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Matthew 24:15
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) … From Cain to Nebuchadnezzar, everyone who tried to conquer the Jewish, the People of the Covenant, did it forcefully through land and military conquest. In his Jewish Antiquities, Flavius Josephus gives a detailed account of Alexander the Great's visit to Jerusalem and the transpiring events that caused him not to invade and destroy it. Even though Alexander the Great did not conduct a military campaign against Jerusalem, the Hellenic empire is responsible for the historically most successful conquest of the People of God, and that through cultural assimilation. The Western philosophical Greek is as opposite to the Eastern covenantal Jew as day is opposite from night, but is commonly said, 'opposites attract!' When Israel had gotten truly addicted to Hellenism and even had a Greek appointed corrupt Jewish High-Priest, all Antiochus Epiphanes thought he had to do was to send his emissary with a list of reforms to put all of Judaism into his evil hands. He didn't expect the Maccabee revolt. From where I stand, the Maccabees may have won the war and rededicated the Temple, Antiochus Epiphanes may be dead, but the form of Anti-Semitism that he taught is still alive and vibrant. In his great graciousness and compassion Hashem gave us His Messiah. This Jewish, Righteous, and Torah-observant Messiah was high-jacked by Greco-Roman believers who in less than two hundred years displayed Him as a Roman god dressed as a Greek Adonis teaching Greek philosophy. Under a twisted ignorant interpretation of Paul's epistles, this identity theft of our Messiah included the same set of religious reforms initiated by Antiochus Epiphanes which are to stop observing the Sabbath, practicing circumcision, eating according to biblical dietary laws, and studying theology as per the Torah. As a Jewish believer, I find myself in awe that today, my non-Jewish brothers live by the same religious reforms as those pushed by Antiochus Epiphanes and even find myself shunned from their fellowship as one whose, to say the least, theology is overly influenced by Judaism. I wonder what Yeshua would think of the fact that if I want fellowship with non-Jewish believers, I have to live by Antiochus Epiphanes rules. It may be OK for others, but Jewish believers need another Chanukah revolt where with Matthias Maccabee we say "NO" to Antiochus Epiphanes' rules and live our faith in Messiah according to the terms of the covenant Hashem gave to His people. Maybe that Day will be the Day of Messiah. May Hashem give us another Matthias Maccabee who will stand for us and lead us into the cultural battle to defeat Antiochus Epiphanes once and for all! May it be soon Abba, even in our days.
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Mark 13:27
And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Over many centuries now God has punished Israel by banishing His people from His Land. The world needs to finally realize that that strip of land by the Mediterranean Sea, which was historically called 'Israel' but which the Romans renamed 'Palestina', ultimately belongs to God and that He gives it to whoever He pleases, regardless of world opinion. The fact that God banished His first-born son to exile in the nations of the world never authorized these nations to get onto the 'act'. Can you imagine disciplining your son and suddenly the whole neighborhood joining on it? God's discipline is measured; His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalms 30:5). All the prophecies of what would happen to Israel if they stubbornly disobeyed have already been fulfilled under the Roman invasion, occupation, sacking and destruction of Israel, the Great Exile (Deuteronomy 28; Matthew 24). As the Assyrians and the Babylonians were moved by God to punish Israel so were the Romans, but whereas these powers had sort of a divine mandate (which they abused) to punish Israel, neither did the Catholic and Protestant Churches, nor Germany received such a mandate, and even less, today’s radical Islam. Ancient history teaches us that every world power who persecuted God's people lost their right to domination, even if they were doing it by divine mandate. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome all saw their downfall as a punishment for their oppression of God's people. Prophecies of Scriptures teach us that a day comes when God reinstates His people in the Land He promised to give them through Abraham (Deuteronomy 30:1-7). Scriptures also tell us that at that time many nations will rise against re-instated Israel (Ezekiel 38-39), and that these nations will pay a devastating price for it (Deuteronomy 32:40-42; Ezekiel 39:4; Matthew 24:28; Revelations 19:17-18). Countries today are faced with very important decisions. A simple study of Scripture shows the world that God has turned His favor again on His people of old, on His first-born son; that whereas the world is already indebted to God for the unwarranted persecution of His exiled people, those who stand in the way of His present will will most certainly be the recipient of His great wrath. Whatever anyone else does: God's will will be done! Matthew 19:14
"Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." Moses declares to Israel, "I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in (Deuteronomy 31:2). This could be interpreted to mean that because of his age he was decrepit and no longer ambulatory but how could it be when it is also said that, Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated (Deuteronomy 34:7)? Moses simply realized that time had come for him to pass on the baton to Joshua. Wisdom was going from him. He was not able to 'go out and come in' with Words of Torah. He knew that he needed to get out of the way and surrender the leadership of Israel to his faithful and devoted disciple Joshua. Moses had given his life for the cause. He saw all the works of God with Israel. He was the instrument, the 'pedagogue' of God's parenting. As he now readied to meet his Maker, Moses knew what was to befall the people he so faithfully led. He knew of their future disobedience and apostasy; he saw their defeat at the hand of their enemies; he saw multiple exiles, but he also knew that in the end, Hashem fulfills His covenant with them. This can be compared to our own parenting. We tenderly care and nurture our children for let's say twenty years then we send them to their own destinies. We see their first steps towards independence and how badly we want to keep them from falling as we did when they first started walking or riding a bike? We look with apprehension at their future and as we see the gloom and doom of their irresponsible decisions; we instinctively want to grab the steering-wheel of their lives back in our own secure hands. But we have to let go. We have to let God take over the leadership of our children's lives. In fact, the quicker we let go, the better it will be. What do we see when we let go? We see the same things Moses saw will happen to the Children of Israel. We see that our children will disobey the 'torah' we have taught them and will have to learn obedience through the things that they will suffer … just like we did. We might even wonder at times if God is really at the controls … but He most certainly is! God probably went through the same thing when He created mankind. He knew that as He turned them loose in the world, they would make the wrong decision. That is why he prepared atonement for us from even before the creation of the foundations of the world (Revelations 13:8). This atonement was available for the Children of Israel of old, and it is available for our children of Israel of today; so you are, sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Yeshua HaMashiach (Philippians 1:6). As Moses did, may we with confidence turn over the leadership of our children to the Almighty God, knowing that He cares for them more than we even do. He even gave His own only begotten Son to secure them a place in the World to Come! Romans 3:30
Since God … will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Hashem told Abraham to circumcise his boys: Isaac and Ishmael. Isaac was circumcised at eight days, and Ishmael at thirteen years old. Later Hashem instituted that all the Children of Jacob should be circumcised at eight days; the children of Ishmael who united with the Children of Esau to make the Arab nations still circumcise their children at thirteen years old. Circumcision is an outward sign of an inward reality. It serves as a branding in the flesh so people know we have a Master, that we belong to a family of people who has been redeemed that we belong to a Redeemer. Whereas this 'branding' is applied to our 'secret parts' allowing us to blend, it also reminds us that we are not our own: that we are responsible to the Law of our Master and not to do these things which are done in 'secret'! Moses spoke of a second circumcision, this time of the heart (also Jeremiah 4:4). It isn't to replace the circumcision of the flesh but rather worked as an addendum. The heart is the seat of the will. A person with a circumcised heart is one whose 'flesh' has been removed from his will; carnality does not dictate this person anymore. Isaiah also spoke of the circumcision of the ear ( As Paul wrote of circumcision, he did not need to write to the Jewish believers who already had instructions in the matter. He referred mostly to this promised circumcision of the heart to give us a 'heart to know' (Deuteronomy 29:4; 30:6). Physical circumcision was only given to the children of Abraham and particularly imposed on the Children of Israel. Given the fact that when Abraham was still uncircumcised he was made the 'blessor' of all the families of the earth, Paul then spoke to the uncircumcised Colossians (Gentile believers) of the circumcision of the heart (Romans 4:10-11; Colossians 2:11) whereby they would be 'grafted-in' to Israel (Romans 11) though Messiah.. As circumcision in the flesh changes our body showing that we have a Master and rules to abide by, so should the circumcision of the heart. One who claims to belong to Messiah should show the signs of being a different person, one not subject to his evil inclination but subject to the spirit of God. Hashem has promised that in the time of the end, when He gathers his chosen people from the four corners of the earth he will