Volume 48 | Number 6
JEWISH VOICE TODAY MAGAZINE
The Signs of the Times:
Is God Warning Us?
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Joel 2:31).
November/December 2014 | Cheshvan/Kislev/Tevet 5775 | ZAH/ELQK/OEYG
after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”—Matthew 25:35-36
ANSWER-the-Call
me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked
volunteers needed for 2015 Outreaches Hosanna, ethiopia january 30 - february 8
Gondar, Ethiopia July 31 - august 9
New Africa Location October 15 - 26
mberengwa, zimbabwe april 23 - may 4
Zimbabwe August 28 - September 7
*Dates subject to change
800-299-9374 | WWW.PLEASEANSWERTHECALL.org 2 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty
M]L[ SHALOM In the fog-shrouded early morning hours of May 26, 2002, a freight barge slammed into a concrete pylon support—part of a 2,000-foot long bridge section of interstate in eastern Oklahoma spanning the Arkansas River. A 900-foot long section of the bridge collapsed and fell 100 feet into the river below. A fisherman in a boat witnessed the collapse and then watched in horror as cars and trucks—traveling at 70 miles per hour in poor visibility—plunged off the broken bridge and crashed into the deep channel far below. Thinking quickly, the man retrieved an emergency flare gun and began firing flares into the roadway on both sides of the collapse. Soon the rush of highway traffic slowed and then stopped completely. Nine vehicles had fallen into the river, killing all aboard. But countless others would have perished that day had it not been for some timely warnings that alerted them to danger ahead. I am reminded of those flares when I survey world events today. I believe that our gracious, merciful God is sending us clear signals that the time is short, and perilous days lie ahead. Yes, the apocalyptic signs are difficult to discern. But God has not left us without signposts along the way. He would have us be wise as the men of Issachar, who understood the times ... (1 Chronicles 12:32). And there are some very distinct indications that we are indeed in the Last Days. That’s why we’ve dedicated this issue of JVT to bringing you insights and analysis of the warning flares we may be seeing today. As always, we’re honored to have the opportunity to equip and encourage you. And we’re thankful for your ongoing support.
Jonathan Bernis, President & CEO Jewish Voice Ministries International
CONTENTS
5
UP FRONT Signs of the Times
Jonathan Bernis builds an excellent case that these key signs point to the soon coming of Yeshua HaMashiach. By Jonathan Bernis
16
PERSPECTIVE Iran Today: Why There Must Be Vigilance
Events involving Israel are unfolding at an unprecedented and breathtaking pace, particularly Iran’s covert war against Israel.
8 18
By William Koenig
PERSPECTIVE The Mystery of the Shemitah
Jonathan Cahn helps us understand the prophesied economic disasters—and how to prepare. By Jonathan Cahn
10
PERSPECTIVE The Blood Moons: What Do They Mean?
Pastor Mark Biltz explores this phenomena of heavenly signs, specifically the current cycle of four “blood moons.” By Mark Biltz
PERSPECTIVE Denying, Deceiving, & Dividing
Rabbi Grisenko equips us to recognize the antichrist spirit so we will not be deceived. By Boris Grisenko
20
PERSPECTIVE Troubling Comparisons
In a comparison between 1930s Germany and 2014 America, Jan Markell rebukes Americans’ sinful dependency upon government instead of God.
12 22
PERSPECTIVE The Time for Sleeping is Over
The deceived masses have embraced radical Islam and the Church has failed to recognize the threat. By Joel Richardson
14
MINISTRY UPDATE The Art of Serving
Serving the Jewish remnant in India— what a blessing! By Dr. Art Missirlian, DDS
By Jan Markell
Director of Communications Vickie Isaac Senior Editor Kevin Geoffrey Graphic Designer Jennifer Nelson Jewish Voice Ministries International P.O. Box 31998 Phoenix, AZ 85046-1998 USA 602-97l-850l 800-299-9374 www.jewishvoice.org Jewish Voice Ministries Canada P.O. Box 476 Maple Ridge, BC V2X 3P2 855-793-7482 www.jewishvoice.ca Jewish Voice Ministries UK Admail 4224 London W2 4UN 855-993-7482 www.jvmi.co.uk Magazine questions or comments: magazine@jewishvoice.org Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New International Version. The views contained in this magazine by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of Jewish Voice Ministries International.
www.facebook.com/JewishVoice
PERSPECTIVE Today’s Anti-Biblical Worldview Reflected in The Real Story of Chanukah The sinful compromises of the Jews under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes— and the same spirit occurring among Messiah-followers today.
www.youtube.com/jewishvoicetoday
www.twitter.com/jewish_voice
By Kevin Geoffrey
25
FAITH CHRONICLES Nothing Satisfies Like Yeshua
Jewish Israeli man provoked to jealousy by Gentile Believer gives heart to Yeshua. By Jacob Damkani
4 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
Executive Editor Jonathan Bernis
www.jewishvoiceblog.org
Search for "Jewish Voice Ministries International" under Companies
U P F R O N T | J O N AT H A N B E R N I S
Signs of the Times Throughout history, Believers have been convinced that the end is at hand. Although many Believers have become “almost obsessed with trying to interpret and unravel the Bible’s mysterious End-Time prophecies,” as Jonathan Bernis observes, most are focusing on Scriptures that are “apocalyptic texts—veiled and cryptic” instead of understanding the obvious signs that fulfill Bible prophecy to the letter. In this fascinating, persuasive overview of five clear and convincing signs involving the Jewish People, Israel and the Gentiles, Jonathan Bernis builds an excellent case that these key signs point to the soon coming of the Yeshua HaMashiach. “I’m convinced,” he assures us, “that we are not very far away from this time!”
M
ost Believers I speak to today firmly believe we are in the Last Days. Many have become almost obsessed with trying to interpret and unravel the Bible’s mysterious End-Time prophecies, and keep a keen eye on politics and world events—especially those that involve Israel or the Middle East. The news is scrupulously analyzed by many watching for specific prophetic signs: a ten-nation confederacy, the Antichrist’s emergence and identity,
the mark of the beast, the rebuilding of the Third Temple, the Bear of the North—Russia—and the cataclysmic rise of catastrophes and natural disasters. Although these signs are indeed found in the Scriptures, they are apocalyptic texts—veiled and cryptic. Not even scholars of eschatology can interpret these texts with a great deal of certainty. While all the above signs are certainly important, there are other clear signs
taking place today that are to varying degrees overlooked or ignored. Yet they are some of the clearest signs we have pointing to the end of the age and the soon return of Yeshua. Indeed, God has given us clear signposts and desires we be wise as the men of Issachar, who understood the times . . . (1 Chronicles 12:32). The term Last Days actually has a dual application, referring first to the time period following the death
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
5
and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus), and second to the days immediately preceding His return. Looking at Luke 21, one can clearly see this principle: Some of His disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down” (Luke 21:56). Herod’s Temple was destroyed and Jerusalem sacked in 70 A.D., fulfilling Yeshua’s words. As you continue reading through the terrible warnings of what is to come, much is applicable to the horrific Roman devastation that occurred at that time. However, verse 24b, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” was not fulfilled until 1967 with the reunification of Jerusalem after the Six Day War. And verses 25-28 are looking forward to a time yet to come, when Yeshua returns: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
SIGN 1: A RESTORED ISRAEL AND JEWISH JERUSALEM
A predominant prophetic sign that we are in the “Time of the End” is the reestablishment of Israel, and Jerusalem returning to Jewish sovereignty. These major, and seemingly implausible, events for nearly 2,000 years had to occur before Yeshua’s return. According to the Bible, Yeshua is returning to Israel, and specifically Jerusalem.
