Church confesses its contribution to Jewish suffering

Building the Sozo vision.

Last week we introduced Marion Daniels and the fledgling healing ministry God gave her, now known as Sozo Ministries International. The story continues…

God never wants his ministries to stand still or stagnate, and at Sozo Ministries International there was to be a dramatic transformation that would set it on a new path to a bigger future. For nearly 30 years they had ministered healing, deliverance and wholeness through Jesus Messiah.

During that time the Lord had given them a sincere love and respect for the Jewish Scriptures. For instance, teaching the benefits of the food laws in Leviticus and keeping a Sabbath had featured highly in their programme of instruction. But the overall impact of the Jewish roots of Christianity was missing until one highly significant day in 2006, when a Jewish lady sought Marion Daniel’s help.

Deliverance from Replacement Theology

During the prayer ministry it was revealed to Marion that what this lady was struggling with personally had a strong connection to her Jewishness, including to what the Jewish race as a whole has suffered from Gentiles over the centuries. Marion began to minister under the Holy Spirit from Romans 11 but as she did so she realised how much this was all new to her. God was using this ministry opportunity to minister to Marion also!

God began to open Marion’s eyes to what his ancient people had suffered in the past from many sections of the Christian Church and how a new freedom was needed here. She also realised how ignorant she was of the Hebraic roots of Christianity. Here was a real shock. How had the Church missed this?

God began to open Marion’s eyes to what his ancient people had suffered from many sections of the Christian Church.

Clearly a reassessment was needed, and so Marion began to explore this further through books and conferences, especially material by Derek Prince. She began to realise that her own ministry and that of Sozo had to take this seriously. The deliverers needed deliverance! The only way to renounce the effects of centuries of Replacement Theology was through full repentance. This also came about in a remarkable way.

Jewish Roots Ministry

The initial contact with the Jewish lady had opened their hearts to tentatively minister to others with a Jewish background and the first Jewish Roots Ministry Conference was planned. As their website testifies:

On that day, not only did the Lord minster to Jews but he also began to deliver the rest of us Gentiles from our anti-Semitic past. A deep conviction came upon us and we began to seriously investigate the Hebraic roots of our Christian faith. We discovered how the Church had deliberately severed these roots in the 3rd and 4th centuries and came face to face with the shameful history of Christian anti-Semitism and Britain’s own betrayal of the Jewish people during our administration of Palestine between the First and Second World Wars.

With repentance came the slow process of deliverance from Replacement Theology, which teaches the error that the church has replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people. As we grow the scriptures are coming alive in a new way as we lay aside our Greek mindset and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds to once more think biblically like Hebrews. The transformation has not always been easy. But it has been worth it. It has been a joyous homecoming to once again embrace our Jewish Messiah, to take our place as grafted-in members of the commonwealth of Israel, and to celebrate the Moedim, God’s appointed times, the Feasts of The Lord as kept by the Jews.¹

Here would be a new foundation for their existing ministry, one which would make the ministry stronger and enable Jewish people to come for healing and deliverance. The whole ministry team was taught about the errors of Replacement Theology, and came to repentance and a new understanding. With the leadership now in agreement, this was then shared with the whole congregation (available on CD from Sozo).

Provision for a New Building

Alongside this spiritual transformation and enlargement came the need for something more in the physical realm – a new and bigger building. To understand this part of the story it is necessary to go back in time.

From the outset, the ministry team had realised that it was important to always be debt-free. Whatever they required had to be affordable and paid for from the start. Trusting God for money and provision was the key to this.

As the ministry grew and developed during the 1980s the need for their own property became apparent. It was not enough just to hire the school at Romsey for bigger meetings. At first the solution was mobile homes and then a small rented office, all the while saving up for whatever the next opportunity would be. This turned out to be the chance around 1999 to buy part of an old pub, just one third of it, but enough to call their own. The school was still used for bigger meetings, but Sozo House was born!

From the outset, the ministry team had realised that it was important to always be debt-free.

Eventually this proved too small for their needs and once the opportunity arose to buy the rest of the pub they again sought God and the funds came in right on time. But the vision was still for more.

In 2013 the chance arose to buy Dunwood Manor Golf Club for the bargain price of £225,000. This not only offered just what was needed at the time in terms of offices and small meeting rooms but also had potential for further development in the future. As the money was already there, they bought it immediately and applied for change of use. Then a problem was discovered.

Also on the site were two residential bungalows, the owners of which could object to the application and block the necessary change of use. The only solution was to buy these also, but at normal residential sale prices, money which they simply did not have. But suddenly and unexpectedly, they received a legacy from someone who had been a supporter in the past but, due to advanced years, had not been in contact recently. However, she had not forgotten them, and nor had God! With the bungalows now part of the property everything could go ahead as planned and Dunwood Oaks became the new centre for Sozo Ministries International.

