Spoiler alert: We will not be looking at End Times scenarios leading to and beyond the Second Coming of the Messiah. Rather a practical look at what role Messianic Jews might have in Israel in these Last Days.
Israel’s return to the Land changed everything
In thinking about any future role for Messianic Jews in the Last Days it is important to understand that with Israel back in her land, God is once again relating to His chosen people as a nation.
In Bible times God dialoged with and guided His people as a nation, and not only as individuals. In the days of Moses, through the desert, by Prophets, and with Priests in the Tabernacle and the Temple, the God of Israel led His people as a flock.
But after the Temple was destroyed and Israel was scattered to the nations that changed. An individual’s relationship with God was transmitted through Jesus to the rest of humanity. Christianity, which emerged from Judaism at this point, put the individual at the center of God’s...
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16 responses to “The Future for Messianic Jews in the Last Days”
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Interestintg, timely article. Thankyou.
Thanks Malcolm for letting me know, Blessings.
I agree. Messianic Judaism is the answer to bringing Jews to their Messiah. Christian theology, for the most part, is devoid of any understanding of the law, which is HOLY! Having said that, I believe Messianics need to do those things prescribed in the law that make them ethnically distinct outwardly too. Looking like Gentiles won’t cut it.
And Gentiles, as Isaiah says, are to assist in the ingathering. (Isaiah 49:22-23)
Thank you for your steadfastness in bringing this issue to light.
Thanks for the encouragement Susan. So good to know you are standing here with us.
Hey, David, you must REALLY believe in miracles! (LOL).
(I won’t enter the dialogue/ disagreement on how the “One New Man” plays out on this subject and how Jewish and Gentile believers walk in a unique unity.)
However, I do know of 2 Messianic congregations – one in Israel and the other outside- whose leadership is under the same supervision of a Gentile evangelical Pastor. This subject you have brought up is about as remote from their thinking as Jews celebrating Christmas!
Maybe the Lord Yeshua left this subject intentionally blurry so that the Messianic Jewish believers would have to work it out in later history with much humility and listening carefully to the Spirit of Yeshua.
Hi Robert. Feel free to “bring up’ the One New Man issue. To me, reconciling and learning to live together Jew and Gentile is one of the most beautiful things our Messiah accomplished on the cross. Which of course means loving and respecting one another in our uniqueness be we Jew or Gentile, male of female, rich or poor.
I believe reconciliation is the greatest demonstration of the power of the precious blood of the lamb.
I have an intense passion to see any examples of Arab and Jewish believers working together. Somehow, I think this will expedite Jewish acceptance of Yeshua as the Messiah.
The “One New Man” is still somewhat a mystery to me in the area of Jewish identification of the Jewish Messianic believers. How do they live out their Jewishness and still live/ worship together with Gentile (particularly Arab) believers?
How would it have looked like in the days of the Apostles? We seem to have limited historical reference to this.
David, I think the main point of your article would also be along the lines of Paul/Shaul who said he became all things to all people so he might save some. How can the Israeli Jewish believers show that to their Jewish neighbours, particularly the religious ones, and yet not fall into a lifeless orthodoxy?
It reminds me of looking online to one Messianic congregation’s videos and it seemed like all the oxygen of the Spirit was sucked right out of there!
Part 1
Israel is the promised son who brings salvation to the world. Evangelicals focus on individual redemption of souls because there isn’t such a thing as a non-Jewish Israel. The Crusades are evidence that Gentiles knew that only Jerusalem could be the earth’s holy city (Is 52:1) but they weren’t willing to admit that it must also be a Jewish city.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Ps118:26) is Israel’s cry at the national recognition of Messiah. What is a Gentile’s cry regarding the national recognition of Messiah? he hasn’t got one. Yes, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Ps 33:12), and many nations have sought to be Christian, but would that make them an Israel?, no. Somehow the Gentile nation whose God is the Lord must be endorsed by national Jewish Israel to be considered members of the commonwealth of Israel. (Eph 2:12) The spiritual commonwealth is also a natural commonwealth.
Part 2
How far natural Israel is away from their fulfilment as a spiritual Israel is not known but when they are, Gentiles will hold their coat tails (Zech 8:23) and ask them to take them up to the temple of the Lord because Gentiles don’t learn temple, they only learn church.
Keeping Shabbat, the Feasts and following Jesus as the way, the truth and the life is the Jewish way of being Israel. Messianic Jews do this but not so much messianic Gentiles. When natural Israel sees the Gentiles heeding the commands of Jesus and following the example of the disciples they’ll see a community that is attractive to them. The antisemitic, liberal, religiously arrogant current expression of church is just too ugly.
🙂 הַתְרָאַת ספוילר, שְׁתִיקָה מִמֶּנִּי, אֲבָל אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אֶת זֶה
I wonder if Israel Today has Hebrew and German editions of their journalism.
Some posters are using these languages for their comments and my guess the majority (like myself) wouldn’t bother trying to use Google translate to figure what was said.
If the poster can read the article in English, can they also post in English?
Yes! This is my prayer for Messianic Jews in Israel. I look forward to the day when “people from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying ‘let us go with you for we have heard that G-d is with you.’”
Hi Krista, you can imagine that there is quite a bit of pushback on these ideas and it is so good to hear of you faith, hope and prayers. Thank you.
Hi David, I totally agree with you that all Messianic Jews ought to return to the promised land, and I believe that Yeshua is doing just that slowly but steadily to fulfil Isaiah 49:6. Myself and another lady know that the Lord Jesus is already calling Israel “My country”.
It looks as though all evangelical Christians whom you came to know focus on the afterlife and ignore the Jewishness of Jesus, but not me. I came to believe in Jesus purely through reading the Bible, and from the Scriptures it seems so obvious that the Lord God who chose Jacob and Jerusalem cannot abandon them for His Holy Name’s sake, and Jesus was/is a Jew.
Many believers in Jesus seem overlooking the fact that the Spirit of Jesus is as active today as when He was dealing with the seven Gentile churches (Rev 2&3).
Bless you all Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel!
I agree wholeheartedly with you. Messianic Judaism is Judaism. It has its own identity apart from Christianity. There have always been Jewish believers in Jesus (Y’shua). Y’shua Himself said “I was sent only for the lost sheep of Israel.” According to scripture, its the Gentiles who have been “grafted in” to Judaism, not the other way round, thanks to God’s grace and mercy, and consistent with God’s plan for the redemption of all mankind.
Messianic Judaism has been growing steadily. The movement is gaining strength. Therefore, as in the days of the Essenes who foreshadowed the first arrival of the Messiah (Daniel), so it will be in the waning days of the ‘Messianic’ Age.
Just want to share an amazing study about the end times by David Jones, Bethel Church UK…36 episode series. God is truly pouring out His spirit in the end of this age! David illustrates clearly, from scripture, what revelation is all about, truth, wisdom, and mostly ISRAEL, God’s chosen…and a clear distinction between the church… His Bride and ISRAEL… His Kingdom to come. I am very careful and aware of the Holy Spirit’s voice and guidance…short of the bible’s living word I diligently seek truth and honesty in biblical teaching from man. In all my studies I’ve yet to encounter the wealth of wisdom this pastor has regarding Revelation. I pray that all of Jacob’s descendants listen to this pastors teaching.