6 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
• Israel Rebirthed... in a Day— After nearly two millennia and a succession of foreign rulers, on May 14, 1948 David Ben Gurion declared the restoration of the Jewish State, Israel, saying, “In order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” Isaiah seemed just as incredulous, challenging: “Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment?” (Isaiah 66:8). We have seen it—in our lifetime! • Jerusalem Restored into Jewish Hands—Yeshua himself declared that “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). In June, 1967 Israel won a miraculous victory by defeating vastly superior Arab armies surrounding her in what came to be known as the “Six Day War.” The Jewish People took back the city of Jerusalem after almost 2,000 years, fulfilling this important prophecy. Some argue that because Israel returned sovereignty of the Temple Mount to the Arabs following this victory, this prophecy is not fully realized. I would argue to the contrary. • The Desert Will Bloom and Blossom—The prophet Isaiah saw a time when the desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom (Isaiah 35:1). It’s almost impossible to believe, but the fledgling State of Israel has developed such revolutionary agricultural methods, that even the sand produces lush crops! In her short time of existence as a modern State, Israel became the largest exporter of roses to Europe. • The Hebrew Language Revived— According to the prophet Zephaniah, God would “restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve
Him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9 NKJV). In the late 1800s, Russian immigrant to Israel, Eliezer BenYehudah, revived the ancient Hebrew language, giving the returning exiles of Israel a common language. Israel and Jerusalem are back in Jewish hands. The People of Israel scattered throughout the world are returning to their biblical Land and to their God. The time of His return is near!
SIGN 2: ISRAEL SURROUNDED BY CONFLICT AND THE RISE OF GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM Anti-Semitism has always existed in the world. There has never been a time when the Jewish People have not been victimized by Satan’s savage attacks against them. Even today in America— probably the least anti-Semitic nation on earth—the Anti-Defamation League reports the highest level of antiSemitism since World War II. (ADL Global 100- Index of anti-Semitism http://www.adl.org)
At its core is Satan fomenting hatred among men against the Children of the God of Israel, generation after generation. He cleverly disguises each campaign with a compelling lie wrapped in a plan designed to rid the world of a perceived ill blamed on the Jews. From the very first attempt to destroy the Jews—Pharaoh’s murder of all the male Hebrew babies—to Herod’s order to kill all male babies under two years old 2,000 years ago, the serpent’s scheme was to defeat God’s plan to bring forth the Messiah of Israel. He failed—miserably! Yet, the campaign of hatred marches on because the great redemption story is not over. Because the Jewish People and Israel play a major role in Last Days prophecy, Satan is still hard at work opposing God’s plan.
The impetus he is using to rally hatred against the Jew today is a powerful antiIsrael (and pro-Palestinian) deception, wrapped in false humanitarian claims and causes. Understand: Deception is a hallmark of the Last Days (Matthew 24:11). For the minuscule size of the country, the lack of natural resources, or strategic seaport, one has to question why Israel is always at the center of world controversy—her existence continually hanging in the balance. We see Israel at the epicenter of a boiling cauldron of increasingly violent factions rising up within the vast Arab lands surrounding her. The world has been told, and has almost mindlessly accepted, claims that all unrest in the Middle East is Israel’s fault—that if the Jews would give the Land “back to the Palestinians” there would be peace in the world and terrorism would end. Nothing could be further from the truth. The continued threat of a nuclear Iran devoted to destroying Israel and now the rise of ISIS, perhaps the most dangerous Islamic terror group in history, are covered by others in this issue. The stage is set to draw all nations into a final cataclysmic showdown in the Middle East—the nations may think it is against Israel, but they will find out it is against her God! “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves” (Zechariah 12:3).
SIGN 3: THE REGATHERING OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE PHYSICALLY BACK TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH Israel should not exist. She should have disappeared hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago with the rest of
the “ites” of the Bible: the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Canaanites, etc. These and all the other great nations mentioned in Scripture, including the mighty Philistines, have vanished, yet Israel remains—against all odds. For two millennia the Land has been overrun by foreign aggressors, and her People scattered to the far reaches of the earth, and threatened with annihilation, persecution, and expulsions. Without a homeland until 1948, Israel should have assimilated and ceased to be a recognizable people group. That they did not disappear completely into the cultures in which they settled throughout the world stands as evidence for God’s existence and faithfulness. The Lost Tribes of Israel are a fascinating mystery to the world, but they are not really lost. The Lord knows where they are. He promised to regather them in the Last Days and He is doing that in our time! “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors” (Jeremiah 16:14-15). In that day, the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth (Isaiah 11:11-12). These are the Children of Abraham scattered to Africa, Asia, India, Europe . . . the remote corners of the earth.
God is gathering them today, back to Israel—miraculously restored to receive her returning Children: Ethiopian, Chinese, Sephardim, Asian, Russian, and on and on! Through Jewish Voice you are witnessing this miracle and touching the lives of many of the Remnant of Israel that God is regathering—the Beta Avraham, Beta Israel, Gefat, and Yibir Jews of Somaliland; Lemba Tribe of Zimbabwe; and the Bnei Menashe—the Sons of Manasseh, discovered in far northeastern India! This aliyah, or return of the Jews to their biblical homeland, is yet another important sign that the Messiah’s return is approaching.
SIGN 4: THE GOSPEL IS PROCLAIMED TO THE NATIONS “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
The word used in this passage of Scripture is the Greek term ethnos, which actually means “a race,” “a tribe,” or “a people group.” Modern technology makes it possible for the Gospel to be preached to ethnos—people in the remotest areas of the planet. This is yet another important sign that the Last Days are upon us. Today the Gospel is being preached to ethnos throughout the world, yet only a handful of ministries are reaching out to the Jews. This is tragic, not only because the Jewish People need to hear the Good News that Messiah has come, but because God has put a high priority on reaching the Children of Israel with the Gospel. Consider Paul’s commitment to this mandate: When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they
(Continued on page 24)
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
7
P E R S P E C T I V E | J O N AT H A N C A H N
Sign
Economic Collapse
Joel 1:15-20 warns us that the Last Days will usher in economic catastrophes. “The Day of the Lord is near…The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up…” (Joel 1:15-17). In this timely article, biblical expert Jonathan Cahn helps us understand the prophesied economic disasters—and prepare. “For in the days ahead,” he writes, “it is crucial that we become all the more steadfast and immoveable, rooted and grounded upon Him who will not be moved and who can never be shaken.”
THE
MYSTERY OF THE
SHEMITAH I
s it possible that there exists a mystery over three thousand years old, a mystery that begins in the sands of Sinai, and which lies behind the fall of Wall Street, the collapse of the American and world economies, the attack of 9/11, the rise of nations, the fall of nations, and events which have not yet happened but are yet to take place? Is it possible that this mystery has pinpointed the exact time, down to dates and hours of some of the most critical events of modern times? And does this mystery hold the secret to what is coming on America and the world?
