God’s end-time purpose for His covenant community

But we know Someone who holds the future in his hands!

With the climate change protesters bringing London to a standstill in a bid to save the planet, and despairing Brexiteers having virtually given up hope of saving the kingdom from European predators, is there any future for us?

Yes, assuredly so, if we look to the rock from which we were hewn (Isa 51:1); to the One from Israel who brought us salvation. Jesus is doing a new thing in the land that gave him birth, and it carries a message of peace for us all.

What? Peace! You’re telling me Israel has a lesson of peace for us with all the bloodshed that is being spilled in the Middle East? Bear with me.

The ‘Peace Process’

As many in the UK have had their fill of squabbling politicians, so in Israel talk of peace is being treated with contempt. After decades of negotiations surrounding the ‘peace process’, most Israelis realise that they have no genuine partner with whom to make peace – and no longer believe peace is possible.¹

But there is a peace being enacted right before their eyes in the form of believers in Yeshua (Jesus) – both Jew and Arab – embracing one another out of a common love for the Jewish Messiah.

Congregations of such believers are meeting all over the land where Jesus once walked, and have become the ‘one new man’ referred to by the Apostle Paul in a letter to the early Christians, thus:

“For he himself [Christ] is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” (Eph 2:14)

There is a peace being enacted right before their eyes in the form of believers in Yeshua – both Jew and Arab – embracing one another out of a common love for the Jewish Messiah.

One New Man

When Jesus died on the cross, he broke “the dividing wall of hostility” between man and God, and between Jew and Gentile. The barrier has been well and truly smashed, and I have witnessed the beautiful reality of this on several occasions, both in Israel and in Britain.

I have also just written of an Arab woman brought up to hate the Jews who, since finding freedom in Jesus, says: “I love the Jewish people because it is their God and their Messiah I’m following and he told me to love them.”²

When Moses was about to lead the Israelites through the Red Sea, he told them: “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation [literally Yeshua] of the Lord [Yahweh].” ‘Yeshua’ (Jesus) means salvation; it still does, and it’s where true peace has been won!

Hypocrisy and Appeasement

Instead of peace, however, many people – even in Israel – are being taken in by hypocrisy. Speaking of discriminatory apartheid-type laws denying basic rights to Palestinians in Lebanon, Israeli Arab journalist, lecturer and film-maker Khaled Abu Toameh writes:

Palestinian leaders do not seem to care about the suffering of their people at the hands of Arabs. Yet these same leaders are quick to condemn Israel on almost every occasion and available platform.³

And Bassam Tawil of the Gatestone Institute points out that payments to terrorists and their families lie at the heart of Palestinian incitement to terror that drives the conflict there. For they are entitled to full salaries that are denied to others!⁴

Here in Britain, meanwhile, we are suffering the effects of political appeasers kowtowing to a godless empire supposedly set up to ensure lasting peace in Europe, when they ought to be defending our democracy, decency and sovereignty, as Churchill would have done.

Plumbing the depths of insanity, they have the gall to push ahead with an election to this body - three years after the public voted to leave it, and at a colossal cost of £100 million+.

When Jesus died on the cross, he broke “the dividing wall of hostility” between man and God, and between Jew and Gentile.

A Political Circus

This is surely a political circus led by clowns – a humiliating, soft-touch approach. No wonder that climate change ‘warriors’ have been so easily able to exploit this time of political weakness, grabbing the headlines to have their say on an issue no-one (but God) can do anything about.

The Bible tells us that “the earth will wear out like a garment” (Isa 51:6) and that the real Saviour of our planet, the Lord Jesus Christ, will one day usher in a new Heaven and a new earth (Rev 21:1).

Meanwhile these anarchists are putting the country in grave danger of a terrorist strike as police resources are diverted elsewhere and more than a thousand arrests are made.

Writing this on ANZAC Day, when Australia and New Zealand remember the bravery of their soldiers in past conflicts, I conclude with the hope that sanity will prevail and we return as a nation to battles that are really worth fighting.

