Beit Yisrael - Introduction to things Messianic

In studying the Bible, many Christians unfortunately find themselves only reading the New Testament (Apostolic Scriptures). Although these important Scriptures give us the salvation message, testify to the works of our Lord Yeshua (Jesus), and speak of issues that the First Century Believers had to contend with, these writings comprise less than one-third of the Bible. Those whose focus is almost exclusively in this part of the Bible can have an unbalanced approach of our Creator and His plan for the ages.

Although the Messianic Scriptures have a written Greek linguistic origin, their very nature is Hebraic. The man who authored more than half of these writings was the Apostle Paul, a Rabbinical scholar who studied under Gamaliel (Acts 2:23; Philippians 3:5), a revered sage of Judaism to this day.

Our Messiah Himself was a Hebrew, as are many of His expressions and sayings. Consider the following examples:

“And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you. For it is profitable for you that one of your members perish, then for your whole body to be thrown into Gey-Hinnom [Hell]” (Mattityahu/Matthew 5:29).

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Mattityahu/Matthew 6:22-23).

The above quotations are just two examples of the Hebrew nature of our Savior’s teachings. But what does this have to do with anything? For centuries, scholars have debated verses such as those above and have gotten nowhere. Do they require such a literal translation that demands a physical “plucking out of eyes”? To the Hebrew, the eye can mean more than just an organ with which one sees. It can be a person’s mind, emotions, will, or good sense, depending on the context. There can be a very deep meaning to Yeshua’s statements when one understands that there is an Hebraic nature behind them. This is where the Messianic movement steps in and where an Hebraic understanding of the Scriptures is crucial.

Although the Messianic movement is composed of many factions: some having originated in Judaism, some from evangelical Christianity, and others clearly from other places. The emphasis concerning the Hebraic Roots of our faith in Messiah is very important concerning the times in which we live. Several decades ago, if one uttered the name “Yeshua,” someone might believe he was part of a fringe group. However, today many Christians know that Yeshua ([wXy) is the original Hebrew name of the Messiah. Why has this come about? Because many now realize the fact that understanding the Hebraic Roots of our faith is important.

Why is it important to understand the distinctive Hebraic roots of our relationship with God? Yeshua the Messiah is returning to Jerusalem and the gates of the New Jerusalem are named after the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 21:10-12). There is no gate for “the Church” or for “Gentiles.”

Knowing about “things Messianic,” and distinctively Hebrew, is the first step toward new enrichment of our faith from Bereisheet/Genesis to Revelation. By understanding the Hebraic origins of our faith, many of the obscure parts of the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) begin to make sense.

Many Christians believe that “the Church” started at Pentecost/Shavout following Yeshua’s ascension into Heaven. They believe that “the Church” is a group of chosen ones separate from Israel and, perhaps, that it is not important to really study the Hebrew Scriptures. The Biblical truth is that the called out body of Believers existed long before this time.

The word “church” never appears in the Greek texts of Scripture. The word commonly translated as such comes from ekklesia (ekklhsia), which according to Thayer’s Greek Definitions can mean “a company of Christians” and “an assembly of Christians gathered for worship.” Notably, it can also mean “the assembly of the Israelites.”[1][1] It is important to know that the ekklesia has always existed. The Holy Spirit being poured out at Pentecost/Shavuot was a fulfillment of prophecy, both recorded in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament), although the events that occurred on this day did not start a “new group of elect.” Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, is one of the commanded times of ingathering in the Torah or Law of Moses (Devarim/Deuteronomy 16:16).

“[B]ut this is what was spoken of through the prophet Yoel: ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even upon My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour out My Spirit and they shall prophecy. And I will give wonders in the sky above, and signs on the Earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the day of Adonai comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that all who call on the name of Adonai shall be saved” (Acts 2:16-21; cf. Yoel/Joel 14:26).

