The Jerusalem Debate (Part 1)

Note: The following blog post originally appeared on The Barking Fox.

Do you sense something new in the air? What is God doing today that is different from a few weeks ago? If you have followed the posts on this blog and others like it, the answer you find is that we have somehow crossed a threshold into a new era of YHVH’s Kingdom. Those who expect the Almighty to come through on His promises to restore the entire nation of Israel are now holding our breath in anticipation that we will see huge steps forward in this Hebrew year 5777 (2016-2017).

It is too soon to say for certain what those steps will be, but I have some idea. The things I observed while in Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles and the Second B’ney Yosef National Congress indicate two great moves are afoot:

Accelerated awakening of Hebrews (at this point, mostly Christians) to their identity as Israelites;
Accelerated awareness of Jews to this awakening, coupled with a new openness to “Hebrew Christians” who do not want to be identified as Jews, but who keep Sabbath, observe the Feasts of the Lord, eat biblically clean meats, and do other things to honor the Torah (Law) of God as Jews have done for millennia.

Among Christians, at least in my observation, keeping aspects of Torah has gained a degree of understanding and tolerance. Our brethren in the church are seeing that we have not abandoned Yeshua (Jesus), but instead seek to imitate His example – His very Jewish example. Most still do not want to accompany us on this path, but they are seeing the relevance of the Feasts in the foundations of their faith and in the prophecies of Messiah and His Kingdom.

Among Jews, again in my observation, there is curiosity coupled with expectation of Messiah’s imminent coming, and with Him the restoration of the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel. Many of us identify with those Lost Tribes, calling ourselves B’ney Yosef (Children of Joseph). Whether we are physical descendants of the tribes is not as important as what our Jewish brethren are seeing: we identify as Hebrews and embrace the Torah of YHVH, in many cases more fervently than most Jews. Moreover, they see that we do this because Yeshua of Nazareth, the one we regard as Messiah, has shown us the way. They may not understand this (in fact, I’m not sure any of us understand it completely), but they are noticing that many from the Christian world not only proclaim love and support for Jews and for Israel, but identify as Israelites.

Although it is too soon to say where this is going, it is not too soon to consider how to continue this process which the Almighty has begun. Here is one bold proposition:

Go up to Jerusalem three times a year for the Pilgrim Feasts of Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), and Tabernacles (Sukkot), just as YHVH has commanded.

That proposition is the subject of a series of articles by Bob Parham, published recently by Sue Wyatt on her blog, The Lamb’s Servant. Bob and Valerie Parham, along with Sue and John Wyatt, are residents of Aqaba, Jordan. Their stories about what brought them to Jordan are inspiring, and I encourage you to take some time to peruse Sue’s blog to learn something about that. For now, though, consider what this series is addressing: why is it that God’s people are not going up to Jerusalem?

This is a lengthy series that will take about two weeks to post. Those who want to read everything at once can do so on Sue’s blog. However, I would encourage reading slowly, prayerfully, and carefully, which is why the articles will appear one per day on The Barking Fox, followed by a post containing my thoughts on the subject.

We live in very interesting times. Miracles are happening all around us as the Kingdom of Heaven is taking shape. Long ago, two men who preached about the Kingdom gave the same advice: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Maybe the process of repenting should include a serious examination of why we have not gone up to Jerusalem at our God’s invitation.

Continued at The Jerusalem Debate (Part 2)