By Jonathan Bernis
What exciting days we are living in! Even some 40 years ago, when God was gathering armloads of Jewish People into His Kingdom through the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s, few could imagine a day when there would be Messianic congregations throughout the world and Christian colleges offering full degrees in Messianic Studies!
The prophetic watershed event of Jerusalem’s reunification, as a consequence of the Six- Day War in June 1967, sparked a subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit that unleashed, in many respects, the modern Messianic Movement. Not only did this unconventional wave of the Spirit, later termed the Jesus Movement, bring hordes of unkempt, longhaired, unshaven hippies into the Church—if they weren’t peculiar enough—God began to draw Jews! Not one or two, but hundreds if not thousands. It is no coincidence that just a few months earlier, in March 1967, God led evangelist Louis Kaplan to start a ministry to reach his Jewish brothers. He called the ministry Jewish Voice Broadcasts. A short time later, he began a radio broadcast that aired for the first time on Christian radio in Phoenix, Arizona. Later, a television program was added, which continues to air to this day. Brother Kaplan was one of many chosen servants whom God raised up in this new Jewish expression of faith that would become the modern Messianic Jewish Movement. Kaplan, along with other pioneers like Martin and Yohanna Chernoff, Manny Brotman, Moishe Rosen, Paul Liberman, Dan Juster, Sid Roth, Joel Chernoff, and Lamb, paved the way forward to help shape this new expression of faith. During these early years, the foundation was laid for the restoration of a visible saved remnant of Israel as God had promised He would do in the days preceding the return of His Son. The restoration of Jerusalem marked the fulfillment of Yeshua’s prophecy recorded in Luke 21:24: “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” This event marked a transition in biblical history, as the Gospel began to return to Israel after almost two thousand years. Unprepared for this unprecedented movement of the Spirit, many church leaders attempted to press these Jewish Believers into a Gentile mold—the only perceived valid expression at the time. The vast majority of Jewish Believers who came to faith during that revival, however, felt a divine mandate to return to their identity and heritage. (See 1 Corinthians 7:17-18.) Further, they had a great burden to present a credible witness to their own Jewish brethren—to be able to share the message that Yeshua is Jewish— that He is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. God birthed a burden and an excitement to recover lost treasure—the Hebraic heritage of the Church—to strip “Joseph” of his Egyptian clothes so that His brethren could recognize Him as one of their own. This led to the formation of congregations that, while worshiping Jesus as the Messiah, still had reverence for biblical observances, such as the Sabbath and Feast days. Considered cultish by many Christian and Jewish leaders, those early Believers had to endure much criticism and resistance. Yet, four decades later, the Messianic Jewish Movement has not only survived, it has flourished. What began as a tiny, grassroots movement of Jewish teens during the revival of the late ’60s and early ’70s has grown into a worldwide movement. Not only do Messianic congregations exist in nearly every large city in the United States, but they also can now be found throughout the world, including Israel. Prominent Christian colleges, such as The King’s University founded by Jack Hayford, are now offering full degrees in Messianic Studies. We at Jewish Voice have the honor of partnering with them in this exciting program.
What Is Messianic Judaism?
Messianic Judaism is a congregational, restoration movement made up of Jews and non-Jews who embrace Jesus as Messiah while simultaneously recognizing and retaining Jewish identity. Notice that I say “Jews and non-Jews.” Many called to the Messianic congregations are not Jewish by birth but feel called to reach the Jewish People. In fact, a greater percentage of those currently in Messianic congregations and fellowships are non-Jewish. Although many Christians may understand Judaism and Christianity to be two distinct religions with little in common, the New Testament teaches something very different: Jesus was a Jew. His disciples were all Jews. Their calling was to their own people. Yeshua Himself declared to the Canaanite woman who sought His help, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). He instructed His disciples when He sent them out, “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). In fact, the first followers of Jesus were all Jews or converts to Judaism; the 120 in the Upper Room, the 3,000 saved at Pentecost, and the 5,000 saved shortly thereafter. They did not convert to another religion, but understood they had found the Messiah promised by their own prophets. Indeed, there are more than 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that reveal the identity, purpose, and mission of this promised Messiah. Those that were not fulfilled by Jesus in His first coming will ultimately be fulfilled when He returns. There are more Jews today who believe in Jesus than at any other time since the first century. In fact, it is likely that more Jews have come to know the Lord in the last four decades since 1967 than in the previous eighteen hundred years put together. We are witnessing an unprecedented move of God, an outpouring of His Spirit promised in the Last Days—and many Christians aren’t even aware that this has been happening!