“And it will happen after this, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy; your elders will dream [prophetic] dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even also upon the slaves and upon the maidservants in those days I will pour out My spirit. I will set wonders in the heavens and on earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke; the sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood [red], before the coming of the great and awesome Day of Yahweh.”

So did the ekklesia, or “called out ones,” begin at Pentecost/Shavuot? All the Scripture records is that there was a fulfillment of prophecies in Joel that will be completed in the Last Days. Interestingly enough, the martyr Stephen tells us that “the Church” actually existed at Mt. Sinai (Acts 7:37-38, KJV).[2][2] The so-called “Church Age” did not begin in circa 30 C.E.[3][3]

In reference to the Hebraic Roots of our faith, it is important to note that the Apostles and the early Believers in Messiah were not foreign to the Hebrew Bible. Numerous references to “the Scriptures” in the Apostolic Writings (New Testament) are referring to the Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim—or the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings: the Tanakh/Tanach ($nt). The gospels, epistles, and many of the other Messianic Writings had yet to be written or canonized when “the Scriptures” are being referred to.[4][4]

As we have mentioned earlier, Paul was a Rabbinical scholar fluent in the Tanakh, and when witnessing to fellow Jews in the synagogue he would have tried to show them how Yeshua fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah from the Hebrew Bible.

It is also important to note that prior to 70 C.E., the year the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, “Christianity” was a legal religion in the Roman Empire as Rome considered it to be a sect of Judaism which was exempt from worshipping Caesar. Following 70 C.E., Judaism was banned as was preaching “the Christ” (Anointed/Chosen One or Messiah/Mashiach). However, as the Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, explains, “Jewish Christians (Messianic believers) were considered to be a sect (Acts 24:5) of Judaism. But, after A.D. 70, all Christians were on their own; they were recognized as separate from Judaism.”[5][5]

What we know today as “Christianity” originated from First Century Judaism and has changed tremendously since then. Our faith in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) at its very core is Hebraic. The Messiah, Yeshua, is an Israelite and is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:4-5). He is coming to reign from Jerusalem, not Rome as the Catholics might believe or Salt Lake City as the Mormons espouse.

You cannot have a house without a foundation. The foundations of the ekklesia pre-Pentecost/Shavuot are Hebrew. It is crucial to understand the world view that Yeshua, the Apostles, and the early Believers in the Messiah had so we can more fully understand Scripture as it was originally written: God-inspired from an Hebraic world view.

The Jerusalem Council

In the very early days of the community of Believers following Pentecost/Shavuot, the vast majority of the Believers were Jewish, or claimed ancestry from the Southern Kingdom of Israel or Judah.

(Ancient Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim. Today Judah is represented by the Jewish people who have been regathered into the Middle East. Ephraim, taken captive by Ancient Assyria in 722 B.C.E., and has since been assimilated into the nations.)

We know that many God-fearing non-Jews came to faith in Messiah and that it radically changed things. The debate among the Jewish Believers was whether these non-Jews had to “convert to Judaism,” be circumcised, and then receive Messiah (Acts 15:4), or could they receive Him directly and then grow in their faith. Acts 15 records the decisions made by the Jerusalem Council as the goyim (~ywg) or ethnos (eqnoß)[6][6] or “the nations” were coming to faith in Messiah:

“The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much questioning and debate, Petros rose and said to them, ‘Brethren, you know that in ancient times God made a choice among you, that by mouth the nations should hear the word of the good news and believe. And God, Who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no difference between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you tempt God by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have not had the power to bear?” (Acts 15:6-10).

Before the council’s ruling, Peter restates what has occurred. In Acts 10:9-16, the apostle is shown the vision of the sheet with animals on it considered unclean by Torah standards. Peter is told three times to “Arise, Petros, slay and eat!” (Acts 10:13), and he responds with, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common or unclean” (Acts 10:14). This passage is usually interpreted as meaning that God annulled the dietary requirements of the Torah or Law of Moses. However, Peter himself gave us the appropriate interpretation of his vision which has nothing to do with meat:

“And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how abominable it is for a man who is a Yehudi [Jew] to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean’” (Acts 10:28).

