by Mark Huey

Dreams, especially vivid dreams, come less frequently of late. So when I was awakened the other morning by a dream vision that I did not want to end, I was startled.

Perhaps it was some recent emphasis on evangelism that incited some of these nocturnal images. Or maybe it was some more fervent prayer directed to some lost souls who have been on my mind lately. What ever the source, the experience was exhilarating to say the least!

It was almost like being on a platform with a sea of faces looking toward the stage. Then upon recognizing some of the faces, I noticed they were really interested in what was being said, although I could not discern what was being said or who was saying it. Instead, their arms were outstretched reaching upward, almost clawing for more. I don’t recall saying anything, but rather simply casting a lengthy roll of what seemed like a roll of gleaming butcher paper or shrink wrap in the direction of the flailing arms.

As the roll unraveled and reached the target of dancing fingers, there seemed to be a rush of wind. It was almost like the people grabbing for the unrolling scroll were lifted into the air and like a waterslide upside down, slid up the unraveled roll even beyond the platform.

The expression of joy on the faces was overwhelming, as tears were mixed with glee. I could not grab the rolls and unfurl them fast enough, as the vortex wind of those caught in the updraft was almost knocking me over.

Quickly, I noticed a few faces of loved ones with whom I wanted to share the joy, but the urgency of sending another roll to outreached hands seemed more pressing.

Soon consciousness began taking over as my heart raced. The problem was that I did not want to awaken. The invigorating exercise was so delightful that I wanted it to proceed without interruption.

With palpitations coursing through my veins, I immediately tried to cogently interpret what I had just experienced. I tried to force feed a blue and white tallit into my roll, but I realized it was not blue or white, but rather a sheen like plastic paper. There was no ascending and descending—only ascending—so I could not force a Jacob’s ladder image like when he saw the angels coming and going from the Heavenly realm (Genesis 28:12).

At that point, as clarity overtook my conscious thoughts, I deliberately refocused on the faces of the loved ones who have been in prayer of late. After all, perhaps it was those prayers that were being answered. Or on the other hand, maybe I was being reminded that more prayers are needed, as the pleas are reaching not only the Heavenly realm, but turning hard hearts into willing hearts.

Thank you Lord! May this dream vision be more than just a reminder to pray, but be a foreshadowing of Your faithfulness to the pleadings for salvation of lost love ones!

So I rejoice in all things, praying without ceasing, giving thanks for all things, knowing in the Messiah Yeshua, all things are possible! Especially, answers to the fervent prayers of His saints!

by Mark Huey

If someone told you that “believers in God are about to be declared outlaws in the United States and that there are laws being formed right now to make our faith against the law,” what would you think? Would you be alarmed? Would you be fearful? Or would you check out the information from independent and reliable sources, getting a second or third opinion? Would you examine the status of the US House of Representatives HR 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, and determine the possibility of it becoming law in the near future? Remember the Torah admonition that requires two, three, or more witnesses to verify or confirm an allegation (Deuteronomy 19:15).

What if the person delivering this message was directly connecting this purported anti-Christian legislation “in the next couple of years” to the rapidly approaching Great Tribulation? Would the timeframe generate a sense of urgency in your heart? What would you think if the source of alarming information from a teacher who is simply repeating a pattern of failed warnings that stretch back to the 1980s? What if most of the “prophetic” insights are simply recycled interpretations from similar fear inducing alarms over the past two decades? Would you continue to respond fearfully, awaiting anxiously for the next interpretive pronouncement about other “end-time signs” that are being promoted—despite the obvious bias and poor track record of the teacher?

Clearly, when everything that is happening in the world today is viewed through a self-imposed grid of anticipating the imminent initiation of the Great Tribulation, then almost every significant global event, from the Pope’s visit to Israel, to the Temple Mount Faithful marches with an altar cornerstone, to a presidential speech in Cairo, to an election in Israel or Iran, to hate speech legislation, can be falsely interpreted as contributing to the start of the Great Tribulation. This is especially a problem if the person making these prophetic proclamations depends on generating fear to support his or her efforts. (But of course, for a donation of any size you can get the real “insider” information!)