New Venue Now Open!

However, this was by no means the end. The original purchase of Dunwood Manor Golf Club site included a separate locker room with showers, something of great importance to golfers but no use to Sozo! But here was the further potential that the site offered: the chance to turn this into a large main meeting place and conference centre, making it no longer necessary to hire the school in Romsey. In fact, the best option financially and practically ended up being not to restore it as a separate building but to demolish, build new and join it on to the existing two buildings as an annexe.

Dunwood Oaks is now a major centre for healing and deliverance, and for Hebraic renewal.

The initial quote for this new build left enough money over from the legacy - even after the purchase of the two bungalows - that they could begin to finance this, starting with the dry shell. Faith and prayers would provide the rest. Inevitably, final costs exceeded the original quote but when a further £100,000 was needed this was raised in 8 weeks. Then continued generous giving after this came in to enable the final building to be upgraded and improved. The building was completed on time and opened early in January 2017.

As well as being the new venue for the Sunday meetings, up to 300 people can gather for conferences and to celebrate the feasts. Dunwood Oaks is now a major teaching and resource centre not just for healing and deliverance, but also for Hebraic renewal and the teaching of Jewish roots.

And to think it all started with a car accident!

References

1 Hebraic Renewal. Sozo Ministries International.

N.B. Marion Daniel and Sozo Ministries International are in no way affiliated to Bethel Sozo or the International Bethel Sozo Organization.

In the next part of our series 'The Relevance of the Message of the Prophets for Today', Fred Wright examines Obadiah's challenge to the church.

In the shortest book within the Old Testament, just 21 verses, the voice of Obadiah resounds clearly concerning the present times. The book centres on the condemnation of Edom, referred to as Esau, because of the hostility towards Israel and the Jewish people. We may consider that Obadiah, who prophesied during the reign of Ahab (874-852 BC), is challenging the Church of today to repent and depart from the 'Esau syndrome'.

Estranged Brothers

In the scriptures the term Edom is used either to denote Esau, who exchanged his birthright for a single meal (Gen 25:30; 36:1, 8, 19), or as a collective term for the Edomites. Esau, the elder of Isaac's twin sons (Gen 25:21-26), was his father's favourite who should have received the patriarch's blessing, but due to his despising of it in favour of a bowl of pottage and a piece of bread, it became forfeit to Jacob (Gen 25:29f).

The event led to the deep-seated animosity between Israel and Edom (i.e. Gen 27:41-45; Ex 15:15; Num 20:18-21; 1 Kings 11:14f; 2 Chron 22:8; Ps 53; 82:7; Ezek 35:1f; Joel 3:18-19; Amos 1:11) of whom Esau was considered to be the ancestor.

The scriptures imply that selling off one's inheritance in the Lord as something common, or unworthy, causes deep offence or hatred from God; the converse is that the desire to gain the blessings of God, in this case the right to the land and the other promises given to the descendants of Abraham, cause God's love to be set upon one (Mal 1:2f; Rom 9:13, cf. Gen 12:2-3).

Obadiah is challenging the Church of today to repent and depart from the 'Esau syndrome' – or hostility towards Israel.

Esau compounded his estrangement by marrying foreign wives which brought grief to his parents (Gen 26:35). Esau therefore may be understood as representing those who have chosen to abandon the revealed ways of God and the hope of glory, in favour of things that are of immediate rather than eternal value (Heb 12:16f).

The deep-seated animosity between the two peoples may be illustrated by the fact that when, during the Exodus, Israel sought permission to travel on the Edomite king's highway, it was refused. The blood relationship between the people was emphasised in that, despite the offence, Israel was commanded not to abhor them (Deut 23:7-8).

David subdued Edom (2 Sam 8:13) but when Judah fell, Edom rejoiced (Ps 132:7). The prophets spoke out a coming judgment upon Edom for their bitter hatred (Jer 49:7-22; Lam 4:21-22; Ezek 25, 35:15; Joel 3:19; Amos 9:12).

The Esau Syndrome: Violence Against Jacob

The major charge against Edom is violence against Jacob, your brother, which is the first aspect of the Esau syndrome. The Jewish people should rightly be viewed as the Christians' elder brother (Rom 9:2; 15:27, etc). Violence - physical, economic and verbal - has assailed the state of Israel since its re-birth in 1948.

Replacement theology is also a form of violence. In its active form it condemns the Jewish people and promulgates anti-Semitism; in its passive form it attempts to remove the Jewish roots and distinctives of the Christian faith. Many tenets of Replacement theology arise from lack of knowledge, poor biblical teaching or traditional anti-Semitic motifs, recycled to fit the modern era.

