Yeshua (Jesus) read Biblical Hebrew.

“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
And the book (scroll; written in Biblical Hebrew) of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him.  And He opened the book (scroll) and found the place where it was written,

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”   (Luke 4:16-21)

Yeshua of Nazareth had been reading from Isaiah chapter 61, a Messianic passage.

The Hebrew word for “Nazareth” is nitzehret, and it is not surprising that the modern Hebrew word for “Christians“–followers of Yeshua of Nazareth, is ‘notzrim’. (These words have the same Hebrew root consonants: nun, tsadke and resh–sounds like ‘n’, ‘tz’ and ‘r’.)

Did you know that ‘notzrim’, the modern Hebrew word for “Christian”, is found in the very powerful prophetic chapter, Jeremiah 31?

First, please note that this chapter in Jeremiah declares:

1. There will be a New Covenant made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. (vs. 31-34)  This promise is repeated in the New Testament Book of Hebrews chapter 8!
2. The LORD’s everlasting love for Israel. (v. 3)
3. There will be a worldwide regathering of the Jewish people back to their land. (vs. 8-14)
4. The guarantee of Israel’s preservation as a nation. (vs. 35-37)

Sandwiched between these awesome promises,
we find the word “Notzrim” in verse 6:

כִּי יֶשׁ־יֹום קָרְאוּ נֹצְרִים בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם קוּמוּ וְנַעֲלֶה צִיֹּון אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ פ

I’ll transliterate the verse:  “Key yesh yom karoo notzrim b’har Ephraim koomoo vehnaahleh Zion el Adonai eloheinu.”

“For there shall be a day,
that the watchmen shall call upon the mount Ephraim:
‘Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion,
unto the LORD our God’.” (Jer 31:6 Jewish Publication Society translation [JPS])

There are three Biblical Hebrew (root) words for “watchman”:

natsar נצר; tsaphah צפה; shamar  שמר

The more common Biblical Hebrew (root) words for ‘watchman‘ are:

1. ‘tsaphah’ (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary [SHD], entry 6822)–to look out, spy;
2. ’shamar’ (SHD, entry 8104) –to keep, watch, preserve.  By the way, the word used for God as the “Keeper of Israel” is shomer, which comes from shamar.

But, the word used in Jeremiah 31 for ‘watchmen’ is notzrim. As just stated, the modern Hebrew word for ‘Christians’ is notzrim. I asked an Israeli friend of mine about this and he was baffled.  I showed him the passage.  He did a double-take.  He said he would speak to someone he knew, who had been in the Ministry of Education in Israel, to see if it could be explained.  I have not received an answer.

So, the third (and less common) Biblical Hebrew (root) verb from which we get ‘watchmen’ is ‘natsar’ (SHD entry 5341) — which has a primary root meaning “to watch, guard, keep”; and out of which comes the word, notzrim.

(Not to bore some of you, but here’s a quick Hebrew lesson:  Hebrew verbs are based on a root system, where generally three consonants comprise the root of a particular verb.  When certain vowel points or a prefix and suffix are added, the verb becomes a noun.  For instance, the verb,’to guard’, and the noun,’watchman’, share the same root.)

“Notzrim” appears three times in the Hebrew text.  It’s found in Job 27:18, describing the temporary nature of the house of the wicked as being like “a hut which the watchman has made.”    It’s found in a negative context in Jeremiah 4:16 where “watchers (notzrim) come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.”

And, it is found in the Jeremiah 31:6 passage we have been discussing.

Another Biblical Hebrew word which is derived from ‘natsar’ (from which we get the word ‘notzrim‘) is ‘netser’ (SHD entry 5342).
It means “sprout” or “shoot”, literally “branch”.

So what’s the connection between “branch, sprout, or shoot” and ‘watchman’?  What does this mean to people of faith?

The prophetic Messianic passage in Isaiah 11: 1-6 (JPS Translation) declares:

“And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse (King David’s father),
And a twig (branch) (netsar, entry 5342) shall grow forth out of his roots.
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and might,
The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD;
And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
Neither decide after the hearing of his ears;
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor…”

Netsar is only used two other times in the Hebrew Scriptures:

The first is in Isaiah 14:19, speaking of the demise of one fallen from heaven who had said in his heart that he would raise his throne above the stars of God and make himself like the Most High.  Most biblical scholars conclude that this is speaking of satan (Hebrew ’satan’–deceiver, adversary).

“But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch (netsar) …” (King James Version)

The other time we find netsar is in Isaiah chapter 60.  The context is Israel’s condition when Messiah returns:

“Thy people also shall be all righteous,
They shall inherit the land for ever;
The branch (netsar) of My planting,
The work of My hands,
Wherein I glory.
The smallest shall become a thousand,
And the least a mighty nation;
I the LORD will hasten it in its time.” (Isa. 60:21-22 JPS)

Immediately after this Isaiah 60 passage, we obviously come to Isaiah 61– the same section wherein Yeshua read in the synagogue in Nazareth (nitzehret)!

So, this unusual root Hebrew word (nun, tsadke, resh) is spoken of in the context of Messiah, Israel, satan, enemies of Judah,  and in modern Hebrew:  Christians!

Therefore, who are the watchmen -notzrim- mentioned in Jeremiah 31:6, who say: “Arise, and let us go up to Zion, unto Yahweh our God?”

Notwithstanding that in the Isaiah 62 passage,  “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem…” — the word for “watchmen” is from the root shamar; could the watchmen mentioned in Jeremiah 31 verse 6 prophetically be today’s Christians, who intercede day and night for the LORD to watch over Israel and make Jerusalem a praise on the earth?

Please note: This verse about watchmen (notzrim) saying “Arise, let us go up to Zion, unto the LORD our God”, is followed by a command to “sing with gladness for Jacob, and to announce ye, praise ye, and say, “O LORD, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel.“” (Jeremiah 31:7)

Is this remnant, which is described as weeping as it returns to the Land of Israel, the Holocaust survivors?

