The Earth Belongs to HaShem and the Fullness Thereof.

שמע ישראל ה 'הוא האלוהים שלנו הוא אחד

Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad
"Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One"

Identifying the Mashiach (Messiah)

Part Three: Adon Y'shua and The Banded Tree
By Yochanan ben Avraham (John of AllFaith) © 9.3.07 (last updated 7.15.10)

Note: This is part two of a longer study. In order to correctly understand this page understanding what came before is essential. Please return to part one and read the from the beginning: Part One

HaShem says that Mashiach will perform very specific activities. Are we to believe that HaShem will not fulfill His Word to His people? That He will violate His promises? Such a thing is not possible! What HaShem has spoken will always come to pass. Mashiach will establish the Kingdom once the messianic requirements have been been met. Of this we should have no doubts.

Rambam on the Mashiach

Arguably the most important figure in defining post 70 CE Judaism (i.e. Judaism after the destruction of the Holy Temple) is Moses Maimonides (also known as Rambam). In his the Laws of Kings (11:4) he presents us with the essential criteria for recognizing the Mashiach:

If a king will arise from the House of David, diligent in Torah study and the fulfillment of Mitzvot - of the written and Oral Law like David his ancestor, and will compel all the Jews to go in its [the Torah's] path... and builds the Holy Temple and gathers the Diaspora [to the land of Israel], this is certainly the Messiah."

Based on the Tanakh prophets Maimonides says the Chosen People will return to Eretz Israel, they will build the (third) Temple and they will reign under the authority of Mashiach. The Rambam was born in Cordoba, Spain on Passover Eve, 1135, and died in Egypt on 20th Tevet, December 12, 1204 long before the partial rebirth of Israel now taking place.

The Grafted In Fruit Begins Going Bad

As discussed in part two of this study, when the Pharisees and Sadducees failed to accept the Kingdom on behalf of their people, Cohen Gadol Y'shua invited the Noahides who embraced his reforms (i.e. the Nazarenes) to be grafted in to the Tree of Israel (Romans 11). Like the original "branches" of the Tree however these grafted in branches gradually became increasingly apostate due in part to the Gnostic and Nicolaitan heresies (Matthew 7:15-24), weeds were found among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). We are now approaching the referenced harvest when the two will be separated, when Y'shua will divide the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32).

Am Israel (People Israel) have been awaiting their Mashiach for so long! As the Suffering Servant referenced by Isaiah (chapters 52-54) they have suffered oppression and persecution from all quarters -- including (especially) from the Goyim claiming "Jesus" as their Messiah and who believe (contrary to Scripture) that they have replaced Israel as the Elect of God!

At the name of Iesous?

Not only have these Goyim completely missed the point of what Adon Y'shua the Jew taught, they even forgot his name! Their translations of the books of the B'rit Hadashah (New Testament) gave Adon Y'shua a Pagan name to go along with his Pagan makeover! At first the English Bibles (including the original 1611 King James Version), called the master Iesous rather than Y'shua, his given name! Iesous was subsequently changed to Jesus following the invention of the letter "J" 500 years or so ago.

The Hebrew name Y'shua translates into English as Joshua but they didn't use that name for their translations. Presumably it was too Jewish for the Vatican. The name they chose to identify the adon was Iesous which means the "glory of Zeus" or "Hail Zeus". Does this change matter? Consider the implications in following translation!

Philippians 2:10 mistranslated: That in the glory of Zeus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth...

Does this alter the teachings? Of course! Referring to Y'shua in such a way is clearly unacceptable and yet most Nicene Christians believe this is his name. They sing "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there's something about that name..." That's the truth! God looks at the heart and such Nicene Believers are obviously not calling on Zeus, but this is hardly worship in "spirit and in truth! (John 4:23)"

The Rise of Catholicism

As the new hybrid religion of Catholicism spread it went so far as to claim itself the Kingdom of God on earth (they still teach this). Further they claimed that the Jews had been discarded by God in clear opposition to the Bible (Romans 11:1 for example)! In effect the so-called Church Fathers actually claimed their newly fashioned triune godhead had replaced HaShem, the One True God of Israel! To enforce this they codified into their laws a capital crime known as "Judaizing." Thereafter anyone who looked into the Jewish/Hebrew origins of the Bible and/or "Christian" faith was deemed apostate and liable to excommunication and even execution by the Church! And millions were!

For 1800 or so years the dispersed Jews were forced to submit to the Christian and/or Muslim authorities -- both of which claimed they had replaced the Jews in the sight of HaShem.

And through all these dark years the Jew Adon Y'shua served in the Heavenly Courts of HaShem making intercession for a world that was moving ever farther away from his teachings as he patiently waited for the Times of the Gentiles to end and for the Day of Adonai to arrive.

Before his execution Adon Y'shua gave us many signs that would signal his return as Mashiach. Based on his teachings many of us are convinced the End of Days are now upon us and the beginning of the Kingdom is now within sight.

The Essenes, Yochanan and Y'shua

Despite how the Nicene Church depicts Y'shua, his teachings are essentially Jewish and completely harmonious with the Torah (Matthew 5:18).

Adon Y'shua HaNatzrati ("Master Y'shua of Nazareth") was a devout non-sectarian Jew who mostly agreed with the P'rushim (Pharisee sect) doctrinally. According to available evidence he grew up in a Jewish culture that was quickly changing.

Memories of former Hasmonean independence remained strong among Y'shua and his fellow Jews and many of them (including the Zealots) yearned for political as well as religious independence.

Setting the Stage

Around 70 years before Y'shua's birth John Hyrcanus was succeeded as both king and cohen gadol (high priest) of the semi-autonomous Hasmonean Kingdom of Judah by his son Alexander Jannaeus.

The Judeans well remembered how King Jannaeus had formalized the growing rift between the P'rushim (Pharisees/rabbis of today) and Tz'dukim (Sadducees) out of political expediency. They recalled how Jannaeus was once officiating as cohen gadol (in opposition to the P'rushim who denied that he was worthy of that added position) during Sukkot when a group of P'rushim attacked him with large lemon-like fruit (citrons).

In retaliation for this effrontery King Jannaeus elevated the Tz'dukim (Sadducee sect) as a slap in the face of the P'rushim by granting them authority in all matters pertaining to the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). The P'rushim (Pharisees) responded by soliciting foreign aid to oust King Jannaeus from power. In the end however the P'rushim leaders were executed for treason against the crown of Israel (Hasmonean kingdom) and the Pharisees surrendered political authority, gradually becoming a solely religious sect.

The Jews were understandably wary of anyone claiming to hold exclusive religious authority! Such power in the past had led to mass killings and the fall of the kingdom when, in 42-37 B.C.E. Caesar Augustus and Mark Antony had crushed the fragmented Hasmonean Kingdom of Israel ostensibly as a public safety matter.

The ongoing struggles between the P'rushim and Tz'dukim were largely responsible for the loss of the final Jewish kingdom.

Into this uncertainty arose the Essene Brotherhood, Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) and Y'shua HaNatzrati. Their ministries were clearly impacted by the times in which they lived so it is important that we have at least a cursory understanding.

The Essene Brotherhood

During the bitter conflicts between King Jannaeus and the P'rushim a group of ultra orthodox Jews split off from the sect of the P'rushim. They charged the Pharisees with being too liberal in their Torah interpretations. These people were known as the Essenes.

According to the Essene Damascus Document "Damascus" was their base, although there is some reason to believe that "Damascus" may have simply been a code word for Khirbet Qumran, their likely actual headquarters (i.e. the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered).

Yochanan the Immerser lived "in the wilderness" in an Essene community near Bethabara (John 1:28), a mere eight miles from the Qumran community and five miles from the caves where the scrolls were discovered.

The Essene Brotherhood was led by someone known only as the "Essene Teacher of Righteousness."

This mysterious "Teacher of Righteousness" viewed another leader as his arch enemy. This leader was known to sect members only as "the Wicked Priest." Most scholars believe this "wicked priest" was none other than King Jannaeus who, while the legitimate King of Israel (Hasmonean Kingdom) was not deemed qualified by the sect (nor by the P'rushim) to hold the position of cohen gadol (high priest) as well.

The Essenes also viewed the P'rushim with a lack of respect and mistrust. They referred to them as "the wall builders" (because their "walls of purity" or Torah observance) was considered too lax and hence was causing the Jews and even the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) to be defiled. This defilement, they claimed, led to its destruction in 70 C.E.

The Essenes write:

"They [the wall-builders: i.e. the P'rushim] also defile the sanctuary [i.e. the Beit HaMikdash], for they do not separate clean from unclean according to the Law." (Damascus Document 5, 6-7)

The Essenes further described their origins as follows:

"We separated from the majority of the people [i.e. the Jews] and from all their uncleanness and from being party to or going along with them in these matters." (4QMMT C:7-9)

This is not the proper place for a long discussion on the Essenes but they were ultra-fundamentalist Torah scholars and observers who separated themselves from the rest of the Jews and all Goyim for the sake of ritual and religious purity. Yochanan the Immerser led at least some members of the sect to accept Y'shua as the promised Mashiach. Their teachings had a strong influence on the Way Reform Movement established by Y'shua.

Yochanan and Y'shua

Adon Y'shua's forerunner Yochanan (John the Immerser) was certainly a member of the Essene Brotherhood and had his own Essene disciples (John 1:35). He promulgated their doctrines widely and lived according to the Essene Rule as is demonstrated in the Gospel accounts of his ministry and other records.

As noted above Yochanan lived a mere five miles from where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in "the wilderness" or "Desert" as the previous prophets had foretold. Of this man's coming forth from the wilderness/desert we have these two important verses:

Isaiah 40:1 "Comfort and keep comforting my people," says your God.
2 "Tell Yerushalayim [Jerusalem] to take heart; proclaim to her that she has completed her time of service, that her guilt has been paid off, that she has received at the hand of ADONAI double for all her sins."
3 A voice cries out: "Clear a road through the desert for ADONAI! Level a highway in the 'Aravah for our God!

We can therefore surmise that the Essene Brotherhood was lead by HaShem through the Teacher of Righteous to this desert and from among their numbers came this fulfillment of prophecy:

Luke 1:59 On the eighth day, they came to do the child's b'rit-milah. They were about to name him Z'kharyah, after his father,
60 when his mother spoke up and said, "No, he is to be called Yochanan." [John].....
67 His father Z'kharyah was filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and spoke this prophecy:
68 "Praised be ADONAI, the God of Isra'el, because he has visited and made a ransom to liberate his people
69 by raising up for us a mighty Deliverer who is a descendant of his servant David.
70 It is just as he has spoken through the mouth of the prophets from the very beginning --
71 that we should be delivered from our enemies and from the power of all who hate us.
72 "This has happened so that he might show the mercy promised to our fathers -- that he would remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore before Avraham avinu {our father Avraham]
74 to grant us that we, freed from our enemies, would serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 You, child, will be called a prophet of Ha`Elyon [God Most High]; you will go before the Lord to prepare his way
77 by spreading the knowledge among his people that deliverance comes by having sins forgiven
78 through our God's most tender mercy, which causes the Sunrise to visit us from Heaven,
79 to shine on those in darkness, living in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the paths of peace."
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until the time came for him to appear in public to Isra'el.

There is so very much here, but I'll stay focused on our main topic. The prophets had foretold the coming of Yochanan in places like Isaiah 40 (quoted above) and verse 80 tells us that he came out of the Wilderness. From the Gospel accounts we can piece together much however consider this:

According to an important apocryphal tradition preserved by the Eastern (Syrian) Church known as the Protevangelion of James (written by Y'shua's brother):

Protevangelion 16:3 Elizabeth also, hearing that her son John was about to be searched for, took him and went up into the mountains, and looked around for a place to hide him;
4 and there was no place to be found.
5 Then she groaned within herself, and said, "O mountain of Adonai, receive the mother with the child."
6 For Elizabeth could not climb up.
7 And instantly the mountain was divided and received them.
8 And there appeared to them an angel of Adonai, to preserve them.

In my opinion this is an account testimony of how Yochanan was called to the Wilderness by HaShem as a child, educated by the Essene Brotherhood in the wilderness (who dressed in white like the angels) and then returned to civilization in due course under direction of the Teacher of Righteousness to proclaim the establishment of the literal, earthly Kingdom of HaShem. Being so lead Yochanan began his ministry and in time immersed and anointed Y'shua HaNatzrati as HaMashiach.

Alas this call was rejected by the elders of Israel as discussed previously and so the Kingdom was not then implemented.

Yochanan's Essene teachings clearly inspired Y'shua HaNatzrati's reform doctrines and Torah interpretations. While in general agreement with the P'rushim -- they even referred to Adon Y'shua as a "rabbi" suggesting that Y'shua (like Paul) may have been a recognized Pharisee (John 1:38) -- Adon Y'shua was a bit more strict than the Pharisees in some areas (as were the Essenes) and yet more compassionate in others. His was the true interpretation of the Torah.

Y'shua's association with the Essene Brotherhood (at least through his cousin Yochanan) doubtless partly lead to the odd animosity expressed towards him early on in his ministry by the two main Jewish sects. While they questioned his doctrine respectfully early on rather than rejecting him outright (even calling him rabbi), it is clear that from the beginning there was "something" about this "rabbi" (Rabbinic Torah teacher) from their perspective and that they didn't like. Given the origins of the Essene Brotherhood explained above such an association would certainly explain this animosity.

It is also clear however that Adon Y'shua was not an Essene and did not hold to all of their teachings either (for instance Matthew 11:18). He differed with them in terms of requisite social separation, dietary prohibitions (drinking alcohol etc) the need for frequent immersions in the mikvah (baptismal pool) and various points of legalism. His views were most similar to the P'rushim, hence he instructed:

Matthew 23:1 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim:
2 "The Torah-teachers and the P'rushim," he said, "sit in the seat of Moshe.
3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don't do what they do, because they talk but don't act!

Clearly Yochanan was an Essene, Y'shua was not (he may have been a P'rushim), and many of Yochanan's disciples (such as the Mandaeans) did not accept Y'shua as Cohen Gadol nor as as Mashiach even after Yochanan's and Y'shua's executions (Acts 19:1-3). There is some evidence that the three groups (the Essenes, John's followers and Y'shua's) at least worked together at times.

Prior to the devastation of 70 CE the Essenes, John's Mandaeans and Y'shua's Way Nazarenes continued to exist. The Mandaeans continue to exist today. The Way became altered by Nicene Christianity but many of these people are now seeking to rediscover and restore the original Nazarene Way Sect of Judaism. The Essenes appear to have faded out of existence in second century CE although there is reason to believe the final surviving sect may have converted to a branch of Christianity known today as "the Ancient 'Nazereans of Malabar' (located in the South West of India). If so it seems obvious that their teachings have been fundamentally altered and forgotten. ALL sects using the name Essene today without exception are of modern invention. There are NO surviving Essene sects left despite what some people are claiming.

The Essene Teacher of Righteousness and Adon Y'shua

It has been suggested by some researchers that the Essene Teacher of Righteous may not have had a physical form: that he may have existed as "spirit person" only. This view holds that this was the reason for the hyper-strict ritual purity requirements among the Essene Brotherhood. Due to the innate purity and sanctity of the spirit realms, the Teacher of Righteousness demanded absolute purity from his "Sons of Light" talmidim as he was not a physical entity. Any infraction in this purity led to the talmidim being excommunicated from the Brotherhood and banned from the presence of the adon. His likeness would have been like the appearance witnessed by certain talmidim of Y'shua recorded here:

Matthew 17:1 Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya`akov and his brother Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately. 2 As they watched, he began to change form -- his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light.

This passage lends support to the possible accuracy of this belief and to the direct association of Y'shua with this teacher (see below). The Teacher of Righteousness may have manifested himself in this transfigured form to the Essene Brotherhood at all times, preparing them for the implementation of the Kingdom.

When we study this out there are strong similarities with the idea of the Teacher of Righteous as First Born Son of HaShem as I discuss in my study on that topic regrading Adon Y'shua, the Only Begotten Son.

Further this could have given rise to the Gnostic belief that Y'shua himself was a spirit being rather than a material person. Knowing that the Essene Brotherhood had such experiences with a transfigured being and then hearing that Y'shua had likewise transfigured himself may have lead to the heresy that the talmidim regarded among the most dangerous of all. Gnostics (including many modern day pseudo Essenes) claiming that Y'shua was not a physical being and that Torah no longer applied to his talmidim spawned this warning:

II John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The Teacher of Righteousness came in the flesh as Y'shua HaNatzrati and he taught that the Torah, the Commands of HaShem, were still to be honored. Despite this, many deceivers were teaching heretical doctrines.

It is further believed by some who have studied these things that Adon Y'shua was accepted by Yochanan (John the Baptist) and other Essenes as the physical embodiment of the Teacher of Righteousness, but not by all. This caused a split among the Essene Brotherhood. Those who accepted Y'shua as the physical incarnation of the Essene Teacher of Righteousness left Khirbet Qumran and settled in John's nearby community at Bethabara (John 1:28). In other words, the Son, the first born of all creation (Colossians 1:12-20) manifested himself as a spirit person on earth during the years circa 70 to 7 B.C.E. among the Essene Brotherhood and then, once a core group had been purified, Yochanan was called in and trained, the Son, the Teacher of Righteousness, then accepted his physical form as Y'shua HaNatzrati, entered into physicality through the womb of the virgin Miryam and purchased our salvation. He then became the final Cohen Gadol. In due course he will return and take upon himself the mantle of HaMashiach (the Messiah).

Like John and the Essenes, Adon Y'shua boldly proclaimed that the time for the Kingdom's establishment on "earth as it is in heaven" had arrived. Y'shua's focus, like theirs, was that the elders of the Jewish people (the P'rushim and Tz'dukim: Pharisees and Sadducees) needed to corporately and individually repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7)!

But they refused.

Many of the adon's teachings (such as the Sermon on the Mount) appear to have been taken directly from those of the Essene Teacher of Righteousness. There is evidence that following Y'shua's ascension his talmidim maintained close contact with the Essenes and it is quite likely that many (perhaps even most of them) accepted Y'shua's Way reform movement of Judaism as discussed above regarding "the Ancient 'Nazereans of Malabar.' Unfortunately while we have a few records from Josephus and the Dead Sea Scrolls we lack enough to establish a clear picture of this early period of the Way. The Vatican was meticulous at destroying documents that might call their movement into doubt.

We can however say with certainty that Adon Y'shua was a Torah observant rabbi, most closely aligned with the Pharisees, whose teachings were completely harmonious with the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). Where he differed from the P'rushim was where they differed from Torah. For instance at Matthew 19 the P'rushim -- who allowe easy divorces in contrast to the Essenes who forbade them -- sought his opinion on that topic. Y'shua replied (at 19:8) "... Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so...." harmonious with the Essene view both on that topic and with regard to the P'rushim.

Y'shua also opposed them when he sensed an absence of grace and mercy in their views (for instance at John 8:1-11). Likewise he clearly rejected the strict separatism and legalism of the Essene Brotherhood. He differed with the Tz'dukim (Sadducees) about the afterlife and other key issues as well (Matthew 22:23-32 etc).

Love is the Key to Torah Interpretation

As our Chief Rabbi Adon Y'shua uplifts the Torah always, but he applies two essential commands to its proper observance:

Matthew 22:36 "Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?"
37 He [Adon Y'shua] told him, "`You are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.'
38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah.
39 And a second is similar to it, `You are to love your neighbor as yourself.'
40 All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot."

This was the essence of his reforms: Love HaShem fully and manifest Love for others in everything you do.

Of course these had always been part of the Torah but Y'shua warned that their importance had been abandoned by the various sects including the P'rushim and the Essenes.

Any teaching that opposes these two mitzvot (commands), Y'shua taught, should not be observed: Shabbat was made for man, not man for Shabbat (Mark 2;27)!

This is how we are to interpret the Torah according to Adon Y'shua's doctrine. The rabbis have so many commentaries and these are very useful, however even without a concise theological treatise (other than the Bible) we can understood the Nazarene Way just fine. LOVE is the key.

I John 4:7 Beloved friends, let us love one another; because love is from God; and everyone who loves has God as his Father and knows God.
8 Those who do not love, do not know God; because God is love.

The P'rushim had lost sight of this foundational truth according to Y'shua and it is evident that he felt the Essene Brotherhood had as well. They had all allowed legalism to replace direct devotion and love. Hence we read:

CJB: Matthew 23:1 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim:
2 "The Torah-teachers and the P'rushim," he said, "sit in the seat of Moshe.
3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don't do what they do, because they talk but don't act!
4 They tie heavy loads onto people's shoulders but won't lift a finger to help carry them.
5 Everything they do is done to be seen by others; for they make their t'fillin broad and their tzitziyot long, 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and they love being greeted deferentially in the marketplaces and being called `Rabbi.'
8 "But you are not to let yourselves be called `Rabbi'; because you have one Rabbi, and you are all each others brothers.

The Banding of Israel

When Adon Y'shua spoke of the Mashiach therefore we can be certain that he spoke in terms of the Tanakh. There was no "New" and "Old Testament" at the time, the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) was the Scriptures Y'shua and his talmidim based their teachings on.

From the eleventh chapter of Isaiah's prophecies discussed at the outset of this study we are privy to a vital insight into when the Mashiach will come.

Isaiah 11:1 But a branch will emerge from the trunk of Yishai [Jesse], a shoot will grow from his roots.

In the fourth chapter of Daniel we find a dual prophecy where Israel is likened to a tree that is banded and only released when HaShem determines the proper time has come. This tree is referenced by Prophet Y'shua in Matthew chapter 24:

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh...

This is the shoot of Jesse referenced by Isaiah and the banded tree described by Daniel. This was also prophesied by Y'shua's ancestor King David with these words:

Psalms 110:1 ... HaShem said unto my lord ["adon"], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
110:2 HaShem shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

When the Jewish prophets spoke of the coming of Mashiach and the establishment of his Kingdom this is what they were talking about! A literal earthly government ruled by a righteous descendant of King David.

Now here in Matthew's account Adon Y'shua explains that when this "shoot out of the stock of Jesse" begins to emerge from the once banded stump, at that time we are to:

Matthew 24:32 ...learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

"This generation" -- being the one that witnesses the tree of Israel begin to sprout anew -- will not pass until all of the Messianic prophecies are fulfilled. The advent of the Mashiach is therefore directly linked to the sprouting forth of this Israeli twig into an established tree or nation.

As we considered in the previous portions of this study, this did not happen in the first century CE when Y'shua was here as the son of Mary, but it is happening now! Many things have to happen still, but the tree is being unbanded in our generation!

The Replacement Theology Heresy

Many Nicean Christians wrongly claim that HaShem has turned His back on His Chosen People and on His promises to them. They have been taught and embraced the Nicolaitan heresy (Revelation 2:6) that says the Nicean Church has replaced Judaism despite the clear Word of the Tanakh and the B'rit Hadashah to the contrary.

This "Replacement Theology Heresy" embraced by many people, including many who call themselves Messianics, is a lie of the Enemy of All Souls! By it sincere Believers are actually fighting against God Himself! According to Romans 11 and many other sections of Holy Scripture the talmidim of Y'shua are honored to temporarily serve HaShem alongside our Jewish brother and sisters.

We absolutely have not and will not ever replace them! Attempts to convert Jews to Nicene Christianity are ill advised and spiritually destructive as the Jews remain the Elect of God for all eternity. When Mashiach fulfills the remaining prophecies his people will accept him. Until then Emissary Paul is clear that both factions (i.e. those Jews who accept Adon Y'shua and those who do not) will continue to co-exist in the service of HaShem:

Romans 11:28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs' sake,
29 for God's free gifts and his calling are irrevocable.

Missionary minded talmidim of Adon Y'shua would be far more effective to focus their energies on converting Nicene Christians to biblical religion than seeking to convert Jews. They are in HaShem's very capable hands. That will never change.

Today as we are approaching the end of the Times of the Gentiles the bands imposed on Israel are being removed and the Tree is beginning to sprout! Its ripening fruit includes the rebirth of Israel, the repentance and re-dedication of innumerable Jews and the re-emergence of the talmidim of Y'shua from our bondage in spiritual Babylon. HaShem is calling Jews, Noahides and Noahide Nazarenes to His End Time service (Revelation 7). Many are being called, not all will accept (Matthew 22:14).

The Banding and Unbanding of Israel

Now for a very broad, general, sweep of history. Fasten your seat belts!

The two Israelite kingdoms disobeyed HaShem. As a result the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell in 721 B.C.E. Judea (the Southern Kingdom) fell circa 606 B.C.E. Judea was conquered and held captive in Babylon and Medo/Persia for 70 years.

As discussed previously, Prophet Daniel relates how when the Kingdom of Judah fell HaShem "banded" Israel and allowed the Jews to be held captive for a time. He also foretold how that captivity and Israel's eventual restoration would take place.

The reasons for this chain of events are discussed in several books of the Tanakh (Isaiah and Jeremiah) and culminate in the Prophecies of Daniel chapter 9. Essentially the shortcomings of the Israelite kingdoms boil down to a lack of faith in and obedience to HaShem. As the Israelites lost sight of their personal relationship with Adonai the elders of Israel led the people more and more into legalism and human traditions until eventually the outward obedience to the letter of the Law replaced comprehension of the spirit of the Law. The primary focus of Adon Y'shua reform movement was to restore the lost spirituality to Judaism. This is what the elders rejected when they failed to recognize him as HaMashiach.

Although the Jews (Judaites) were eventually freed from captivity in Babylon and allowed to return to Eretz Israel (the land of Israel) circa 536 B.C.E., Judah was never again established as a fully sovereign nation until 1948 (despite the attempts during the reign of the Maccabees). Israel wasn't an independent kingdom during Adon Y'shua's lifetime. It was an occupied Roman province beginning circa 61 B.C.E. until it was obliterated in 70 C.E.). The Judaites did enjoy limited independence under the Maccabean Hasmonean Empire for a time. For a basic time line of Israel see my A Brief History of Eretz Israel.

With the fall of Judea (the Southern Jewish Kingdom), the goyim nations took possession of Eretz Israel (the Land belonging to Israel) and held it until 1948 (the beginning of the Zionist movement to return home began circa 1882 with the first Aliya). Prophet Y'shua refers to this period of diaspora in his teachings:

Luke 21:24 And they [the Jews] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The prophets explained that this period of Gentile domination over Israel would end when the "bands" are removed (Daniel chapter 4) and Israel again begins to bloom: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

The bands began coming off in 1948 with the re-establishment of the Nation of Israel. According to Master Y'shua this was the definition sign that he will soon return and take up the mantle of Mashiach. But of course he didn't return in 1948. The bands are being removed gradually, the tree is sprouting, "summer" is nearing but is not yet present.

Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Cohen Gadol Y'shua is still waiting for the Israelites to repent and to call upon the Name of Adonai for their national and personal salvation. Prophet Y'shua admitted that he didn't know when this day would come. Only HaShem knew. He did however give certain signs that are now being fulfilled for the first time in history!

Some people in every generation for the past 2000 years have believed and hoped theirs would be the generation to see the restoration of all things. Despite this hope, despite all the wars and rumors of wars, the harsh dictators, diseases, etc. No generation prior to ours could have been the generation because no generation before this one witnessed the restoration of the Israeli state and that is the critical key to these prophecies.

Not until the bands began falling away and the Tree of Israel began to sprout could the Mashiach have come. Now that Israel has been established Prophet Y'shua tells us, "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." Believe him or don't!

Jewish Opposition to Zionism

In the late 1800's many Jews opposed Zionism -- the attempt to establish an independent Israeli state. Today the vast majority of Jews, religious and secular alike, support the existence of the state of Israel despite what you may have heard to the contrary from the anti-Israel media. But it is true that for a while many religious Jews were not so sure.

Why? How could any Jew oppose the establishment/existence of the Jewish Homeland? Its important to understand.

According to the prophecies it is the Mashiach who will restore Israel, not human politicians (compare Isaiah 11) and certainly not an antisemitic body like the League of Nation (United Nations)! Many religious Jews living prior to World War 2 looked at the non-religious nature of many of the early Zionists and wrongly concluded that the entire notion of Zionism violated Jewish Orthodoxy, Torah and belief in the eventual coming of Mashiach. Until HaShem calls forth Mashiach, these religious Jews reasoned, it would be presumptuous of Jews to try and reestablish the Kingdom on their own. Such a lack of faith might even hinder his coming even more! The experiences of World War Two fundamentally altered this view!

In a different version of his Matthew 24 prophecy Prophet Y'shua sheds light on this seeming contradiction:

Luke 11:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

According to this reading of his prophecy, when we see the Tree of Israel standing independent among the trees of the nations then we can know that the time is near, and that within that generation all things (including the establishment of the Kingdom) will come to pass. So it is now understood that by establishing the country of Israel Am Israel (People Israel) are calling out to HaShem, saying, "We are ready! Please send Mashiach to rule and lead us!"

HaShem began removing the ancient bands from the stump of Israel gradually and the Chosen People began demonstrating that they were ready to return Home to Eretz Israel:

  • 1843 Zionism was growing in popularity with the writings of people like Rabbi Alcalay and Rabbi Kalischer. Jews began seriously discussing how they might make aliyah (return home to Israel).
  • 1844 The first modern census in Jerusalem was taken and revealed that 7120 Jews, 5760 Muslims, 3390 Christians lived there. Already in 1844 Jews formed the majority population in the City of David and moreover there were very few Muslims living there.
  • 1860 the first Jewish settlement (Mishkenot Sha'ananim) was built outside the walls of Jerusalem since the Diaspora (since 70 CE). This was long before World War Two.
  • 1878 The first Zionist Settlement - Petah Tikwa was established.
  • 1870s saw the formation of Hovevei Tzion in Russia. This was an extra-Zionist movement that looked at the feasibility of a large-scale return to the Jewish Homeland.
  • 1882 Leon Pinsker writes Auto-Emancipation and the formation of BILU; the beginning of the First Aliya (wave of Jewish immigration to Israel).
  • 1897 the first Zionist Congress in Basle, Switzerland
  • Then on Nov 2, 1917 the British issued the famous Balfour Declaration, promising a "National Home" for the Jews in Palestine was signed. Just to be clear, Palestine was a geographical description not a country. There has never been a country named Palestine and God willing there never will be, at least not in Eretz Israel.