8 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
THE MYSTERY GROWS EVEN BIGGER The mystery of the Shemitah first appeared as one of the fourteen mysteries of The Harbinger. Ever since its publication, I’ve been deluged with questions as to when the next Shemitah will take place and what will happen when it does. That time has now come. Only in the last few months have I realized how incredibly cataclysmic and world-changing this mystery is. Long before 9/11, the mystery of the Shemitah was at work—affecting virtually everything. The ancient mystery lies behind everything from the First World War, the collapse of empires, the Second World War, the Holocaust, the Cold War, the rise of America, 9/11, and things yet to come—including the potential fall of America and the American age. It has affected the bank accounts of everyone reading this article—and it will affect their future.
THE SEVEN-YEAR SHAKING The mystery of the Shemitah began on Mt. Sinai. The Shemitah took place every seven years. It was the year of “release” or “rest,” the Sabbath Year. During the Shemitah, all work on the land came to an end, all buying or selling of the fruits of the land would cease. It was an economic cessation. On the last day of the Sabbath Year would come the climax—on the Hebrew day of Elul 29—when all the nation’s debts would be wiped out, a massive financial nullification. The Shemitah was meant to be a blessing. But as Israel turned away from God, the Shemitah would turn from blessing to a sign of judgment against a nation that had driven God out of its life. That sign is now manifesting in America. The mystery determined the exact timing of 9/11. In 2001, it ordained the timing of the greatest stock market crash in American history, as Wall Street collapsed, and financial accounts were wiped clean on Elul 29, the Shemitah’s last and climactic Day of Nullification, when according to the ancient biblical command, a nation’s financial accounts are to be wiped clean. Seven years later—seven Hebrew years to the day, the hour, even the minute—Wall Street collapsed again—on the same biblical day—the Day of Nullification —determined by the Shemitah. The precision of this
ancient biblical mystery is beyond stunning. And yet even this is only the beginning.
FROM MT. SINAI TO THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE The mystery is even bigger. In the past forty years, there have been five major long-term financial and economic collapses. Are any of them linked to the mystery of the Shemitah? The answer is—100 percent of them are joined to the mystery. Of the greatest long-term collapses in American history, the majority are linked to the ancient mystery. Of the top ten percentage crashes in Wall Street, the majority are linked to the ancient mystery. Of the top five greatest stock market point crashes, 100 percent of them are linked to the mystery of the Shemitah.
THE TOWERS, THE KINGDOMS, AND THE END And the mystery grows even bigger. One of the revelations in my new book, The Shemitah, is “The Mystery of the Towers,” a mystery that marks the rise of America and foreshadows its fall. Another, entitled “The Rise and Fall of Nations,” reveals how the ancient biblical mystery ushered in the collapse of Empires, the Atomic Age, the Cold War, and what’s happening right now. Yet another concerns the Seventh Shemitah, a mystery that goes back to the Temple’s destruction in 70 A.D. , lies behind the greatest events of the End Times, and is potentially coming soon.
THE SHEMITAH AND WHAT LIES AHEAD What will the present year of the Shemitah bring? On one hand, we must be careful about putting God in a box. He doesn’t have to do anything during this time or when we think He must. On the other hand, we should be altogether ready. It is worthy of note that the remaining time of blood moons converges with the year of the Shemitah, even climaxing in the same month. If something of (Continued on page 26) Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
9
P E R S P E C T I V E | M A R K B I LT Z
Sign
Heavenly signals
Scriptures frequently warn us that in the Last Days, there will be signs in the heavens. In Genesis 1:14, God first explains that He created the sun and the moon “for signs and seasons”—and then, throughout the Old and New Testaments, we are alerted to heavenly signs occurring as the coming of Yeshua draws near. Isaiah 13:9-10, for example, describes how, “See, the day of the Lord is coming....The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.” In Joel 2:31, we’re told that “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Yeshua affirms these prophetic signs of the Last Days in Matthew 24: “Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’” In this riveting article, Pastor Mark Biltz explores this phenomena of heavenly signs, specifically the current cycle of four “blood moons”—four lunar eclipses—occurring on four consecutive Jewish feast days in 2014 and 2015, and challenges us to question whether we are indeed living in the Last Days.
The Blood Moons: T
he prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.’” — Isaiah 46:10 (NKJV)
And so, in God’s wisdom we start at the beginning, in Genesis to show what will happen at the end of time. In Genesis 1:14 God tells us why He created the sun and the moon and the stars. We have always thought they were just for light and heat. But they were created for other very important reasons as stated: Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.” — Genesis 1:14 (NKJV) The first incredible reason God mentions is that the sun, the moon and the stars were created for signs or sending signals. This sign is kind of like the old “one if by land, two if by sea” scenario. This plainly tells us that God created the sun and the moon to send signals to us. I can’t help but think of a baseball coach who wants to signal the base runner if they should try and steal a base. If the runner is not aware or doesn’t know the signal, he will be caught 10 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
unaware! God is forewarning His children that He will use the sun and the moon to send us signals surrounding events so we will know He is in control.
Why else do you think the LORD would have stated this in Luke? “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” — Luke 21:25-28 (NKJV) What is incredible to me is the previous verse in the light of this: “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” — Luke 21:24 (NKJV)
What Do They Mean? In 1967, Jerusalem was taken from the Muslims and put back in Israel’s hands and there were also four total lunar eclipses or four blood moons in a row on Passover and Tabernacles within a year and a half! Statistically, in over 5,000 years we average only one total lunar eclipse every year and a half. Here we have four in a year and a half, and they fell on the Feast days and surrounding the fulfillment of biblical prophecy! The important marker though is the next phrase from Genesis that these signals will be “for seasons, days and years.” This is not necessarly referring to winter or spring. Nor is it likely referring to the days of the week or our calendar years. The Hebrew word for “seasons” is moade d[wm and is referring specifically to the biblical calendar, not our Gregorian calendar. The word d[wm is translated as “feast” in Leviticus 23 where it is speaking about the “Feasts of the Lord” such as Passover, Rosh Hashanah and the Feast of Tabernacles. The proper definition is “appointed times.” So God created the sun and the moon to send His children signals when they fall on His appointed times! God always warns before He brings judgment. The question is, are we watching or will we be caught
unaware? Here we have four blood moons in a row this year and next. In the recent past, it meant a biblically prophetic war involving Israel and look at what has just begun since the first blood moon this last April! We also have had economic downturns the last two shemitah years with the next shemitah year starting this fall. For the first time in all of recorded history, in over 5,000 years, in 2015, we will have a “super moon,” that is a total blood moon, seen from Jerusalem, on the Feast of Tabernacles, in a shemitah year, that is the fourth blood moon in a row within a year and a half! Are you ready and looking up? Get excited, your redemption is drawing nigh! Founder of El Shaddai Ministries in Washington state, Mark Biltz is also a popular commentator and expert on the blood moons and signs in the heavens as they relate to the return of the Messiah. His research has revealed a link between NASA’s solar and lunar eclipse charts with Israel’s history. His research and theories have earned him guest appearances on both radio and television including Sid Roth, Prophecy in the News, and FOX.
For information on “Blood Moons” book and DVD by Mark Biltz, please see the Resource Page on page 27.
