Sunday, May 21, 2023
Enemies of the Gospel for your sakes
* this post has been updated to clarify 3 facts.
May 20, 2023: I want to first make note of this passage so every Christian knows the tight rope we walk in pursuing God's purposes for the Jewish nation. Romans 11: 26-28 spells it out perfectly and we find ourselves in that emotionally complex path to walk out in God's full pleasure with our choices.
First the promise of God to Israel is, (v.26) And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob."
Using the name Jacob instead of Israel is purposeful because it represents Jacob before he was transformed into a man of God, Israel. It was more than God simply renaming him, God saved Jacob by turning him into a man of God. That what the difficulties in Jacob’s life and the wrestling with "the Man" all night long. Until “the Man” touched Jacob's thigh, broke his strength and in humbling Jacob, then God was able to change Jacob’s name to Israel. When God takes away the veil from all unsaved Jews today, represented by the name of Jacob, then the Man, Yeshua, will remove godlessness from all Israel.
Verse 27 says: "And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
BUT WE CANNOT FORGET THE CURRENT STATE OF ISRAEL AND ALL UNSAVED JEWS AT THIS POINT: verse 28 "Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs."
This reality is the one that is so emotionally difficult to navigate and the less we have been transformed into the spiritual likeness of Jesus, the less we are able to navigate the reality of keeping our heart like God's for the Jewish people while at the same time not dismissing the reality that they are often INTENSE enemies of the Gospel.
The second part of that is “enemies of the Gospel for your sakes.” Obviously, the setting aside of God’s “Chosen People” in order to make a way for all the nations to be brought into relationship with God by faith in Jesus is a major part of understanding that phrase “for your sakes.” But there is a secondary meaning that kicks in right now in our time, as God is bringing Jew and Gentile into a oneness in the faith of Yeshua/Jesus, that will bring everything God desires from us all to fruition. (Eph 2:15)
In our day we are moving deeper and deeper into this reality that unsaved Jews are “enemies of the Gospel” and as Christians we are going to face their final challenge of how to keep that in balance with the fact that God loves the Jews, chose the Jews and desires that “all Israel shall be saved.” As Christians, we have certainly failed that challenge time and time again as history is littered with Christian mistreatment of the Jewish people.
It is not just the Holocaust because Jews have been chased out of just about every nation they fled to after exile from Israel. In fact, God says through the prophet Zechariah, (1:14-15) ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, 15 but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they (the nations) have multiplied their (the Jews) distress/affliction/adversity.’
Many Christians do not know the facts about Christian mistreatment of Jews over the past 2,000 years, so God, I believe is giving a final challenge to the international body of Christ to finally get it right, meaning finding the balance between God’s heart and the still current reality of Jews being "enemies of the Gospel for your sakes." This is part of the “fullness” (maturing) of the Church before “all Israel” is saved. (Romans 11:25)
This week I have personally faced that challenge once again because two pieces of information I learned. One is concerning the controversial religious zealot in Netanyahu’s government, Ben Givr, whom I wrote about in my Arrows from Zion last week.
The second piece of information, which I find quite ironic in light of all the things I just laid out about Christian mistreatment of Jews in the last 2,000 years, is hearing that several days ago Dr. Michael Brown, the Messianic Jew who wrote, “Our Hands Are Stained With Blood” chronicling the distressing Christian mistreatment of Jews in history, was arrested at the Israeli airport accused on entering Israel for "missionary activities."
It is ironic to me that the Messianic Jew who has probably done more than any other to awaken Christians to our deep, deep failures by just what God said in Zechariah 1:15. Considering Jews to be cast of by God forever, Christians hated the Jewish people in their nations and multiplied their distress/affliction/adversity’ as they purged them from one nation to the next.
I have written all that as a background to the current events, because the rise of a religious hater like Ben Gvir to such a high place of authority in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is a grave situation. And the arrest of an internationally acclaimed Messianic Jewish scholar at the Israeli airport shows exactly how Ben Gvir’s status has emboldened religious haters of Jewish believers in Jesus throughout Israel.
Make no mistake about it, the whole estimated 25,000 Messianic Jews in Israel are in great danger from this point on, and we Christians in the nations have to get an understanding of that, as well as an understanding about how God wants us to proceed. It is not to proceed in hating Jews who aren’t saved, and it sure is not in ignoring the saved Remnant in Israel. They are “the living stones” of the Temple which is not made with hands, but the spiritual Temple that God is raising up in Israel by faith in Messiah Yeshua. (Mark 14:58)
I have confirmed in Israel that Michael Brown upon arrival with a small tour group he was leading, refused to immediately re-board a plane to return to the United States. Brown reserved his right to be in Israel (I took that to mean Michael Brown has dual US-Israeli citizenship, but have been informed, not necessarily. Brown could also have taken a stand of not being refused entry based on the US-Israel Treaty of Friendship that gives us the right to practice our faith in our respective countries). Brown was still arrested on the accusation that he intended "missionary activities."