References

1 David Soakell, Christian Friends of Israel’s Watching Over Zion newsletter, 25 April 2019.

2 News & Views, newsletter of CMJ Israel. Testimony also available on YouTube courtesy of One for Israel.

3 David Soakell, 25 April 2019.

4 Ibid.

Do the biblical accounts of the Passion and the Resurrection agree?

Simon Pease reviews ‘Three Days and Three Nights that Changed the World’ by David Serle and Peter Sammons (2018, Christian Publications International).

Three Days and Three Nights that Changed the World (abbreviated here to ‘Three Days and Three Nights’) is a robust defence of the reliability of the Gospel accounts and their agreement concerning the timing of Jesus’ crucifixion, contrasted with Christianity’s traditional ‘Good Friday’ narrative. Jesus stated that he would be buried for “three days and three nights” which, counting back from his resurrection appearance early Sunday morning, either places his crucifixion on Thursday or possibly Wednesday.

The authors are convinced of the case for Thursday and make a strong argument, presenting compelling evidence against Wednesday on various grounds. For example, if Wednesday was the day, Jesus’ six-mile journey from Jericho to Bethany would have taken place on the Sabbath, violating its regulations. Whilst a Thursday crucifixion does not produce a literal 72-hour period, biblical examples are provided to show how a partial day counted as a day in Jewish thought.

Contradictory Accounts?

John’s Gospel appears to contradict the synoptic accounts; he presents Jesus’ crucifixion as taking place before the Jewish religious establishment celebrated Passover, whilst Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal the previous day. However, extensive research uncovers a fascinating reason for this.

The Judean religious leaders adjusted their calendar following the Babylonian exile, whilst other groups such as the Galileans, Zealots, Essenes and Samaritans retained the one established by Moses. This cultural insight highlights some of the rivalries and tensions described in the New Testament.

Here is a robust defence of the reliability of the Gospel accounts and their agreement concerning the timing of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Perhaps most importantly regarding the Thursday crucifixion is how it fits symbolically with the historical calendar of Jewish worship according to the prescribed format of Leviticus 23. Passover was followed immediately by the Festival of Unleavened Bread, of which the first day was a day of rest, or ‘High Sabbath’. Therefore, immediately after Jesus’ crucifixion on the Thursday (Passover), there would have been a special Sabbath on the Friday (Festival of Unleavened Bread), followed by a normal Sabbath on Saturday, with Jesus’ resurrection on the Sunday (the celebration of First Fruits, Lev 23:9-14).

More than a Detective Story

However, the book is much more than just a detective story. It celebrates the wonderful truth of the resurrection and includes a fascinating chapter on Jonah - the one miraculous sign Jesus offered the Pharisees. Several Bible quotations are used to demonstrate that Jonah actually died and was resurrected.

The New Testament writers emphasised strongly not just the importance of Messiah’s death (literally on the day of Passover), but also the symbolic significance of First Fruits - as the very first harvesting of the religious year – as resurrection day. Jesus is the ‘first fruits’ of those raised from the dead: the promise of the resurrection to come.

First Fruits vs. Easter

Three Days and Three Nights usefully includes a summary of Peter Sammons’ ‘The Jesus Pattern’ (which is effectively a prequel), which explores all seven ‘moedim’ (Levitical festivals) as they relate to Jesus and their spiritual significance for believers.

Born-again believers are ‘First Fruits people’ rather than ‘Easter people’. The authors attack institutional Christianity’s choice of a feast day based on pagan fertility rites, especially since the decisions for dating Easter and ‘Good Friday’ were motivated by a profound hatred of the Jews. The historical evidence for this is clearly presented.

By contrast, Scripture indicates that the New Testament Church at the very least kept the Jewish Passover and used all the Levitical festivals as an important part of their teaching about Jesus – a model Christians could learn from.

Born-again believers are ‘First Fruits people’ rather than ‘Easter people’.