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
11
PERSPECTIVE | JOEL RICHARDSON
Sign
increase in deception
Yeshua warns us that in the Last Days, many will be deceived (Matthew 24:11). The increase in anti-Semitism, rapid rise of radical Islam, the brutal emergence of ISIS—and still many Believers are slumbering. Yeshua warns us to beware: “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24). The spirit of antichrist, “a master of deception” (Daniel 8:25) is responsible for false teachers and doctrines—but God will also give those who “refuse to love and accept the truth” over to deception: “He [the antichrist] will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11). In this scathing indictment against the deceived masses embracing radical Islam and the failure of Believers to recognize the threat, writer Joel Richardson utters the war cry of a watchman on the wall: we have been blind to “the signs unfolding throughout the earth today” that are “ten-thousand times stronger than any sign that could have been discerned in Germany before the Shoah.” We are witnessing the advance of the army of the antichrist: “The soldiers of Satan are once again on the march,” Richardson warns. Will followers of Yeshua hear and believe the Lord’s watchmen—and awake from slumber?
I
f you’re a student of history, then perhaps there’s been a time when you’ve looked back at the German Christians from the 1930s and said to yourself, “Wow, the German believers were so blind. How could they not have seen what was coming?”
The Time for Sleeping is Over
12 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
Today history stands as judge against the majority of the German Church for their failure to discern the signs of the times. In truth, however, the signs unfolding throughout the earth today are ten-thousand times stronger than any sign that could have been discerned in Germany before the Shoah (Hebrew term for the Holocaust, literally meaning “the catastrophe”). In truth, the Holocaust was plotted mostly behind closed doors, by only one group, in a single nation. Today, however, the rising tide of Jew-hatred is being expressed openly across the Internet, and it is being shamelessly trumpeted in the streets all across Europe and even in the United States. From the pulpits of mosques all across the earth, open
declarations are going forth calling for the day when Muslims join together to carry out the final genocide against God’s Covenant People. And still many Christians are asleep. Years ago, when I began warning the Church about the rising tide of radical Islam and the threat of a coming Islamic Caliphate—a government fully established upon the laws of Islam—I was scorned for issuing such warnings. From the New York Times to the Toronto Star, the mainstream media openly mocked the mere use of the word “Caliphate.” The following statement, published in 2005, is a haunting reminder of how the spirit of the age always seeks to silence the words of the appointed watchmen: “Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, et al have been raising the specter of a worldwide Islamic rule by a caliph, as envisaged by Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab Zarqawi and other terrorists. The chances of a caliphate coming are zero. But raising its specter helps keep Americans scared… Exaggerating the power of the enemy is a standard war tactic… But this caliphate business takes the cake.”1 Nine years later in June of 2014 (the newspapers will now say that it was “out of nowhere”), the radical group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), burst forth out of its stronghold in Syria, swept across Iraq, and established a Caliphate. In the process, these radical Muslims have literally beheaded, kidnapped, raped, slaughtered, and even buried alive tens of thousands of men, woman, and children. The soldiers of Satan are once again on the march.
Among these soldiers are young Muslims from all across the world. Reports now say that more than 100,000 have joined the Caliphate. More British citizens have joined the ISIS this year than have joined the British military.2 Hundreds of Americans have joined what is now simply being called “the Islamic State.” Australians, Canadians, and thousands of Europeans are among the fighters.3 The Islamic State is now the most well funded, well established, best-equipped terrorist group that the world has ever seen. Among their immediate shortterm plans are to take the nations of Jordan and Lebanon, and then on to Israel. There are numerous reports that Islamic State cells are already active in Gaza and the West Bank. The flag of the Islamic State has been raised on more than one occasion on the Temple Mount.4 Is any of this really surprising? The Bible teaches that Jesus is coming back to rule the nations from Jerusalem.5 But it also makes it clear that before that happens, Satan will seek to place his throne there. As we draw closer to the end of the age, the powers, the principalities, and rulers of this age will become all the more urgent in their efforts to take Jerusalem, and they will use men like puppets to accomplish this. Looking back, it is so easy to judge the German Christians for their failure to be the body of Messiah when the Jewish People were in their hour of greatest need. Yet today, we have recent history testifying to what tremendously evil men are both willing and able to accomplish. We have the clear testimony of the prophets concerning a soon-coming time of unparalleled tribulation. We have millions of voices
rising now to a fever pitch, calling men to carry out the very will of hell. If we fail to arise and properly prepare our minds, our hearts, and our lives for action, then how do we think we will escape the same judgment with which we have judged the German Church? Beloved, the hour is later than most think. The time for sleeping is over. Let us shake off the slumber and give ourselves fully to work that the Lord has for us. “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” —Revelation 2:7 1. Published on Thursday, December 15, 2005 by the Toronto Star (Canada), “Muslim Conspiracy to Rule World Just Nonsense”by Haroon Siddiqui 2. http://www.breitbart.com/BreitbartLondon/2014/06/17/More-Brits-Sign-Up-For-ISISThan-Signed-Up-For-Army-Reserve http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/ world/2014/08/21/islamic-state-americans-british/14 384045/?AID=10709313&PID=6150821&SID=p75a o0gmmz1v 3. http://www.westernjournalism.com/one-americanjihadist-fighting-for-isis-makes-you-mad-guess-howmany-the-government-says-there-are/ 4. http://unitedwithisrael.org/isis-flag-flies-on-templemount-amid-calls-for-jihad/ 5. Isaiah 2:1-4; 9:6-7; 60:10-15; Psalm 110:1-2; Matt 19: 28-29; Luke 1:31-33; John 12:13; Acts 1:6-7; 3:21
Joel Richardson is the New York Times bestselling author of Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth About the Real Nature of the Beast along with his current book, The Mideast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist. Joel is an internationally recognized speaker and expert on biblical prophecy and the Middle East. For more about Joel, visit his website, www.joelstrumpet.com. For information on Joel Richardson’s new DVD documentary, please see the Resource Page on page 27.
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
13
M I N I S T R Y U P D AT E | D R . A R T M I S S I R L I A N , D D S
The Art of Serving
14 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
ATE D P U Y R MINIST
INDIA
forget the 48 hours of travel to get there. And did I mention all the medical and dental needs? It was overwhelming. The dental need in every child that I saw was incomprehensible for a Western-trained dentist. All children older than 18 months had all or nearly all of their teeth rotted out beyond recognition. I asked the Lord with each patient which tooth or teeth I should remove, and He was faithful to answer. For those we were able to treat, it brought a relief from infection and pain.
S
eventeen years ago, with tears running down my cheeks, my life as a follower of the living God started. Now as a dentist, I’m called to go with JVMI to the outermost parts of the world. India sure feels like the outermost parts, but once you are there, wow! This people group was by far the one that touched my heart the most. They are so giving, caring, thoughtful, and considerate. I know
I’m the one who is supposed to give and to help, but I couldn’t have outgiven these people. They let us into their lives, their culture, and their way of caring. I can’t wait to go again. The conditions for us Westerners were tough—sleeping in tents on hard floors; cold washes with a pitcher and bucket for a shower; reconstituted, freeze-dried food; bus rides that went on forever over bumpy, twisty roads. Let’s not
We urgently need more medical and dental professionals’ help. How can we as Believers not want to go out and reach the lost, as well as minister to Jewish People—members of the Lost Tribes of Israel? The Lord will talk to you more clearly than you can imagine—so loudly, in fact, that even the deaf will hear and the mute will speak! If you are interested in going on a future outreach with us, see our trip schedule online: www.PleaseAnswerTheCall.org
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
15
PERSPEC TIVE | WILLIAM KOENIG
Sign
israel surrounded by enemies
Luke 21:20 describes how, in the End Times, Israel will be surrounded by her enemies. With the rise of ISIS and the Islamic Caliphate, the threat of nuclear annihilation from Iran and ongoing terrorist attacks by Hamas, Israel is facing destruction from every direction—land, sea and air. These threats are indeed signs of the Last Days. God promises, however, that Israel’s enemies will not triumph. Those who rise up against Israel will be destroyed: Damascus (Syria), for example, “will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins” (Isaiah 17:1). In this timely article, William Koenig addresses how “the Bible’s final-day events” involving Israel “are unfolding at an unprecedented and breathtaking pace,” particularly Iran’s “covert war” against Israel.