The Modern Messianic Movement Is a Prophetic Sign
The survival of the Jewish People throughout the millennia, regardless of all the efforts to erase them from the face of the earth, is clear proof of God’s existence. The rebirth of the tiny State of Israel in 1948 and her remarkable survival over these last 62 years, despite the commitment of her Arab neighbors to push her into the sea, is proof of God’s divine intervention. In the same way, the rebirth of the saved remnant of Israel, the Messianic Jewish Movement, is absolute proof of God’s faithfulness to His Word. The restoration of the Land of Israel physically and the People of Israel spiritually are both visible signs to the world that God is fulfilling what He declared through His prophets of old. They longed to see the day we now live in!
The Messianic Movement is a Sign of the Last Days
While many End-Time teachers are focusing attention on who the Antichrist is, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the mark of the beast (all of which may be valid), they seem to overlook the most obvious signs connected to the Last Days, such as the Gospel going to all Nations (Matthew 24:14), the restoration of Israel and Jerusalem (Luke 21:24), and the blindness coming off of the eyes of the Jewish People (Romans 11:25). The removal of this blindness, Paul tells us, will take place when the “fullness of the Gentiles come in.” Contrary to what many teach, I do not believe the correct translation of this verse is not “full number,” but rather “fullness.” In other words, when the fullness of time has come, the fullness of God’s intention for the Church is realized, which I believe includes a revelation and embracing of the Jewish roots of the faith . . . then the blindness will be removed from the eyes of the Jewish People. The next verse goes on to tell us that when that happens, we will see “all Israel saved” followed finally by “the deliverer will come forth from Zion and turn godlessness away from Jacob.” This is the return of Jesus to the earth. He is coming back to Jerusalem. But He will return only after the blindness comes off of the eyes of Israel and they embrace Him as a nation. Jesus Himself declared, as He wept over Jerusalem, “You will not see me again until you say blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” He could not have been clearer. He will not return until His Jewish Brethren recognize who He is and invite Him back.
Messianic Judaism Is a Revival Movement
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” —Haggai 2:6-9
I fully believe that the Messianic Movement has been raised up to be a vehicle for revival, for the Jewish People and for all the nations of the world. In this portion of Haggai, as well as other Old and New Testament texts, God speaks of a latter day outpouring upon the Jewish People and ultimately the nations that will be greater than anything recorded in history. We are living in those days! Messianic Judaism was not an idea conceived by men as a solution to the “problem” created by so many Jewish People coming into the Kingdom; it is the first fruits of the latter day rain upon Israel, the Church, and ultimately the world. God has declared it in His Word, and nothing will stand in the way of Him bringing revival to the nations. What we have witnessed over the past 40-plus years is marvelous, but I believe it is just the beginning. The “latter house”—the assembly of all Believers, Jews and Gentiles—is going to be greater in size, in scope, and in depth of understanding and relationship with the Father! The Messianic Movement is charged with a great purpose: to bring this revival, which the Gospel boldly proclaims, to the entire earth. We must be willing to invest all in the revival of the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel. There is no wiser investment we can make, and we are called to invest nothing less.
Life From the Dead
The apostle Paul challenges us with this intriguing question: Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! . . . For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? —Romans 11:11-12, 15What is this life from the dead? It is the restoration of all things as they were before man sinned. It is a return to the paradise that Adam and Eve experienced in total and complete harmony and relationship with God. It is the end of all sickness, suffering, and pain. It is the defeat of death itself, a glorious period of Yeshua’s divine rule on this earth. I don’t know about you, but that gets me excited about His return! In conclusion, we must understand that there is an inseparable connection between the salvation of the Jewish People, the restoration of the nations, and the return of Jesus. The Jewish People are not just another people group—they are the gauge of God’s prophetic time clock! If you want to see the return of the Messiah, I encourage you to get involved with Jewish ministry. We have many opportunities each year for you to serve with us on Jewish Voice outreaches. We need your help. We need your prayers. We need your partnership. When asked why he believed so strongly in God, Mark Twain replied, “The Jew, my friend, the Jew!” You ask how I know we are living in the Last Days and about to see the restoration of all things and the return of the Messiah . . . “The Messianic Jew, my friend, the Messianic Jew!”