Removing the Veils

Three Days and Three Nights is crafted carefully to help readers make sense of a technical subject by providing several diagrams, the most of impressive of which is a fold-out chart tracking all the events of the ‘Passion week’. As well as providing a handy reference point throughout, this shows how the events of the religious calendar relate specifically to Jesus. For example, the Passover lamb was carefully examined for blemish at exactly the same time as Jesus underwent extensive cross-examination regarding his Messianic credentials and sinlessness.

The appendices include Scripture references and a suggested timeline of the events between Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, specifically to repudiate attacks on the authenticity of the biblical narrative.

Ultimately, Three Days and Three Nights provides an important testimony concerning the reliability of the biblical account, at a time when many believers are rediscovering the Jewish context of Scripture. The book makes an important prophetic point: just as the scriptures affirm that Jewish recognition of Messiah has been veiled until his imminent return, so too did Christianity once lose sight of Messiah’s Jewishness and God’s faithfulness towards the Jews. However, the Lord will finally remove both these veils and accomplish his purpose of ‘one new man’ in Christ. Three Days and Three Nights makes a contribution to the unfolding of this plan.

‘Three Days and Three Nights that Changed the World’ (202pp, paperback) is available on Amazon for £16. Find out more about the book and accompanying resources on the Christian Publications International website.

Paul Luckraft interviews author Steve Maltz about his latest book, ‘Shalom’.

Over the years, I have reviewed most of Steve’s books for Prophecy Today and in the past I interviewed him to find out what motivated him to go on writing. “I was born to write, that is my gift” was his reply, and it would seem that with Shalom, his 25^th book, that gift is still in full flow. But a valid question remains: why another book? And why this particular book?

Steve admits to being on a personal journey and that writing books is his way of continuing that journey. As he explains in the preface of Shalom, “every book is a personal odyssey and a time of great learning” (p9). Pressing him further on this, he added that “I always write what is on my heart and each time I finish a book I think the journey may have ended, but so far it hasn’t.”

The journey actually started when he was crossing London Bridge ten years ago and God began to show him how the Church had lost ‘the Way’ by detaching itself from its Hebraic roots. Many books later, Shalom brings that vision into greater focus.

Its theme is an exploration of what Paul in Ephesians calls the ‘One New Man’ (Eph 2:15). If the Church is ever to recover what it lost in the past and achieve God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile and that Gentiles are Gospel heirs together with Israel: members together of one Body, sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6). Steve’s argument is that embracing this truth will bring renewal to the Church, individually and corporately.

Searching for Answers

As such, Steve isn’t just writing for his own benefit. He believes others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers. This was dramatically illustrated just an hour or so before meeting up with me in London.

If the Church is ever to recover God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile.

Prior to our interview, Steve visited a major London bookshop to introduce his new book and drop off a couple of copies. While talking to the staff there one of the customers overheard him explaining the book and suddenly burst into tears! “This is just what I’ve been looking for!” she explained. And then added that she had been on a train on the Underground when God had told her to get off at that station and go to the bookshop there. She had no idea why at the time, but clearly God knew what she needed!

Just like this lady in the bookshop, readers new to Steve’s books can start with Shalom without having to read all that has gone before. Each of his books stands alone and usually contains several quotes or references to previous ones. To this end, the first part of Shalom takes us back over how the Church lost the Way, the Truth and the Life by severing ourselves from Israel and our Hebraic roots. Here, Steve explains the problems in the Church that show our need for God’s shalom, found only in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

After a short second part on ‘The Shalom of Salvation’, in the third part we are reminded how the key to recovering the Hebraic nature of the Christian faith is function, not form. In other words, it’s about discovering and developing our roles and callings – who we are and what we do - rather than about offices and structures; it’s about being and doing ‘church’ rather than church as an institution or set of rituals. This is a significant theme in his previous books.

