bed with serious illnesses, and some would have died long ago.”

Things like: Multiple sclerosis, spinal injuries, paralysis, breathing problems, depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and DNA breakdown.

In the advanced arena of computer processing, Israelis have invented computer processor chips (Intel), USB stick, instant messaging, anti-virus software, cell phone, and voicemail. There is also the (now) world-famous cherry tomato. There are steel security doors and mobile air defense systems, such as the Iron Dome. The real-time road traffic data for drivers called Waze, is now universal. As is Rewalk, a bionic system to allow paraplegics to stand upright, walk, and climb stairs.

As phrased by Rabbi Cordoza, “All developed by Jews in this terrible, obnoxious country called Israel.” (Another cynical jab at anti-Semites).

He concludes that part of his article by stating:

“And let’s not forget that Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation and, in proportion to its population, has the largest number of start-up companies in the world. It has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies worldwide, apart from Silicon Valley. It ranks No. 2 in the world for venture capital funds, second only to the United States.

“Would you not feel even a little jealous! Is some pity for the anti-Semite not in place? …”

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An Amazing Exception

Immediately after the above quoted excerpt, Rabbi Cordoza makes this startling unexpected observation:

“And then there’s a Jew called Jesus.”

Before I quote what he said after that provocative lead in about a Jew named Jesus, I need to reiterate: Seldom does a non-Messianic Jew, particularly the observant among them (in this case a Rabbi), mention Jesus at all. If his name is dropped, it’s usually in a negative way with an antagonistic agenda.

Not so, with Rabbi Cordoza, although it’s quite evident that his reference to Jesus is within the context and purpose of his article, i.e. anti-Semites should remember that Jesus was a Jew. (Still is a Jew… my commentary!) With the intended inference and conclusion that Jews shouldn’t be treated so harshly for that reason alone, whether or not Jews believe Jesus is the Messiah.

After this provocative lead in, “And then there’s a Jew called Jesus,” Rabbi Cordoza comments:

“He is the most revered man in the entire West, worshipped by hundreds of millions as nothing less than the son of God. What non-Jewish kid could have ever pulled that off? It was this man who introduced some very important Jewish moral stuff to the Western world and it is these very same ethics and standards that are so irritating. Anti-Semites don’t spit on the Jews because they are Jesus killers, but because they are Jesus givers! And if that’s not enough, everyone knows that if Jesus were alive today, he would eat at kosher restaurants run by Jews with beards.”

At this point in the article, he repeats his opening sentence: “Every anti-Semite knows that the United States and Europe would not be what they are today without their Jews.”

I could spend most, if not all, of another entire article explaining why most of what the Rabbi said about Jesus and his impact is not entirely accurate; however, that is not the intent of today’s Eye of Prophecy post. Nevertheless, I will offer a couple of observations. Such as the fact that Jesus introduced a whole lot more than just, “Jewish moral stuff” and did so in Israel which is in the Middle East, not the West.

Moreover, as I’ve said several times in prior Eye of Prophecy articles including last week’s post: the majority of early Christians were Jews, not Gentiles. That Israel was the birthplace of Jesus and Biblical salvation.

In fact, most of what Jesus “introduced” was rejected by the Jewish religious leaders, such as healing a blind man on the Sabbath. With their hypocritical (Jesus’s words) hold to their traditions and impractical and inaccurate application of even the Mosaic Law, they deemed healing to be “work.” And that was forbidden, even if it meant miraculously restoring the sight of a man who had been blind from birth.

Here is a short excerpt from the marvelous account of Jesus supernaturally healing the blind man on the Sabbath, for which most of the Pharisees called him, “a sinner.”

In response to the blind man’s testimony of what happened, the religious leaders, “…cursed him and said, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.’

‘Why, that’s very strange!’ the man replied. ‘He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it’” (John 9:28-33).

Earlier in his interrogation by the Pharisees, in response to their first accusation that Jesus was a sinner (not from God) because he violated the Sabbath, the man exclaimed: “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (Verse 25).

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(Depiction of Jesus Healing a Man Born Blind)

A couple of comments: Echoing the man whom Jesus miraculously healed, how strange for the Pharisees to say they didn’t know from where Jesus came. Or their vehement denial that Jesus was the Messiah. When, in fact, the Pharisees and Sadducees believed that the Messiah would just appear out of nowhere. For the most part, that is the same prevalent belief among most Jews to this day.

Unless, that is, they (which unfortunately they don’t) accept their own prophet’s announcement that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and born of a Virgin. (Micah and Isaiah, respectively). They wouldn’t even give Jesus the benefit of the doubt by confirming his place of birth as Bethlehem, not Nazareth. But then anyone who would consider healing on the Sabbath as work, and place infinitely more weight on that (erroneous, as it can’t be found in Scripture) technicality than in the supernaturally spectacular healing of a man born blind, wouldn’t want to be bothered with petty details of where Messiah would be born, even if it came directly from their Scriptures.

