How are we saved by a name?

The essence of a being is contained in their name.  When you call their name you are calling for that person to pay attention and listen to you.  If you have a relationship with that person they invariably answer you when you call unless they have a good reason not to.  If you are a stranger to that person they may or may not acknowledge you.

So how does a name save us?  It is not the name, but the being behind that name that gives us salvation.  In Joel Chapter 2, verses 30 – 32 there is a description of the Day of the Lord.  It is quoted from the NASB as follows:

30 “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth; blood, fire and columns of smoke.  31 The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  32  And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the Lord has said, Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” (NASB)

The Hebrew word in the text for Lord is the 4 letter name of God the Creator (YHVH).  So the plain reading of the text is that whoever calls upon the name of the Creator is saved.  It doesn’t say the messiah’s name; it says the specific name in Hebrew of the Creator.  So how can it be that the Messiah’s name saves us?

There is an interesting passage in Exodus 23 that gives a clue to this mystery.  God says the following to the Israelites prior to the conquest of the Promised Land starting in verses 20 - 22:

20 “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. 22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.” (NASB)

It is clear in this passage that God’s name is in His angel – The Angel of the Lord.  In other words God’s spirit and essence is in His angel.  It is common theological teaching that the Angel of the Lord would incarnate to become the messiah and that the messiah would teach truth, restore all things, and establish God’s Kingdom here on earth.

In Acts Chapter 4 when Peter and John were arrested in Jerusalem, Peter stated in reference to the Christian messiah, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  This is in direct contradiction to the Joel 2 passage unless you take into account the Exodus 23 passage where God said His name is in His angel.  On the surface, Christians believe that by calling on their messiah through repentance of sins brings them to salvation.  However, on a deeper level they believe that their messiah is an earthly extension of the creator here on earth and the Creator’s name (essence) is in him.  It is calling upon the name or essence of the creator that grants salvation through a relationship with Him.  If a person doesn’t really have a relationship with the Creator’s essence and know Him through His Word, then they are not saved.  If you have this relationship, you will “obey his (angel’s or messiah’s) voice” and “do all that I (God) say” (Ex 23:22) in my instructions (Bible).

The ultimate expression of this concept is illustrated in the Christian messiah’s own words in Matthew Chapter 7:21-23 where he said:  21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”  It is not just saying the name and doing things in the name, it is in knowing the Creator’s Name (essence) that is in the Angel of the Lord and God’s messiah, the Name of the Creator of all.  May His Name be praised!  Halleluyah!

The Matrix will dissolve in the coming dimensional shift

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook (1865-1935) once said that "Before the world of truth can come, the world of lies must disappear".  The rabbis have long taught that the world we live in is an illusion.  It is real, but it is not the real world.  The real world is the spiritual world that exists in the shadows of this world.  It was designed by the Creator as a training ground for humans with free will to experience the consequences of their choices as they discovered a spiritual life in a physical world.  Man is both physical and spiritual.  The choices we make in this life will determine many things in the real world to come. 

The physical body is the vehicle by which we function in this 4 dimensional world.  However, who we are is our soul and spirit and only a portion of our higher self actually resides in our physical bodies.  This concept was recently popularized in the movie “The Matrix” where there was a holographic construct that people were plugged into and thought was real.  Recently scientists have started examining this theory and want to test it (http://news.discovery.com/space/are-we-living-in-a-computer-simulation-2-121216.htm).  The Matrix concept is very similar to what some rabbis have taught and passed down for over 3,000 years.

Further the Rabbis teach that at the End of Days, the Creator somehow merges all the various dimensions when all of creation is judged.  In this process, the material, 4 dimensional worlds will dissolve revealing the remaining dimensions that constitute heaven (which is the real world).  To prepare for this “dimensional shift”, an individual has to detach from the material world around them and bond to the Creator and the spiritual world associated in the other dimensions.  If that is not accomplished, the individual will dissolve along with the material world that they cling to.

It is love of our Creator and His truth that is how we detach from this world and attach to the next.  Those that achieve attachment to the Creator will see His face in the midst of judgment while those attached to this material world will only see the judgment.  The key is summed up in the command to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  By doing this we are serving God and our fellow man instead of serving ourselves by attaining material things that will soon disappear.

Now is the time to prepare as the matrix is soon to be dissolved.  Love God and His word, and live according to His instructions!  Believe in the messiah and his soon appearance!

The last King of the Kingdom of Man!

 
The book of Daniel in the Bible deals with 4 world kingdoms.  Theologians have recognized these as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome for hundreds of years.  All four of these empires rose and fell.  However the Roman Empire may have re-emerged in recent times in the form of the US.

If we are indeed in the end of times, the US is the only remaining superpower that dominates the planet who could be a continuation of this fourth empire.  The US is an extension and mixture of all previous empires, but different from them in our culture and form of government.  It is really just a continuation of the Roman Empire which made Christianity the official state religion under Emperor Constantine.  We even have a Senate like ancient Rome.  The US may also be the mystery nation in scripture referred to as the Daughter of Babylon (Isaiah 47), a future nation with roots in the ancient Babylonian financial system.  We are the only country in the world to be considered a daughter country, being the daughter of England.