Who is commanded to rejoice with Jacob (Israel; the Jewish people) in verse 7?

How could it be Jacob that rejoices with a broken Jacob that is described in verse 9 as returning to the Land (v.8) with weeping?

That does not make sense.

I offer that it was Gentile believers in Yeshua, true Christians, who knew the Holy Scriptures and the promise of restoration for the Jews.  These are the modern day watchmen for Israel:  The ‘Notzrim’!

History notes that this modern regathering, which began in the late 1800’s, was preceded by Christian Zionists who spoke out, even before Theodore Herzl, about God’s promises to restore Zion!

We welcome your thoughts on the matter!

When I was a child and had been through some substantial suffering, I thought God owed me something.  This was reinforced every Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), when I would fast and my mother’s friend would say, “You don’t have to fast, you’ve suffered enough.”

In other words, I found a way to compromise in obedience to what was my conception of Torah, since I thought God was my debtor.

Years later, after having been a believer in Messiah for about fifteen years, I evidently had still been carrying this spiritual chip on my shoulder!  Clearly a root of bitterness had been growing even during the time I was reading the Scriptures, praying, and telling others about His love.

I was very upset one day and I admitted to a friend that I had a root of bitterness.  She said, “No you don’t, you have an OAK TREE of bitterness.”

I had no response; she was right.

So how could I uproot this oak tree of bitterness from my heart?

I searched the Scripture and came to Job chapter 41.  Job, as most know, suffered immeasurable pain.  He had lost his health, his children, his wealth, his friends and his position of esteem.

In this chapter, the Lord was revealing His greatness to Job, while dealing with his attitudes.  He describes Leviathan, the great sea creature, to get his point across.  I was actually rebuked by what I read. Please take a moment to read from the text:

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
“Can you put a rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a hook?…

“Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; you will not do it again!…

“No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?” (Job 41:1-2,8,10)

In a moment I knew that my sin of bitterness was a Leviathan in my life.

Even as Leviathan could not be pulled in with a simple fish hook, this sin of bitterness could not be removed by human means.

But, God gave me a “two for one”… The very next verse is:

“Who has given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” (Job 41:11)

The Lord, in His rebuke to Job, stated emphatically:  “I AM NOT YOUR DEBTOR!”

This verse is so important that the Apostle Paul quotes it in Romans chapter 11:35!

The context of this passage (verses 11-27) has to do with the cycle of mercy:  That Jewish unbelief about the Messiahship of Yeshua opened the way for the Gentiles to receive mercy.  Now Gentiles have opportunity to come into the Kingdom of God.  Paul then exhorts the Gentiles to show mercy to the Jewish people, who have experienced a partial hardening until the full number of Gentiles come in (to the Kingdom).

Ultimately, the Holy One of Israel will again deal with the Jewish people as a nation in bringing them to Messiah.  He has always preserved a remnant of Jewish people who believed in Messiah Yeshua through the centuries, as promised in Romans 11:5 and Romans 9:27.

Paul continues to exalt the LORD’s greatness in verses 32 through 35:

“For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.”

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? (Paul quotes Isaiah 40)

Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?” (Paul refers to Job 41!)

Believer or nonbeliever, Jew or Gentile — The LORD, the Master of the Universe, owes us nothing.

Everything we are, everything we have or ever hope to be, is from His gracious hand.

So, if you are blocking your own blessing, as I had, through bitterness and thinking God is your debtor, please consider these clear truths of Scripture.  Whatever your “Leviathan” is, you can’t lasso it in.

Whatever expectation you have of God because of your suffering, or your good works, God owes you nothing.

But, God is full of grace and mercy.  Agree with Him that you are a debtor to Him (and not the other way around). In fact, you do owe Him — because if you have been living for yourself, you have been sinning against the One who made you for His glory and purposes, not your own.

Then find His heart of mercy and love by calling on the Name of Yeshua (Jesus), our intermediary.

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Messiah Yeshua.” (1 Tim. 2:5)

(To my fellow Jewish readers who may think we have a ‘direct dial’ to the LORD: Moses served as an intermediary, and interceded for the people of Israel when the Holy One of Israel wanted to destroy them for their sin.)

For a more detailed understanding of how to come into a relationship with the Living God, who loves you, please consult these previous posts:  “How A Chinese Waiter Found True Fortune“, “He Has Set Eternity In Your Heart” and “No Passover Seder, But The Passover Lamb“.

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

A pastor let this slip from his mouth when we were speaking, “Don’t you know all Jews are rich?”  Unfortunately, I have heard similar remarks in both religious and non-believing circles, with no one apologizing.

Those making that claim ignore the fact that almost 50% live impoverished lives in Israel.   Russian Jews have faced abject poverty for centuries; elderly Jews in the western world struggle greatly.  Someone even told me that there were 154 ways in Yiddish to say “poverty” — and only two ways to say “wealth”!

But I’m not talking about Jews and money.

I am letting you know that the Scriptures confirm that all Jews are rich.  The “wealth” is just not measured in greenbacks!

Here’s what the Bible says…and this is found in the New Testament!  The Apostle Paul, known as St. Paul, is speaking:

“Then what advantage has the Jew? … Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.” (Romans 3:1a, 2)  Paul is stating the fact that the words of Scripture, God’s word, came through and were preserved through the Jewish people.  That’s rich!

Here are the other ways Paul says his “kinsmen according to the flesh”, the Israelites, are rich:

In Romans chapter nine verses four and five, he writes,

“To whom belong:

1. The adoption as sons
2. The glory
3. The covenants:   (Abrahamic (Genesis 12:1-30; Mosaic (Exodus 19, 20), Davidic ( 2 Samuel 7:8-16),  Palestinian (Deuteronomy 30:1-10); New (Jeremiah 31:31-34))
4. The giving of the Law (Torah, which means “instruction”, teaches the requirements and means to living holy lives  in relation to God, one’s fellow man, and one’s body (health laws))
5. The Temple Service (there has been no Temple since 70 CE/AD)
6. The promises (of Scripture!)
7. The Fathers:  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  ( remember God called Abraham his friend; He doesn’t mind being addressed as “The God of Abraham” when we pray!)
8. From whom is Messiah according to the flesh.” (Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew!)

