A Modern Day Purim!

We are standing at a Precipice in History that has never been and will never be again!  As the black clouds of Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel bias grow increasingly dark;  rapidly becoming acceptable throughout University campuses, town squares and even some Churches throughout the world.

Israel and the Jewish people continue to be haunted by the imminent threat of persecution. 

On the Eve before a very Historic and intensely debated invitation by the US Congress to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu to speak; if we are in Messiah Yeshua, we MUST check our Perspective. Do we stand with Israel and the Jewish people because we serve & worship the God of Israel? Or do we justify our Apathy or worse yet, our Anti-Israel stance based on human wisdom and idealism's?  

Esther 3:7-15 TLV  In the first month (that is the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast the pur (that is, ‘the lot’) in the presence of Haman from day to day and month to month, up to the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.  8  Haman then said to King Ahasuerus: “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of every other people and who do not obey the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s interest to tolerate them.  9  If it pleases the king, let an edict be written to destroy them. I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out this business, to put it into the king’s treasuries.”  10  The king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman—son of Hammedatha the Agagite—enemy of the Jews.  11  The king said to Haman, “The silver and the people are yours—do with them as you please.”  12  The king’s scribes were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day, and an edict was written as Haman had commanded. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s provincial governors, and to the officials who were in every province, and to the

officials of every people, province by province, according to its script and people by people according to its language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s ring.  13  Dispatches were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, stating to destroy, slay, and annihilate all the Jews—from the youth to the elderly, both little children and women—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.  14  A copy of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to all people, so that they would be ready for that day.  15  The couriers went out hurriedly with the king’s command and the edict was issued in the palace in Shushan. The king and Haman then sat down to drink. But the city of Shushan was dumbfounded.

Just as in the book of Esther, the Jewish people are once again faced with certain annihilation if Iran is allowed nuclear weapons.  There have even been reports stating that our Presidential Administration has threatened to shoot down Israeli planes that target Iran's Nuclear facilities.  How can this be?   

 'Obama Threatened to Shoot Down IAF Iran Strike' - Middle East - News - Arutz Sheva

Just as Queen Esther humbled herself to go to the King and ask for the life of her people, the Jews; In the same manner,  Netanyahu is speaking to the United States Congress and the American people to plead for support to defend Israel from this modern day "Haman" called Iran, ISIS, Hezbollah & any other radical Islamic threat that would terrorize Israel and her people! 

Make no mistake, the timing of Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech could not be more Divinely appointed as it falls on the 13th day of Adar, the Eve of the Feast of Purim! 

Esther 9:15-32 TLV  The Jews in Shushan gathered together on the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and they killed 300 men in Shushan, but they did not put their hands on the plunder.  16  Meanwhile the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces gathered together to protect themselves and to get relief from their enemies. They killed 75,000 of their enemies, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.  17  This happened on the thirteenth day of Adar and on the fourteenth day they rested, making it a day of feasting and gladness.  18  But the Jews that were in Shushan had assembled on the thirteenth and on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth they rested, making it a day of feasting and gladness.  19  That is why the rural Jews—those living in unwalled villages—make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, a day of sending presents of food to one another.  20  Mordecai recorded these events and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,  21  urging them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar every year  22  as the days when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into celebration. These were to be days of feasting, celebration and sending presents of food to one another and giving gifts to the poor.  23  So the Jews agreed to continue the commemoration they had begun, and do what Mordecai had written to them.  24  For Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur—that is, the lot—to ruin and destroy them.  25  But when it came to the king’s attention, he issued a written edict that the wicked scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. (  26  For this reason, these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Therefore because of everything in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them,  27  the Jews established and took upon themselves, upon their descendants, and upon all who joined with them, that they would commemorate these two days in the way prescribed and at the appointed time every year.  28  These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family and in every province and every city. These days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor their remembrance perish from their descendants.  29  Then Queen Esther the daughter of Abihail, and also Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter of Purim.  30  He sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of shalom and truth,  31  to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them and just as they had established for themselves and their descendants, matters regarding their times of fasting and lamentations.  32  Esther’s command confirmed these regulations about Purim and it was written into the records.

It is also interesting to note that the Maccabees were victorious in their fight to take back the Holy Temple on the 13th of Adar.  The Maccabees fought Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the evil Hellenistic Greek ruler who had defiled the Holy Temple by placing  a statue of Zeus on the Altar of Sacrifice, flailing pig innards on all the Holy vestments and outlawed the sacrifices of worship to the God of Israel by HIS people.

Over the next several months they cleaned and restored the Holy Temple and thus began the Feast of Dedication or Chanukah!

This is a call to ALL those who are in Messiah Yeshua; the people of God to take a stand for His people, the Jews and His Land, Israel!  It is time that we change our Perspective of what God can do for me and mine, and begin again with the renewed mindset of God's purpose for my life for HIS KINGDOM!