Understand: It is not against Israeli law for Israeli citizens to share the faith in Yeshua with other Israelis, and apparently, US citizens under the Treaty of Friendship agreement DOES cover Christians sharing their faith which is part & parcel of our faith.
Brown was held for 7 hours in jail before making his bond. This is likely a legal battle that could go all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court. It is important to fight this legal battle because it is also a loud statement by religious activists that they coming for Messianic Jews in every way they believe is open to them. That won't be only by legal means, I can assure you.
If you missed what I wrote about Ben Gvir in Arrows last week, in a nutshell it was the revelation that Ben Givr, Netanyahu’s powerful cabinet head of National Security – including statewide law enforcement agency and oversees the Israel Police, the Israel Prison Service and the Israel National Fire and Rescue Services, Israel Border Police, National Headquarters for the Protection of Children on the Internet, National Authority for Community Safety and The Authority for Witness Protection — — was ALSO on the legal team who represented Jack Teitel, the terrorist who bombed the home of a Messianic pastoral family in 2008 almost killing their 15-year old son. It was only by miracles of God that Ami Ortiz survived. I covered that incident in my weekly prayer letters and then in 2009 wrote an exhaustive article, “ex po sé | The Terror Bombing of Israeli Messianic Teen Ami Ortiz”.
The new thing I learned last week is that Netanyahu’s National Security head, Ben Givr, on the legal team (Honenu) who represented Jack Teitel in court, and apparently frequently said in court, “We are all Jack Teitel” meaning Ben Givr and his ilk are fine with the attempted murder of a Messianic Jewish family. This, to me, is a bold declaration of what everyone can expect from the religious anti-Messianic fanatics in Israel: nothing is off the table, included attempted murder and false arrests to eradicate Jews who believe in Jesus from their midst.
How many times have we seen this same type of thing in history? Often it has been Jews who were targeted but that does not make it justified now. What is happening is that Jews have become the very thing they hated. It is a spiritual principle that the thing we harbored hatred for, we often justify becoming ourselves.
Only God has the path for us to walk these things out, but I know one thing for certain: Christians must arise on behalf of our spiritual family in Israel with no more hesitation and nothing held back from supporting them in every meaningful way. If you want to make Jews jealous, finally LOVE the Israeli Messianic Jews as God has called us to.
Friday, May 19, 2023
A Supernatural Awakening as Christians Fast & Pray for Israel for 21 Days
We truly hope that the thoughts and perspectives following will be helpful in aligning our minds and hearts such that at the end of the appointed 21 days, something new will arise and continue to the full dawning of the glory of God.
When asking Gentile brethren why they love Israel, the answer most often given is, “Because God loves Israel.” When asking, “Why does God love Israel?”, the most common answer is “Because He chose them.” To the question of why He chose them, some will say that it all began with Abraham and end there. In our experience, not many seem to realize there is quite a bit more to the story. Though Abraham’s love and obedience was the cornerstone element in God’s choosing, what would then unfold over the three ensuing millennia explains the depth of passion God carries for this people. Seeing the fullness of this picture from God’s perspective produces in us a degree of commitment like the determination Jacob expressed when wrestling with the Lord. Laying hold of this dimension will do much to keep us engaged when our emotions naturally fluctuate. We have distilled the fullness of what we have seen and heard into a 10-session discussion course which can be found at www.Israelrevealed.org.
