Elijah at Horeb: The Voice in the Wilderness

I Kings 19:9 - Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”  NASB

When we see major events happen around us, we need to listen carefully for the voice of God and His message.  It is not in the earthquake or fire that God caused.  Rather it is in the sound of the gentle wind blowing which represents the spirit of the living God; a spirit that wishes to convey messages from heaven for our benefit.

Yesterday morning I saw a license plate on the vehicle in front of me that had three 7s and then a space followed by some letters.  Later that day I saw another plate from an out of state car with three 7s followed by a space and letters.  Both times I remember thinking what an odd coincidence.  Then, after work I went home and mowed my sister’s lawn with a push mower.  I did a lot of walking throughout the day and was curious as to how many steps I had taken so I checked my pedometer right before going to bed.  It read 14,000 steps, another multiple of seven.  So I started thinking that God had a message in the number 777. 

After thinking about the number of triple 7s, I remembered that both Malaysian planes that went down recently were Boeing 777s.  It occurred to me that these airliners were the earthquake and fire from God before He spoke.  They were aimed at getting His people to listen for the sound of the gentle wind and understand its' message.  So what was the message?  The number 7 represents perfection and God’s creation for he created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.  So maybe the message was in the number 777.  I went to http://www.biblewheel.com/GR/GR_Database.php and entered the number 777 to search for Hebrew words within the Bible that have that same Gematria (number value when you add up the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letters).  Following are the results of this search.

All the Words in the Bible with Sum = 777

Text Strong's First Occurrance

מתושאל  H4967 Methuwsha'el / Methusael - Genesis 4:18

בעשתה  H6213 `asah / do - Leviticus 4:27

בתשעה  H8672 tesha` / nine - Leviticus 23:32

ותישנהו  H3462 yashen / sleep - Judges 16:19

ושאלתם  H7592 sha'al / ask – 1 Samuel 25:5

ותשליכהו  H7993 shalak / cast - Job 18:7

ואתמשל  H4911 mashal / like - Job 30:19

למשאות  H4876 masshuw'ah / destruction - Psalms 74:3

כאשכלות  H0811 'eshkowl / cluster - Song of Solomon 7:8

השבעת  H7646 saba` / satisfy - Ezekiel 27:33

אתעקרו  H6132 `aqar (Aramaic) / plucked - Daniel 7:8

I would encourage the reader to read these verses in their context in the order of the list as I believe there may be a distinct message being presented.  For example, Methusael was a descendant of the Biblical Cain that killed Abel.  His name means “Man of God” according to Strong’s Concordance Hebrew meaning.  In Aramaic it means “Who demands his death”.  When you combine the meanings, you have “Man of God who demands his death”.  The next two occurrences of words with the 777 gematria deal with repentance/forgiveness.  Leviticus 4:27 concerns unintentional sins and bringing offerings for forgiveness once the individual becomes aware of his guilt.  Leviticus 23:32 is about preparing for the Day of Atonement (Judgement Day).  Verse 32 states that the day before the Day of Atonement – “It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath” NASB.  I Samuel 25:5 is in the context of David helping protect Nabal and then Nabal not returning the favor but returning evil for the good that David had done for Nabal.  Job 18:7 tells of the wicked’s schemes bring them down.  Job 30:19 is about Job, a righteous person, suffering and being humiliated in front of people.  Therefore the theme of these passages seems to be focused on God’s people, their sins and repentance in preparation for Judgment Day, and their suffering from wicked people and resultant humiliation in the world’s eyes.  In Psalms 74, the psalmist asks why God has rejected his people and allowed the enemies of God to triumph.  He reminds God to remember His covenant with His people.

The rest of passages start with a description of the beautiful bride followed by passages of judgment.  Song of Solomon 7 is a physical description of the bride (God’s people) by the admiring bridegroom (God).  Then Ezekiel 27 describes the destruction of Tyre which could easily describe the destruction of America.  The final passage in Daniel 7 is about the 11^th king, the Little Horn or Antichrist.