circumcise their hearts. There is no 'if' in there: this promise is unconditional (Deuteronomy 30: 5-6). One may wonder, "How can it be unconditional?" For millennia before the world ever knew about God and the Messiah the Chosen People have carried the persecution of being chosen and separated. We cherished and preserved the Word that the world today enjoys through the effort of the early Jewish disciples of the Jewish Messiah. I told a young woman who told me that her parents were Jewish but that it meant nothing to her, that to be Jewish is like being the inheritor of a vast wealth of future blessings, and that we should not like Esau throw away our glorious inheritance because of discomfort in this present reality. May we all, biological Jews and 'grafted-in' Gentiles, remember that this appurtenance to our Messiah means an unconditional Promise in the World to come. As the early Jewish martyrs starting with Moses who considered the riches of Messiah greater than Egypt (Hebrews 11:24-26), may we never let go of that hope. This is the very hope, 'Hatikvah' that kept the Children of Israel for 2,000 years, and it will keep us until that Day comes. May it be soon Abba, even in our days! Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Yeshua HaMashiach. Moses seems to peer into the future as he warns the Congregation in the desert of their future apostasy and exile. He seems to know that Israel will eventually forget the God that delivered her from Egypt. He knows that she will pervert the beauty of Torah observance, and go after idols according to the willfulness of her own heart (Deuteronomy 2916-29). According to these passages, some people claim that God forsook Israel when it deviated from the straight and narrow path of obedience to Torah and as a result rejected Messiah. I find this strange because God's Oracle through Moses doesn't stop there. It continues. It continues with a prophecy of Israel's repentance and return to the Land (Deuteronomy 30 1-14). As a new bride who carelessly played the harlot in her husband's house while he was away, Israel has been ravished, raped, used, misused, and abused. The nations kidnapped her and made her house desolate: a result of her own willful choices. I don't know about you, but I believe in the God who inspired Paul with the words, "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Yeshua HaMashiach (Philippians 1:6)". After the Holocaust Israel said, "that is enough"! As the Prodigal Son of the Master's parable, she assessed her fate and made a decision to return home where the Father waits for her with open arms and tears of joy (Luke 15:14-24). As with Jacob returning from exile at Laban's, angels wait for her at the entrance of the Land; God also gives her wisdom on how to deal with Esau's evil intentions (Genesis 32 and 33). As with Nehemiah' crew rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, God protects her from the Samaritans who try to intimidate her from rebuilding; she works hard at rebuilding her home, one hand with the work tool and the other holding a weapon (Nehemiah 1-6). Many look at Israel today and can hardly think of it as a godly nation. The Israel Hashem so carefully nurtured in the desert has returned soiled with the spiritual, moral and idolatrous filth she has collected during her sojourn in the nations. It is like going to jail and live among criminals. One will be affected. God knew that would happen. But her returning to the home God had appointed for her through Abraham and rebuilding herself as a sovereign nation is the mustard seed of faith that precipitates the rest of the prophecy spoken by Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and many others (Isaiah 27:13; 56:8; Ezekiel 37: 21-24; Jeremiah 31:31-40). After this extensive punishment that God claims being 'double for what she's done (Isaiah 40:2; 61:7), like Job Israel is restored twice above her former glory as in the days of Solomon's reign (Job 42:10). She also regains her place as a Light to the nations, and nations even flock to her for the Feasts of Tabernacle that they may hear the "Torah that comes out of Zion" (Zechariah 14; Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2). Thus goes the story, a beautiful story that indeed ends well. We must just be patient and not draw a premature ending. All things truly will be restored. May it happen soon Abba, even in our days! 1 Corinthians 10:11
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. After God delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt with His mighty Arm He commanded them, Only he, (any given future Jewish king) must not … cause the people to return to Egypt … '(Deuteronomy 17:16). Because of this commandment, some in Jewish religious circles conclude that once someone returns to Israel, to the Land of their ancestors, it is a sin to leave it again. But was the commandment to be applied solely within a geographical understanding? Eight centuries later, the Children of Israel had gone full circle. Subject to a coup within the royal house they fear the fury of Nebuchadnezzar. The remnant from Babylonian deportation decides to seek refuge in Egypt. They seek the advice (or approval) of Jeremiah the prophet who tells them to stay put