G
eneral Hugh Shelton, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in “To Stop Iran Gaining Nukes, Stop Rewarding It for Lying:”
Iran Today:
Why There Must Be Vigilance
16 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
“In a perfect world, a repeated pattern of deceit and moral failure has consequences. Indeed, when trust and credibility are eroded, we dump the shady contractor, we vote out the lying politician, we fire the skimming employee. So how is it we are still at the negotiating table with Iran?” He further wrote, “Since the 1990s, Iran has hoodwinked the international community over its nuclear program time and time again. And the current round of negotiations seems to offer more of the same subterfuge, foot-dragging and recalcitrance. But rather than use its economic leverage, the international community has rewarded the mullahs in Tehran with an extended deadline for the current talks (until November 24) and $2.8 billion in cash that was frozen as part of the sanctions program.”
Iran’s Covert War
The United States’ greatest fear is Iran’s covert relations and influence in the Middle East. Iran has relationships in Iraq, Syria, with Hezbollah, Hamas, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Bahrain, and with fellow Shiites in Saudi Arabia, who reside in the area of the major oil refineries. Militarily, Iran poses a danger to U.S. ships. A retired ex-Navy nuclear submarine officer told a friend, “Our carriers are sitting ducks for surface-to-sea missile batteries.” The officer assured him that the U.S. has no ship-based defenses against an overwhelming barrage of these fired from the Persian Gulf coast of Iran, and their range is 100 miles at this time. In just three years, Iran has successfully accelerated the development of its short-range missiles, putting at great risk every Sunni majority country, including the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the U.S. Fifth Fleet, stationed in Shiite majority Bahrain, is responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean and shares a commander and headquarters with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). Furthermore, Iran could set mines in the Straight of Hormuz and/ or attempt to close it, which would devastate world economies that use 25 to 30 percent of the Persian Gulf oil daily. Additionally, U.S. assets and embassies around the world would be prime targets.
Israel is Preparing
Israel knows it can’t rely on the present U.S. administration to deal with Iran, as U.S. leaders and leaders of the European Union foolishly believe they have the ability to persuade Iran’s leaders to cooperate. In February, Haaretz wrote, “Netanyahu ordered IDF to prepare for a possible strike on Iran during 2014.” The news service stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon had ordered the army to continue preparing for a possible military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities at a cost of at least 10 billion shekels ($2.89 billion) this year. This report came despite talks between Iran and the West, according to recent statements by senior military officers. Haaretz further reported that the IDF representatives said the army had received a clear directive from government officials within the political echelon—meaning Netanyahu and Ya’alon—to continue readying for a possible independent strike by Israel on the Iranian nuclear sites, regardless of the talks now happening between Iran and the West, the two Knesset members said. “My friends, I believe that letting Iran enrich uranium would open up the floodgates,” Netanyahu said at the recent AIPAC conference. “That must not happen. And we will make sure it does not happen.” Ya’alon recently indicated during a Tel Aviv University speech that his view has shifted, and he is now likely to support a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran, in light of his assessment that the U.S. will not do so.
“We think that the United States should be the one leading the campaign against Iran,” Ya’alon said recently. “But the U.S. has entered talks with them and unfortunately, in the haggling in the Persian bazaar, the Iranians were better. ... Therefore, on this matter, we have to behave as though we have nobody to look out for us but ourselves.” Israel has developed a brilliant strategic plan to deal with the Iranian threat. It will be of unprecedented magnitude, consisting of cyber attacks, paralyzing the electrical grid, deploying military assets never before used and war planes with sophisticated electronic gear, manipulating satellites, firing ballistic missiles from nuclear submarines, using cruise missiles, bunker busting bombs, and so forth. Israel knows that it is the only nation committed to eliminating the number-one threat to its existence. In closing, new regional coalitions in the Middle East are forming to deal with Iran and the Islamic radicals’ threats. The already tense region is spinning out of control. The Bible’s final-day events are unfolding at an unprecedented and breathtaking pace. Only the God of Israel knows how it will play out! “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near” (Luke 21:20). William Koenig is the director of “Koenig International News” (http://watch.org), and has been a White House correspondent since January 2001. Koenig publishes “Koenig’s Eye View from the White House,” focusing on biblically relevant world news and White House news from a Christian perspective.
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
17
PERSPEC TIVE | BORIS GRISENKO
Sign
rise of the spirit of antichrist
Matthew 24:7 tells us that in the Last Days, “nation will rise against nation.” Although many Believers are aware of the prophetic fulfillment of this Scripture within political arenas—nations taking up arms by force—the rise of the spirit of antichrist with the intent to deceive, divide and conquer—is also one of the key signs of the End Times. What is this antichrist spirit? It is clear: “Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). In 2 John 1:7, we are warned that “many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Messiah Yeshua as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” And the gospel of Mark tells us, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:22). Rabbi Boris Grisenko equips us to recognize the antichrist spirit and how this occurs. “One of the methods of this spirit,” he writes, “is to convince people that what happens in the physical, visible world is much more serious and real than what happens in the spiritual world.” Boris Grisenko gives us a timely and essential lesson for the Last Days.
