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FROM 'HERE', TO 'THERE'.

1/2/2013

Hebrews 11: 23-27
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Messiah greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people … (Exodus 2:11). We are not born 'there'. We get 'there' by starting where we are. In essence, like Moses we are all born in exile and we 'grow up' to that divinely ordained place we are meant to occupy, to that perfect destiny Hashem created for us to gravitate to.

To get 'there' is the compounding result of many of life's decisions, and sad to say, the reason why many don't get 'there' is because of wrong decisions. It is in old age or on our death bed that that realization suddenly strikes.

Moses followed the exact pattern the Father imposed on all the patriarchs. Abraham went through it as well as Isaac, and I like to compare Jacob's 'School of Laban' to the proverbial 'School of hard knocks'. They, and we, all have to experience a time of spiritual, if not physical Diaspora, exiled from the perfect will of God in our lives. It could be Hashem's way to help us appreciate the "Promised Land' of His perfect will when it comes!

It takes us a long time before we find that perfect place. We first have to travel in diverse endeavors, programs, ideologies, congregations, groups, and fellowships. Most of the time, we don't 'grow up' and get 'there' until our forties or fifties; Moses got there in his eighties (Proverbs 4:18).

In this age and in this world, we are all in Diaspora from the Kingdom of God. We have been away from our spiritual home since Adam and Eve. We get glimpses of 'home', when we study Torah and/or fellowship with one another. We get a glimpse of it when we pray, praise, and exalt the Father of us all (Psalms 22:3). One day as the Children of Israel did, we will all have 'grown up'. At that time, we will enter the Promised Land of the Kingdom of God.

Come to think of it, every Friday night as we welcome the Sabbath, we experience a little bit of the Kingdom of God on earth, a foreshadow of the World to Come. After the Sabbath, we all spend the week in 'Diaspora', but oh wonder of wonders, it always comes back, and when it does, what a joy!

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THE JOSEPH/ISRAEL/MESSIAH CONNECTION

12/3/2012

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1Timothy 3:6
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil (KJV).

It is easy to see Joseph the son of Jacob as a foreshadow of Messiah. Even classic Judaism presents Joseph as prefiguring the Messiah. Because of the messianic allusions to both Joseph and Judah, Judaism even believes in two Messiahs; first a suffering one: Joseph, and second a ruling one: Judah. We know now that the two ideas are resolved in Yeshua’s first and second coming.

Joseph and Judah were the recognized heads over the families conceived by their respective mothers: Leah and Rachel. Tensions were high between the two brothers, which resulted in the dividing of the country.

From the onstart, Joseph seemed rather unwise. He flaunted his father Jacob’s preferential love strutting around in his princely coat. He also probably didn’t have to pull in as much of a work load as his brothers. He was treated like a first-born. To add insult to injury, Joseph volunteered his seemingly narcistic dreams at which even Jacob was astounded. His brothers even surnamed him, ‘The Master of Dreams’, which proved in fact true, as the story confirms later (Genesis 37).

Joseph was truly the ‘Master’ of dreams’, and he was to be established over his family and the known world of his day for that matter. But in order to fulfill his destiny he still needed the humiliations that only slavery and unjust incarceration could offer. It doesn’t seem to be good enough for Hashem that we fulfill our destiny for Him. This is true of all of us. If we are to represent Him through our life or even verbal messages, we are to represent Him properly by exerting a life of humility and virtue He can be proud of. Before being finally given his God-given destiny, like Joseph, every man needs to go through rejection, slavery and the cruel injustice of man. Only the distress and humiliation of wrong and unjust treatment provides the qualities needed for Godly leadership. Without it, any would-be leader of God’s people is prone to the pitfalls of novices.

Come to think of it, the same was told of Messiah (Hebrews 5:8). Yeshua was not to be given the crown without the cross. As a nation, it is also true of God’s people. For centuries, like Joseph and Messiah, the nation of Israel as a whole was afflicted by the world without as cause, just for being Jews. We are told though that it is God who put ‘blindness’ on Israel for awhile so that the nations could have their time (Romans 11:25). This time of humiliation of Israel serves therefore to prepare him for its priestly destiny in the World to Come (Exodus 19:6).