I say this only because of my love for the Jews. Like the Apostle Paul, I long for their individual and national redemption. Yet, in order to get their attention, it’s necessary to both comfort them (for all the horrible things that have been done to the Jews) and confront them for their unbelief. In that regard I and other Gentiles and Jews who have been saved by the powerful sacrificial death and resurrection of Messiah Jesus are doing nothing more than what Jesus did, and saying nothing more than what he said to Nicodemus, a Jewish member of the Sanhedrin:

“I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

As fully explained throughout the Gospels and the New Testament Epistles, being born again (from above) is possible only because of what God and His Son did for us; then simply believing that truth. Which is summed up by the most famous of all Bible verses:

“For God loved the world (Jew and Gentile alike) so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Back now to Rabbi Cordoza’s article and his highly unusual reference to Jesus (as a Jew), with this summary observation:

How much of the New Testament (especially the four Gospels account of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus) that the Rabbi has read is unknown … to me. Probably not much, if any, as non-Messianic Jews don’t believe IN Jesus (as Messiah). Consequently, they refuse to even read the New Testament. If they do read some or all of it, they dismiss and deny the historical record out-of-hand.

I hope and pray that someday soon Rabbi Cordoza and other Jewish Rabbis and Jews everywhere will realize that Jesus is who is said he is: Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man.

Nevertheless, I am impressed and delighted that Rabbi Cordoza would even mention Jesus, with his primary point that of the Jews giving us Jesus. Or putting it in the same way as today’s article began: Salvation (Jesus) came through the Jews.

Which is a historically accurate fact. Just read the genealogies found in Matthew and Luke for the ancestral lineage of Jesus of Nazareth.

But coming through the Jews is only the beginning. There’s more.

Not Just through the Jews, but TO the Jews.

Listen to Jesus’s instruction to his disciples early in his ministry: “…Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 10:6-7).

This command was given after Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount which spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. Throughout his time on the earth, Christ spoke frequently about the Kingdom of God (on earth).

Why did Jesus instruct his disciples not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans, when, he himself went out of his way to meet with the Samaritan woman at the well … for the express purpose of disclosing to her that he was the Messiah?

woman_at_the_well

In another scene, a Gentile woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon begged Jesus to heal her demon possessed daughter. Jesus replied: “…I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).

The woman pleaded all the more: “…Lord, help me!” (Verse 25).

“Jesus responded, ‘It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs’” (Verse 26).

“She replied, ‘That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master’s table’” (Verse 27).

Then Jesus did what we would fully expect him to say and do: “Dear woman … your faith is great. Your request is granted. And her daughter was instantly healed” (Verse 28).

Do you see what’s happening here? Jesus’s reference to Gentiles as “dogs” was not his opinion or belief. Rather it was the attitude and mindset of many Jews, particularly the religions leaders. Gentiles were outsiders … less likely to receive God’s blessings than dogs.

Yet, the Gentile woman’s humble pleading, persistence, and profound statement that even the dogs get some crumbs (from the table of the Jews) was an expression of great hope and trust in Jesus, whom she called, “Lord.” Jesus granted her request because his great love and impending sacrificial death was for all people, which is why he generously presented this same truth and promise to the Samaritan woman at the well.

However, God sent his Son to first proclaim TO the Jews that the Kingdom of Heaven would be established on earth in Israel, if they would only acknowledge and receive Yeshua as Messiah. God’s ultimate purpose was to establish his Kingdom of righteousness, justice, and peace on the earth through the people he chose to accomplish the marvelous reconciliation and restoration of the human race back to himself. Which is why Jesus instructed his disciples early on to preach the Kingdom of Heaven only to the Jews. Which is also why even his disciples were amazed that Jesus associated with Gentiles, let alone healed them.

God’s selection of Abraham, then the promised child of Isaac to be the progenitors of light and salvation to the Gentiles was the beginning of this magnificent plan. But before the Gentiles could be saved, the Jews must first do what they were chosen to do: obey, serve, and share God’s Word and glory to the whole world.

Sadly, ever so tragically, they did not. Which is why God took over and initiated the New Covenant spoken of by Jeremiah, one that Messiah Jesus would put into place. Had the Jews of Jesus’s time (as a nation) recognized and accepted him as the Messiah, right then and there the glorious Kingdom of God would have been established on the earth, which would have included deliverance from Roman oppression. The mighty Roman Empire would have been conquered by Christ himself, and the divine dynasty of King David would have been restored with Jesus (the Messiah) as its eternal King; promised by God when he established this covenant with King David some one thousand years earlier.

Kingdom of God verses chart

Alas, God’s people rejected their Messiah.

Listen to the heart-rending words of Jesus as he approached Jerusalem, not long before the religious leaders handed him over to the Romans to be crucified:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me … For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:37-39, italics for emphasis).

Or in Hebrew: Baruch haba beshem Adonai.

Later, the Apostle John would proclaim that Jesus was the Living Word of God, the Son of God, and Messiah.

Said John about Jesus and the Jews: “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:10-13, italics for emphasis).

Although God and Jesus, as God the Son, knew far ahead of time that the Jews would reject Jesus as their Messiah, they nevertheless gave the Jews every opportunity to recognize (by means of powerful miracles and the most awesome truth taught by any man who has ever lived) who he was and why he was among them.

Tragically, they rejected Jesus; not only scorned, but killed for claiming that he was, “I AM,” the Son of God and God the Son.