After this comes Part Four, which is devoted to exploring what shalom means when it comes to the Church and the idea of the One New Man. It should be stressed that just because the title is ‘Shalom’, the book is not merely a study on this particular word. Rather, as the subtitle emphasises, here we discover ‘God’s Masterplan’ for oneness or completeness, which Steve unpacks through seven other Hebrew words (simcha, chaim, kadosh, chesed, mishpocha, limmud, berakhot). Through these we can reverse all the Greek thinking that has dominated Church life since the 2^nd Century and undo the unbiblical practices introduced by Constantine and others.

In short, Steve asks the big question: what would the Church look like if there had been no influence from Greek philosophy or Roman emperors? Through these Hebraic concepts the answer starts to emerge. The next big question is, who will be brave enough to try it the Hebraic way?!

Steve believes that others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers.

Joyous Conclusion

The final part of the book came as a surprise, even to Steve. “Here’s a chapter I never intended to write because it references a series of events that came after the writing of the first draft of this book” (p215). At the ‘Foundations 10’ Hebraic conference in Devon, Steve saw Hebraic church come alive, in practice – ‘it happened in Devon!’ is the joyous conclusion to the book.

Shalom is being launched this weekend at the 'Foundations 11' conference, being held at The Hayes in Swanwick. The conference is appropriately entitled ‘One New Man’ and will continue to explore the theme further through teaching and discussion.

That walk over London Bridge many years ago has certainly borne a lot of fruit. Is the journey reaching a conclusion? I doubt it. The next book, and 'Foundations 12', are already being planned!

‘Shalom’ (234 pages, paperback) is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10.

Arab family links up with Jews to spread gospel in the region

When the Israeli town of Nazareth is mentioned, most people immediately think of Jesus. It’s where he came from.

But when Nathanael, one of Christ’s first disciples, heard that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he responded rather sceptically with the question: “Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46).

The same question is sometimes asked today, as the Galilean town is now an entirely Arab community with very few Christian believers.

Discovering Forgiveness

Step in the Sakhnini family. Although part of the town’s minority Christian-Arab population, there was a time when being ‘Christian’ merely described their culture – it just meant that, unlike most of the Arab world, they were not Muslims.

That is until 2007 when Bishara, a barber and head of the family, was betrayed by a close friend – and soon afterwards received news that his sister-in-law was dying of cancer, with only a month to live. In the midst of it all, his wife Sarah was found to be expecting their fourth child.

A pastor from Haifa then befriended Bishara and began to share what the Bible teaches, especially about forgiveness. As a result, Bishara forgave his friend and received true forgiveness for his own sins.

Not only that, but his whole family, including his three pre-teen sons, agreed to fast for three days as they prayed for their stricken relative, who subsequently walked out of hospital completely healed! And Sarah had a healthy baby soon afterwards despite an initial scare.

When Nathanael heard that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he responded rather sceptically: “Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46).

One New Man

Bishara and Sarah Sakhnini and their four sons pose for a selfie on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. Picture courtesy of maozisrael.org.

Having witnessed such miracles, including the power of fasting and forgiveness, the family’s transformation sent shockwaves through the community. But they were scorned by their Arab neighbours, just as Jesus had been at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders.

And their world understanding was further rocked when some Jewish believers came to visit. The family hadn’t even realised Jesus was Jewish, let alone that an increasing number of Jews believe in him. Now they worship together with their Jewish brothers on a regular basis.

“Seeing us sing and dance together as we worship the same God,” writes Messianic musician Shani Ferguson in Maoz Israel’s January report, “was mesmerizing to outsiders and always elicited questions.”

She adds that “there is no greater testimony to unbelieving Jews that Yeshua [Jesus in Hebrew] has power over all than when Arabs embrace them as the people of their Saviour.”

It’s a little known fact that Arabs and Jews are meeting together at an increasing number of fellowships all over Israel, demonstrating the truth of the Gospel that true peace and reconciliation can only be found through what Jesus has done on the Cross.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “For he himself [Christ] is our peace, who has made the two groups [Jew and Gentile] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” (Eph 2:14).