This lack of discernment for many Messianic Believers—who should really know better—is reminiscent of how the imminent “rapture” promoters manipulate many in the Christian Church. For nearly a century, whether it is the World Wars, the rise of a Hitler-type, the formation of the State of Israel, or the annual celebration of the Feast of Trumpets in tumultuous times, those who prey on the unsuspecting and gullible use the threat of the pre-tribulation rapture to generate enough fear to fund their enterprises. In many respects, various Messianics are succumbing to a remarkably similar trend that could possibly be identified as a spirit of “end-time mind control.”

Apparently, the fear of being “left behind,” or abruptly entering into the Great Tribulation without proper preparation, incites the human need for self-preservation on at least some levels. Perhaps you have, or are currently experiencing, these feelings. If you are, then we recommend that you learn from your past experience, or the experience of others, and replace any fear with faith coupled with discernment.

Believers are supposed to be a people of faith rather than fear. When “red flag” statements arise—and they will with increasing frequency—consider the source. Do some diligent homework about who the teacher is you are listening to! Prayerfully discern the truth and motivations of the statements, and react with knowledge and courage.

Believe me when I say this: we all need to be aware of the signs of the times, as we are nearing closer and closer to the return of the Lord. Yet, He will not return until His people are ready—and if we focus too much on “the end,” the necessary work of today may not get accomplished. Remember that Yeshua is concerned about the evidence of faith when He returns: He once asked, “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). And so you might ask yourself these question: Would I rather be found among the faithful, bravely declaring His salvation? Or, would I prefer to be cowering among the fearful, seeking to survive while following the notions of limited mortals?

by J.K. McKee

One of the easiest to overlook, yet most instructive verses, that we find in the entire Bible, is James 1:2. Here, the brother of our Lord Yeshua teaches,

“My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy” (NRSV).

James the Just says that whenever trials come into our lives, we are to face them with joy. This should not be too surprising for us to hear. Psalm 81:1 exclaims, “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.” Similarly in Nehemiah 8:10, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

What is easy to overlook is the first part of James 1:2. Translated variably as “encounter” (NASU), “meet” (RSV/ESV), or even “experience” (HCSB), the verb peripiptō actually means, “so to fall as to be encompassed by” (Thayer, 504). It is better rendered as “when you fall into various trials” (NKJV).

One of the things that I get to do as a Messianic Bible teacher is counsel Messianic Believers on how to properly explain their faith practice to other people. I have always encouraged people that the best way to demonstrate that Torah observance is something that the Father wants His children to do, is to actively show His blessing and love to all. Yeshua’s prefaces His words about fulfilling the Law with, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). When we can remember that a proper Torah obedience begins with love for neighbor (Leviticus 19:18), then today’s Messianic Believers can truly demonstrate good works in the world and can do exactly what God wants us to do!

Sadly, as many of us can testify, some of our Christian family and friends have met our Torah obedient convictions with criticism and rebuke. Not only do they not understand what we have been called by God to do, and not only do they want nothing to do with it—but they make it their duty to let us know why they think we are in error. They will give us one-line responses, and bits of Scripture quoted here and there out of context. Too frequently, they are not interested in reasonable dialogue. As James 1:2 tells us—consider it all joy when these trials come!

In experiencing the joy that James speaks of when trials come, we are not allowed to victimize ourselves. Instead, we are to remember Yeshua’s word, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). Let the Lord be the Judge of any person who may unfairly criticize you for your Torah obedience—because He is the only One who can judge any of us. God alone gets to determine who enters into God’s Kingdom.

But how many of us realize that it is exactly that—“when you encounter various trials” (NASU)? Trials will just come as a fact of life. James the Just did not say, “When you cause trials” or “When you create problems for yourself.”

There are many Christian brothers and sisters who do not want to sit down with us, crack open letters like Galatians and Romans, consult the Greek Apostolic Scriptures, join into the conversation of modern scholarship, and really consider various statements that appear to be anti-Law. This is unfortunate, because it is really the only way that one-liners and canned answers can be overcome. Such is the call of the modern Berean (Acts 17:11).

Yet similar to the Christian who does not want to hear about the complexities of Ephesians 2:14-15, or what telos means in Romans 10:4—what about the Messianic who wants to respond to criticism with the same kind of one-liners and canned answers back? What good can this really do? How many of us, rather than responding in fairness, and in wanting to represent the example of a life that is really experiencing God’s blessings—do something else?

In testifying of our Messianic faith to Christian brethren, how many of us have done the following?

• Hand someone a copy of a DVD, audio CD, or cassette tape that uses insulting and berating techniques to explain the significance of Torah observance to Christians?
•  Hand someone a copy of a sensationalistic publication that makes claims about the Bible, religious history, the Biblical languages, and theology that cannot be substantiated with evidence?
• Actually take a person to a conference or seminar where a Messianic teacher not only spends more time explaining perceived ills of the Christian Church, pandering to the crowd, but is there to peddle his or her latest wares?

I could list some more things, but I think you all get the point of what I am saying.

Too many of the trials we encounter or fall into, are actually trials of our own making. Consider all of the websites, audio teachings, YouTube postings, blogs, and publications that make a killing on “Christianity is pagan!” rhetoric. If you have directed any of your Christian family or friends to this kind of “stuff,” you may have very well stirred up a hornet’s nest of your own making. For that, you may need to go back and not only apologize, but humble up and ask for their forgiveness. These kinds of things not only do not help the credibility and believability of today’s emerging Messianic movement, but they represent base human emotions that do not originate from the Holy Spirit.

In the future, I would encourage you to not hand a copy of that sensationalistic DVD or publication to your fellow brother or sister in the Lord Jesus—but instead find constructive ways of focusing on areas of common agreement. Find a way to ask a targeted question like, “Have today’s Believers really been empowered by disregarding the Old Testament?” Find quotations from Christian pastors and theologians who recognize that the Law of Moses needs to be reconsidered, and that lawlessness is not a good thing. Allow them to see that your pursuit of God’s Torah and a Messianic lifestyle is something that has aided your relationship with Him, allowing you to further grow in God’s grace and love, and by no means has made you into a person that is only interested in insulting others. Remember the Apostle Paul’s words of Ephesians 4:1-6:

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

by J.K. McKee

By now, many of you have heard of the vicious murder of Dr. George Tiller, an abortion specialist from Wichita, Kansas. He was a specialist in late-term abortions, and was shot by an extremist Christian who belonged to a fringe group that thinks it is Biblically acceptable to target abortion doctors for assassination. Quite tragically, Tiller was functioning as an usher at his church when he was shot to death.

Thankfully, there has been a great deal of outrage expressed by the conservative Christian community here in America against this kind of violence. While many rightfully believe that abortion is a great sin against God, there are non-violent and much more constructive ways to combat it. The most significant way to stop abortion is to educate young people about proper sexuality, and stop many of the causes that will often lead a young girl to seek an abortion. Many children who are aborted are the result of irresponsible sex between young people who are too unprepared and too immature to have children, who if married failed to use proper contraception, but in too many cases were unmarried and fell into sin.

There may be medical exceptions to abortion from time to time, such as to save the life of a mother, but that is something that is few and far between. Abortion on demand is the problem here.

I recently read with interest a blog by a Rabbi Arthur Waskow, entitled “Murder is Murder—Abortion is NOT,” from the provocatively-named website Jewcy.com. This blog rightly discussed the outrage that each of us should have when a person like Dr. Tiller is murdered in cold blood (when his business enterprise should have instead been confronted by legal means). Yet where we should have expected this Jewish gentleman to express continuity with a large number of his fellow Jews and a large evangelical Christian community—which both denounce abortion—Waskow did no such thing. Instead, this is what he had to say:

The Torah’s only comment on abortion makes utterly clear that it is not murder. (In Exodus 21:22-23 we read that if someone causes an abortion but does no other harm to the mother, the agent owes a monetary recompense to the father for the loss of his potential offspring. If the mother is killed, however, a life has been killed. This passage makes clear that while the fetus is a potential person, not just tissue, it is not considered to be a human being.)

I disagree in the strongest way with his casual discussion of the abortion issue, and would emphasize that it is by no means as simplistic as he has portrayed it.

Reading this got me to think about the original creation of Adam in the Garden of Eden. It is well known that evolutionary science only argues that a human being is simply advanced, animated chemicals and tissues, and that whatever we call a “consciousness,” or quite possibly even a “soul,” is just something that results from the reaction of various electrical processes within the brain. Similarly from the perspective of Waskow, and various theological liberals, a potential person or a fetus, is just a pile of chemicals until the time of birth.

What does the Genesis 2 Creation account say about Adam, the first human being?

“Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

From one perspective, it could be argued that Adam is a creature entirely of Planet Earth and this dimension. A physical body is created, a physical breath is given, and then a life is formed. Those who argue that the Bible does not speak against abortion could be right: until a potential human takes his or her first breath, it is just a lump of chemicals and tissue.

Yet I, and many others who have preceded me, would argue something a bit different. The first human had his body formed out of the dust, or the clay, of the Earth. At this moment, he was nothing more than a lifeless corpse. This lifeless corpse, though, had nishmat chayim implanted into him by God—and at that point there was a heartbeat and brain activity. A living being or a living person was formed. Adam was no longer just a corpse, but an actual person.

The question that has dogged many teachers, Rabbis, and theologians who have examined the Creation account is what to make of this “breath of life.” Adam, being the first human being, is a unique case. Now, does a human life begin when a fetus takes its first physical breath? According to some—it does. If you keep a fetus from taking a physical breath, it is only a potential human being—but until then it is a pile of chemicals and tissue that can be aborted. I think we can all agree that this is a very loose way of reading Genesis 2:7.

It is difficult to argue against the fact that the “breath of life” which God implants into Adam is what finally animates him and makes him who he is. But is this “breath” or neshamah—which originates from God—just a physical breath? I would submit to you that it is not. Biblical Hebrew (especially in the early chapters of the Bible) can be a rather imprecise language with limited vocabulary, and as such it lacks any specific word for “mind” or “consciousness.” Genesis 2:7, in a very poetic way quite consistent with how the formation of the universe is described, details how God implanted a special part of Himself within Adam.

God made man in His image (Genesis 1:27), and so it is right for us to assume that a piece of the human being does, in fact, originate from the realm of God. Psalm 8 describes how humanity was made “a little lower than God” (v. 5), and the Apostle Paul further details how humanity’s dominion is not only over Planet Earth, but that we have been “seated in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua” (Ephesians 2:6).

Being the first human, Adam is a unique exception. Only with the “breath of life” implanted into him—his consciousness—could he be all of the things that his Creator intended. He was different than the animals God had made, and as a result had the ability to speak and to think rationally.

Consider the fetus that is conceived in a mother’s womb. When does a fetus demonstrate to possess a heartbeat or brain activity or any kind of electrical activity? If the “breath of life” is what gave these things to Adam, does a fetus have to be born as a “potential person” to have them? Or, does medical science show us that a fetus does, in fact, possess them while growing to maturity in the mother’s womb?

If the latter can be assumed true, then not only does the “breath of life” represent an immaterial part of the human being—something unique to people that originates from their Creator in Heaven—but it also should make us consider the great value of people long before their birth into the world. A fetus is not just a potential person—it is a person! It possesses the same, animating, “breath of life” consciousness that Adam originally possessed.

Let us never be so dense so as to think people are only animated chemicals and tissue, and that “potential people” can be evacuated from a mother because having a child might be inconvenient. Let us, rather, recognize the uniqueness of a person—one part being of Planet Earth, and other part being of the realm of God.

by J.K. McKee

One of the most significant weaknesses of today’s contemporary Christianity is the fact that too many people do not read the Bible. While many will memorize a verse or two of Scripture, here or there—a disciplined reading of the Scriptures is often not encouraged to the degree that it should, especially among today’s youth. On the contrary, while people often avoid reading a complete book of the Bible in a single sitting, many of today’s Christians get their theology from: hats, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and praise songs.

Just consider what many people think about the Second Coming. How far does their actual engagement with basic passages like Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; and Revelation 11:15 actually go? Have your Christian friends even read these verses before? What if all they know is what they see when driving on the road? You know:

In case of rapture this car will be unmanned.

I could give more examples, but this should be enough to make my point.

It is easy for a lot of today’s Messianics to look on their Christian brothers and sisters with some discord. Ha! They don’t read their Bibles. We know Torah. Yet, when we are honest with ourselves, we really don’t, either. There are entire sections of the weekly parashah we jump over in every cycle, not to mention most of the Tanach and Apostolic Scriptures that we should be examining—but do not. While we may have a little more information in our brains than do some of our Christian colleagues, and some knowledge of Judaism, it could be much, much greater. Our ability to join into the conversation definitely needs to improve.

Like too many religious people, a great deal of today’s Messianics—even those in leadership—desire easy and simplistic solutions to complicated problems. We do not want to have to sort through the intricacies of Hebrew or Greek grammar, or consult technical commentaries. We do not want to read the thoughts of scholars and theologians who have preceded us. We do not want to spend any money on getting the right books and tools for our library. We, rather, want a canned one-line answer to give people for what we believe. How is this any different than the bumper sticker?

One of the most offensive things I have ever seen produced by a Messianic person was a t-shirt that actually said:

Keep the Feasts or Be a Feast!

I’ll keep my further comments to myself, to protect the innocent who would ever wear such an inflammatory thing.

But there’s more… In the past week or so, I read with interest a variety of Messianic blogs, each trying to determine what the future of the Messianic, or Messianic Jewish, or Jewish Messianic Jewish movement should be. I will not burden you with any more than this. All I did for most of these blogs was just read, and for some read a whole slew of comments with a wide variety of perspectives. While reading through the opinions was interesting, how much Scripture was actually engaged with? Little, if any. It was all about who could talk the loudest, who could sound the most obnoxious, and/or who could have the last word. Finding a fair-minded, Biblical solution for the subjects discussed was the last thing on most participants’ minds.

While I will from time to time get an idea from reading another blog, the fact of the matter remains that I am principally a writer and not a blogger. If I am going to write an op/ed piece, it goes on the McHuey Blog. If I am going to write something much more theological and detailed, it goes on the TNN Online website. Most goes on my website, and if it is longer, in a printed publication.

My friends, many people are now getting their theology from blogs. In their favor, blogs are certainly better than the t-shirt which says “It can never be lost,” a reflection on a popular form of “once saved, always saved.” Blogs are a good place to be a bit more personal with people, where you can express more of who you are. But to their (significant) disfavor, blogs are not the place where you should get your theology. Your theology needs to come from the text of Scripture, and in seeing well-tempered teachers and leaders teach the Bible, demonstrating a fair and reasonable level of engagement with the ongoing conversation in research and study. Blogs are simply not setup to do this.

I am not down on blogs at all, but I do urge you to be cautious. If the only thing that a purported leader or teacher can offer you is a blog, and there is no other website or resource available with more technical writing, please be careful. Some people only have blogs not to teach, but to network with other Believers. Some people have blogs to rant on the ills of the Christian Church, the Jewish Synagogue, or the Messianic movement as they see them.

He or she who talks the loudest does not have the last word according to the Scriptures. James the Just is clear, “prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22)—meaning those who might hear the Scriptures, but then in religious conversation not really discuss what they mean. It is he or she who can study adequately and convey knowledge and useful insight properly from the Scriptures who has the last word. As Sirach 39:1-3 from the Apocrypha advises each one of us,

“[H]e who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be concerned with prophecies; he will preserve the discourse of notable men and penetrate the subtleties of parables; he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs and be at home with the obscurities of parables” (RSV).

The new paperback edition of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study is now available for purchase at Amazon.com. If you have been really blessed by this publication, we would like to encourage you to post a positive review. This book has helped many Christians be exposed to the Messianic movement in a very non-confrontational way, expressing a great deal of respect for our shared Jewish and Christian spiritual heritage, while also emphasizing the significance of God’s Torah and living like Messiah Yeshua. Your feedback will help aid the exposure of Hebraic Roots on Amazon, and in allowing others to see some of the things that the Lord is doing in this hour!

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by Mark Huey

Please forgive a proud parental unit for expressing some admiration in the recent achievements of a member of our household.

Over the weekend, our family had the privilege to attend the commencement ceremony of the Asbury Theological Seminary Class of 2009. John McKee was officially conferred his Master of Arts in Biblical Studies degree. As a family dedicated to serving Yeshua in the Messianic movement, we were all delighted with John’s accomplishment—knowing the amount of work, dedication, and financial investment required to achieve his goal. Sadly over the years, we have watched John receive unwarranted verbal abuse and ridicule from both jealous leaders and uninformed lay people in the Messianic world, who inappropriately claimed that attending an evangelical seminary was not only unwise, but it was going to “ruin” him. On the contrary, John’s critics were not only patently wrong—but as they came out with various false and sensationalistic teachings during his tenure of study—they were actually used by the Lord to embolden him for the unique call that is upon his life to write and assist with Messianic theology.

As I sat in the auditorium with Margaret, a great deal of emotion was welling up in our hearts. Margaret, in particular, had to contend with the memories of her maternal grandfather, Marvin Franklin, who had once served as the presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church—and certainly one ancestor whose blessings have descended upon John! Earlier in Margaret’s Christian walk, she had been intimately involved in leadership positions within the Methodist programs of the Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis, both being dedicated to evangelism and discipleship. Additionally, John’s late father Kimball McKee, was an active lay minister in the United Methodist Church and a team leader of the Walk to Emmaus. Prior to being diagnosed with cancer, he had been approved for the ministry, and was preparing to take classes at both Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, as well as Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY. In many regards, we could all recognize that what John had accomplished was the completion of a great deal of work that had been passed down to him from the previous generations.

Looking through my program throughout the ceremony, the educational mission for Asbury is one that today’s Messianic Believers should embrace without any reservations:

Asbury Theological Seminary is a community called to prepare theologically educated, sanctified, Spirit-filled men and women to evangelize and to spread scriptural holiness throughout the world through the love of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God the Father.

So as I sat through the ceremony and listened to the order of service that commissioned a wide variety of graduates that represented multiple races, ethnic and social backgrounds, and both genders for the Lord’s work—I marveled at how the Lord prepares different people for service in His Kingdom on Earth. The commencement sermon, delivered by Dr. Steve Harper, continually repeated words that John Wesley gave to the first two leaders of the early Methodist movement in colonial America: “Offer them Christ.” The sermon found its inspiration from John 12, where Yeshua told His Disciples, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32, NRSV).

Listening to Harper’s message—designed to emphasize “serving” in the ministry over “success” in the ministry—the word “hijacked” began to resonate in my spirit and mind many times. By relating this commissioning to much of what we as a family have experienced in the Messianic community since 1995, I realized that the current Messianic movement had very much been hijacked. This is, of course, not anything new to religion. Asbury President J. Ellsworth Kalas would relate to the graduates how they would need to learn to become servants of the Messiah, rather than charlatans, and men and women who would need to learn that financial success does not at all mean spiritual success. Perceived success or notoriety in ministry is the motive of many people, rather than functioning in the great call of God and self-sacrificial service, so that others might know the transforming power of the gospel.

Harper also spoke incessantly on the need for the graduates to boldly preach “Jesus is Lord!” This certainly took on some new dimensions for us as many of today’s Messianics, now holding to a low Christology, want to reduce the salvation confession “Yeshua is Lord” (Romans 10:9) to just “Yeshua is master.” While not graduating myself, I was certainly encouraged by what was spoken to the Class of 2009—and I know that our ministry is moving ahead in the right direction!

It was difficult not to relate both Harper’s and Kalas’ words to what our household has been called to do. Instead of finding men and women dedicated to offering the Messiah to the world at large, and encouraging people in practical holiness—today’s Messianic movement is too widely littered with self-professed spokespersons who have exploited people with all sorts of things that do not place Messiah Yeshua at the center. Yet, if our Heavenly Father has truly chosen this movement to accomplish some important things prior to the End of the Age, then some big changes are up ahead.

We need to be a Messianic movement that takes seriously what it means to be Messianic—meaning that if all we do is, “Offer them Messiah!”, then we have done our job well. If we can embrace a Yeshua-centered approach to the unique mission that Messianics have, then today’s often disunited and unfocused Messianic movement can be transformed into a force that is united and focused. We will be properly equipped to prepare men and women for the restoration of all Israel and the return of Yeshua.

Young people like John McKee represent a generation that believes in these things, who are not going to quit the Messianic movement simply because of the charlatans out there right now (who will not be around forever). More and more are being inspired to making “Offer them Messiah!” the focus of their Messianic ministry, and seeing us transformed into mature men and women of proper holiness and piety, being filled with Yeshua’s love. As we do this, we are not setting a new precedent, but are repeating a time-tested and reliable pattern that has been modeled to us throughout Holy Writ:

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Yeshua, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Until the restoration of all things…

It has been my observation over the past ten years or so that today’s Messianic movement at times does not do very well when it comes to the subject of other societies and cultures, particularly those of the Biblical period. While we may sing songs that include praises to the God who saves “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9), in practice what we can often find is a great deal of ungodly prejudice and assumption.

There is no more excellent example of this that I have witnessed then in the great amount of criticism issued against the Greek civilization. Greek people are still those created by God and loved by Him, and as the Apostolic Scriptures testify, many of them welcomed Yeshua the Messiah into their lives and were saved! Is this something to be frowned upon? I think not.

I would agree that there has been some negative influence on theology and spirituality caused by Hellenistic philosophy. No honest theologian today disagrees with this. Yet at the same time, there are often things that today’s Messianics too hastily classify as “Greek,” that they fail to provide documentation for. Who said or believed such-and-such a thing? Plato? Aristotle? Xenophon? Epictetus? I have no problem of not adopting a so-called Greek mindset on an issue, provided that a teacher can actually tell me and quote for me what a Greek philosopher taught.

Several months ago, as I completed the reworked edition of my article “To Be Absent From the Body,” now at 62 pages, I had to discuss what the Greeks actually believed about the afterlife. What we find for this issue is that there is too much variance to actually claim that “the Greeks believed…” Some believed in an afterlife in Hades, some believed in reincarnation, and some believed in nothingness. To claim that the ancient Jewish Pharisees picked up a theology about an afterlife from interactions with the Greeks is actually quite inaccurate and far too simplistic. Many of those who make this claim, unknowingly quoting liberal scholars, fail to realize that the same liberal scholars think that the Jews picked up the idea of resurrection from the Greeks! Furthermore, societies even predating the Israelites in the Ancient Near East believed in some kind of disembodied post-mortem state. One could just as easily argue that the Israelite slaves picked up this concept in Egypt.

And that is what I would like to comment about.

How was your Passover this year? I hope it was a blessed time, where you were able to once again understand the great depth of Yeshua’s salvation, and recommit yourselves to living out the message of the Exodus. To what extent did you really discuss the importance of the Exodus? Did you really take seriously God’s word to Pharaoh of how “I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14)?

I have always taken verses like Exodus 9:14 to be very serious claims of how the God of Israel, while having chosen a special people for His purposes, nonetheless has a wider and greater plan for the entire Earth. Israel’s chosenness is one where they must accomplish His mandate of being a conduit of His goodness and love to others. Deuteronomy 4:6 admonishes that Israel’s keeping of the Torah will serve as a testimony of His wisdom to others. As many of us believe that the Father is restoring the Torah to a place of prominence among His people today, then we need to learn how to be wise and how to properly live out such a message.

 

Since I returned on my vacation to the United Kingdom in July, I have been using a picture of myself taken in the Egyptian Gallery of the British Museum in London. Recently, a McHuey Blog reader—not knowing where the picture was taken—snidely commented,

Why does a “believer” have himself photographed with a pagan statute? Smiling, no less.

This is exactly the kind of attitude, prejudice, and immaturity that I have sadly and unfortunately come to expect from many of today’s Messianics. No attempt was made by the reader to ask where the photo was taken, or what was being communicated by me using it. No dialogue or discussion about it—just prejudicial remarks and attack. And, I do not recall showing my teeth in such a “smile,” so perhaps the criticizer forgot to put his glasses on?

Many of you have probably just scratched your heads when seeing this photo. Others of you know that this is an obvious picture taken in a museum, in a gallery of artifacts from the Biblical period. You expect educational ministries like ours to go to such museums, and interact directly with archaeological and cultural finds. We do this so we can teach the Scriptures with greater precision and accuracy, when a subject like “Egypt” comes up.

So what does the picture communicate? The relief is actually a representation of Ramses II, who many believe was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. What did Exodus 9:14 communicate to this Pharaoh? He was chosen by God to play a crucial role in the most important event of the Tanach Scriptures. For us as Believers today, when we see a statue of Ramses II, we are reminded of how our all-powerful God humiliated the Thirteenth Century B.C.E. superpower, and delivered His people from bondage. And yet, even though Egypt was humiliated, and Ancient Israel was delivered, it is still said “A mixed multitude also went up with them” (Exodus 12:38).

We need to remove ourselves from the ungodly prejudices we have allowed to fester in our midst for too long. If we do not learn to communicate better, empowered by God’s wisdom, then the Messianic movement will not make the kind of impact we should have on people of Greek ancestry, Egyptian ancestry, or any other kind of ancestry. We have to learn to not make snap judgments, but be well-informed and thoughtful before we open our mouths. Can any of us as Messianics actually communicate with the Epicureans and Stoics of our day, as Paul did at the Aeropagus in Athens in Acts 17? Perhaps we will have to leave that discussion for another time…

(If anyone is wondering, the current picture I am using was taken on the grounds of Club Continental, an old mansion, in Orange Park, FL.)