So, it’s true.  All Jews are rich!  They have an enormous spiritual wealth and heritage.

Why were the Jews made rich? To make you and the world rich–rich with the knowledge of God, rich with the wisdom that was written through them in the Scriptures, rich with law that helps men govern themselves.  Even the Founding Fathers of America consulted the Torah to create a framework in which liberty and justice for all might prevail.

The Jews were the lineage God used to bring forth Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

The greatest and richest Jewish man that ever lived, Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, had this written about Him:  “For you know the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”  (2 Corinthians 8:9)  He left the splendor of heaven; was born as a little Jewish baby into poverty; lived a holy, Torah observant life; bore our sins in His body, on the tree, to make atonement for all; and was resurrected.

He alone enables us all to share in “Jewish wealth”, not by plunder, as the societies in which the Jewish people lived, did over the past two thousand years; but as those who are “far off” (from covenant with the God of Israel) come near to the “Commonwealth of Israel” (Ephesians 2:11-14), by participating in a Jewish covenant, the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-12).

The wealth to be received is new life, hope, peace, joy and eternal life in Messiah; as well as, the wisdom and instruction of the Holy Scriptures, which exist today because of the faithfulness of the Jewish people to preserve them.

If you have harbored bitterness against the Jewish people because they are a blessed people, stop sinning in this way.  It invites cursing – not blessing, as the Scripture says:

“How fair are your tents, O Jacob,  Your dwellings, O Israel! … Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.” (Numbers 24:5,9b)

The God of the Jews is also the God of the Gentiles (Romans 3:29) and He richly blesses ALL, and ANY ONE, who calls upon Him, as it written,

“For the Scripture (Hebrew Bible) says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile); for the same Lord is Lord of all,
abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”  (Romans 10:11-13, taken from Joel 2:32)

The Apostle Paul, a zealous Jewish scholar and “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5), wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Gentile)”  (Romans 1:16 ASV)

Why would Paul mention shame in relation to the Gospel?  Why does he say he is not ashamed?  How does his declaration affect you?

Before we consider these questions,  let’s look at Paul’s understanding of the Gospel:  He believed that man’s righteousness, no matter how great, is insufficient in God’s sight. “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Messiah is the end (fulfillment) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”  (Rom. 10:3,4)

Paul makes clear that Messiah’s atonement, alone, provided the righteousness that God requires us to have in order to have access to Him and eternal life.

Then Paul clarified WHAT we must believe to be saved:

…Messiah* died for our sins according to the (Hebrew) Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the (Hebrew) Scriptures,
and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve (apostles).
After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time…to James, then to all the apostles;
and last of all…He appeared to me (Paul) also.” (1 Cor. 15:3b-8)

Paul taught us HOW TO RECEIVE this gift of salvation:

“…that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness,
and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all,
abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Rom. 10:9-13)

(Please note the verses capitalized are quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures:  Isaiah 28:16 and Joel 2:32)

Paul knew that to believe that righteousness is imputed to our personal “account”, by faith rather than works, would certainly challenge Pharisaic Judaism–the predominant religious Jewish thinking of his day.

He knew that the Gospel, and how to obtain right standing before God, also challenges the heart of every human being today.

Over the past thirty five years that I have known Messiah and studied the Holy Scriptures, I have talked to at least a thousand people, one on one, about the Gospel.

I was not “experimenting”, but I have had a large enough “sample size” to draw some relevant conclusions.

In dialoging with the highly sophisticated and intellectual, famous people and the wealthy, the poor and uneducated, Jews and non-Jews, atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Buddhists, New Age, and those with eclectic beliefs, Americans and those from other lands …after a while I saw that people’s objections to the Gospel fit into basically two categories.

People from all walks of life either stated they have not sinned, and therefore have no need for a “savior”; or, they feel their lives and deeds are sufficient to merit favor with “God”, or a “god of their own choosing”.  Therefore they also have no need for a “savior”.  They had their own “righteousness” and did not need God’s!

It did not matter if they acknowledged God, or the Bible as God’s authoritative word, or were atheists.  Their self evaluations fell into those two categories. They were OK.

Of course, sometimes there was a humble person who knew they had no reason to boast in their own self-sufficiency or righteousness.  By the way, there were rich people who were humble, and poor that were prideful.  Sin does not fit easy categories.

Sometimes, in conversation, people put God on the witness stand for “His record” in dealing in human history, and deflecting the scrutiny away from their own lives and consciences.

In one instance I remember speaking with a man who told me he owned four homes.  He shared how his heart and life emphasized philanthropy.  Here was a good guy.  He was Catholic.  When I explained that even his Bible teaches that righteousness is through faith, and not works, and that his eternal destiny depended on faith in what the Word of God said, versus what his friend the priest said, he replied:  “I’m choosing what my priest says.”

The human spirit is rife with pride.  The Gospel of salvation, by faith in the finished work of Messiah Yeshua, cuts into that pride.  It’s humbling to say, “Your way, LORD, not mine.”  He declared that Way was Yeshua. (John 14:6)  He does not invite us to debate on this.

Many think the Gospel is simply foolish, naive thinking.

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1 dovetail here:

“For the word of the cross (the Gospel) is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written,
“I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,
AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”
(He quoted Job 12:17 & Isaiah 19:11; 33:18)

Where is the wise man?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the debater of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God,
God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks (Gentiles) search for wisdom;
but we preach Messiah crucified (the atonement for our sins),
to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Messiah the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

He goes on, “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen,
the things that are not,
so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” (1 Cor. 1:18-25, 27-29)

So why does Paul say he is not ashamed of the Gospel?