Denying Deceiving & Dividing 18 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
A
s persecution rises, lines of Jewish People wrap around the Israeli embassy in Ukraine, desperate to make aliyah to Israel. Hamas, ISIS, Hezbollah, and al Qaeda all have Israel targeted for destruction. With a superficial glance at the events occurring in Ukraine and the Middle East, one would assume they are not connected. But there is in fact an invisible “mycelium” that produces similar “mushrooms” in different places of our world. Events that occur in different countries and nations often have one root system and root spirit—the spirit of the antichrist. It appears in various guises, but its goals remain the same: people who do not know God must be completely cut off from everything that may open their hearts to the truth; those who are sincerely trying to find the truth must be drawn away in devious paths. Believers are also a target, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). One of the methods of this spirit is to convince people that what happens in the physical, visible world is much more serious and real than what happens in the spiritual world. The words from Matthew 24:7 declaring that “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” are being fulfilled before our very eyes. There is also a hidden meaning: the enemy is seeking to make the people of God, who already are divided against themselves, to become even more divided. Additionally, instead of uniting the people of God as one
kingdom of priests, he wishes as many separate nations, kingdoms, and congregations as possible to appear. The enemy wants them to rise up and fight with each other, as it was in the Middle Ages. And we all know what happens to a kingdom that is divided against itself. Apart from the attack on nations and the body of Messiah, Israel is also a crucial target of this spirit. First of all, the enemy attacks this nation in the Land of Israel, but also around the world. The strategic task of the evil one is by all means to prevent the connection of the Jewish People with the Jewish Messiah. Obviously, the spirit of the antichrist and its “team” are preparing the coming and revealing of the main Antichrist. What will be the reaction of Believers to all of that? Of course, as Believers, 1 John 3:8 tells us that the “reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” But we always should keep in mind that first of all we are called to build the Kingdom of God and bring the coming of the true Messiah. No matter what the world and its prince may do, our spiritual “center of gravity” must be established in Yeshua, our eyes must be directed to the Father, and the reality of God must be more real than anything that is happening around us. We need to strengthen, comfort, and support each other in the building of the Body of Believers and be united in the common battle against the enemy. As stated in the Epistles of Paul, the apostle to the Galatians: Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of [Messiah] (Galatians 6:1-2). We have to remind ourselves that the most powerful weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4 KJV). The exercise of spiritual authority that every Believer (everyone who takes his place in God’s ranks) possesses is the guarantee of success for the entire Army. I could not finish with anything better than the words of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 35, verses 3-6, 10: Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. And then: … Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Boris Grisenko is the Senior Rabbi at Kiev Jewish Messianic Congregation, thought to be the largest Messianic Congregation in the world with more than 1,600 members. The congregation was established following the first Hear O’ Israel Festival of Jewish Music & Dance, which took place in Kiev, Ukraine in 1994, led by Jonathan Bernis. Today, Jews and non-Jews who accepted Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus, the Messiah) worship together and help in numerous areas of ministry, while supporting one another in prayer.
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
19
PERSPEC TIVE | JAN MARKELL
Sign
rise of anti-semitism
At the core of anti-Semitism is a spiritual battle. Satan hates the Jewish People, and has tried to destroy them century after century, knowing the Messiah of Israel has won the victory and will ultimately deliver the final blow to the great deceiver. While hatred of the Jews has no root in logic, in recent months a shocking surge of vicious anti-Semitism is once again sweeping across Europe, the Arab and Muslim worlds, throughout North and South America, and in literally every country on earth. In a deeply arresting comparison between 1930s Germany and 2014 America, Jan Markell laments the rising tide of global anti-Semitism, especially in America, and rebukes Americans’ sinful dependency upon government instead of God. She dares to ask, “Is it any wonder that God’s blessings are diminishing in America? Can anyone really blame Him?”
Troubling Comparisons W
hat happens when people are seduced by government through handouts, government checks, government promises, and more? In Nazi Germany, in the early 1930s, Germans were promised a return to the “glory days” after the devastation of WWI. Government then started to paint a picture of the good life returning, but the trade-off was that government would become their god. 20 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
The Germans thought it was a great idea. They hung onto every promise of Hitler. They simply had no idea that Hitler’s demonic ideology would cause the swastika to be burned across the very fabric of Europe. Once it began to be burned, they looked the other way because the “good life” was going to return for them—or so they thought.
There are haunting comparisons between America and Nazi Germany. Nobody describes them better than Holocaust survivor Anita Dittman, with whom I have collaborated on a book and documentary film. We met in 1979, and her story, published by Tyndale House, that I wrote, has blessed the world since then. As I researched a companion DVD to her story, “When Government Becomes God: What History Teaches Us,” and a forthcoming book I will write on the topic, there are stunning and troubling comparisons. Here is a partial list of comparisons from Germany 1935 to America 2014: • The demise of capitalism was fine and the rise of socialism was accepted. • Few blinked when prayer was taken out of school in 1935. • Daycare raised the children of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. • Christmas and Easter were taken out of the German public schools. • Socialized medicine ruined the German healthcare system. The elderly and handicapped were marginalized. • Abortion became the new normal and was even expected. • Private education was gone by 1938. • Government spending skyrocketed and no one said a word. Taxation soared to 80%. • Gun registration was followed by gun confiscation by the Nazis. • Free speech gradually faded. The newspapers and other media proclaimed the pro-government side of a story.
That’s pretty much what the U.S. government has become for many Americans – a false idol. • The green agenda was adopted because it was steeped in paganism—and Hitler loved paganism. • Government spying went off the charts. • Children sang songs of praise to Hitler. • Germans were spellbound by the great oratory skills of Hitler. He couldn’t possibly be lying to them. • The church in Germany did not want to make waves; it did not want to tackle controversy. Pulpits would never address serious issues or politics. • The church in Germany was steeped in mysticism. Hitler knew this would weaken the church and make it ineffective. Most, but not all, churches in Germany were riddled with compromise. • Many pastors in Germany wanted to be popular and find favor with the government. They did not want to offend anyone. The people of Nazi Germany saw Hitler’s tactics as a means to an end. The “end” was the re-establishment of the “glory days” of Germany and a restored comfort zone. They even accepted the rabid anti-Semitism as a means to an end. It’s easy to get comfortable with government if it takes care of you. People love that. They see it as security when it really can be tyranny. Government control can be a frog-inthe-kettle experience. It is gradual.
Government has become god in America to some and God will never stand for that. For many in America, the “government is god” syndrome is a bitter pill to swallow. They see the danger in this and many are sounding a warning! The God of the Christians and Jews says: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 KJV). That’s His first commandment. And His second doesn’t make Him any easier to swallow: Don’t worship idols. That’s pretty much what the U.S. government has become for many Americans—a false idol. We can learn from history—we don’t need to cave to it. But 50 years of politics in America has conditioned many to wait for that government check and to “honor” the government as the source of all blessing! What an affront to God who is the real source of all things good. Is it any wonder that His blessings are diminishing in America? Can anyone really blame Him? Jan Markell is the Director of Olive Tree Ministries headquartered just outside of Minneapolis, MN. She is a Jewish Believer who has been in ministry for 35 years. She has authored eight books and hosts a nationally-syndicated radio program, “Understanding the Times.” For information on “When Government Becomes God” DVD by Jan Markell, please see the Resource Page on page 27.
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
21
PERSPECTIVE | KEVIN GEOFFREY
Sign
Rising Anti-biblical worldview
In 2 Timothy 3:1 we are warned of the “terrible times” of the Last Days: “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...” (2 Timothy 3:2-4). Scriptures warn that in the End Times, a perilous, anti-Biblical worldview will penetrate every aspect of society. In this hard-hitting article, Kevin Geoffrey chronicles some of the sinful compromises, the “spirit of self-assimilation,” of the Jews under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes—and laments that the same spirit is occurring among Messiah-followers today: “By abandoning the words and ways of God, the people of Israel fell into every manner of depravity and ungodliness. Is this not the same pattern we see in our society today? Should we not expect the same results?”
Today’s Anti-Biblical Worldview Reflected in
The Real Story of
Chanuk ah 22 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
hK’nUx,] ’Chanukah, the Feast of
Dedication, begins each year on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth Hebrew month (Kislev), corresponding roughly to our December. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Chanukah is a Jewish holiday commemorating the victory of Judah Maccabee over Israel’s Greco-Syrian oppressors during the 2nd century BC. In the course of foreign occupation under Antiochus Epiphanes, Israel’s Temple was defiled by pagan sacrifices, but upon the retaking of Jerusalem, the Temple was purified and rededicated—a triumph worthy of the victors’ institution of the eight-day annual celebration and remembrance. The Chanukah story is recorded in the ancient Jewish writings of 1 and 2 Maccabees—two intertestamental manuscripts catalogued among the infamous Apocrypha—and though not considered Scripture, they are nevertheless reliable historical documents. According to the Talmud (the written collection of extra-biblical Jewish law and tradition, codified between 200 and 500 CE), Chanukah is the celebration and remembrance of a miracle related to the menorah in the Temple. But the real story of Chanukah begins with a pattern of corruption and moral decay within Israel that eerily reflects the global, anti-biblical worldview of today.