To me the message is clear.  God’s people need to repent and prepare for the Day of Atonement.  It will be forgiveness and salvation for those that repent, but will be judgment and destruction for those that don’t.  In the end the Antichrist will be destroyed and God’s Kingdom established with God's Messiah as King. 

 The Kingdom of God is very near!  The sound of the gently blowing wind is speaking to those that are careful to listen.  The Turtle Dove has indeed arrived in the land.

 

The Messiah Son of David – Will you recognize him when he comes?

When the Messiah comes, he may come in disguise.  He may follow the examples of Joseph and Moses and appear foreign to his people.  He would then reveal himself to his brethren as Joseph and Moses did.  When they recognize him they will welcome him back to their family whether it is his first or second appearance.

The critical question we each need to ask ourselves is whether or not we have eyes to see and spiritual insight to recognize him when he comes.  What if the messiah comes as a common Jew from the land of Israel instead of as Christian theology proclaims?  How would you recognize him without the pagan attributes that have been given to him over the millennia or how would you recognize him if he doesn’t appear in the air with his angels?

The Messiah could come as the Creator’s small, still voice; a voice speaking so softly to the world that virtually nobody notices at first.  You would have to watch and listen carefully to recognize him.  You would need to look at the world around you without your theologicall biases in order to recognize him.

My belief is that most Jews and Christians may not recognize him in the beginning as they will be looking for something else.  It won’t be until the Messiah is well under way in bringing the lost ten tribes home to unite with Judah to restore God’s kingdom here on earth that some will recognize him by what he is doing and saying.  Many Jews and Christians may even say that he is a false messiah since he doesn’t conform to their particular theology. 

We would all do well to remember that theology is man’s attempt at defining and understanding God and His truth.  You cannot contain the Creator of the Universe with our mental constructs and expectations.  He has demonstrated over and over that he works in very mysterious ways.  As the bible says in Isaiah 55: 7 – 9:  Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (NASB)

We live in a world of lies and illusions.  So much so that it is often hard to figure out what the truth is.  We know that God is truth and that his Messiah will represent God’s truth.  So don’t let your religious theology and doctrines get in the way of recognizing truth when it arrives.  Let us return to our Creator and find His truth! 

The bible is clear that the Messiah will restore all the tribes of Israel and not just Judah (Jews) in forming the Kingdom of God here on earth.  Watch for much to happen in the coming days, weeks, and months.  Don’t focus on the tribulation as it occurs all around you, but rather put your sights on God and His truth. Those with eyes to see will see truth and miracles all around in the midst of all the turmoil.  Will you recognize him when he arrives?  He may not fit the image you were expecting.  He will be filled with God’s truth and be about the tasks he has been assigned.  You recognize him by his truth, his actions, and what he accomplishes.

The Messiah Comes

We are in the end of days when the messiah appears to restore the Kingdom of God here on earth.  He will come at the appointed time that only the Creator has knowledge of.  He will likely not be here as soon as God’s people would like.  Many of us are weary of battling evil.  We see common sense and decency disappearing all around us as they are replaced with self-centered ideologies.  Truth is ignored and condemned by people desiring to live according to their own rules instead of God’s.  It seems that the battle is being lost on multiple fronts.  We earnestly and expectantly desire God’s anointed messiah here to lead us in the final battle to overcome all the evil that is gripping the planet.

We must stand strong for what we believe.  We must do what is right and decent.  We must spiritually prepare and equip ourselves for the coming battle by reading the bible and praying.  The Messiah will come with the armies of Heaven at his side to wage the final battle.  We need to be prepared to continue the fight and join in the final battle.  It will not be a time of mercy but a time of judgment on the ever growing evil.  Judgment will come on the final empire of man and the last king of the kingdom of man.  The world has forgotten that God is both merciful and just.  They have experienced His mercy in our lifetimes and seen little of His justice and judgment.