The Esau Syndrome: Gloating Over Israel's Misfortune

The second aspect of the Esau syndrome is seen when those who hold a 'replacement' stance gloat when Israel seems to be in a state of catastrophe. Events are seen as an illustration that God has finished with the Jewish people and that the state of Israel is a theological aberration. Obadiah cries out (v12) that you should not look down upon your brother in the day of his misfortune.

Instead of gloating over the misfortunes of the Jewish state, or aiding and abetting those who wish to see its downfall, Christians should be very aware that the way one treats Jacob is a key to how the Lord will treat them (Gen 12:2-3).

The scriptures imply that selling off one's inheritance in the Lord as something common causes deep offence or hatred from God.

The prophecies of Obadiah speak to the Church about the source and place of deliverance, which is Zion. Those who produce a form of wisdom coming from Edom are roundly condemned by the prophet (v8).

The Esau Syndrome: An Exchanged Birthright

The third facet of the Esau syndrome is that much of the wisdom received within Christian theology has not been the wisdom that has come from Zion (the Jewish roots of the faith). It is as if, in a similar manner to Esau, the second century Church exchanged its Jewish birthright for a bowl of Greek philosophical pottage, and in so doing left behind the true Messianic understanding. In the words of Joseph Klausner, "...the Christian Messiah is in essence only a further development of the Jewish Messiah. From Judaism Christianity received the ideas of redemption, the redeemer Messiah, the Day of Judgment, and the kingdom of heaven."

The departure from the Jewish roots of the Christian faith has a detrimental effect - not only for the theology of the Church, but also within the field of Christian-Jewish dialogue. It is hardly surprising that a number of Jewish leaders have questioned the value of dialogue when the Christian side have presented them with a non-Jewish based theology whilst claiming to worship the Jewish Messiah. Counted as possibly the first Christian apologist, Justin, one of the first to articulate the replacement position in the early second century, persisted in wearing the philosopher's garb until the end of his days.

The early Church father, Origen (c 185-254), one of the most profound influences on Eusebius of Caesarea and through him the Emperor Constantine, studied philosophy at the feet of Ammonius Saccus in the company of Plotinus, the founder of neo-Platonism. Constantine 'nationalised' Christianity which developed ever more Greek concepts in its developing theology. The trend continued through the medieval period and by the time of the Enlightenment the scene was set for modern liberal theology to develop from centuries of a thought-system contrary to that inspired by the prophets of Israel.

Esau represents those who have chosen to abandon the revealed ways of God in favour of things that are of more immediate, less eternal value.

The Esau Syndrome: No Stabilising, Nourishing Roots

The fourth aspect of the Esau syndrome is the enfeeblement of the believing community. If as believers we lose contact with the roots of our faith, we will not receive nourishment but rather become weakened and blown around by winds of deviant doctrine. The despising of the Jewish roots of the faith has caused dire effects throughout the history of the Church. Antisemitism and the teaching of contempt developed and grew in the Christian Church and may be held to be contributing factors to the atrocities committed against the Jewish people, not least the Nazi Holocaust.

Obadiah's words chide the believing community today to return to the biblical teachings and depart from the syncretic, accommodationist positions held by many. The judgment upon Esau is terrible in the extreme concerning the pride exhibited. There is a spirit of pride within the believing community today that will not accept the revealed word of the Lord in the scriptures and prefer to follow the wisdom of men. Adhering to such a tendency will bring disaster and ultimately a post-Christian worldview. Even when a thief comes in the night he does not steal everything, but leaves something - those who are under the judgment of the Lord will be left with absolutely nothing.

Christians should be very aware that the way they treat Israel is a key to how the Lord will treat them.

Called to Endurance, Not Error

The following consideration brings us to a crisis point. Will the believing community heed the words of Obadiah and look to Zion for deliverance or will some persist in the Esau syndrome, continuing to despise God's election and call of the Jewish people as the vehicle of salvation? Will they return to the roots of the faith and be nourished and enriched by them, or will they continue in their error?

The consequences of ignoring the call are dire. The believers are called to endure in the days of trouble (Rev 1-3). Endurance only comes from certitude, or knowing God through the Messiah in a personal way. It is not enough simply to know about the power of God or have an idea about God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the father of Jesus the Messiah, may only be known by understanding the accounts of the self-disclosure of God through the Jewish scriptures, which include all of the New Testament, and seeking his face in the place of prayer.

Originally published in Prophecy Today, Vol 13 No 1, 1997. Revised November 2016.

Clifford Denton discusses the origins of 'Replacement Theology' and its impacts on Christian thinking.