As we approach the time of the fulfillment of the Messianic era, the true followers of Messiah will all be unjustly treated, just because they are God’s people (Revelations 12:17). May this coming tribulation, as it did with Joseph, heal us from our arrogance, pride, and immaturity that we may be worthy to rule and reign with Him in the World to Come (Revelations 20:4).

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'TOMORROW' STARTS TODAY

9/28/2012

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Revelations 20:4-6
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Yeshua and for the word of Hashem, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Mashiach for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Hashem and of Mashiach, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

About this time of future restoration and reorganization of the world, Paul, our Master’s apostle also specified, Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life (1 Corinthians 6:3)!

We are not given too many details about this judging of angels (and the secret things belong to God (Deuteronomy 29:29)); we are simply told in that and other passages that at the time when Messiah will physically reign on earth the faithful will share in His exaltation and judging of the universe which therefore implies judging angels. This idea of mankind judging angels birthed from the Book of Enoch, as Enoch, the first scribe was established over the judgment of the disobedient fallen angels (Genesis 6:1-5). The narrative of Enoch was a widespread Jewish writing from the 1st century C.E. the early believers seem to have been familiar with (Jude 1.14).

What is revealed to us though, (and the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever Moses also said (Deuteronomy 29:29)), is that if we are to judge angels in the future, we should also today be able to righteously judge in earthly disputes between ourselves (Isaiah 11:3-5 on how to judge righteously). In essence, our training for judging angels tomorrow starts today with learning to maturely take care of our own issues between ourselves.

The problem is that today, as with many other things, we are not encouraged to manage our own issues and disagreements. We are told to go to the police, to get a lawyer, or worst: a psychologist! As far as I can understand from his epistles, to Paul the fact that those who called themselves by the name of Yeshua could not manage their own problems by themselves was a disgrace and a bad representation of Messiah’s congregation in front of the non-believers. He said that it would be more valuable to be defrauded by others than to allow such a poor testimony in front of others (1 Corinthians 6:7).

It is high time that we take control of our lives; that we take responsibility of our affairs. We, as Messianic congregations, must organize ourselves into a coherent movement that is self sufficient in every way, self-legislated just as the Hebrew nation was taught to be by Moses in ancient times. Then and only then, we will ever be able to fulfill our destiny of entering the Promised Land of His divine will, and be an example to all nations of life under the rulership of Mashiach.

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THE DAY AT HAND

9/18/2012

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TISHREI 2 ב בתשרי
Matthew 24:45-47
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.”

Since the days of John the Immerser we are told, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ “At hand’, means easily reachable. Isn’t it strange that more than 2,000 years have passed and this 'at hand' Kingdom of God has not yet been established on the earth?

Every generation learns that ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is 'at hand’. In fact, many generations have been convinced that they were going to see the return of the Master right in their days, but it did not happen. In a way, it is right that it should be so. If it weren't, how would we feel the necessity to ready ourselves for that great and awesome Day? Even more important, how would we feel the urgency to teach our children about it? If we did not in every generation apprehend the return of Yeshua ‘at hand’, within two generations the whole message would be lost.

Each year during the High Holidays we rehearse, we anticipate this return of our Master; we look forward to His judgment, His vindication, and His final take-over of the kingdoms of this world when He will usher us into 1,000 years of restoration. All wrongs will be then made right and day will conquer the night. The lost will be restored, injustice will be rectified. In the glory of His ruling majesty, as Solomon of old, the great King will listen to our pleas, wipe our tears away, vindicate the souls of those persecuted for righteousness’ sake and challenge all who destroy the earth. May it be soon Abba, even in our days!

PRAYER:
"May it be Your will Abba that we may be ready for that great Day!
May it be Your will that we may be at that time found doing those which pertain to Your commands, not in lip service but from the heart.
May we start today living a life that reflects unswerving love and dedication to Your Commandments.
May we be found worthy of the title of disciple: one who emulates his Master.
Blessed are You O Lord our God King of the universe, who rewards righteousness, punishes iniquity, and most of all, rectifies the disobedient.

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FROM 'HERE', TO 'THERE'.

THE JOSEPH/ISRAEL/MESSIAH CONNECTION

'TOMORROW' STARTS TODAY

THE DAY AT HAND

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