Shalom Dear Friends,
ISRAEL 2011
This month we would like to announce our 2011 Study Tour of Israel. Please feel free to share this information with anyone you know who would be interested in joining us for the trip of a lifetime. We will be flying non-stop from Los Angeles International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport and return via Israel’s premier airline, El Al. El Al does a super job!
Theme: In the Footsteps of the Messiah
We will concentrate our time in the Land visiting the two major areas of the Messiah’s ministry, Galilee and Jerusalem. Your appreciation and understanding of Jesus will take a great leap forward as you walk where He walked, learn where He taught, and see what He saw. Of course, we will visit additional historical and biblical sites that fall along our route of travel.
Dates: October 30, 2011 to November 13, 2011 (15 days total: 13 days touring, 2 days travel)
Your Study Tour Staff
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Tour Leader: Pastor Bob Morris. Bob is a Jewish Christian. He is the Director of HaDavar Messianic Ministries and an instructor at HaDavar‘s School of Biblical and Jewish Studies. This will be his sixth visit to Israel. |
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Assistant: Roxanne Tretheway. Roxanne has been involved in Jewish ministries for 24 years in full-time and volunteer capacities. Currently, she is a volunteer with HaDavar Messianic Ministries. This will be her fifth trip to Israel. |
Tour Size: 16 people plus 2 staff
Cost: $4,250.00 per person
We encourage you to join our study tour, especially if you have never been to the Land where God walked as a man. HaDavar agrees with our guide when she states her opinion that two weeks in Israel is worth two years in Bible school or seminary. We often describe our study tours in this manner, “Before you go to Israel, you read your Bible in black and white. After your trip, your Bible will suddenly be in full color and high definition.” Join us if you can.
WHY DON’T THE JEWS GET IT?
Recently, Bob was confronted with the question, “When it comes to Jesus, why don’t the Jews understand that He is the Messiah?” Here is how he answered the question.
History
Although Christian anti-Semitism is not rampant in the USA, it is still here and growing. However, we Jews remember our history and are ever wary of increasing anti-Semitism. The United States has been our most hospitable refuge, but we are concerned about the trend. We remember what has happened to us in the past, in Europe and Russia, by the “church.”
Misunderstanding
You must note that Jewish people do not understand Christian distinctions. To Jewish people everyone who is a Christian is the same (Roman Catholic or Russian Orthodox or etc.). The Pope is a Christian, Billy Graham is a Christian, Hitler was a Christian, etc., and all Christians are out to convert us or kill us. So, the impact of Christian anti-Semitism is ever in our minds even when we live in the USA. This is another reason why “We don’t get it.”
Faithful Remnant
Another reason why “We don’t get it” is the doctrine of the faithful remnant (Isaiah 10:20-23, Romans 11:5). Only a small number of Jewish people will come to faith in Yeshua.
The Veil
Another reason why “We don’t get it” is the doctrine of the veil discussed in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16.
But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
We are under judicial discipline for our rejection of the Messiah. If a Jewish person turns to the Lord seeking the truth, God will open his eyes to the truth. Only the faithful remnant will have this blessing and the removal of the veil.
The Holocaust
“We don’t get it” because of the Holocaust of WWII. The death of six million Jewish people has destroyed the faith of the current generation. “Where was God when the six million died?” is a common Jewish question. “I can’t believe in a God like that” has been the response of 80-90% of the worldwide Jewish community at present. We are an atheistic/agnostic community nowadays. The 10-20% that believe in God follow Rabbinic Judaism, a man-made religion of traditions.
Tradition
The religion that theistic Jews follow today is a variation of Rabbinic Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism has only the barest connection to the biblical revelation. One of its cardinal points is that Jesus is not the Messiah. Theistic Jews follow the ancient sages to the point of sage worship in Ultra-Orthodox circles.
Biblical Ignorance
And the final reason why “We don’t get it” is because we are not “the people of the book” any more. We are suffering the “famine of the word of God” mentioned in Amos 8:11. We are biblically ignorant these days. We do not read the Bible, and most of those who do don’t believe it.
By and large the present day Jewish community is bound for an eternity without God and suffering His wrath. This is one of the reasons Romans 1:16 tells us that the gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Next month, we will discuss the subject “Why is Jewish Evangelism Important?” Then, in April, we will finish up with “Why are Churches Ignoring Jewish Evangelism?” See you then.
Thanks for being part of our ministry team.