In Acts 15:6-11, Peter tells us that the nations have been made clean by the blood of Messiah, can receive the same Holy Spirit, and must come to faith the same way as Jewish Believers. He also emphasizes that “a yoke…which…our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Acts 15:10, NIV) should not be put upon them, implying that legalistic or mandatory observance of the Law of Moses for salvation was not necessary. This is what the Jerusalem council ruled, which was led by James:

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are returning to God from among the nations, but that we write to them that they abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from meats strangled and from blood. For Moshe from ancient generations has in every city those who proclaim him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (Acts 15:19-21).

Four requirements were given to the new non-Jewish believers in order for them to congregate with Jewish Believers in Messiah:

1. Abstinence from pollutions of idols
2. Abstinence from fornication
3. Abstinence from things strangled
4. Abstinence from blood

Briefly summarized, believers from the nations were to avoid idols, fornication (sexual immorality), meats that were not butchered in a proper method (Devarim/Deuteronomy 14:2-20), and from blood (Devarim/Deuteronomy 12:23-25).

Why were the non-Jews coming to faith coming to faith told to observe these four things?

“[F]or Moshe from ancient generations has in every city those who proclaim him, since he is read in the synagogues every Shabbat [Sabbath]” (Acts 15:21).

The inference is that born again non-Jews were to observe these things so that they could enter the synagogues to be taught torah (hrwt)[7][7] or the Instruction of God as delivered through the five books of Moses (also commonly called the Pentateuch).

In Ephesians 2:11-16, the Apostle Paul writes that non-Jews who come to faith have been made part of the people of Israel:

“Therefore, remember, that at one time, you, the nations in the flesh, who are called ‘foreskins’ by what is called the ‘circumcision,’ which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that season separate from Messiah, alienated from the commonwealth of Yisrael, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah. For He Himself is our peace, Who made both groups one, and loosened the barrier of the dividing wall, by rendering inoperative the enmity, the religious Law of commandments contained in dogma, that in Himself He might make the two into one renewed man, making peace, and might completely reconcile them in one body to God through the cross, by having killed the enmity” (Ephesians 2:11-16).

He tells us that those who were “separate from Messiah” were “alienated from the commonwealth of Yisrael” (Ephesians 2:12) but that through the sacrifice of Messiah He will “make the two into one renewed man” (Ephesians 2:15). Ephesians 2:15 tells us that “God through the cross…killed the enmity,” or sin which has been atoned for through the crucifixion of Messiah which once separated God the Father from humanity. True Believers in Yeshua are part of the Commonwealth of Israel.

Believers from the nations were warned by the Apostle Paul not to boast against those who were clearly recognizable as Israel, the people of Judah or the natural branches. As Paul attests, “do not exalt yourself over the branches; but if you exalt yourself, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in!’ Very well, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you.” (Romans 11:18-21). Even if these new Believers in Messiah Yeshua (present company included) had ancient dispersed “Lost Tribes” Israelite ancestry, the inference was that they were not to have a “superiority complex” against their Jewish brethren (as such genealogies would have been lost due to the Northern Kingdom’s rebellion against God).

The roots of our faith come from Israel and ultimately Yeshua, the root of all Israel. Believers who were either estranged (lost) from Israel or originally not part of Israel have nothing to boast (Romans 11:17-22) about in regard to their pagan ancestries, or the rebellion which allowed them to be estranged from Israel. The Jerusalem Council ruled that there is no difference between Believers of different ethnic backgrounds as all are part of Israel. Our true identity, however, must first be in the Messiah, the Eternal King of Israel.