Because the message of the Gospel is foolishness to the non-believer. It is so “unsophisticated”, so non-demanding in terms of works, and so exhortative, and in fact, narrow– that those who believe, and want to communicate the truth, could feel ashamed at the simplicity, apparent foolishness, and yet boldness of the message.

Though the Gospel is simple, it was no small thing for Messiah Yeshua to “bear our sins in His body on the tree.”

Let us also not forget that, statistically speaking, the fulfillment of the prophecies by Yeshua of Nazareth–prophecies about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Messiah, were interwoven in the Hebrew Scriptures by many men from different stations in life, over a period of more than a thousand years.

This was no simple matter.  It involved kings, and nations, and simple maidens; the dispersion of the Jewish people in 586 BC; the preservation of the Jewish people in Persia; the return to the Land of Israel after 70 years; different Gentile nations coming into power; and, the Romans ordering a census that brought the Jewish maiden, Miriam, (Mary) back to Bethlehem in fulfillment of Micah chapter 5 verse 2. (Messiah Yeshua was born in Bethlehem.)

Remember this simple message of the Gospel turned the world upside down in the first century and influenced Western culture for almost two thousand years.

When I believed this simple message in 1973, it brought to me light, hope and peace, as it has to countless millions all over the world.  It has changed the lives of addicts, social climbers, Holocaust survivors, the broken, the successful, the atheist, and the religious.  There is not a person in this world of whatever ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, or emotional state that cannot be transformed by the power of the Gospel.

Two emotional states have been mentioned in this post:  Shame and Pride (boasting).

There will be no human boasting at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) when those who have not received the free gift of God (i.e., the righteousness of God and eternal life by faith) will have their “works” evaluated– literally judged by Him who sits on the throne.  Unfortunately, it will be a devastating experience for those who have trusted in themselves, or someone, or something other than the finished work of Messiah Yeshua; for as Paul forewarned:

“Now we know that whatever the Law says,
it speaks to those who are under the Law,
so that EVERY MOUTH MAY BE CLOSED
AND ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD;
because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight;
for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God through faith in Yeshua the Messiah for all those who believe;
for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:19-23)

Pride and boasting of self-righteousness will be out of the question.  Every mouth will be shut.  Only faith in the finished work of Messiah Yeshua, His substitutionary death on the tree, will rescue, free, pardon, save and absolve us from the penalty of our own sin.

That same Paul, a scholar with impressive lineage, said, “If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day (Jewish), of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church (he persecuted Jews who believed Yeshua was the Messiah); as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.  But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Messiah.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Messiah Yeshua* my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Messiah*, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Messiah, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith…” (Phil. 3:4-9)

It couldn’t be more clear. Righteousness is by faith.

Paul, a sophisticated Jewish thinker, communicating, at times, to sophisticated audiences in the Greek world of philosophical thinking, was not ashamed to tell men and women that what would free their souls from sin, their minds from oppression, and give them a place in the Kingdom to come, was a simple, unsophisticated matter of humble faith.

Believer, are you afraid of appearing foolish before non-believers who are, or appear, more sophisticated in knowledge, speech, education, dress and/or lifestyle than yourself?  Or are you walking “in the fear (reverence) of the Lord” and worrying what He thinks about, and knows to be, the other person’s eternal destiny?

Seeker, why would a God who knows and loves you want to make it difficult to find your way Home?

Our Heavenly Father wants you in His house, as it is written,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (The Messiah), that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world (and its false sophistication); but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16,17 KJV)

I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.

*  I have taken the liberty to use the Hebrew name of Yeshua the Messiah wherever the Anglicized Jesus Christ appears throughout this post. Also, as usual, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible except where otherwise indicated.

In thinking about the uncertainty of these times, I recalled something from college physics:  “The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle”.   It states that it is impossible to know both the exact position and the exact velocity of an object at the same time.  The effect is minute and only noticeable on a subatomic level.

You many be thinking, “Who cares?”

But wise King Solomon offered an “uncertainty principle” that everyone of us in 2009 can relate to. He wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter eight verse seven, “If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?”

Talk about uncertainty!  Not even the wisest man knew what lay ahead.

We do know that uncertainty is certain!

So how does one prepare for a bad eventuality if one does not know the what or the when of that eventuality?

The answer for the very real anxiety surrounding the uncertainties of life is to have faith in The Master of the Universe, Who is not uncertain and never will be uncertain of His knowledge of events, people or places.

He knows where everyone and everything is, and knows the when of life.  His awesome power, divine purposes, and overarching love for mankind, as demonstrated in His giving the Messiah, His Son, for us, is the “what” we each must count on in this time of brewing storms.

When Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus) was speaking to a crowd of people, He said:  “The Queen of the South (The Queen of Sheba)…came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” (Matt. 12:42; Luke 11:31)

Yeshua affirmed His ability to have things under control by saying:  “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b KJV)

He also affirmed this, when speaking of His life and impending crucifixion, by saying:  “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again…” (John 10:18 KJV)  He was in full control.

Talk is cheap.  Yeshua said He overcame the world.  How did He prove it?

Through His resurrection, a verified historical fact, He proved His Messiahship and power over our greatest enemy — death.

Yes, uncertainty is certain.

But, God’s love for you, and His power to sustain each of us, is more certain.

Run to Him for true security.  As the Scripture says, “The name of the LORD (YHVH) is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.” (Prov. 18:10)

But, what if you are not certain that the Scriptures are the word of God?

What if you aren’t even certain that God exists, let alone loves you?