Arabs and Jews are meeting together at an increasing number of fellowships all over Israel, demonstrating the Gospel’s power of true peace and reconciliation.

Worship Initiative

The Sakhnini brothers at home in their music room. Picture courtesy of maozisrael.org.The Sakhnini brothers – Adeeb, Eliya and Yazid – are particularly skilled musicians and are now engaged on a project to reach the Arab world with a blend of Arab and Jewish sounds as part of the Israel Worship Initiative.

They are currently working on a unique album – including some original and some old Arab hymns – which will cost about $20,000 to complete.

• If you wish to help reach the Middle East with Arabic gospel songs, contact www.maozisrael.org or their UK branch at www.maozisrael.uk/.
  
• For Shani Ferguson’s full story on the Sakhninis, click here.
  

Maoz Israel Ministries is a non-profit organisation founded by Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram and dedicated to reaching Israel with the good news of Jesus as well as providing humanitarian and other aid. Ari is a former film actor who has also played professional rugby and football.

• For more information on Arab-Jewish reconciliation, read my book Peace in Jerusalem (available from olivepresspublisher.com as well as from Amazon and Eden Books) or access the excellent Highway19 project.

Simon Pease reviews ‘The Case for Enlargement Theology’ by Alex Jacob (2011, Glory to Glory Publications, 2^nd Ed.)

Paul Luckraft reviews the Tree of Life version of Scripture (Baker Publishing/Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, 2015).

The Tree of Life Version of the Holy Scriptures is well worth investigating and then investing in. There are several versions of the Bible available now which attempt to recapture something of the original Jewish authenticity - so what makes this different?

Its main selling point is the claim that this is a brand new translation produced by both Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars. This, the publishers say, makes it the first of its kind, and by incorporating the translational skills of Messianic Jews it highlights the rich Hebraic roots of the Christian faith to a greater extent. And by working together as One New Man, they believe they have provided a Bible for a new era.

A Jewish-Friendly Voice

The translators have gone back to the original Hebrew (Masoretic Text) for the Old Testament and the original Greek (the 27^th Nestle-Aland Novum Testamente Graece) for the New. Naturally they have preserved the original Jewish order of the books of the Old Testament (Tanakh) and have also used transliterated terms such as shalom, shofar, Shabbat, and the Jewish name of the Messiah, Yeshua.

This is a brand new translation produced by both Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars working together as One New Man.

The translation project was headed up by Jeffrey Seir, a professor of Bible and Jewish Studies at Kings University, USA, who served as the Project Manager and Chief Theologian. A full list of the translators is available on their website.

Their aim is to provide a version that speaks with a decidedly Jewish-friendly voice, a voice like the Bible authors themselves, and to show the connections between the covenants God made with his ancient people and those now grafted in through the new covenant with Yeshua.

Versions and Resources

In addition to the full Biblical text there are some useful extras, including a week Torah reading programme and some Jewish prayers and blessings in Hebrew, transliterated Hebrew and English.

There is also a short glossary and a couple of maps. Don’t expect too many extras, this is not a study Bible as such but a new version to be read in order to gain fresh insights from the text itself.

One aim is to show the connections between the covenants God made with his ancient people and those now grafted in through the new covenant with Yeshua.

Produced by the Baker Publishing Group in partnership with the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, the Tree of Life Version can be ordered online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook.com and various other websites and stores. It is available in several formats, from the cheaper Thinline Edition (if you don’t mind very thin pages!), produced in both softback and hardback forms, to the more expensive imitation leather covers. It is also available on Kindle.

Find out more about the Tree of Life version on its official website (US), which also houses relevant articles and resources.

Peter Sammons reviews the One New Man Bible - a 2011 translation by William J Morford.

The One New Man Bible (ONMB) is a helpful modern translation by William J Morford, an American bible translator and Hebraic specialist.