Roman Catholicism Takes Its Toll

What we have described concerning the Jerusalem Council is somewhat different than what is the standard taught in mainstream Christianity. True born again Believers are part of Israel. It is important to note that there is no reference in Scripture that the First Century Believers dispensed with the Torah or Law of Moses, including the seventh-day Sabbath, the appointed times of Vayikra/Leviticus 23, and the dietary laws. Rather, in the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) it is made clear that legalistic observance of the Torah was not a salvation requirement and that no person would gain salvation by keeping commandments.

But if the First Century ekklesia was very Hebraic, how did we get to where we are today? Presumably, these Believers did not celebrate mainstream Christian practices such as “Sunday church” or the holidays of Christmas and Easter as we currently know them.

History records that the First Council of Nicea in 325 C.E., although establishing some of the fundamental beliefs for our faith (such as Yeshua’s Deity), severed the organized church from its Hebraic Roots. Later in the Third Century C.E., “Christianity” was made the official religion of the Roman Empire by Constantine and pagan traditions merged with Biblical faith (many of which were purged through the Reformation). The ultimate result of both Nicea and this proclamation was the establishment of what we now know as the Catholic or “universal” Church. Later this Church was split between the bishop of Rome and the bishop of Constantinople, creating the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Following the fall of Rome in 476 C.E. to the Visigoths, the Middle Ages began. During this period, Europe experienced the darkest time in human history, which the Roman Catholic Church dominated. One risked death by simply possessing a written copy of the Holy Scriptures, and disease and plague were rampant. Europeans were also some of the most uneducated people in the known world (especially when compared to Jews and Muslims) as the Roman Catholics held most historical and Biblical documents solely in their possession for their own benefit (or extortion). Most dangerous was that the Catholic Church taught that eternal life or salvation only came through participation in its sacraments.

The Reformation

We truly believe that the Reformation, which began in the early 1500’s, was an act of God. German monk Martin Luther could not reconcile the Biblical concept of “the just shall live by faith” with Roman Catholic teaching. History records that his Ninety-Five Theses or protests against the Catholic Church began the phenomenon we now call the Protestant Reformation.[8][8]

The two primary goals of the reformers were (1) to purge the organized church (ekklesia) of non-Biblical Roman Catholic practices and (2) to present the general populous a copy of Scriptures in their native languages. During this time famous English translations such as the 1599 Geneva Bible and 1611 King James Bible were produced. The Biblical realization that salvation came by grace through faith alone and not by works of the Roman Catholic Church was also reestablished.

When we review the current Messianic movement today, one must realize that the Reformation accomplished much, although there are still areas of Biblical theology that need to be reformed. The Reformation showed us that the practices of Roman Catholic ritual confession, praying to the saints, Mary worship, incense, and belief in purgatory, etc., were non-Biblical. Some believe the Protestant Reformation was a failure because Protestants still observe some Roman Catholic practices, but we should view it as the ekklesia needs further reformation.

What Has the Messianic Movement Today Achieved?

The Messianic movement today was started by Jews who were Believers in the Messiah as an evangelistic outreach to fellow Jews. Many of today’s Messianic congregations, however, have a mixed group of constituents, including Jews that have accepted Yeshua as the Messiah, and others from Christian backgrounds wanting to enrich their faith. It should be noted that many evangelical churches today also participate in Passover seders, as it was the Passover meal that our Messiah celebrated as the Last Supper prior to His crucifixion. Overall, the Messianic movement has been responsible for awakening many Christians to the truly Hebraic origins of their faith.

There are, however, distinctive differences between your average Messianic congregation and your standard church setting. Just as there are many types of Christian churches, there are a wide variety of Messianic congregations.

One of the most obvious differences between a Messianic congregation and your average church is that Messianics typically assemble or hold services on a Friday night or Saturday in observance of the Biblical Sabbath or Shabbat. Depending on what region of the world you are in, a congregation can be very much like an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, or similar to a standard church setting. Use of traditional Hebrew blessings/liturgy is also not uncommon in Messianic settings. Some are more charismatic than others and some are highly reserved. Again, depending on where you attend can affect the degree of “Jewishness.”