Here are some critical certainties to consider:

1. Millions of lives, and Western societies, have been positively transformed by the Bible. (Do note that when those societies discounted the authority and wisdom of the Scriptures they “decayed”.)
2. Hundreds of prophecies have been specifically fulfilled regarding the birth, life, death, resurrection and purpose of the Messiah. (See Micah 5:2, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, for example.)  It is a mathematical impossibility that all these prophecies could have been “fulfilled” by chance.
3. Scores of biblical prophecies about the scattering and regathering of the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel, after two thousand years, have been authenticated and borne out by history.  Think May 1948.

So, take a chance.  Tell the Master of the Universe, the God of the Bible, that you want to know Him and the certainty of His love, and the plan and promise of eternal life.  He promised to draw near to those who draw near to Him.  All you have to lose is your uncertainty.

P.S.  Please see some earlier Prophetic Prints posts to learn the “details” on how to freely receive the LORD’s gift of eternal life, grace, mercy, love, etc.

When I mention “Ethiopian”, those of you who are familiar with Scripture probably think of the apostle Philip’s encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch, as recorded in the New Testament Book of Acts, chapter eight verses 25-39.

There we read how an angel dispatched Philip to a desert road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.  This man was in charge of all her treasure. On his return from Jerusalem, where he had come to worship, the eunuch was sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah.  His exposure to the God of Israel undoubtedly stemmed from the influence of the Queen of Sheba, who, more than a millennium before, had brought back the wisdom of Solomon and the knowledge of the Holy One of Israel to Ethiopia!  Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” 

Philip heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
And he said, “Well, how could I unless someone guides me?  And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

“He was led as a sheep to slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open His mouth.
He was humiliated and denied justice.
Who will tell about his descendants,
Since his life has been taken from the earth?” (Isaiah 53 verse 7)

The eunuch asked Philip the same question that has been debated for two thousand years: …”Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this?  Of himself or of someone else?

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Yeshua to him.”

The eunuch believed.  Then they traveled a short distance together and the eunuch saw water — remember, they were on a desert road. “Look, water!  What prevents me from being baptized (mikvahed).  Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

This eunuch who was in charge of a queen’s treasure, was now in possession of a better treasure–He had found the Messiah, the King of the whole earth.  Thus, the Gospel went to Africa through this man!

But who is the other Ethiopian mentioned in Scripture in conjunction with a Jewish king?

He’s a man named Ebed-melech, which in Hebrew means ’servant of a king’.  We meet this amazing man in Jeremiah chapter 38, verse seven.

The context is that the Kingdom of Judah and her king, Zedekiah, were facing judgment because of idolatry and evil.  The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that the LORD would give the city of Jerusalem into the hand of the Babylonian army, and the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.

Zedekiah’s officials told him to put Jeremiah to death because they believed Jeremiah was discouraging the people by his words of warning.  Zedekiah relinquishes responsibility and tells the officials, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.”  (Jeremiah Chapter 38, verse 5) The officials then cast Jeremiah into a cistern.  There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

BUT Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch, while in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern.  Ebed-melech went to where the king was, outside the palace and boldly said, “My lord, the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cistern; and he will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.” (verse 9)  The king responded and commanded Ebed-melech to take thirty men under his authority and bring up Jeremiah the prophet form the cistern before he died.

Ebed-melech took the men, worn out clothes and rags. He told Jeremiah to put the clothes and rags under his armpits.  Jeremiah does so, and they pulled him up with the ropes.

Then the city of Jerusalem was captured.  On the ninth of Av (4th month; approx. August), the city wall was breached.  The Chaldeans (Babylonians) burned the king’s palace and the houses of the people; they broke down the walls of Jerusalem.  The king’s sons were killed and Zedekiah was bound in fetters of bronze.

Amazingly, Nebuchadnezzar gave orders about Jeremiah:  “Take him and look after him, and do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.”  (Jeremiah chapter 39, verse 12)

Now Jeremiah gets a specific word for the Ethiopian eunuch!

“Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD (Yahveh) of Hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day.  “But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the LORD, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread.  “For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,” declares the LORD.’”  (Jeremiah chapter 39, verses 16-18)

What we can learn from this Ethiopian Eunuch’s life:

1. The BOLDNESS  an obscure servant had to speak to a wicked king, because he knew what was right, did not go unrecognized by the LORD (or the king).
2. The Ethiopian’s TRUST in Yahveh (The LORD) in grave circumstances did not go unnoticed by the LORD.  The LORD sees when you trust Him in difficulty!
3. As a result of his trust in Yahveh, he was given a special prophetic word of encouragement and hope to assuage his fears.

In these difficult days of shifting sand (economically, politically, etc.), we must have the wisdom and boldness of Ebed-melech.  We must stand for what is right, even if it means speaking to those who are opening the door to destruction. The LORD knows who are His:  “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Isaiah the Prophet declares in chapter 56 verses 3-5:  “Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely separate me from His people.  Neither let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

For thus says the LORD, “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will
give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.”

The Scriptures have indeed memorialized these men to vast numbers of people throughout the world over the past 2,000 years.

Here’s the result of the faith of two Ethiopian eunuchs:  One brought the Gospel to Africa; the other saved a major prophet’s life…a prophet that still speaks in 2009!

Never think your acts of faith and obedience are insignificant.  They can yield fruit and have far reaching powerful, amazing consequences–even spanning many generations.

We were in a Walmart Superstore by the dairy section.
My husband remarked, “This yogurt has 45 grams of sugar. That’s a lot of sugar!”

A heavy set man chimed in, “Hey, in three hundred years it won’t mean a hill of beans.”

I reflected on his answer and quietly prayed to the LORD.  What can I say to him?
I asked him his name and spiritual background.

“Peter.  I’m Catholic.”  He intellectually knew the facts about Yeshua–you know, “He died for our sins…”, but I did not sense there was a heart commitment.

How could I reach this man?

He had just dismissed the conversation with a quick and easy answer by reciting what he remembered from his childhood religious training. Then a thought came to my mind that I knew could help me demonstrate how urgent and relevant the Gospel was for him at that moment.