Israel and the Jewish people are an integral part of our Heavenly Fathers end time plan; including Yeshua's return.  And just as HaSatan tried to thwart Yeshua's first coming through Haman and Antiochus Epiphanies; so too, he is  using Iran, ISIS and even the American Presidential Administration to do the same. 

As those in Messiah

We Must Pray:

1.  Repent for any Anti-Jewish or Anti-Israel sentiments in our hearts & minds, our Theology, or our Politics.
2.  Ask God to help conform our will to HIS will
3.  For Prime Minister Netanyahu and the people of Israel

We Must Remember:

• Genesis 12:1-3 TLV  Then Adonai said to Abram, “Get going out from your land, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.  2  My heart’s desire is to make you into a great nation, to bless you, to make your name great so that you may be a blessing.  3  My desire is to bless those who bless you, but whoever curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

• Zechariah 2:12-14 TLV  “For thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, He has sent me after glory to the nations that plundered you—because whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—  13  ‘For behold, I will shake My hand against them and they will be plunder to their servants.’ Then you will know that Adonai-Tzva’ot has sent me.  14  “‘Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will live among you’—it is a declaration of Adonai.

• Psalms 105:1-15 TLV  Praise Adonai, call upon His Name. Make known His deeds among the peoples.  2  Sing to Him, sing praises to Him—tell about all His wonders!  3  Glory in His holy Name. Let the heart of those who seek Adonai rejoice.  4  Seek Adonai and His strength, seek His face always.  5  Remember His wonders that He has done, His miracles and the judgments of His mouth,  6  O seed of Abraham, His servant, O children of Jacob, His chosen ones.  7  He is Adonai our God. His judgments are in all the earth.  8  He remembers His covenant forever—the word He commanded for a thousand generations—  9  which He made with Abraham, and swore to Isaac,  10  and confirmed to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,  11  saying, “To you I give the land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance.”  12  When they were but few in number, few indeed, and foreigners in it,  13  wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,  14  He allowed no one to oppress them—for their sake He rebuked kings:  15  “Touch not My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.”

70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Aushwitz

On this day 70 years ago, the Concentration camp Auschwitz was liberated!  January 27th 1945 is one of those defining moments in history that opened up a Pandora's box of Truth!


For most, however, that Truth has been watered down and even lost over the past 7 decades,  Especially among the American Christian Church.  So as a refresher course, I'd like to open that Pandora's box, and share with my brothers and sisters in Messiah some Truth, especially to those who have espoused indifference or worse yet, demoralization of the Jewish people and Israel through denominational divestment's and boycotts. 

Just the FACTS Ma'am ...
 
Antisemitism Defined:
Hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious group or “race.” Including but not limited to Anti-Israel bias.

The Facts of History (from the Concise Encyclopedia)
"In antiquity, hostility to the Jews emerged because of religious differences, a situation worsened as a result of the competition with Christianity. By the 4th century, Christians tended to see Jews as an alien people whose repudiation of Christ had condemned them to perpetual migration. Jews were denied citizenship and its rights in much of Europe in the Middle Ages (though some societies were more tolerant) or were forced to wear distinctive clothing, and there were forced expulsions of Jews from several regions in that period. Developed during the Middle Ages were many of the stereotypes of Jews (e.g., the blood libel, alleged greed, conspiracy against humankind) that have persisted into the modern era. The Enlightenment and the French Revolution brought a new religious freedom to Europe in the 18th century but did not reduce anti-Semitism, because Jews continued to be regarded as outsiders. In the 19th century violent discrimination intensified (see pogrom), and so-called “scientific racism” emerged, which based hostility to the Jews on their supposed biological characteristics and replaced religion as the primary basis for anti-Semitism. In the 20th century the economic and political dislocations caused by World War I intensified anti-Semitism, and racist anti-Semitism flourished in Nazi Germany. Nazi persecution of the Jews led to the Holocaust, in which an estimated six million Jews were exterminated. Despite the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, anti-Semitism remained a problem in many parts of the world into the 21st century."

Anti-Semitism in The Church...

In our modern American Church, we see Anti-Semitism alive and well on several Levels.  Impossible you say?  Let me explain;

Antisemitism within the Church disguises itself as doctrines, theologies and dogma's, the most notable being Replacement theology also known as "Supersessionism".  