A well-known verse central to the moment is Psalm 122:6. It translates to read, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” However, the Hebrew word translated as “pray” means “ask” or “inquire.” The common understanding, being rather general, leaves us without clear direction. But following the actual meaning would in fact lead us to something specific, timely and relevant. God directs us to ask about the peace of Jerusalem. What is the necessary process of events to bring forth the desired end? Where are we in the process? What is next on the list? How right, how logical, that we would know His thoughts and strategies before we begin to pray. His promises and declarations concerning Israel each have their appointed time. They are generally contingent on the nature of Israel’s relationship with God. Everything God has spoken, every word written in Scripture will come to pass. We just need to hear from God as to how we are to engage with what He has spoken. Do we really think He needs to be reminded about what He has spoken? Does He really need for us to ask Him to complete what He has set out to do? Perhaps the purpose of our praying is more to get us in line with Father’s heart and mind, even for the sake of our relationship with Him. The matter of Israel is central in His heart. If we don’t get it, if we don’t see, if we are not moved as He is, how close can we actually be with Him? How intimate can we really be? It will be interesting to see what remains and continues after the designated 21 days are completed. Beloved, God’s promises to Abraham and His descendants are an unconditional eternal covenant. Consider Isaiah 59:16, “He saw that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”
Romans 11:11 is a striking
revelation. It reveals to the Gentile world a primary purpose in making them
the stewards of the revelation of salvation for the last 2000 years. Paul
writes, “To provoke them to jealously, salvation has come to the Gentiles.” The
ramifications of ignoring this fact would seem to be along the same line as not
ministering to Yeshua’s brethren (the Jews) as laid out in the end of Matthew
25. The consequences are eternal.
Romans 11:25 adds another important piece to
the puzzle, “…blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of
the Gentiles has come in. and so all Israel will be saved, as it is written.” How fervent are the prayers for God to
open Israel’s eyes and remove the veil! In so praying, are the Gentiles in
effect waiting for God while He is actually waiting for them? Oy. That could be
a long wait. According to the original Greek, the reference to fullness here is
qualitative, not quantitative. It’s not a number. It’s something of the heart.
The dynamics and conditions here hearken back to what God told Abram in Genesis
15:16, “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the
iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Now, as then, the manifestation
of God’s plan for Israel is connected to the state and actions of the Gentiles.
Most know Psalm 22:3 as “God inhabits the praises of His people.” However it actually says, “You are holy, You who are enthroned on the praises of Israel.” As God has placed His name in Israel alone and chosen Zion as His dwelling place, if there is no praise in Israel, where on earth would God dwell? What if there was a dwelling place for God in Israel? What would do more to open the eyes of Israel than that? And so we come to Romans 11:15 which tells us that what happens to and in Israel affects the whole world. The acceptance of Yeshua by Israel will be life from the dead for the world. In light of this revelation, it follows that that the believers in the nations would do well to see that there was continual praise in Israel. The only people that can offer praise to God by the Spirit are the believers. Let the Aarons and Hurs arise to help “Moses” keep His hands lifted to the Lord.
The great divisions currently showing
up in the streets all over Israel did not just happen overnight. They reflect
the true inner state of the nation that is only now being made visible by
various critical situations. Beloved, we are not okay. Spiritually, on a
national level, we have not changed since the day the elders gathered (1Sam.8:4-7)
to tell God they did not want Him as their king. We didn’t care about God then
and as a nation we don’t now, or we would not have returned the Temple Mount to
our enemies in 1967.
There is much to know about the state of our nation and the
Israeli Body of Messiah. Knowing where we are is helpful only if we also know
how we got here and how to go forward. Beyond
quoting God’s eternal promises, the true current reality will mostly be heard only
from local Messianic believers. A Gentile saying such things would likely be
labeled as anti-Semitic. Thirty years ago, when we saw the essence of the
current prayer emphasis, we along with many others gave up our lives and
immigrated to Israel. It’s been said and we agree that to live here is 24/7
intercession.
Many brethren in the land are sharing good clear perspectives on
how to pray in these days. Donna Diorio puts out a weekly compilation of
thoughts, insights, testimonies and needs of believing congregations and
ministries from all over the Land. We know of no other such source where so
much information can be accessed. You can subscribe at: ArrowsFromZion@israelprayer.com.
One other important point of
perspective is Israel’s experience after leaving Egypt. God promised Abraham
that He would give the Land to His descendants, and they would be His people. As
a people they made it to the Land of Canaan, but not before God caused a whole
generation to be lost in the wilderness.
So then, as we declare Romans
11:26 that “All Israel will be saved,” let us not miss the next four
words…”as it is written” and consider what else is written. In Romans 9:6
it is written, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel.” vs.8 “…those
who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the
children of the promise are counted as the seed.” Romans 2:28-29, For
he is not a Jew. who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is
outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is
that of the heart....”
In closing, as we pray, let us take to heart the subtle essence of Romans 11:17, “And you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree.” As the Gentiles have been called to be among them, and with them partake of the blessings and calling of the Israel of God, those being prayed for are no longer them but are now us…one Body…One New Man.
May we truly live all our days on earth…
For the Glory of His Name,
Arni and Yonit Klein
EMMAUS
WAY IS ABOUT LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
OUR
GOAL IS TO GIVE HIM A PLACE ON EARTH…
WHILE
ON THE WAY TO BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN