More on the Bney Yosef Plenary Session

In my last post I promised more about the recent B’ney Yosef Plenary Session in central TN. Honestly, I am still processing and incredibly busy with some of the work that came out of it in planning the upcoming B’ney Yosey North America Summit, info to be released as soon as I have it!!

Mike Clayton has just sent out his weekly newsletter that has his Torah Life teaching.  The first 20 minutes, or so, he talks about his thoughts on the Plenary Session and what he sees going forward.  Here is the video:

 

The Good Samaritan: Another Perspective

Once in a while I will be reading Scripture and suddenly a whole new picture will spring from the page and I will have a paradigm shift in perspective.  Remez is a particular favorite shift where one story tells another story.  One example I have written about and recently been reminded of is David and Goliath and their connection with the Book of Revelation!!

Triumphal entry of the Good SamaritanWell, a couple days ago, while searching for a Scripture verse that had the word ‘journey’ in it I stumbled on Luke 10:33, a verse I have read many times, but suddenly it jumped off of the page in a whole new way.

33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

I couple questions popped into my head and in just a matter of seconds I knew the name of the Samaritan!!  Seriously!  And, the name of the man who had been beaten and robbed!

Let me explain.

We can often get locked into a specific or dictated view of Scripture that may or may not be right.  What we do know is that there are great depths to the Word of our King, some of which are only being revealed in our day… Continue reading “The Good Samaritan: Another Perspective”

The ‘New Covenant’ is NOT with Gentiles…

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The provocative title is true and intended to get your attention.  Simply, the New Covenant is NOT with the Gentiles. That is not to say Gentiles can’t enter in, because Ephesians 2 and Romans 9-11 teach that they can, however, they immediately stop being Gentiles and become a part of Israel.

Until one understands this and the attendant implications (Torah to be written on their heart), they simply do not understand Scripture nor can they correctly assemble prophecy.  Hard to swallow, I know. 

Study it out.  How many eternal promises are there to Israel?  To the ‘house of Israel?’  To the ‘house of Judah?’  To ‘Ephraim?’

Christian doctrine ignores these glaring pieces precisely because they do no understand them.  I was a pastor.  Seminary trained.  I nor my professors understood these things, yet in His mercy, Abba is restoring the ancient paths (Jer. 6:16-19) and recovering His flock.

Dare to ask God to open your eyes to ALL of His Word.

http://bible.com/100/jer.31.31-33.NASB

Until The Two Become One (Must read, by Ken Rank)

Following is a terrific article by Ken Rank explaining the Two Stick Prophecy of Ezekiel 37, a passage that is largely overlooked by theologians in its significance.


Until the Two Become One

by Ken Rank

What the herders did not see before them was their brother. In fact, before Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, they had spent at least many hours with him, dining, being entertained, and also being berated and yet they saw only an Egyptian. To anyone who joseph-brothersmight have been standing at a distance, looking upon Joseph and that family of herders, being able to see that they were family would likely have been impossible.

The Prophet Ezekiel gives us a similar end-time picture in that we have two players who might just as well stand in such contrast. In chapter 37, verse 16, where we read the following:

“And you, son of man, take a stick and write on it, For Judah and for his companions, the sons of Israel. And take another stick and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions.”

What is easy to miss in the above verse is that Ezekiel takes two blank sticks that represent people and he is to identify who the two sticks are. The first he determines as Judah and those who are joined with Judah. The second stick is said to be for Joseph, but a stick that is Ephraim, and it includes the House of Israel and those joined to Israel. So we have a lot going on in this one verse. Most scholars believe that these two sticks represent the Whole House of Jacob, what was once a great nation that divided into two Kingdoms, Judah and Israel. But why the use of those names?  Continue reading at United2Restore

A Flaming Arrow?

A little while ago, a friend left this comment on the **Update** SC National Shabbat Details!! post:

screenshot-natsab com 2015-11-28 12-50-47Interesting…  Immediately, my mind went back to a verse I read yesterday in Zechariah:

Zechariah 9:13 For I will bend Judah as My bow,
I will fill the bow with Ephraim.
And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece;
And I will make you like a warrior’s sword.

The larger context of that passage is Judah and Ephraim coming together to fight their enemies and the Lord defending them and fighting for them as they destroy Greece/Edom…

Thoughts?

How to: Building Bridges with the House of Judah

Lately, I have had multiple interesting articles/emails come across my desk regarding the building of bridges between Jews and non-Jews.  The sources have been both Jew and non- with perspectives that have been varied, but a largely unified message:

bridge buildingSensitivity in language and culture when speaking to or about Jews concerning things of Scripture.

Like most of you, I came out of Christendom and have a considerable amount of ‘Christianese’ in my vocabulary that means one thing to me and something altogether different to those of Judah.  We may be well meaning, but our terminology, lingo and expectations can be heard as decidedly antisemitic.  Friend and fellow blogger, Peter Vest, recently published a post titled, Unintentional Antisemitism: Why Christian Institutions and Ideologies are Antisemitic Despite the Philosemitism of Individual Christians.  It is a short but instructive read about underlying expectations of Christendom upon Jews that have negative consequences.

Another recent source is a forwarded email I received from OvadYah Avrahami of Kol Hator titled We need to delete the word ‘conversion’ from our vocabuloryHe writes, Continue reading “How to: Building Bridges with the House of Judah”

Jerusalem Post: “Yosef is Alive!!”

This morning, friend and Israeli who lives in the Land, Ephraim Frank emailed an amazing advertisement from the Jerusalem Post.  Below is an image of a FULL PAGE ad they ran on the eve of Sukkot, the Feast of Ingathering!!  See the following two images, then read on, there is more!!

JPost ad 1

Continue reading “Jerusalem Post: “Yosef is Alive!!””

ALL Israel… Bones, sticks and kingdoms…

I have really been soaking in Ezekiel 36 the last few days and several times have read on til the end of chapter 37.  Well, this morning a coworker asked me about the dry bones and I got to share two sticks as well as address 37:24-28, verses Christendom ignores because they don’t fit the Christian paradigm.

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Who is ‘all Israel?’  Who is ‘My servant David?’  If ‘David’ is in the land overseeing ‘all Israel,’ where is Jesus? Where are you? Who are the two kingdom’s? (v.22 & 23).  Why does ‘David’ cause them to walk in statutes and ordinances… FOREVER?

Hmmmmm….  Seems the’re some seriously false doctrines floating around…

http://bible.com/100/ezk.36.8-10.NASB

‘Cheapening’ Jewish identity?? Oh, really??!

Great article and comments, especially by John Reiler:

Does It “Cheapen” Jewish Identity When a Gentile Practices the Torah of Israel?

And, the article OMJ is addressing is:

Unity in Messiah: A Commentary on One Law and Gentiles

 

Those who would seek to build/rebuild the dividing wall between Gentiles and Jews would be wise to consider that they fight against a work that God is doing in the world.  The diving wall was torn down by Messiah and the Apostles, but reconstruction began late in the first century with complete division between Jew and Gentile completed by about 400 A.D.  Few, for the next 1700 years passed through/across that wall.

In the last 35 years the Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit has again been moving to destroy that wall and Gentile believers all over the planet are coming to a place of Torah observance while maintaining faith in Yeshua.  At the same amazing time Jews by the DROVES are coming to faith in Messiah Yeshua!!  Continue reading “‘Cheapening’ Jewish identity?? Oh, really??!”

A Matter of the Heart!!

Lately, I have been marking instances of ‘heart’ in the Tanakh, or ‘old’ Testament.  My specific reason is that on so many occasions, in conversations with others regarding the importance of Torah in our day, I am told that it is written on our hearts by the New Covenant, therefore, we do not have to worry about or try to keep it.

The very root of that thought is contrary to the New Covenant, so we need to demonstrate briefly that the New Covenant is not yet fulfilled before addressing the ‘heart’ of the matter.  The New Covenant says,

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to[a] them,[b]
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
I will put my law (Torah) in their minds
    and write it on their hearts. Continue reading “A Matter of the Heart!!”