So what does the Bible say about this final kingdom?  Quoting from the book of Daniel  Chapter 7 starting with verse 23:  “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. 26 But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’ (NASB)

The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was a huge mark on God’s timepiece for end of day’s events.  It was at this time that President Truman (1945-53) was in office and served the role of King Cyrus allowing the Jews to return to their homeland and establish the state of Israel.  If you list the presidents of the US after President Truman there are 11 presidents with President Obama being the 11^th. 

List of US Presidents following the establishment of the State of Israel:

1.       Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961)

2.       John Kennedy (1961-1963)

3.       Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969)

4.       Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

5.       Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

6.       Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

7.       Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

8.       George HW Bush (1989-1993)

9.       William Clinton (1993-2001)

10.   George W. Bush (2001-2009)

11.   Barak Obama (2009-present)

If this parallels the prophecy of Daniel chapter 7 and Obama is the 11^th King of this prophecy, then he will subdue three other kings according to verse 24.  Obama has already subdued Mubarak of Egypt and Khadafy of Libya and is currently trying to subdue Assad of Syria.  So that part of the prophecy seems also to be on track for fulfillment.  The prophecy also states that the 11^th King will speak against God and will try to change times and the law.  Obama’s campaign and administration has been all about change and pushing an anti-God, anti-bible agenda.  In 2011, when he celebrated Hanukah at the white house on December 9^th, he joked about celebrating 2 weeks early and said that they didn’t need much of an excuse for a good party.  So he had changed the appointed time for the Jewish holiday and then made light of the fact.  He was the first US president to celebrate the Jewish holiday intentionally on the wrong date.

The book of Daniel offers further details of this 11^th King and his actions in chapter 11.  In Daniel 11 starting with verse 29:   “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. 32 By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. 33 Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. 34 Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. 35 Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

 

36 “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. 38 But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures. 39 He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

40 “At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. 41 He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. 42 Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. 44 But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. (NASB)

As can be seen from these passages, the 11^th King is anti-God and builds alliances with godlessness and disregards God’s word and law.  In verse 31 the King’s own forces destroy the country from within by “desecrating the sanctuary fortress”.  He does away with regular sacrifice by limiting free speech and freedom to acknowledge and worship God as people see fit.  The majority of people in the US have set up the abomination of desolation in that they look to Obama as the savior instead of God.  They have put Obama in the temple of their heart instead of their Creator.  In verse 32 we see that the King uses smooth words to turn those that are against the covenant of God towards godlessness.  In other words he builds alliances with other groups of people that are anti-Bible.  In verse 36 the King does what he pleases and exalts himself.  Life is all about the King and he magnifies himself above all.

Initially he will be successful in all that he does.  However, in verse 45, the King comes to his end and no one helps him.  “His dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever” Daniel 7:26.  After that occurs, God’s Kingdom is established.  “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.” Daniel 7:27 (NASB)

The world is being fooled by smooth words and delusion.  The King is offering anti-Bible people what they want and what they want to here.  He is offering his own people an expanding, entitlement form of government.  He is offering the Palestinians the Promised Land for a Palestinian State at the Expense of Israel.  Those that are counted among God’s people see with their eyes the identity of the king and are not deceived.  Tribulations are here and will worsen like pangs of child birth.  Don’t focus on the birth pains but on the baby that is being born which is the Kingdom of God here on earth!  May the True Righteous King come speedily in our days and deliver us from the birth pains!  The True King will replace the last king of the kingdom of man.

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!

Are Jews Saved

I grew up in a Bible believing church and experienced the love that true believers have for their Christian messiah and God’s word the Bible.  It was an evangelical church that sent missionaries around the world to get the Gospel message out to lost sinners.  Among evangelicals there is a deep burden to reach all with the Gospel message contained in the Bible according to Christian interpretations and theology.  This zeal for the lost sinners of the world mistakenly includes Jews who are considered lost since they don’t accept the Christian messiah.  A messiah who said in his own words in Matthew 15:24 that “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” not the House of Judah.

The Christian view is that their messiah came and died for their sins.  Because of this, Christians repent and return to God and follow His words in the Bible.  The Christian messiah is the tool being used by God to bring man to repentance and a subsequent return back to following God’s instructions for living – The Bible.  Christians view their messiah as “the word (Torah) in the flesh” and it is faith in this and following his example that gets them saved or connected back to God.  As such, some Christians dance and sing for joy around the living word – their messiah.

In a recent trip to the West Bank in Israel in October of 2009, I stayed with Orthodox Jews and toured ancient biblical sites like Shiloh and Samaria.  I was there during Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles.  At the end of Sukkot I attended the local Synagogue for the Simcha Torah celebration.  Simcha Torah means Joy of Torah in Hebrew.  During the celebration, the Torah scrolls are taken out of the sacred area where they are stored.  The members of the congregation are allowed to hold the scrolls as they dance and sing around the Synagogue.