“Have you ever had a lawsuit, Peter?”

“Yes, I am actually having issues with my divorce and an old injury.”

I followed with the question, “Have you ever heard of pre-paid legal?  You know it’s a service where you pay about a hundred dollars a year and if you have some minor situation, or need a lawyer’s letter, they help you.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

Peter, which do you prefer–representing yourself or having an attorney represent you?”

Then I quoted what the Apostle John wrote about in his first letter (1 John).
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, the righteous.”  (1 John chapter 2, verse 1)

I told him that the word “advocate” actually meant “attorney”.

“You know Peter, some day you will have an appointment in God’s court.  You will be standing before a holy and just Judge.  That Judge will have reviewed your life and cited all you have done–good and bad.  He says that “the penalty of sin is death” (Romans 5:8), that is, separation from God forever.

What I’m telling you about is The Pre-Paid Eternal Legal Service.  You sign up to have the legal services of the Attorney who knows all about you and wants to represent you before the Judge.  He not only wants to represent you before the Judge, but He already paid what you owed when you sinned against the One who is Master of the Universe. And besides, he doesn’t even charge you a fee, since He already paid for it two thousand years ago when He gave His life a ransom for many. (Matthew chapter 20, verse 28)

Or, you can come to the Judge on your own merits.”

Peter “got” the analogy.

I asked, “Would you like to pray now, acknowledging that when you come before a Holy God, you want Yeshua the Messiah to be your attorney.  That he already paid your debt for sin in full, and will forever represent you?  That you can then know for certain that you have eternal life and forgiveness through the Messiah?”

“No!”, he replied.

“Would you mind if we prayed for you?”, I persisted, knowing that this man’s eternal destiny was at stake.

“No!”, he said calmly.

So my husband and I prayed for him…for his family and his physical ailments.  He thanked us and we went our separate ways.
We occasionally prayed for him after that.

Several months later I bumped into him in the same Walmart.

He said, “Hey, I went home and prayed to receive the LORD that same day!”

I sent him a Bible and “The LORD is Near to the Brokenhearted” Prophetic Print because he truly was a man with heartache.

Peter will never have this appointment in Court:  The Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 -15:

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Are you scheduled for your day in Court…or has that appointment been erased by your having signed up for Messiah’s Pre-Paid Eternal Legal Service?

If you, like Peter, would like to know for certain that you are not scheduled for judgment, that the penalty for your sins is already “covered”, here’s what to do:

1. Speak to the Creator.  His name is Yahveh…the God of Israel…the God of the Bible.  The call is free!
2. Agree with Him that you deserve to be judged for actions, thoughts and/or words that you have done that have violated His law.
3. Tell him about those actions, thoughts and/or words.  This is what the word “confession” means:  “to agree with”; you agree with Him that these things violated His Holy standard and are worthy of judgment. Reviewing the 10 Commandments may help jog your memory. (See Exodus Chapter 20 verses 1-17)
4. Acknowledge your rebellion toward Him and that in many respects you did not realize that in HIM you live, and move, and have your being.
5. Believe that Yeshua the Messiah, loved you so much that He gave His sinless life for you.  Acknowledge that His work alone, not your good deeds, are sufficient to soothe a Holy God, who, though HE IS LOVE, must punish sin.
6. In prayer, receive Messiah Yeshua into your life and heart.  (Say audibly:  “Messiah Yeshua, I believe you died for my sins and I receive you now into my life and heart”)
7. Tell someone else what happened.  For it is written in Romans chapter 10, verse 9 – 13:  “that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says,  “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD (YAHVEH) WILL BE SAVED.”

Several years ago we were moving and did not want to keep a treadmill.  So we placed an ad in the local newspaper.  We got a call from a German man who had slurred speech.  Evidently he had had a stroke, so his wife got on the phone to complete the call.  They wanted to see the treadmill and said they would come over.

They had given me their last name, a long German one.  It complemented their pronounced German accent.  I wondered, “What is their feeling toward Jews?”  You see, in the nineteen eighties I had been introduced to a friend of a friend, who after speaking with me a while, confided, “My dad is a Nazi.”  Thus, I was a bit wary.

This older couple came to our home.  I don’t know why the wife, out of the blue, began to mention Jesus as a master.  I surmised she was into New Age thinking.  I spoke about deception; that people are searching for truth, and in their openness open themselves up to lies.  I explained that the true Jesus, Yeshua, was not a founder of a religion, or a means to some form of peace, but was the One who proved to be the Messiah and Savior of the world, by fulfilling the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures, rising from the dead, and afterward appearing to more than five hundred people; clearly He has been setting millions of people free from bondage over the past two millennia.  He is the Prince of Peace, not merely the means to peace.

Then she told me her story.  She was Jewish and was one year old when the Nazis came into power.  She had been hidden in a subway for an entire year as an infant!  I began to cry because of the pain she related.  I also felt badly because I had presumed. I had been wrong.

Her heartache caused her to search for meaning.  Unfortunately, her vulnerability emotionally and spiritually drew her into a pit–the pit of deception.

We spent four hours talking.  It was a profound time.  I had the privilege of telling them about the Messiah, who heals the brokenhearted and bore our sins in His body, on the tree.  I told them Messiah surely bore their griefs and carried their sorrows. He carried all the sorrows of the Holocaust.   What love, what compassion.  But there is even more amazing thing to contemplate:  That Messiah bore the profound evil that every Nazi committed against the Jews and all humanity…”He died once for ALL, the just for the unjust to bring us to God.”

I gave her a biography I had just read about a Jewish doctor who likewise learned not to prematurely judge people.  During the Holocaust this doctor had a very moving experience.   While in a monastery to which he fled after escaping Sobibor, a concentration camp, he masqueraded as a Catholic for several months.  He finally went to confession and told the priest.  To his great surprise and comfort, the priest led him in the Shema, in Hebrew! (Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad–Hear, O Israel, The LORD our God the LORD is one.)  The priest had suspected all along that the doctor was Jewish!   The doctor never expected this Polish priest would have a special love for the Jewish people!

