Hebrews 11:14
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
The second of November marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration when in 1917 British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, influenced the Jewish communities of the world to believe that Great Britain would support the creation of a Jewish state in the Middle East. Though achieved within all legalities, Israel’s return from exile has not been an easy one. It is still in question today.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and later the whole nation of Israel coming from Egypt, none of them got a free pass into the Promised Land. All had to push and fight for their God-given inheritance. Genetics teach us that children possess within themselves the potential of their parents, so we can be assured that when ‘push’ comeS to ‘shove’, our people will again show enough stubbornness to claim what is ours.
Alongside the modern-day Zionist movement we also have a new generation of messianic teenagers with a mission to reach out to their peers. They could also inherit being the messianic leaders of the World to Come, of the Kingdom of Messiah on earth. But as it was with our fathers it will not be an easy task. The promises are given to us for free, but LIKE Abraham, Rebecca, and Jacob, we have to show our will and worthiness to receive them by going to an all-out spiritual war for them.
Again, genetics come to the rescue. Under the blessing of Abraham (Genesis 28:14), biological descendant of the patriarch as well as all who take refuge in his seed Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, can find the strength, will, stamina, courage, if not plain sheer stubbornness (and by Hashem’s own definition we are a stubborn stiff-necked people) to accomplish the mission of the Master, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is immersed will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:15).
Just like our youth seems to be engrossed in today’s distractions, the Zionist movement in Israel seems to be a passing fad. Can we blame them? Aren’t many of us adults so engrossed in our own lives, even in congregational activities and divisions that we have very little time left for our godly mission to reach out to our peers? We as adults need to show our teenagers the way to a godly life. It is our responsibility to blaze the trail for them by doing like Abraham, letting go of the baggage of the past in order to engage in the mission Messiah called us to (Genesis 12:1). Like Abraham, Moses and all our fathers, our eyes and hearts need to be so focused on our bright future that the present world and its concerns seem to us but husks. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (Hebrews 11:15-16).
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
The second of November marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration when in 1917 British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, influenced the Jewish communities of the world to believe that Great Britain would support the creation of a Jewish state in the Middle East. Though achieved within all legalities, Israel’s return from exile has not been an easy one. It is still in question today.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and later the whole nation of Israel coming from Egypt, none of them got a free pass into the Promised Land. All had to push and fight for their God-given inheritance. Genetics teach us that children possess within themselves the potential of their parents, so we can be assured that when ‘push’ comeS to ‘shove’, our people will again show enough stubbornness to claim what is ours.
Alongside the modern-day Zionist movement we also have a new generation of messianic teenagers with a mission to reach out to their peers. They could also inherit being the messianic leaders of the World to Come, of the Kingdom of Messiah on earth. But as it was with our fathers it will not be an easy task. The promises are given to us for free, but LIKE Abraham, Rebecca, and Jacob, we have to show our will and worthiness to receive them by going to an all-out spiritual war for them.
Again, genetics come to the rescue. Under the blessing of Abraham (Genesis 28:14), biological descendant of the patriarch as well as all who take refuge in his seed Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, can find the strength, will, stamina, courage, if not plain sheer stubbornness (and by Hashem’s own definition we are a stubborn stiff-necked people) to accomplish the mission of the Master, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is immersed will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:15).
Just like our youth seems to be engrossed in today’s distractions, the Zionist movement in Israel seems to be a passing fad. Can we blame them? Aren’t many of us adults so engrossed in our own lives, even in congregational activities and divisions that we have very little time left for our godly mission to reach out to our peers? We as adults need to show our teenagers the way to a godly life. It is our responsibility to blaze the trail for them by doing like Abraham, letting go of the baggage of the past in order to engage in the mission Messiah called us to (Genesis 12:1). Like Abraham, Moses and all our fathers, our eyes and hearts need to be so focused on our bright future that the present world and its concerns seem to us but husks. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (Hebrews 11:15-16).
RSS Feed