The Messianic movement has been responsible for awakening many Believers to the Hebraic Roots of the faith.

As you may have noticed, we have purposefully refrained from using the term “Jewish Roots” and have instead used “Hebraic Roots” which we believe is more accurate. Why?

Our faith originates from Israel. The King of Israel is our Lord Yeshua Messiah. Those descended from Judah (the Jewish people) or what became the Southern Kingdom of Israel and who are born again are part of Israel. Equally so, we know from Scripture that the Northern Kingdom of Israel, namely the ten “Lost Tribes,” also known as Ephraim or the House of Israel, was taken into captivity and assimilated throughout the world. Abraham was promised that “all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by your offspring” (Bereisheet/Genesis 28:14), those descendants being the people of Israel from whence Messiah came. Furthermore, Jacob or Israel was promised, “a nation and a congregation of nations shall descend from you, and kings shall issue from your loins” (Bereisheet/Genesis 35:11). So do you see our situation? Israel is much broader than Judah.

Using the term “Jewish Roots” is not entirely accurate as Israel is the ekklesia (called out assembly) whose King is the Lord Yeshua. Israel’s members are ultimately those who are spiritually regenerated, whether they are from Judah (the Jewish people), the descendants of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) that was assimilated into the nations (goyim/ethnos), or the “families of the earth” that would be blessed by the Seed of Abraham (Yeshua the Messiah) and join themselves to Israel.

Conclusion

Some of you may now be wondering how all this “Messianic stuff” plays into the end-time Tribulation scenario. Does this relate to the end-times?

Consider this: our Lord and Savior Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) is returning to Jerusalem. He prophesied that His twelve disciples would “sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Yisrael” (Mattityahu/Matthew 19:28). He tells us in Mattityahu/Matthew 25:34-46 that we will be judged for how we treat “His brethren,” namely Judah (the Jewish people), non-disputed representatives of Israel. Yeshua adamantly states that those who treat the Jewish people badly or with malice shall go “into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mattityahu/Matthew 25:41, KJV). Yeshayahu/Isaiah 2:3 tells us that during the Millennium “For from Zion the Torah will come forth, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.” Is it important to understand Israel and the distinctively Hebraic Roots of our faith? Absolutely. Is it eschatologically related? Very clearly: YES.

Each Believer’s goal should be to be as Biblically sound as humanly possible, Bereisheet/Genesis-Revelation, not just Mattityahu/Matthew-Revelation. Understanding the origins and roots of the relationship with our God, Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is a crucial part of attaining this goal. May you seek a firm foundation as you grow in your faith and examine His Word for answers.

John McKee is the editor of TNN Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic apologist. He is author of the books The New Covenant Validates Torah, When Will the Messiah Return?, and Torah In the Balance, Volume I. He is co author of The Two Houses of Israel: Q&A With Judah and Ephraim with Rav Mordechai Silver. He has also written many articles on the Two Houses of Israel and Biblical theology.

[1][1] Strong’s #G1577; Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), 196.

[2][2] “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us” (Acts 7:37-38, KJV).

[3][3] Yeshua the Messiah only speaks of this age and the age to come (Mattityahu/Matthew 12:32, 13:49; Markos/Mark 10:30; Loukas/Luke 18:30).

[4][4] Acts 17:2; 11; 18:24; 28; Romans 15:4; 16:26; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 4.

[5][5] Spiros Zodhiates, ed., Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (New American Standard) (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1994), 1548.

[6][6] Strong’s #H1471; #G1584; Ethnos is the Greek word commonly translated “Gentiles” but more accurately means nations, or notably heathen nations.

[7][7] Strong’s #H8451.

[8][8] Many credit the Reformation beginning with Martin Luther in 1511. However, it should be noted that throughout Church history there were many other reformers before Luther including the Englishmen John Wycliffe and William Tyndale.