in Israel and trust God. They reject the counsel and go anyways taking Jeremiah with them as a prisoner (Jeremiah 46). God must have foreseen this event for having warned the children of Israel before they even entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 17:16). It is easy to judge and criticize the Children of Israel for this blatant disobedience. “Oh, how children love to judge their parents, especially teenagers!” Yes; we can look at them and say, “Why? Why didn’t they trust God and obey the commandment, especially when Jeremiah told them? Can’t they remember all the bounty and power God showed them in the past …etc …” Yes it is easy to react that way, but the only way to have mercy and compassion on others is to have a good hard and honest look at ourselves. A rule for Jewish judges was that if a judge could not see within himself the fault of the person he was to judge, he would be self-righteous and therefore not fit to judge him. Seeing the fault of others in ourselves provides us with the Spirit of the Judge of the earth who took on sin upon Himself so he could judge us righteously (Isaiah 11:1-4). He asks us, Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye(Matthew 7:3)?. We must remember that, these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come (1 Corinthians 10:11). A good honest look at ourselves easily reveals the spirit of fear and compromise which stifles our effectiveness for Him as well as eats at our trust in obeying His word of personal revelation to us. It is at the end of our lives that we realize how we have missed the boat. We see then how we have allowed fear and personal interest to provoke us to compromise and choose a life of seeming safety instead of launching out like Abraham into the bright future that could not be altered no matter what. May we learn from the Children who tried to find safety returning to their old lives. May we learn that we are safer in a desert surrounded by enemies if God is with us that in that within a shaded walled garden with supplies yet without God. We need this lesson to help us face the days to come. We need to live it today so we can teach it to our children for their days to come … and their children’s! 1 Corinthians 10:11
These things happened to them as an example … were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. It seems that few things exacerbate the Father more than His people griping and complaining. He can freely set before us the best food ever concocted in the kitchens of Heaven, we will still complain and would rather have the dainties bought by slavery. And why do we complain? There is really nothing wrong with the food God gives us except that it is not what we want. Woe unto us and our evil nature! This tendency to complain and always wanting more is the basic lusting nature behind the sin in the Garden of Eden. We want what God in His goodness withholds from us, and like today’s manufacturers of goods, the devil is always happy to oblige. The worst of the story is that today’s worldly merchants know about our natural bend to whine and gripe and they constantly play on it in order to make a profit. They constantly tell people, “Aren’t you tired of this or that, behold I have the solution that will help you not to have work so hard, be more comfortable, or here is the food that will delight your palate. For only $...! How can you live without it?” They make a profit and feed on our complaining nature. It is so easy to look at the Children of Israel in the desert and wonder how they could complain so much, but in reality, we complain as much as they do and about the same things. Food, hard work, leadership, and the sometimes monotonous daily grind of life seem to be our main areas of complaint. We feel that the way God does things is not good enough. We must improve on His plan for us and make every decision in our lives from the color and consistency of our hair to whether or not to have children. We even want to decide the day of our death and call it ‘Death with Dignity’. We always think that we deserve more than the simple life our Father would have us live according to His will, so we enslave ourselves to another master: the Master Card! But Yeshua told that we cannot serve two masters; that we cannot serve God and Mammon (Matthew 6:24 KJV), and serving Mammon is where our complaining takes us. God knows it and He tried to reference the point through the Children of Israel in the desert. The area of complaint that seems the most destructive in the congregational body of Messiah seems to be each other. Whereas we complain about having to put up with others, we seem to forget that also others have to put up with us. We feel that people should have learned certain lessons by now so we show ourselves intolerant in impatient. We forget that in the Father’s eyes, we probably should be a bit more advanced ourselves in our spiritual growth and that we only exist by the mercy of His great compassion. May we learn from the lessons of the Children of Israel in the desert and realize that these things happened to them as an example … were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come (Corinthians 10:11). |
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