The Craze for Lawlessness In the political and cultural climate of the day, the Jewish People began to test the waters of personal liberty as they explored alternative lifestyles outside of godly boundaries. A vocal, activist, minority within Israel—those who were overtly and shamelessly
defiling the Torah (Scripture’s “Law” given to the Jewish People by God)— paraded their transgressions before the general population, inciting them also to go astray. At first, the people of Israel followed out of a spirit of selfassimilation, willingly adopting the fleshly practices of foreign nations. Enticed by the prospect of a new and alluring lifestyle, the People of Israel began to throw off the “oppression” of the Torah while courting this newfound “freedom” of the Gentiles (see 1 Maccabees 1:10-15). One can only imagine Israel’s relief— and delight—at the birth of this new world order. Safe from the tyranny of the Gentiles, they could now melt into the worldly culture and society. Unfortunately, the price they would ultimately pay for their new way of life was far greater than anyone could have foreseen. Having propped open the door of self-assimilation, Israel had inadvertently extended an invitation to the forces of anti-Semitism. Soon, the willingness of a few to embrace foreign practices and religious views would give way to severe oppression and persecution for any Jew wishing to remain true to the ways and the word of God.
The Consequences of Compromise With so many Jews already in league with King Antiochus, the next step in securing Israeli acceptance of his pagan religion was to make the keeping of Torah and the continuation of the Temple service crimes against the state (see 1 Maccabees 1:41-43). There were prohibitions against sacrifices, purposeful profaning of the holy days, and deliberate desecration of the sacred places. Through the abolition
of anything related to the Torah and the Temple service, everything that defined and distinguished Israel from the nations, would be eliminated. The king’s scheme was ingenious, the goal astonishingly self-evident: cause the people to “forget” who they are as defined by God, and one can rule the world (see 1Maccabees 1:44-50). Censorship, witch hunts, executions, the butchery of innocents: the beaten path of cultural assimilation, once so willingly trodden by some, was now the road of forced passage and a death march for the rest. The immoral, alternative lifestyle previously dismissed and tolerated in Israel had suddenly become the state religion — with all else outlawed and forbidden. Now the entire nation had only one option…convert, or die. Sound familiar?
The Rekindling of Righteousness By abandoning the words and ways of God, the People of Israel fell into every manner of depravity and ungodliness. Is this not the same pattern we see in today’s society ? In these end times, we are witnessing the erosion of biblical morality and degradation of Scriptural authority as at no other time in history. Recent research from the Barna Group illustrates that fact, stating that “only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview.” The biblical worldview is defined by Barna as, “believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.” Additionally, according to Barna research, only 1 in 5 who consider themselves “born again believers” recognize the Bible as totally accurate in the principles it teaches and as the source of absolute moral truth.1 If our (Continued on page 26)
Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
23
(Continued from page 7) came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures (Acts 17:1-2). Paul not only wrote, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16), he lived it out on his missionary journeys. Unfortunately, over the centuries, this mandate to take the Gospel to the Jew first has been lost. The Gospel is to be preached to the Jew first, and then to the Gentiles. That’s what Paul did, and that’s what we do at Jewish Voice. I believe that every time a Jewish person turns to faith in Yeshua, we move that much closer to Messiah’s return. In fact, Scripture seems to indicate that Jewish People embracing Jesus as Messiah is actually key to His return! “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:39).
SIGN 5: THE BLINDNESS COMING OFF THE EYES OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25 NKJV). Another astonishing indicator is the phenomena of Jewish People coming to faith in Yeshua all over the world— in numbers not seen since the book of Acts. Through the ministry of Jewish Voice alone, we have seen some 75,000 Jewish People respond to the Gospel in the last decade of outreaches alone! 24 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
For more than nineteen centuries, the number of Jews openly professing faith in Yeshua was extremely small, and most were assimilated into the local church. All that changed after 1967. The miraculous return of Jerusalem to the Jewish People sparked a great revival. Labeled the Jesus Movement, this revival was unique from all previous revivals, as Jews started coming to faith—in significant numbers. This was the birth of the modern Messianic Movement. Before 1967 there was not a single Messianic Jewish congregation in the world. Today more than 350 Messianic Jewish congregations—50 in Israel alone—proclaim Messiah with a visibly Hebraic witness. And from a trickle over the past 2,000 years, today there are hundreds of thousands, if not a million, Jews in the United States who express some level of faith in Yeshua! In the same way the miraculously restored State of Israel is a visible declaration of divine fulfillment of physical restoration, the Messianic Jewish community is a visible declaration of divine spiritual restoration to all the world. God always keeps His covenants. Satan would like to eradicate the Jewish People, thereby proving God and the Bible untrustworthy, but it will not happen! God is opening long-blinded eyes and softening thousands of Jewish hearts just as the Scriptures promised. This is an obvious fulfillment of biblical prophecy—and a clear indication that the Last Days are upon us. Through Jeremiah, God promised Israel a new covenant: “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). At the Last Supper, a Jewish Passover Seder, Yeshua lifted the cup of Redemption and, sharing it, announced it was the cup of the
New Covenant in His blood. There is a misconception that all the Jews rejected Jesus. In reality, the entire initial community of faith was Jewish. The Jews took the Gospel to the Gentiles, and eventually the Church became almost entirely Gentile and unrecognizable to the Jewish People. However, we are living in a time of Jewish revival!
IN CONCLUSION
All around us, there are signs that the world is being made ready for Messiah’s return. The most important of these, as we have seen, is the restoration of the People of Israel to a right relationship with God. Do you want to know what’s next? God has promised a glorious salvation for the remnant of Israel! “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (Zechariah 12:10). “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zechariah 13:1). I’m convinced that we are not very far away from this time. Are you eager to see Yeshua’s return? Ask God to give you His heart of love and compassion for His People. Ask Him to give you a burden for their redemption, and ask how He would have you participate in His glorious Last Days’ harvest among His Chosen People. You will pray with more passion, develop an urgency to share your faith, and perhaps find doors open to greater involvement in Jewish ministry! All Scripture references TNIV unless otherwise noted.