The Lord, in his splendid plan for mankind, turned this horrible injustice into the greatest good and gift ever given to the human race … redemption and everlasting life.

To the Jew First, Then to the Gentile!

The devoutly fanatical Jewish Pharisee, Saul, who persecuted the followers of Jesus, was one of many 1st century Jews who experienced this wonderful salvation purchased at the highest price ever paid … the death of the Son of God in payment for sin and its penalty. But Saul (later named Paul) fully understood that God had not forgotten about his special possession, Israel.

God’s precious gift of redemption would still come through the Jews, specifically through the Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. But not just through, it would be first and foremost for and to the Jews.

Listen to Paul’s passionate and powerful proclamation of the Gospel:

“For I am not ashamed of the Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say: ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life’” (Romans 1:16-17, quoting Habakkuk 2:4).

Why to the Jew first?

Jesus announced it first: He came explicitly to save the lost sheep of Israel. They had lost their way because they couldn’t and wouldn’t give up their self-righteousness by thinking they had merited God’s favor in trying to keep the Mosaic Law; which they obviously hadn’t kept in the past, nor in Jesus’s time … nor even today. When they rejected him and handed him over to the Romans to be crucified, he rose from the dead to seal the New Covenant and extend God’s salvation to all people, Jew and Gentile alike.

ToTheJewFirst

Then Paul (and Peter) and all of the apostles picked up where Jesus left off.

Not only was the Kingdom of Heaven unilaterally extended to the Jews; even after their rejection of the Kingdom’s Messiah King (Jesus) the New Covenant Gospel of Grace was presented to the Jews first. That offer stands to this very day.

Paul explains why:

“They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshipping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen” (Romans 9:4-5).

That’s why the Jews are called, “The Chosen People.”

Actually, there was only one chosen to begin with … Abraham. God didn’t start with a complete race or ethnic group or nation of people. They weren’t actually chosen as a nation or even became a nation until God, through Moses, delivered them from Egypt. Yet it didn’t take long for the chosen people to rebel against the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Thus, the Lord told them more than once that he didn’t choose them because they were better or larger in numbers or more deserving than other peoples. He chose Abraham, who would then become the father of the Jewish race.

The Apostle Paul confirms several Old Testament verses regarding the reason God selected Abraham (therefore, his descendants through Isaac—not Esau), as repeated and confirmed by Paul:

“…This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purpose; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works…” (Romans 9:11-12)

Not according to their good or bad works, applies to Abraham and his descendants, concerning God’s providential plan to bring redemption to the human race through his Son, Messiah Jesus. All Abraham could do was to believe God (which he did) and that faith was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). In other words, God called Abraham; yet Abraham didn’t become chosen until he placed his faith in God’s promise.

Not according to their good … works, applies to both Jews and Gentiles (the human race) in order to be saved from their sins and the penalty of sin … everlasting separation from God in the lake of fire. That’s because God’s way of salvation is available individually only when we put our complete trust in God’s promise. The sacrifice of Christ Jesus is all sufficient, the only way of redemption and eternal life.

Not by or through good works.

Things to Ponder

Returning to what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “…for salvation comes through the Jews” (John 4:22).

Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “From the Jews.” Rather, he said through the Jews. This is much more than a matter of semantics.

From and through can sometimes be used interchangeably, but it depends on the subject … on what is being referred to.

Among other definitions in Webster’s Dictionary, from means “a starting point.” However, that can’t be applied to the Jews (as the originator or beginning point of salvation) for two reasons: (1) Abraham was a “gentile” when he was selected by God to be the father of what would become the Jewish race. (2) Going back even farther, salvation originated with God; thus, comes from God.

One of (probably the main one) Webster’s definitions of through is: “used as a function word to indicate means, agency, or intermediary.”

Does salvation come from the Jews?

It does not!

It comes through the Jews.

So, what is the significance of this distinction? What difference does it make in our thinking or understanding?

Answer: All the difference in the world, especially to/for the Jews!

Salvation comes through the Jews, but it comes from God and God’s Son, Messiah Jesus.

The enormous implication of knowing this difference is that the means of getting right with God (righteousness) does not come from the Mosaic Law, nor from any other traditions or rules or regulations or rituals found in any of the world’s religions or any non-religious belief system.

Nor through or from good works or self-worth or good behavior.

Instead, salvation comes through our response of faith in Messiah Jesus (the Jewish descendant of King David from the tribe of Judah) that comes from Almighty God.

“For you have been delivered by grace through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment, but God’s gift. You were not delivered by your own actions; therefore, no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, italics for emphasis, Complete Jewish Bible).

Can anything be clearer? Salvation comes by trusting in God’s gift of grace which is none other than the once for all redemptive sacrifice of God’s precious Son, Messiah Jesus.

This gift comes directly from God and God alone.

To the Jew first and also to the Gentile!

Messiah’s Arrival … On Whose Authority?

28 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by garybowers in The Rapture

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Tags

Jewish Council, Rabbis, Second Coming

Who Determines When Messiah Will Appear?

The Time Has Come for God to Reveal the Messiah, Says Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi.

This is the headline of a November 13th article posted by columnist Rivkah Lambert Adler in the on-line news source Breaking Israel News.