Time is very short!  The final battle is likely going to occur within the next few years.  I sense the Messiah’s presence growing stronger each day.  The Creator is working behind the scenes putting all the pieces of the puzzle into place.  He is setting the stage for the final battle that is soon to come.  Those that have eyes to see are aware of what is going on.  Are you ready?  Soon we will hear the Messiah say, “Ready or not, here I come!”  Only it will not be a kid’s game, it will be all out war!

Joel 2:1 states:  “Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain!  Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near.”

The Greatest Obstacle between Christians and Jews

Currently the Christian messiah is the greatest stumbling block between the Christians and Jews.  The Christians worship their messiah as a deity, the physical extension of God which to the Jews is idol worship and abhorrent.  When Messiah ben David comes at the end of days, the question will finally be answered.  For the both Christians and Jews believe that Messiah ben David will be the incarnation of the Angel of the Lord with God’s name in him.

In the Bible, there are several examples of a messiah saving all of Israel.  One is in the story of Joseph.   Joseph was sold into Egyptian slavery by his jealous brothers.  He was lost from his family and assumed to be dead.  He was falsely accused and suffered in prison.  In the end, he was eventually elevated to godhood in the Egyptian society.  He became Egyptian to the point that when his family came down to Egypt during the famine they did not recognize him and they surely didn’t believe that he was a god since they believed in only one god in contrast to the Egyptians.  In the end Joseph revealed himself not as a god but as their brother and savior who was sent ahead to deliver them.  He was exiled and deified by the Egyptian world and then reclaimed by his family when he revealed himself to them with love.

Another example in the Bible is the story of Moses who was also raised in the Egyptian society.  Moses left Egypt and went into the wilderness of Median for many years where he tended sheep and married his wife.  He returned to Egypt at the direction of God to free his brethren the Israelites.  Moses appeared to them as a foreigner and the Israelites questioned his leadership even though it was confirmed by God.

When the messiah comes, he may follow the examples of Joseph and Moses and appear foreign to the Jews.  He would reveal himself to his brethren as Joseph and Moses did.  When they recognize him they will welcome him back to their family whether it is his first or second appearance.  However, if it is his first appearance, Christians will have their eyes opened and they will exclaim that they have been told lies.  The drama is about to unfold.  I know I have my opinion, but I want to be open to absolute truth as it is revealed to us.  The end result will be God’s plan in establishing the Restored Kingdom of the entire House of Israel (Joes and Jews).  May it be here speedily in our days!

Two Messiahs or One?

    
Judaism has historically taught the concept of two messiahs. They teach of a Messiah ben Joseph that comes to gather the Lost 10 tribes and prepare them for their return to God’s Kingdom to be reunited with their brother Judah.  They also teach that this is followed by a Messiah ben David that comes to finally establish and rule over the restored God’s Kingdom.  The Jews view them as separate individuals.

In contrast, teachers in the Hebraic Restoration movement teach that the role of both messiahs will be accomplished by the same individual.  Jesus (Y'Shuah) was Messiah ben Joseph, who came 2,000 years ago to spread the Gospel message to gather the Lost 10 Tribes back to God and His Word.  He said himself in Matthew 15:24 that “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” which was universally understood in his day to be a reference to the Lost 10 Tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Restoration teaches believe he will come the 2nd time as Messiah ben David who will be the Ruler King of the Restored 12-Tribe Kingdom of God.

According to modern Hebraic Restoration Interpretation, the 10 Tribes were 'divorced' and rejected from the Covenant by God,  Messiah ben Joseph's main task was be to reconcile them back into Covenant with God and with Judah, to finally establish the Re-United 12-Tribed Kingdom of Israel over which Messiah ben David will reign at his Coming.  Judah, however, has never been rejected and therefore does not need the Covenantal reconciliation without which 10-Israel would be doomed for eternity. The apostle Paul acted contrary to his Divine Mandate to go to "the lost sheep of the House of Israel" (Matthew 10:6), by insisting to “go to the Jew first”.