Back to the treadmill story:  I did not expect that the potential buyer for my treadmill was a Holocaust survivor.  I also did not expect to hear her German Gentile husband  speak of his deep love and compassion for the Jewish people, which he did that day.

There are times we simply judge situations too quickly and do not  know to whom we are talking. The LORD is leading us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, and everyday events are the context for His gaining glory!

Well, the couple bought the treadmill and we drove thirty miles to get it to their home.  We set it up.  We prayed together.

We had touched history, and the God of all comfort had touched each of us!

How to get off the treadmill of searching here and there for peace and truth and meaning, and get onto the sure road of life:

1. Speak to the Creator.  His name is Yahveh…the God of Israel…the God of the Bible.  The call is free!
2. Agree with Him that you deserve to be judged for actions, thoughts and/or words that you have done that have violated His law.
3. Tell him about those actions, thoughts and/or words.  This is what the word “confession” means:  “to agree with”; you agree with Him that these things violated His Holy standard and are worthy of judgment. Reviewing the 10 Commandments may help jog your memory. (See Exodus Chapter 20 verses 1-17)
4. The first commandment says, “I am the LORD, you shall have no other gods before me.”  Tell Him about other gods–false religions or other types of idols you may have had in your life.
5. Acknowledge your rebellion toward Him and that in many respects you did not realize that in HIM you live, and move, and have your being.
6. Believe that Yeshua the Messiah, loved you so much that He gave His sinless life for you.  Acknowledge that His work alone, not your good deeds, are sufficient to soothe a Holy God, who, though HE IS LOVE, must punish sin.
7. In prayer, receive Messiah Yeshua into your life and heart.  (Say audibly:  “Messiah Yeshua, I believe You died for my sins,(Your death atoned for my sins), and I receive You now into my life and heart”)
8. Tell someone else what happened.  For it is written in Romans chapter 10, verse 9 – 13:  “that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says,  “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD (YAHVEH) WILL BE SAVED.”

*Picture above is of the Sobibor Railway Station. Picture from the Wikipedia Commons, courtesy of Jacques Lahitte.

Last year, my elderly cousin, a Conservative/Orthodox Jewish woman, whom I will call Ida, asked me if there was an afterlife.  She had asked the same question of her rabbi and a pastor at her grandson’s wedding (it was an intermarriage).

Here’s what I wrote to Ida…

It’s always wonderful to speak with you!  I am glad Sam and Angela had a beautiful wedding.

You told me a few weeks ago that you asked your rabbi if there was an afterlife.  Then you told me you also asked the same question of the pastor that officiated at the wedding.

Here’s what the Hebrew Scriptures teach:

When King David had a son with Bathsheba (before Solomon) and that first baby was very ill, King David fasted.  Then the baby died.  Afterward King David ate food.  He said to his servants, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the L-RD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’  “But now he has died; why should I fast?  Can I bring him back again?  I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”  (2 Samuel chapter 12 verses 22-23)  King David obviously knew that the baby went somewhere after his death, and after his own death, he would also go there.

Furthermore, in the twelfth chapter of Daniel the Prophet it says, “Now at that time Michael (the archangel who protects Israel), the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.  And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.  Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground (i.e. who are dead) will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt…  Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.  Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand…But as for you, go you way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”  (Daniel chapter 12 verses 1,2,9,10,13)

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3 verse 11, “…He has also set eternity in their heart…”

Because He has set eternity in your heart, Ida:  That is why you are asking if there is an afterlife.  Generally we are distracted by daily chores, worries, activities, and fulfilling dreams in this life, and rarely, if ever, think about eternal matters.  However, you have asked one of the most important questions that can be asked!  Yes, there is an afterlife.  The issue is:  Will you, according to the Prophet Daniel, spend eternity in the Holy One of Israel’s presence, or in a place of disgrace and everlasting contempt? What is the basis of “rising to everlasting life” vs. everlasting separation from the Living God?

Here is the answer!

Two thousand years ago there were some Jewish siblings: Lazarus, Martha and Mary.  Lazarus was sick.  Yeshua (Jesus) knew about this.  Then Lazarus died.  “Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.  Martha then said to Yeshua, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

Yeshua said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Yeshua said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Messiah, the Son of God even He who comes into the world.”  (John chapter 11 verses 18-27)

Then, Yeshua proved who He said He was by raising Lazarus from the dead! 

Also, a young Jewish ruler asked Yeshua, “Rabbi, what must I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (Matthew chapter 19 verse 16)

Clearly, two thousand years ago the idea of eternal life and the kingdom of heaven was part of Jewish thought.  The liberal rabbis of today, who discount the authority of the Scriptures, have dismissed this…possibly because of the agony of the Holocaust and the subsequent feeling of being abandoned by the G-d of Israel.

Nicodemus, the Teacher of Israel, came by night to Yeshua, afraid to be seen by his peers in the Sanhedrin.  After telling him that he must be born from above (born again), Yeshua said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers chapter 21 verses 9-21) even so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life  (John chapter 3 verse 15)  Yeshua takes an event from Jewish history to explain what He came to do.  You see, fifteen hundred years prior, some Israelites were bitten by vipers and died in the wilderness.  Moses was told to make a bronze serpent and set it on a standard.  “And it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.”  Messiah was lifted up on the tree (cross), raised from the dead, and gives eternal life to those who look to (believe in) Him.

Yeshua continues to tell Nicodemus:  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.“  Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John chapter 5 vs. 24)

What is this judgment?

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, everyone according to their deeds.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation chapter 20 verses 11-15)

All people have sinned and fall short of God’s righteous standard.  The composite of all the sins in this world is reflected in a world that is out of control with pain, violence, separation, poverty, injustice, etc.