It aims to bring greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the power given to believers for their daily walk.

In the words of its Preface: "The One New Man Bible...makes the Jewish roots of Christianity come to life" having been "edited from a public domain English translation. The English has been brought up to date and many words previously translated according to tradition have been changed to the literal. The New Testament is the Power New Testament, a fresh translation of the Fourth Edition United Bible Society Greek Text. An effort has been made to keep the text as free as possible from denominational biases and doctrinal interpretations".

Healing the Enmity

Why the name 'One New Man'? The inspiring text is Ephesians 2:16 where the 'enmity' between Jew and Gentile is finally healed, these two becoming One New Man. Ephesians 2:14-22 is provided in the preface as a sort of Scriptural raison d'etre for the new translation.

Certainly the Hebraic root of Christianity comes uniquely to life in the ONMB. Hebrew is a very expressive language, so this translation brings out much of the power that has commonly been omitted from traditional English translations. The ONMB will undoubtedly help to open the eyes of the Church to appreciate its Hebraic roots, and to recognise that Yeshua (Jesus) was born Jewish, that He grew up Jewish, and that He is the same today as He was then (Heb 13:8).

The ONMB will undoubtedly help to open the eyes of the Church to appreciate its Hebraic roots.

This fresh translation adopts the Jewish ordering of the books of the Old Testament, which helps readers to recognise a direct link between the chronicle of the Jewish story with the chronicle of Jesus and the apostolic church. Hence the Old Testament ends with Chronicles.

Translation Surprises

Scripture translated with the power and meaning of the original language really does come alive! One early surprise is in Genesis 12:1 when God does not say "Go" to Abram, but "Get yourself out of here!" Later He tells Moses to order Pharaoh to "Send My people away!" instead of pleading "Let My people go."

These passages are the literal translation from the Hebrew. Some words have been translated differently because the traditional translation conveys something not intended by the author. One of those words is the Greek word ecclesia, which means a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into a public place. Ecclesia is commonly translated 'church', but because of our association of 'church' with both a building and an organisation, in the ONMB, ecclesia is translated 'congregation'.

This fresh translation adopts the Jewish ordering of the books of the Old Testament, which ends with Chronicles.

The One New Man Bible achieves its goal to be a very readable text that flows from one book to another while preserving much of the Jewish flavour, especially the Jewishness of Yeshua, and much of the sheer power in many Hebrew and Greek expressions. If I have one minor complaint, it is that Morford failed to address the poor translation of John 3:16 which should better be translated as "God thus loved the world" rather than misusing the 17^th Century language of "God so loved..." which, in a modern idiom, seems to be so hard-wired into modern translations.

Another core strength of the ONMB is its very extensive glossary at the back. This brings out many treasures that are missed in commentaries and indeed other translations. One simple example:

HOSANNA – is the English spelling of Hoshea.na, meaning Deliver Us Now! This comes from the same Hebrew root as Y'shua, the Hebrew name of Jesus. The ending, "na", is something we do not have a translation for in English, a demanding "NOW!" which is not rude or impertinent. It is properly translated as "please" or "I pray you". The greeting and waving of palm fronds and branches were traditionally done on the sixth day of the feast of Sukkot, welcoming the reigning messiah to assume the throne in Jerusalem. All those shouting "Hoshea-na!" knew this and believed Y'shua was the Messiah Who had come to claim His throne, there and then.

Verdict

My verdict on the ONMB? This translation is more than a useful addition for the serious Bible student. It is something that every such student should have available.

Would it be a reliable stand-alone, general purpose Bible? My first impression was 'no' but I have to say that with frequent use this fresh translation does 'grow' on me as a reader. I am enjoying it more and more. I believe that over the next 20 years this fresh translation will become far more widely adopted. It is priced competitively with higher quality translations.

Available leather-bound for £40 (+P&P) from Glory to Glory Publications, also Saffron Planet Publishing. The One New Man Bible has its own website – click here to find out more.