The Simcha Torah celebration opened my eyes to a very important fact.  The Jews have a love and relationship with God’s written word just like the Christians I grew up with.  Both groups access God through a relationship with His word.  For Christians, the Christian messiah is the “word in the flesh” that leads to the written word and they revere both.  For Jews, it is the realization that the Torah is the actual words of God given to Moses at Mount Sinai.

In staying with Orthodox Jews, I also saw God’s love exemplified in how they treated me as well as each other.  It was obvious that they had God’s spirit and love flowing through them.  I had seen and experienced the same love among many Christians.  God’s people are identified by love, not by hate.

When I returned to the US, I was asked by my Christian friends if I had an opportunity to give the message of the Christian messiah to the Jews I encountered?  I replied that I didn’t see a need to as they already had a relationship with God and loved His word, the Torah just like us.  They were connected to God by repenting of their sins and living by God's instructions, the Torah.

By experiencing both the Christian world and Jewish world, I had learned much.  I had learned how much we are alike.  I had also learned that our perceived differences were often times misunderstandings.  I had been taught in my church that Jews were legalistic and had to keep all the commandments to get to heaven.  What I discovered was that the Jews believe that the Torah is God’s instructions for living.  Nobody can keep them all but they do their best as that pleases God.  The Jews I met strive to keep God’s instructions out of love for pleasing Him.  That is exactly what my Christian church had taught me!

Another misunderstanding I saw was on the Jewish side.  The Jews view the Christian messiah as a false messiah that has resulted in Christian persecution of the Jews as Jews were told to convert or die.  Because of this the Jews have a deep mistrust of Christians and lump all Christian denominations into the same category.  The Jews don’t see a difference between evangelical Christians and other types of Christians.  When they see Christians they see centuries of hatred and anti-Semitism.  They see missionaries as a sneaky extension of the convert or die doctrine.  They also see no need of the Christian messiah as they have repented of their sins and have faith in God’s Holy Word.  The Jews are still under the original covenant of God and have not left Him.

So, from a Christian perspective are Jews saved.  I believe the answer is a resounding yes!  They are connected to God the same way that Christians believe – through repentance and faith in God and His word.  Not all Jews have that connection just like not all that call themselves Christians have that connection.  You can know the messiah's name without knowing him and you can know the messiah without knowing his name.  God’s true people are identified by His Love, love that can look beyond theological differences and accept each other as brothers.

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!

 

The voice of the turtle dove

Kol HaTor is Hebrew for the “Voice of the turtle dove”.  According to Wikipedia, “The Voice of the Turtledove" (a reference to Song of Songs 2:12) was written by Rabbi Hillel Rivlin of Shklov a disciple of the Vilna Gaon.  The text deals with the Time of Redemption and describes its signs by an evaluation of a proposed 999 footsteps of the Messiah’s arrival.  The Vilna Gaon believed the number 999 to be intrinsically connected to the idea of Messiah ben Joseph.  It was first published in Hebrew by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher in 1968 to whom the book was passed down over the generations.

In Israel, there is also a group called Kolhator.   The leadership of the group consists of Rabbi Avraham Feld and OvadYah Avrahami.  I am an associate member of this group and believe it is laying the foundation for major events that are soon to unfold regarding the return of God’s people to the Promised Land.

Their website at http://www.kolhator.org.il/  states that they are dedicated to “The regathering and rebirth of re-united 12-tribed Israel as foretold 3,000 years in advance in the Bible”.    This Event, according to hints given in the Bible, is to take place when the "Voice of the Turtle Dove" (Kol HaTor) is discerned.  The main theme of prophecy throughout the Bible entails the return of God’s exiled people from where they have been scattered to form His restored Kingdom to the land promised to Abraham – Greater Israel.

The return of Jews to their Homeland in 1948, after 2000 years of exile and persecution amongst the nations was the first stage of this great Miracle.  KolHaTor, the voice of the turtle dove, announces the national formation of the re-identifying 'other House of Israel' consisting of 10 'Lost' Tribes, exiled and dispersed among the nations of the entire world for the last 2800 years!  The Bible foretold their Return also, as part of the Redemption Plan. 

The Hebraic restoration movement is one evidence that we are in the early stages of the Lost 10 Tribes discovering who they are in preparation for the miraculous return to join our brother Judah!  The Voice of the Turtle Dove is in the wind.  Have you heard the soft, sweet voice of the turtle dove as God calls you home to His land?  Will you recognize the open door as God separates the waters to facilitate our exodus?

It likely will not happen as we anticipate.  Our theological training has placed blinders on our eyes so that many cannot see what the Almighty is doing.  Scripture is clear that the second Exodus of God’s people will be so miraculous that it dwarfs the first exodus.  God is destroying His enemies and will continue to do so as Greater Israel is expanded to facilitate the return of the exiles.