However, the good news is the Messiah bore our sins in His body on the tree when He purposefully came to provide atonement for us.  His blood atonement covers our sins, just like the Passover lamb’s blood on the lintel of the doorpost spared every Israelite firstborn who came inside the house, on whose doorposts the blood had been applied. (see “Post #1!”)

“For the penalty of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Yeshua the Messiah.” (Romans 6:23)  Yeshua is the Passover Lamb who delivers from condemnation, all and only those, who believe in Him.

Ida, The Scriptures are clear that there is no other way to obtain eternal life.

During Hanukkah two thousand years ago, Messiah Yeshua said, as recorded in John chapter 10 verse 18, “No man takes My life, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.  This commandment I received from My Father.” So much for the outrageous history of blaming Jews for the killing of Christ. Incidentally, please read Acts 4: 27-28 which clearly states who is indeed responsible, humanly speaking, for His death–”Herod (a convert to Judaism; Pontius Pilate–a Gentile; the Gentiles, and the people of Israel to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”  Wow!  The God of Israel predestined the Messiah to be put to death for the sins of all people.

This correlates with what we read in Isaiah chapter 53:  “It pleased Yahveh to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see his offspring, He will prolong his days…”  This Messiah would be the guilt offering for Israel and the nations.  He would then see and have his days prolonged, clearly speaking of resurrection!. 

There is a lot here, Ida.  The main thing is the Good News:  The God of Israel loves you and your family.  He is offering you and them eternal life.  But an offer does not take effect until there is an acceptance of that specific offer.  This is a legal transaction resulting in grace and eternal life!  If anyone would come to Him, it must be completely on His terms and not our own! His terms are stated in Romans chapter 10, “That if you confess with your mouth Yeshua is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation, for the Hebrew Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’”

For thirty four years I have prayed for you, almost daily.  If the nature of life and death; and these issues of eternal life and appearing before the Living God, either on our own merits/good works which are insufficient because they are tainted, or in the merits of Messiah’s perfect work on the tree, weren’t so serious, I wouldn’t be praying for you, nor would I have written you about what you could see as offensive.

I know if you humble yourself and ask the God of Israel if Messiah Yeshua is in fact the means by which you, Ida, can know you have eternal life when you pass from this place of pain...He will show you.

I love you!

The Biblical Hebrew word for “idol” or “image” (“Ahtzav”), means to “carve, fabricate, fashion”.  What is striking, however, is the fact that it also means “to worry; pain or anger; to grieve, hurt, vex.”.  (See entries 6087 through 6094 in the Hebrew dictionary in Strong’s concordance.)

Could it be that much of what you and I worry about, and get emotionally distraught about, are actually idols/gods in our lives?  No, not works of ceramic or stone, but perhaps our goals, which become the central focus of our being. We need emotional and financial security.  However, if we are laboring for these apart from trusting the love and care Yahveh* has for us, we might be making them into idols.  The Scripture says, “We know and believe the love God has for us.” (1 John chapter 4 verse 16)  Do you believe He really loves you?  Interestingly, the Apostle John ends this same letter with the admonition:  “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”  (1 John chapter 5 verse 21)

At times, we fret over what other people think of us, and order our lives to please them.  Or we envy and covet what others are or have.  This is stressful, adds to worry and sometimes, anger.  We are actually accountable for these inner motivations and actions. This is a clear violation of the first Commandment, “I am Yahveh*, you shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20: 2-3)  Thou shalt not covet is the 10th commandment.

Are you rushing about trying to fulfill what you think is your destiny…worried and anxious about so many things?  Here’s a timeless word from Scripture:  Isaiah 28:16 (ASV translation) says that “…he that believeth (believes in the precious cornerstone which Yahveh has laid in Zion. i.e. the Messiah) shall not be in haste.” (literally, not be in a hurry!)

In contrast, the Scripture exhorts us to rest in Messiah and “find out what is pleasing to the LORD (not men).” (Ephesians chapter 5 verse 10)  Messiah Yeshua said, “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him (The Father).” (John chapter 8 verse 29)  This is the key to peace, in contrast to worry and vexation:  To do the things that are pleasing to Yahveh (The Heavenly Father).  We have no record in Scripture of Messiah being anxious and fretting.  He manifested peace at all times.

Do you know the verse that precedes the amazing command and promise in Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 & 7:  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.“?  It’s the foundational truth that “The LORD is near. “ (verse 5)

The truth is “…He is not far from each one of us;…” (Acts chapter 17 verse 27), believer and non-believer, alike!

Today, draw near to Him…utter even the shortest prayer or cry. “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted…” (Psalm 34 Verse 18)  “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145 verse 18)  And, He welcomes us with this wonderful invitation:  “You will seek Me and find (Me) when you search for Me with all your heart.  ‘I will be found by you,’ declares Yahveh…” (Jeremiah 29 verse 13, 14)  He actually lets us find Him!

Seek the ‘Wonderful Counselor’ (Isaiah 9 verse 6) today.  Let the ’spirit of wisdom’ (Isaiah 11 verse 2) search your heart to reveal any idols of worry and angst.  Ask Yahveh to remove these intruders. They intrude on our peace of mind and can actually impede constructive, creative thinking regarding the things about which we worry!  These intruders can adversely affect our health. As wise King Solomon said: ”A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”  (Proverbs 14 verse 30, NIV translation)  (Note: The Scriptures address psychosomatic illness three thousand years before modern medical science!)

Please write and let us know if any of your “worrying and hurrying” has been replaced by quietness and confidence as a result of acting upon something you’ve read in today’s post.

Shalom!

Please note that all Scripture quotes are taken from the New American Standard version, except where indicated.

*In seeking to place the Scripture quotes in their original Jewish context, we frequently use the Memorial Name (Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey; Yahveh) in place of the English ‘LORD’) and the Hebrew name ‘Yeshua’ in place of the Anglicized ‘Jesus’.