• Replacement Theology:
• Blatant Replacement Theology -  this theological menace concludes that since the Jews rejected Jesus, God is done with them and now the Church is the New Israel.
• There is just one major problem with this unsound doctrine; besides the lack of logical deduction, it simply cannot coexist with God's promises to Israel & the Jewish people in a Scriptural context ... 
• Ezekiel 36:20-29 TLV  Wherever they went among the nations, they profaned My holy Name, since it was said about them, ‘These are the people of Adonai, yet they had to leave His land.’  (21)  But I had concern for My holy Name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.  (22)  “Therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘I do not do this for your sake, house of Israel, but for My holy Name, which you profaned among the nations wherever you went.  (23)  I will sanctify My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations—which you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Adonai’”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“‘when I am sanctified in you before their eyes.’”  (24)  “‘For I will take you from the nations, gather you out of all the countries and bring you back to your own land.  (25)  Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols.  (26)  Moreover I will give you a new heart. I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the stony heart from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  (27)  I will put My Ruach within you. Then I will cause you to walk in My laws, so you will keep My rulings and do them.  (28)  Then you will live in the land that I gave to your fathers. You will be My people and I will be your God.  (29)  So I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful. I will not bring a famine upon you.
• Logical Deduction - If God forsakes Israel and the Jewish people, something HE promised HE would never do by HIS Word for HIS Namesake, what makes the Christian think that God will keep HIS promises to them?   
• It is only by God keeping HIS promises to Israel, that believers have confidence that God will indeed keep His promises to them also!
• Subtle Replacement Theology - found primarily more in Evangelical circles tends to lean toward the rationalization that minimizes the importance of Israel and the Jewish people. For example:
• Its ONLY about a personal relationship with Jesus ... everything outside of that is null and void, not realizing that all believers should have the heart of One New Man (Ephesians 2) like the Love of Ruth towards Naomi.
  
• Ruth 1:16-17 TLV  Ruth replied, “Do not plead with me to abandon you, to turn back from following you. For where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.  (17)  Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Adonai deal with me, and worse, if anything but death comes between me and you!” 
• Oftentimes, when the importance of Israel and the Jewish people are mentioned among mainstream Christians, there is a stoniness of heart or even jealousy, and the plight of our Jewish brothers and sisters are minimized to the suffering of others.  Make no mistake, Israel is not Better, but they are first...like a first born son (Exodus 4:22).  
• There is a tendency to believe that when the Jewish people come to faith in Jesus, that they must be conformed to the Church and relinquish their Jewish Heritage to serve their Jewish Messiah. Doesn't seem to make much sense, does it?  In the New Testament, there are but two people groups... Jews and Non-Jews. And it is not Jews who must conform to the Ekklesia (the Greek term used for Church, meaning Assembly), but it is the Non-Jews or the Wild Olive Branch that is Grafted into Spiritual Israel.  The Jewish people are the Natural Olive Branch of Spiritual Israel...meaning that a remnant of Jewish believers have always been attached...  
• Romans 11:1-16 TLV  I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.  (2)  God has not rejected His people whom He knew beforehand. Or do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?  (3)  “Adonai, they have killed your prophets, they have destroyed your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”  (4)  But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  (5)  So in the same way also at this present time there has come to be a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.  (6)  But if it is by grace, it is no longer by works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.  (7)  What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained; but the elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened—  (8)  just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes not to see and ears not to hear, until this very day.”  (9)  And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.  (10)  Let their eyes be darkened so they do not see, and bend their back continually.”  (11)  I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their false step salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke Israel to jealousy.  (12)  Now if their transgression leads to riches for the world, and their loss riches for the Gentiles, then how much more their fullness!  (13)  But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Insofar as I am a emissary to the Gentiles, I spotlight my ministry  (14)  if somehow I might provoke to jealousy my own flesh and blood and save some of them.  (15)  For if their rejection leads to the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?  (16)  If the firstfruit is holy, so is the whole batch of dough; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
• Certain Eschatological (End times) teachings present Salvation to the Jewish as a Post-Rapture event. which may lead to not seeing Israel and the Jewish people as THE integral or Key to God's plan for End times and HIS Kingdom.

Amos 9:14-15 TLV  Yes, I will restore the captivity of My people Israel. They will rebuild desolated cities and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine. They will also make gardens and eat their fruit.  (15)  Yes, I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be plucked up out of their land that I have given to them.” Adonai, your God, has said it.

So what does all the above have to do with the 70th anniversary of Auschwitz?  I am so glad you asked...

By commemorating the Liberation of Auschwitz, it gives us opportunity to once again bring to light the horrors of the Holocaust so that we can Educate the next generation, in hopes of Never Again having to suffer this same cruelty.
 
And from a spiritual perspective, it also gives us an opportunity to see the Jewish people and Israel for who they were always intended to be... The very Key that will bring forth the Final Harvest and the ultimate Return of our Messiah.  And it is with this understanding that we can see the Spiritual Battle with the enemy of our soul is raging against those people, the Chosen people of the God of Israel to keep this from happening.  

At the end of the day,  Its not about the rise of Islam, or even the dramatic spike in Anti-semetic attacks on innocent Jews around the World... it is about HaSatan waging war against Yeshua himself by attacking the very people who will usher in our Messisah's return.

Luke 13:34-35 TLV  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.  (35)  Look, your house is left to you desolate! For I tell you, you will never see Me until you say, 

‘Baruch ha-ba b’shem Adonai. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
 

For the enemy knows when Yeshua returns, that his demise is imminent!    

Testing

As with all new things... I have to test the waters... 

Please check back for more blog posts later.... 

Catch ya on the flip side!