Your reaction to what the author labels a “surprisingly under-reported story” might be: (1) The Chief Rabbi is simply imploring God to bring Messiah to Israel soon, because this is the passionate prospect of rabbis and Jews in Israel and the world over. (2) Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi is saying that God is obligated to reveal Messiah … the sooner the better.

If you chose option number two, you would be correct!

The author, Rivkah Alder, continues but with clarification that Rabbi Shlomo Amar, who issued the proclamation, is one of several chief rabbis who hold to the concept (teaching) that, as expressed by Ms. Adler: “…God must bring the messiah and expedite the ultimate redemption (of Israel). The ruling was delivered during an all-night spiritual gathering of rabbis from the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, and a recording of the moment was posted to YouTube (in Hebrew).”

With the clear connotation that God really has no other choice but to comply with this ruling.

The pronouncement was delivered at the conclusion of an annual conference held by the Chabad-Lubavitch society in Brooklyn, New York, in which some 6,000 Rabbis and Jewish leaders attended from over 75 countries around the world. In reporting this event and the extraordinary ultimatum that invoked/reminded God of his responsibility to respond to the virtually unanimous consensus of a large cross-section of Judaism’s religious leaders, Ms Adler writes:

“During this spontaneous gathering … Rabbi Berel Lazar, one of Russia’s two chief rabbis, reminded Amar that 25 years ago, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last head of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, who passed away in 1994, had asked Amar to issue a psak din (a formal rabbinic ruling) on the issue of the redemption of the Jewish people. Twenty-five years later … Amar agreed that the time had come to rule that God must hasten the arrival of the messiah.”

Said Rabbi Amar: “We hereby rule according to the demand of the audience—we see the plaintiff but can’t see the defendant—that God Almighty speedily bring an end and reveal the Moshiach (messiah) in front of our eyes in actuality.”

Although it was late in the evening, Rabbi Amar’s invocation produced a chorus of “Amens” from the audience. Immediately they began singing, “We want Moshiach now! We don’t want to wait!” According to the article’s author: “These words come from a song that Lubavitch children are taught to sing from a very early age.”

Breaking Israel News is one of a few Jewish internet news and/or religious sites that have recently published several columns pertaining to the exponentially growing hope for Messiah’s arrival in Israel; thereby, to accomplish Israel’s ultimate redemption and to rescue them from their many enemies. Accordingly, BIN has quoted several Rabbis who have commented (with varying degrees of agreement, disagreement, and some prophetic inconsistency) on Messiah’s imminent appearance. Whether the religious or even secular interest in Messiah’s arrival is at least somewhat based on Scripture or not, I have identified this remarkable trend as one of the phenomenal consequences of the twelve modern-day indicators that clearly signal the last days of the end-times. Please see the Eye of Prophecy articles entitled, Look Up, Redemption is Near Part I & II, posted 7-11-15 and 7-18-15.

It Is Not Kept In Heaven!

However, even the Messianic oriented BIN site was apparently astounded by this audacious announcement, as reflected in Ms. Adler’s final probing remarks:

“How is it possible that a rabbi, even one of the chief rabbis of Jerusalem, can make a ruling in Jewish law that obligates God? Breaking Israel News posed this question to senior Chabad Rabbi Uri Kaploun who said, ‘All that comes to mind is the axiom in Chazal (the Jewish sages) that Lo BaShamayim Hi (it is not in Heaven); once the Torah was given, the earthly court makes the rulings, and the Heavenly Court is, as it were, bound by them.’”

Astonishing! Is Rabbi Kaploun’s reply correct? Is it legitimate? Is the axiom quoted by the Rabbi—obviously supported by many other Rabbis and Jewish leaders—found somewhere in the Bible; specifically in the Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Testament, considered superior even to the rest of the Jewish Bible (Old Testament) by most Orthodox Jews?

Either Breaking Israel News didn’t feel qualified to challenge this stunning verdict nor the explanation given as to its justification; or they chose not to, as it undoubtedly would result in a much longer article than intended on the subject. Most likely it was a combination of the two.

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Photo of Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Council

If there is an answer regarding the Biblical authenticity and accuracy of the rabbinical premise (axiom) that warrants such a bold edict, would you like to know what it is? If your answer is, No, then there’s really no reason for you to continue with today’s Eye of Prophecy article! But if you want to know more about Messiah and whether God is obligated to reveal him because the Heavenly Court is bound by decrees of the (Jewish) earthly court, then stay with us.

The answer is both yes and no. Yes, the axiom (one of hundreds of extra-Biblical traditions and commentaries handed down through the ages by Jewish Rabbis primarily recorded in the Talmud) is derived from a passage in the Torah. No, it is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an accurate application (interpretation) of the passage that purportedly transfers God’s authority to men, be it a rabbinical council or not … especially not the timing of Messiah’s arrival (return).

The passage is found in Deuteronomy, and contains what the Rabbi would only describe as “the axiom” which has been given precedence by Jewish sages as the traditional rendition down through the ages over the clear content and intent of the text, itself.