So far in this series, we have seen how Christianity's Hebraic heritage came under attack right from the first years after Jesus and his apostles, and we have considered how this attack developed up to the fall of Israel under Rome. By this point, the ground had been prepared for the Christian Church to move away from its roots even further as time went on, and as theological ideas developed that denied its links with Israel and the Jews.

Blessings but no Curses

This eventually led many Christians to consider that God had now finished with Israel and replaced it with a new body called the Church, which would receive all the covenant blessings promised to Israel but without fear of the curses. In this study we will review the ideas behind this 'Replacement Theology' and consider its origins.

Christians and Jews eventually became so separated that many Christians began to consider themselves Israel's replacement in God's eyes.

70 AD: Judgment Day?

When Israel fell under the Romans, it became possible for Christians in the Gentile world to declare this as the final judgment of God on the Jewish nation. They could argue that Jesus had offered the gift of salvation to all of Israel and, following this, the early Apostles had witnessed to his sacrificial death and resurrection for sufficient time to give the nation its full opportunity for repentance.

To witness the terrible fate of Israel under Rome and then the dispersion of Jews to foreign lands would seem adequate evidence for this view. Add to this the Greek philosophical mindset prevalent among Gentile communities (more on this next week), and the scriptures themselves could be re-interpreted as if God had turned his attention to a people who had long been neglected and whose time had now come.

'Natural Israel' becomes 'Spiritual Israel'

Thus the idea that Israel was now to be replaced by a new body was established. The idea of 'Spiritual Israel' replacing 'natural Israel' began to take hold, so that even Old Testament mentions of Israel were re-interpreted by some Christian theologians in terms of the Church in the Gentile world, except that Jesus had now taken away the curse of the law, leaving only blessings for 'the Church'.

When Israel fell under the Romans, Gentile Christians declared this the final judgment of God on the Jewish nation. The idea that 'natural' Israel was now to be replaced by 'spiritual' Israel took hold.

With this view, Galatians 3:10-14 can be taken out of context:

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:13-14)

Also, taking a single verse out of context, Matthew 21:43 could be (wrongly) interpreted as saying that now the 'nation' that was to replace Israel was this new body of people drawn from the Gentile world and known as 'the Church':

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. (Matt 21:43)

With this mindset, even Romans 11 (where Paul speaks of a remnant of Israel being saved) can be re-interpreted as fulfilled by the early disciples and so no longer relevant. Paul speaks of himself as being of the tribe of Israel, seemingly confirming his point that God had not forgotten individuals from Israel - providing they become 'Christians' (and of course there were many other Jews who did believe in Jesus at the time of Paul). Thus a view can be formed that God did not forget his people in confirmation of Romans 11:1-5, but fulfilled it in Paul's day.

For those who see a new body ('the Church') as replacing Israel, the grafting of Romans 11 becomes about grafting into the new, predominantly Gentile Church, rather than into the covenant family that existed before the call to the Gentiles.

Christ the End of the Law

Romans 10:4 can also be read in terms of Replacement Theology, seeing 'end' as 'put an end to':

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

However, this verse means that those who look forward to the coming Messiah (as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did) perceive him as fulfilling the purposes of the Covenant given to Israel. He is in view as through a telescope. He is the end purpose of the Torah, its fulfilment, within the continuity of biblical history.

Christ is the end of the law not because he finishes it, but because he fulfils it.

Those who have adopted the mindset that a new body has replaced Israel read this Scripture as meaning that Jesus Christ put an end to the promise to Israel in order to begin a new thing, rather than to enable, through his sacrificial death, the promise to Abraham. If, again, the 'New Covenant' is seen as a complete replacement of the 'Old Covenant', in every way, then this also adds to the theory that Israel has been replaced by a new thing: 'the Church'.

Already-existing Body

The truth is that Gentiles were called into an already-existing body, by the same faith that Abraham and all his children have.

However, errors emerge when Scripture is read through biased mindsets and false pre-conceptions that have formed in the Christian Church. It is all too easy to take this position, especially if we do not develop a balanced view from the whole of Scripture. In turn, Replacement Theology fuels anti-Semitism if it is thought that God's will is to punish the Jews.

Replacement Theology is rampant and widely accepted in the Church today but its traditions, thought patterns and logics began long ago. We will consider this in the next study, quoting briefly from the writings of two of the 'Church Fathers', Justin Martyr and Origen, to illustrate the point.

Gentiles are called into an already-existing body, by the same faith that Abraham had.

For Reflection and Comment

Read the scriptures referenced in this study, with the mindset of inclusion of believing Gentiles into the Israel of God, rather than a rejection of Israel and total replacement of Israel with an entirely new community of faith. Note the wording of Jeremiah 31:27-37.

Can you find scriptures to correct the error of Replacement Theology that the Church inherits all Israel's blessings and none of its curses?

Next time: Replacement Theology Part 2.