The problem is when Jews accept the 'Christian' Messiah, they turn to some or other form of pagan influenced Christianity, because they are dependent on Christian anti-Torah and/or anti-Rabbinic literature.  The parable of the “Prodigal Son” in Luke Chapter 13 illustrates this picture perfectly.  The Prodigal Son had taken his religious inheritance and wasted it by following after the pleasures of the world.  He was on the path to destruction when he realized that even the servants in his father’s house were living better than he was.  At the time of this realization, he was living with pigs and feeding them which is as far from Jewish life as you could get.  He desired to return home and serve his father and brother.  The Prodigal Son represents the Lost 10 Tribes who followed after idols and left their Father.  Judah was the faithful son that stayed home with the Father.  The message of the Christian Messiah was sent to world so that the lost sheep would hear their shepherd’s voice (John 10:16 and John 10:27) and return home to the fold to become one flock with one shepherd.  Consequently, there is no reason for Jews to relinquish their Jewish Faith, as it is the Prodigal Son who has to return to his heritage which had been retained by the faithful remaining son, while the Prodigal Son sank to the pits of paganism (depicted by living with the pigs).

Christians are often puzzled by the fact that the Gospel message doesn’t resonate with Judah.  They fail to get the message in the Christian New Testament where the Christian messiah himself said that he came for only the lost sheep of the House of Israel, not the sheep of the House of Judah who were safe at home with the Father.

Are you one of the lost sheep of the House of Israel?  Have you heard his voice?  The voice is the Turtle Dove calling us home to join our brother Judah.  When the messiah comes he will join us together as one flock and answer the age old question of whether or not this is his first or second coming?  It is that answer that will unify the flock regardless of what the answer is.  In the meantime, the House of Israel and House of Judah should work towards reconciliation.  If we truly desire God’s kingdom here on earth, we will take the first steps and then God will complete the great work according to His plan!

 

Greater Israel is the Final Solution

God’s ultimate plan is to establish all the tribes of Israel back into the land that He promised Abraham. The promise went from the Nile in Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River in modern day Iraq. It is what I would call God’s “One State Solution” in contrast to the world’s desire for a “Two State Solution”. God brought the tribe of Judah (the Jews) back into the land to prepare the way for the returning exiles (the lost 10 tribes along with the rest of Judah). According to scripture, the messiah’s role is to gather the lost 10 tribes and bring them back to the land promised to Abraham. The end result will be the Restored and United Kingdom of God that includes all the tribes of Israel. This is taught in both Judaism and Christianity.

In looking at the big picture, these two religious groups only differ on who the Messiah is. Christians believe the Messiah to be the paganized Yashua who is today called Jesus. Most Jews reject that view. However, Jews do teach of 2 messiahs. The Messiah son of Joseph starts the kingdom restoration work and then dies for his people while the Messiah son of David brings the lost 10 tribes back to the Promised Land to complete the restoration of the kingdom.

A look at historical events in conjunction with the modern day phenomenon of Hebraic restoration seems to indicate that Jesus (Yashua) was the Messiah son of Joseph that God used to reach out to the lost tribes and bring them back to Himself and His Torah. A segment of Christians have been awakened to a love for Torah and the Jewish people. Many even have an intense desire to return to Israel and be accepted by Judah. However, they are many obstacles in the way of God’s two great houses (Israel and Judah) reconciling. Returning 10 tribers are lame to walking the path of Torah while Judah is blinded to the role of the Christian messiah in bringing the lost sheep of Israel back to God and Torah. The only thing that will bridge these differences is the love of God and the love of brothers one for another. All the brothers need to love God and love one another enough to put their theological differences aside. Love is the key that will establish Greater Israel (God’s Kingdom) and implement the final solution for peace! If God’s people don’t make progress towards reconciliation, then the evil in the world will continue to grow and eventually force His people to come together.