The Biblical setting is just a very short time before the Israelites would finally (after forty years of wandering in the wilderness because they refused to trust the Lord their God) enter the Promised Land. The entire book of Deuteronomy contains a “refresher” course of God’s laws and requirements beginning with the exodus from Egypt, in order for his people to be blessed and remain in the land. In summary of the first twenty-nine chapters filled with reminders of his people’s obligations to him, the Lord through Moses declares:

“This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commandments, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy” (Deuteronomy 30:11-16, italics for emphasis).

Moses then summarizes this magnificent message that God said was not (no longer) confined to heaven (to God alone); but a message that had, indeed, been liberally and lovingly given to his people. One that could immediately and logistically be placed in their hearts and expressed by their lips … if only, they would trust and obey the Lord their God.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

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It was faith (trust) in God’s Word (commandments) and the Levitical sacrificial system of shedding innocent blood for forgiveness of sins that would lead to obedience. This principle (message) had been clearly demonstrated by God through Abraham long before the Law was given through Moses to the people.

“And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6).

Who Is Obligated to Whom?

Whereas, I’m certain that the 6,000 Jewish Rabbis/leaders who attended this conference and many other Jews who share the same convictions were respectful toward God in their enthusiasm for Messiah’s (immediate) appearance; they, nevertheless, misunderstood, misapplied, and inappropriately substituted the real meaning of this stirring passage of Scripture with one of their traditional interpretations.

Read the passage again. Where do you see or how is it possible to conclude that God is obligated to send the Messiah based exclusively on their presupposition that the Lord (apparently) relinquished heavenly authority to the Jewish leaders (earthly court) when God gave them the Torah? Or, for that matter, that God must comply with any ruling—whether found in the Torah or not—of chief Rabbis that once consisted of seventy members of the ruling body known as the Sanhedrin?

The context of this passage is crystal clear. Both prosperity and continued presence (existence) in the Promised Land of Israel and life everlasting depended upon whether the people trusted and obeyed God; thereby, choosing life. Or abandon the Lord their God and go their own way; thereby, choosing the horrible alternative, death. Since it was already all too evident that everyone must die physically, the text is referring to the eternal spiritual destiny of the people, but also their continued right to live collectively as a nation in the land. For sure, the Abrahamic Covenant was unilateral … God’s promise that (invariably or inevitably) the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants was in perpetuity.

But equally evident is that the people would suffer the ultimate penalty of God’s judgment (curses rather than blessings) if they rebelled against the Lord and rejected his commandments. This was a foregone conclusion; so much so that several passages in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, warning Israel about the consequences of disobedience, are written as though they had already happened. It was not a matter of if, but when. In fact, Moses subsequently announces this (directly from the Lord) when he in the frankest of terms states: “For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are … I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and will turn from the way I have commanded you to follow. In the days to come, disaster will come down on you, for you will do what is evil in the Lord’s sight, making him very angry with your actions” (Deuteronomy 31:27-29).

The Law was given to establish God’s standard of holiness and right action expected of his people, for their own good and welfare. It was also intended to show them than no one, absolutely no one (including the most religious priests or rabbis) could or would keep God’s laws. The Lord’s incredible patience gave them hundreds of years to prove to him and themselves that they could keep God’s Word. But they couldn’t … they wouldn’t.

Thus, God exiled them to Assyria, to Babylon, and ultimately to nations the world over in the disastrous Diaspora when the Romans ransacked Jerusalem and utterly destroyed the second Temple, thus ending the Sacrificial system of atonement.

But by that time, God had initiated the New Covenant that he promised to his people (and the whole world), a covenant purchased and sealed with the innocent blood of God’s very son, Messiah Jesus. Yes, the one and only Messiah, who many refused to recognize, then and now.

Many Eye of Prophecy articles have included Biblical and historical evidence to validate the birth, life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. As have countless other books, articles, messages, commentaries, and the testimony of millions of believers the world over—including thousands upon thousands of Messianic Jews and their life-changing, destiny-altering personal decision to believe and receive Yeshua (Jesus) as Lord and Savior.

As clearly reflected in some Eye of Prophecy articles, my love and passion for Israel—the Jewish people’s physical return to their God-given land and their soon-to-be nation-wide spiritual restoration to their Lord when they fully recognize and acknowledge Jesus as Messiah— constrains me to express this compassion by sharing the truth of the source of their salvation.

“For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time” (I Timothy 2:5-6, italics for emphasis).

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Listen to the writer of Hebrews (New Testament) who quotes Jeremiah’s prophecy of this New Covenant when he contrasts the Old Covenant with the New; thus providing a reason for this more excellent Covenant:

“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:

‘The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors … They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them says the Lord. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel … I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts, I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Hebrews 8:6-10, italics for emphasis; see Jeremiah 31:31-34).

At God’s appointed time (just the right time in history) Messiah came to this earth as the Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. At just the right time, Messiah Jesus will return to this earth as the Lion from the tribe of Judah to make all things right on this weary, war-torn, terror-filled earth.

But Yeshua HaMashiach (Messiah Jesus) will come when he and God the Father chooses … when least expected, with the day and hour known by no one until it happens (Matthew 24 & 25).

Misdirected Enthusiasm

I fully realize and sincerely appreciate the fervor that many Jews have toward God, particularly the observant among them and especially concerning the Messiah. But as the Apostle Paul said to the believers in Rome, both Jew and Gentile:

“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God” (Romans 10:1-4).

It is no different today, with millions of God’s chosen people, the Jews, still holding onto good deeds, righteous conduct, and tradition after tradition to gain favor with God, and to hopefully be accepted by the Lord into and throughout eternity. To the tragic point that their traditions, especially the Rabbinical rulings or decisions (often with disagreements among rabbis, themselves), become more dominant and decisive than Scripture, itself.

Jesus recognized this and bluntly told the Jewish religious leaders in words of what we would call, in today’s jargon, tough love. We know Jesus loved his people more than we can imagine; not only because of what he constantly said (words of love and life) and did (miracles of healing and helping) but most of all because he died for them to save them from their sins.

Said Jesus: “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition … You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own traditions” (Mark 7:6-9). Jesus then provided an example of how the Pharisees and Sadducees and teachers of the law didn’t even keep the law of honoring their father and mother.

By quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus was also referring to our central passage from Deuteronomy Chapter 30 regarding God’s primary message to his people—forgiveness and righteousness is graciously given if they would only choose to trust the Lord … choosing life over death. For to trust is to listen and obey. Moreover this message had been freely and generously extended to them from heaven and could be readily understood in their hearts and expressed with their lips.

Returning to Romans Chapter 10, the Apostle Paul makes the same connection when he continues:

“For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. But faith’s way of getting right with God says, ‘Don’t say in your heart, Who will go up to heaven (to bring Christ down to earth)’ … In fact, it says, ‘The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.’

“And that message is the very message about faith that we preach. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved … Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:5-13, quoting Joel 2:32).

This is what the New Covenant, the Good News of the Gospel, is all about. Faith, not works. Trust in God’s Word which is revealed in both Old and New Testaments (Covenants), not traditions. We can joyfully celebrate (remember) traditions such as Sukkot (Festival of Shelters) but we are not to trust in them for salvation … being made right with God. Any more than Abraham was made right with God hundreds of years before the Law was given, by anything other than believing and trusting in the Lord God.

Of anyone, the Apostle Paul would know. Before his amazing life-changing and destiny-altering encounter with the Risen Messiah (Jesus), Paul says about himself:

“…I want you to understand that the gospel I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors. But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I could proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles…” (Galatians 1:11-16).

Like the Apostle Paul, and hopefully as much like my Messiah and Savior Jesus as possible, I, too, have a deep concern for Israel’s physical and spiritual restoration, and share their great expectation for Messiah’s arrival. Which is why I write so much about Israel’s miraculous rebirth and other remarkable events that unmistakably point to the imminent return of Messiah.

That they would as Jesus said: “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation (redemption) is near!” (Luke 21:28). Indeed, many Jews—Orthodox, Reformed, Conservative, and Liberal—are eagerly looking for their redemption. But, adapting from the words of the song, “They’re looking in all the wrong places.” If only they would look to their own prophets (Scriptures) and to the New Covenant (Testament); they would find their Messiah, who is Yeshua … The Son of David, The Son of Man, and the Son of God.

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But there are times like today’s Eye of Prophecy post, that I’m also compelled to challenge rabbinical traditions substituting for or taking precedence over the Bible, as well as misuse of Scripture itself. We find both of these occurring in this misguided rationale for the ruling based on the equally erroneous supposition that God’s Torah message to his people was tantamount to God relinquishing (heavenly) authority to the earthly court; which, in turn, mandates God’s compliance with such rulings.

I’m sure the Rabbis have the utmost respect for God. That they did not willfully intend to usurp God’s divine authority by telling him that it is time for Messiah to appear, especially or exclusively because (they think) such authority was given them to make such a ruling. Rather, they mistakenly reverted back to an axiom that was inaccurate in the first place, much like the one the Roman Catholic Church has copied/borrowed from Judaism: that the religious hierarchy is empowered to issue decrees and rulings that directly or indirectly contradict Scripture. That traditions created and added by Jewish religious leaders (elite) and later the Roman Catholic clergy (Vatican) supersede even the Bible itself.

Neither Deuteronomy Chapter 30 nor any of the Torah conveys that kind of authority at all. It’s just the opposite. It’s everyone’s responsibility—including (especially) those in authority—to listen, to comply, to respond, to make a decision whether to trust and obey God or not … to choose life or death. To opt for blessings or curses. And this mostly certainly means replacing the Old Covenant with the New; because God, himself, as already done that through none other than the Messiah.

Bring in the New

Now that the Old Covenant has been exchanged for the New Covenant, that Grace has replaced Law, to exercise the choice of believing in a Messiah who has already arrived; thereby, choosing God’s eternal pardon for their sins and assurance of live everlasting with the Lord and the host of heaven.

Do I and millions of other believers ardently anticipate the imminent return of Messiah Jesus to establish his glorious kingdom of righteousness, justice and peace (Shalom)? Indeed, we do; but only because of what the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, tells us. Not because of an Orthodox Jewish ruling that requires God to act accordingly.

Yet out of admiration for the sincere enthusiasm expressed by Jewish Rabbis and many Jews (and Gentiles), I truly hope that they are right about Messiah’s any moment (re)appearance. On the other hand, I earnestly hope and pray that they will acknowledge Yeshua as their Savior now, before it’s too late … before he returns as both King and Judge.

With respect and love for the hearts and souls of these Jewish Rabbis and for Jews everywhere, I must caution them: Be careful what you wish for. It’s true that Messiah will bring redemption to Israel; in fact, he already has done that individually … to every Jew and Gentile who places their personal trust in his once and for all atoning sacrifice on the Cross.

The national redemption spoken of in Scripture and often mentioned by observant Jews in today’s world will come at a great price, identified in Scripture as Jacob’s troubles, during the ruler’s march against Israel (Daniel 7, 9, 11, and graphically depicted by Zechariah 11 through 14). So great a salvation will be available only to those who recognize and accept the one whom they (for they are the same as their ancestors) pierced, as prophesied by Zechariah.

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“Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died” (Zechariah 12:10).

Pay special attention to the pronouns in this remarkable prophecy. Who is speaking (“then I…”)? “I” is the same “me” whom they pierced. Messiah is speaking. This is referring to none other than Jesus of Nazareth who was nailed to a cross and “pierced” for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5, NASB).

Things to Ponder

A member of the first century Jewish Sanhedrin (religious ruling body of seventy) by the name of Nicodemus came after dark one evening to learn from the greatest Rabbi of all time. He began the meeting with these words:

“Rabbi … we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you” (John 3:2).

Jesus of Nazareth replied to Nicodemus: “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (Verse 3).

When Nicodemus asked what Jesus meant by being born-again, Jesus explained it to him. Included in this enlightenment is perhaps the most well-known verse in all of Scripture, Old or New Testament:

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This esteemed member of the powerful Sanhedrin became a believer in Jesus; because he set aside his traditions long enough to listen. He opened his eyes, ears, and heart to the written and Living Word of God, and realized that Jesus is the Messiah. This belief would be conclusively confirmed when Jesus arose from the tomb where Joseph of Arimathea, another member of the Jewish High Council, and Nicodemus had buried him.

The tomb is empty to this day!

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“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying…’” (John 11:25).

What about you?

Do you believe?

Who do you say that Jesus is?

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  • Antichrist and the Vicar of Christ … Part I
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  • Passover … an Enduring Legacy
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  • Peace on Earth … Is It Really Possible?
  • Peace or a Palestinian State … Which Will It Be?
  • Powerful Proof of Messiah’s Identity & Arrival in The First Century!
  • Preach the Gospel … But Not to the Jews!
  • Prince of Peace
  • Prophecy & A Jewish Holiday
  • Prophetic Fate of Israel’s Friends and Foes
  • Prophetic Implications of the Fires in Israel (Part I)
  • Prophetic Implications of the Fires in Israel (Part II)
  • Proportional Warfare
  • Reappearance of Satan, a Roman Emperor & Two Ancient Prophets … Bodily!
  • Reappearance of the Beast (Antichrist)
  • Reexamination of Messiah’s Imminent Return & The Omega Generation
  • Remember December (Kislev) … A Hidden Gem of Prophecy!
  • Removing Christ From Christmas … What Are The Consequences?
  • Replacement Theology (Part I)
  • Replacement Theology (Part II)
  • Resurrections / How Many Will There Be? One, Two, Or Could There Be Three?
  • Rome and Jerusalem … friends or foes?
  • Russia & Iran versus Israel
  • Russia’s Shocking Invasion of Ukraine … A Preview of Gog/Magog’s Attack on Israel?
  • Salvation … “To The Jew First!”
  • Satan in Bodily Form … When & Why (Part I)
  • Satan in Bodily Form … When & Why (Part II)
  • Scripture Says Everyone Will Die / But What About the Rapture?
  • Separation of Church and State … For or Against? (Part I)
  • Separation of Church and State … For or Against? (Part II)
  • Sequel to Stunning Catastrophes & Shocking Statistics of the Great Tribulation
  • Seven Essentials of The Rapture (Part I)
  • Seven Essentials of the Rapture (Part II)
  • Seven Times Seven (to the 4th power)! Part I
  • Seven Times Seven (to the 4th power)! Part II
  • Seven Times Seven (to the 4th power)! Part III
  • Seven Wonders of The Millennium
  • Seven Wonders of The Millennium (Part II)
  • Shameful Saga of the Great City (Revelation 17)
  • Shocking Statistics of the Great Tribulation
  • Significant Sets of Twos in the Bible
  • Six Million Reasons … To Trust the Bible
  • Soon Comes the Antichrist … Straight From the Abyss (Part I)
  • Soon Comes the Antichrist … Straight From the Abyss (Part II)
  • Spiritual Bodies … A Contradiction of Terms? (Part I)
  • Spiritual Bodies … A Contradiction of Terms? (Part II)
  • Stand Still & Watch God Fight for Israel!
  • Stunning Catastrophes of the Tribulation / Their Timing & Purpose
  • Sudden Appearance of Antichrist … Why So Different?
  • Sukkot … The Forever Festival!
  • Superhuman Bodies for Believers / How & Why?
  • Tell a Big Lie Long Enough….
  • Terror, Terror, Terror (Part II)
  • Terror, Terror, Terror! (Part I)
  • The “Right of Return” … For Palestinians or Jews?
  • The Ark of the Covenant … Part I
  • The Ark of the Covenant … Part II
  • The Balfour Declaration … Beginning of the Omega Generation (Part I)
  • The Balfour Declaration … Beginning of the Omega Generation (Part II)
  • The Beast and His Name
  • The Birth of a Nation
  • The Child of Promise (Part I)
  • The Child of Promise (Part II)
  • The Cross and the Torn Curtain (Part I)
  • The Cross and the Torn Curtain (Part II)
  • The End of the Age … how close are we?
  • The False Prophet (Part I)
  • The False Prophet (Part II)
  • The Final Treaty of Rome … Part I
  • The Final Treaty of Rome … Part II
  • The Gog/Magog Countdown Has Begun!
  • The Heart & Soul of Israel
  • The Incomparable Power and Authority of Jesus Christ
  • The Jewish Dichotomy In & Outside Israel
  • The Legacy of Temple Mount
  • The Legendary Return of Nero
  • The Liberation of Jerusalem
  • The Magnificent Millennial Reign of Believers with Messiah
  • The Most Panoramic Prophecy in the Bible (Part I)
  • The Most Panoramic Prophecy in the Bible (Part II)
  • The Most Significant End-Times Sign Of All
  • The Myth of Al Aqsa Mosque
  • The Number of the Beast
  • The Omega Generation
  • The Peace Treaty That Will Guarantee War
  • The Phenomenal Thousand Years/One Day Parallel
  • The Prince and the People That Destroyed the Jewish Temple / Who Were They?
  • The Prophetic Endgame of Gog/Magog
  • The Rapture / Before or After The Great Tribulation?
  • The Real Reason for Palestinian Terrorism
  • The Reign of Terror
  • The Remarkable Rebirth of a Nation
  • The Rest of the Story … Bibi’s Speech to the United Nations
  • The Right to Life?
  • The Russians Are Coming!
  • The Seal of Approval
  • The Second Exodus
  • The Seven Year Treaty
  • The Shout Heard Around the World
  • The Shroud of Turin … Real or Fake? / A Decisive Answer
  • The Shroud of Turin … Real or Fake? / A Decisive Answer (Part II)
  • The Terrible Trio of Gog and Magog
  • The Three Greatest Trials of All Time
  • The Tremendous Transfiguration of Believers!
  • The Two Witnesses (Part I)
  • The Two Witnesses (Part II)
  • The Two Witnesses (Part III)
  • The Vatican and Islam … A Perfect Match for Antichrist
  • The Virgin Birth of Messiah … How and Why?
  • The Whole Truth
  • The Woman and the Beast
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part II)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part III)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part IV)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part V)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part VI)
  • The Wonder Of It All … Birth of the Child!
  • The World Wants a Messiah … But It Needs (The) Messiah
  • There’s No Place Like Homs
  • There’s Resurrection; And There’s Resurrection!
  • Three … A Divine Number of God!
  • Times of & Fullness of the Gentiles … What Do They Mean?
  • To Be or Not To Be … in Heaven?
  • To Be Or Not To Be … In Heaven? (A Revisit)
  • Trump, Cyrus, and the Jewish Temple
  • Turmoil, Tragedy, & Terror in Israel (Part I … Turmoil)
  • Turmoil, Tragedy, & Terror in Israel (Part II … Tragedy)
  • Turmoil, Tragedy, & Terror in Israel (Part III … Terror)
  • Two-State Solution & The Seven-Year Treaty … Impossible?
  • Two Thirds of the Jews Killed … Past or Future?
  • U.S. President Agrees with God … Jerusalem Is Israel’s Capital!
  • Under the Radar
  • UNESCO / “Theatre of the Absurd” Against Israel
  • United Nations Downsizing of Israel (Resolution 2334)
  • Value of Prophecy
  • West Bank or Judea/Samaria? What’s In A Name?
  • What Is A Saint?
  • What Is Done To Israel Will Be Done In Return / The Iran Nuclear Deal
  • What Is Done to Israel Will Be Done in Return / Dangers of a Divided Jerusalem
  • What is Palestine & Who Is A Palestinian?
  • What is the Rapture?
  • What Is The Unpardonable Sin?
  • When the Rapture?
  • Where is Messiah … Is He Already Here?
  • Where Is The Temple? Part I
  • Where Is The Temple? Part II
  • Where is the Temple? Part III
  • Who is Messiah?
  • Who Is the Antichrist & How Will He Appear (Part I)
  • Who Is The Antichrist & How Will He Appear? (Part II)
  • Who the Rapture?
  • Whom Do You Most Want To See In Heaven?
  • Why the Rapture?
  • Why the Rapture? (A Revisit)
  • Why The World Idolizes Antichrist & How It Reacts To The Tribulation
  • Wiles of the Woman
  • Will All Children Be Taken in The Rapture?
  • Will Believers Go Through the Great Tribulation? (Part I)
  • Will Believers Go Through The Great Tribulation? (Part II)
  • Will There Still Be Unbelievers Throughout Eternity?
  • Yom Kippur / With Or Without Atonement?
  • Zechariah’s Dramatic Description of Antichrist’s Fatal Wounds

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