FA I T H C H R O N I C L E S | J A CO B D A M K A N I
Nothing Satisfies Like
Yeshua L
ike many Jewish children, I grew up in a religious family. As a child, I already had a longing to experience the love of God in its fullness. When I grew older, I began to question, “Is it really enough to wear a kippa and grow a beard?” It seemed to me that God was more interested in my heart than in my clothes or in my appearance, but I didn’t know yet how I could give Him my heart. With a growing realization that I would never find God in the synagogue, at the age of 15, I left religion. Choosing to rebel against my parents, I eventually left Israel and traveled to America. There I sought fulfillment through wealth, friendships, and happiness. Nothing satisfied. Adonai Yireh means literally “The Lord will show.” In 1977, at the age of 25, my life was in chaos when God showed up. I had opened a gift shop in the United States. It was there that I met a Gentile Believer named Jeff. At that time, there was much animosity in my heart toward Jesus. Out of fear of betraying the God of Israel, as well as my Jewish heritage and family, like so many Israelis, I bitterly resented Christianity. Jeff took a different approach. He unfolded prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament before my eyes. We studied Daniel 9 where it prophesies years in advance the exact day the Messiah presented Himself to Israel. I saw for the first time Isaiah 53 where it says the Messiah would suffer and be sacrificed for my sins. Jeff showed me many
passages like Psalm 22 and Zechariah 12 that testify of His crucifixion. I became jealous of the relationship that Jeff had with my God, and it drove me to study more and more. The more I read and studied with Jeff, the more I came to the realization that Yeshua was who He said He was. I could no longer deny it. I got on my knees and called upon the only name that saves, Yeshua HaMashiach, and I was saved. Eventually, I returned to Israel in 1984 and founded “Trumpet of Salvation to Israel,” with a mission to reach the People of Israel with the Gospel of Yeshua and turn them back to their God. It was through my own life that my eyes were opened to the truth of Romans 11:11. God used a Gentile Believer to provoke me to jealousy, just as He uses the Saints from the nations to provoke the People of Israel to jealousy today. Brothers and sisters, with all that is happening in the world today, your role here in Israel to provoke the Jewish People to jealousy is more important than ever. We need you to come to be a blessing to the Jewish People, as it says in Isaiah 52:7, How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring glad tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” For information on the book and DVD by Jacob Damkani, please see the Resource Page on page 27. Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
25
(Continued from page 9)
(Continued from page 23)
significance is going to take place in the year of the Shemitah, the general pattern is that it will likely take place toward the latter part, the time of its climactic “Day of Nullification,” which will take place September 13, 2015.
worldview today even remotely reflects that of Israel during those ancient days of Chanukah, believing we don’t have to follow God’s Word, should we not expect the same results?
Whether it happens during the Shemitah or beyond it, I believe a great shaking is coming to this nation and to the world, a shaking that will involve the financial realm, the economic realm, and more. Interestingly, the word Shemitah can be translated as “the shaking,” “the fall,” “the overthrow,” “the nullification,” and “the collapse.” For this reason I wrote The Mystery of the Shemitah, that those who would hear would be ready and prepared. For in the days ahead, it is crucial that we become all the more steadfast and immoveable, rooted and grounded upon Him who will not be moved and who can never be shaken. Jonathan Cahn is the author of The Harbinger, the New York Times best seller, and The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment, the no. 1 faith video in the world. He leads the Jerusalem Center and Hope of the World Ministries. To reach Jonathan, go to www. HopeOfTheWorld.org.
For information on the “The Mystery of the Shemitah” by Jonathan Cahn, please see the Resource Page on page 27.
Judah and his freedom fighters eventually went on to win back the Temple, and rekindled the flames of righteousness in Israel. Those who resisted the ungodly forces sacrificed wealth, prestige, comfort, safety, dignity, homes, children… and, yes, even themselves… for God’s sake. As Messiah-followers, we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), dedicated and set apart as a piercing lamp; made to cast the light as of a pure and holy flame. How much more, then, should we be committed to His eternal cause— refusing to assimilate into the world, denying compromise a foothold in our lives, faithfully putting God’s Word into action, and utterly and absolutely giving our whole selves to what we believe—whether by our life, or by our death? That’s what the real story of Chanukah is all about. 1. https://www.barna.org/barna-update/21-transformation/252-barna-survey-examineschanges-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years#.VA4szEuR1Ko
Kevin Geoffrey is the principal laborer of Perfect Word Ministries, a Messianic Jewish equipping ministry. Visit Perfect Word online at www.PerfectWordMinistries.org.
For information on Kevin Geoffrey’s book “The Real Story of Chanukah,” please see the Resource Page on page 27.
2015 JVMI Wall Calendar
“Rivers of Living Water” Our beautiful Sunday-start, 12-month calendar is an exquisite gift item for friends and family during the holiday season. The 11”x12” wall calendar features full-color photographs of spectacular water scenes in the Land of Israel. It includes dates for holidays and Jewish Feast days (with brief explanations of each), plus American, UK, and Canadian holidays.
ITEM #9652 | $20.00 GIFT
TO ORDER, VISIT: JEWISHVOICETODAY.ORG OR CALL: 1-888-921-4582 26 JewishVoiceToday.org | 800-299-9374
RESOURCES A RABBI LOOKS AT THE AFTERLIFE
In his new book, Jonathan Bernis provides solid Messianic biblical teaching on Heaven and Hell … this book is different from anything else out there because it goes into the ancient rabbinic views on Heaven and Hell. It examines what the Bible says and it includes eyewitness accounts from those who have actually travelled beyond the veil.
BOOK | ITEM #9125 | $40.00 GIFT SIGNED COPY | ITEM #9126 | $100.00 GIFT
BLOOD MOONS BOOK & DVD
If you want to understand the timing of the Lord, you have to understand the seasons of the Lord, the feasts of the Lord, and the calendar of the Lord. Mark Biltz explains the importance of these biblical celebrations and milestones and shows how you too can be aware of the signs of things to come.
BOOK & DVD | ITEM #1489 | $40.00 GIFT
THE MYSTERY OF THE SHEMITAH
Jonathan Cahn uncovers and reveals astonishing mysteries so big they lie behind everything from world wars, the rise and fall of nations, economic recession, financial collapse, and your future.
BOOK | ITEM #9103 | $20.00 GIFT
END TIMES EYEWITNESS: ISRAEL, ISLAM, AND THE UNFOLDING SIGNS OF MESSIAH’S RETURN In this newly released documentary film, Joel Richardson addresses many of the primary signs of the coming Messiah as they relate to what is taking place right now throughout the Middle East.
DVD | ORDER #6059 | $25.00 GIFT
To
Order
WHEN GOVERNMENT BECOMES GOD
Jan Markell offers a 20-minute presentation on the dangers of government becoming god as it did in Nazi Germany. We see the same thing happening in America at this time. What are the consequences to this? What can we do about it? How did the church play into this then and now?
DVD | ITEM #6071 | $10.00 GIFT
JACOB DAMKANI BOOK & DVD
The life-changing testimony of Jacob Damkani has helped many Israelies come to faith in Yeshua and also helped many Believers to understand the origin of their faith.
BOOK & DVD | ITEM #1509 $25.00 GIFT
THE REAL STORY OF CHANUKAH What if Chanukah is more than just candles and presents? What if the real story is actually a rallying cry for the Jewish People, and a graphic exhortation to all who have dedicated their lives to serve the Messiah Yeshua? Find out in Kevin Geoffrey’s The Real Story of Chanukah: Dedicated to the Death.
BOOK | ORDER #9304 | $15.00 GIFT
Call toll free: 1-888-921-4582 Or shop our secure webstore: www.JewishVoiceToday.org Jewish Voice Today | November/December 2014
27
Celebrate
Mystery
The
Miracle Passover Seas and the
of
on the
Passover on the Seas Cruise April 16 - 23, 2016
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas St. Martin | St. Thomas | Nassau
Join Rabbi Jonathan Bernis and his family in celebrating this watershed event of Israel’s history, Passover, including a Seder dinner, on the beautiful Caribbean seas.
For more information call 888-435-3787 or visit www.jewishvoice.org/passovercruise