PS2

"The wicked try to improve on one another in their acts of wickedness. Cain killed Abel. Esau sought to improve on Cain, who killed his brother whilst Adam was yet alive to beget another son instead of Abel; he would wait till his father died, then he would kill his brother, so that he alone might inherit everything. Pharaoh thought Esau's scheme did not go far enough, because whilst Esau was waiting he allowed Jacob to raise up a family of his own; therefore his design was an improvement on Esau's: better kill the Israelites' males at their very birth; the women would then be intermixed with the Egyptians, and thus Israel would be entirely obliterated. Haman criticized Pharaoh's wisdom, and decided upon the policy of making a clean sweep of all the Jews without distinction of sex. Gog and Magog ridiculed all their predecessors in iniquity, and taking into account that the Jews had a Protector in their Heavenly Father, thought of attacking G-d Himself." ~ Midrash, Psalms 2

Cold Feet

In Matityahu 14:23-33, we read that Yeshua walked on water. Water. The stuff of oceans, lakes and wave pools. A thirty-something carpenter, presumably no light weight, accomplished the absolutely unthinkable. Surely, His body still possessed all the mass it had when He walked on land. Yet, somehow, He was able to suspend the known effects the human body has on water (namely, to displace it) and kept it solid, so to speak, beneath His feet. That is absolutely amazing to me. Admittedly, I've taken the details of that event for granted most of my adult life. Assuming that I would never possess the ability to walk on water myself, and believing there probably wasn't much of a lesson here, I've tended to relegate this event to the category of "stuff Yeshua did just to be amazing".

Perhaps, even more amazing than that, though, is the fact that Kefa did it too. Kefa wanted so intensely to be just like His Master. We can safely assume that Kefa had never before walked on water. Chances are he hadn't discovered the secret to this astonishing feat in his free time. I don't think he could have even imagined being able to suspend the known effects the human body has on water - but his Master was doing it, and He was calling him out to do it, too. In this moment, Kefa realized that Yeshua chose him because He believed that he, as His talmid, could be just like Him. While we don't see any hesitation on Kefa's part to step out of the boat, I'm certain that he, for a split second, thought back to all the things he witnessed his Master doing over the last year or so. With all this in mind, and fueled by faith, Kefa stepped out believing that Yeshua could hold him up. He'd keep him afloat no matter what.

Porcelain Unicorn

..and their lies.

Darkness now descends on your internet experience, intrepid reader. The following are a few excerpts from Martin Luther's "The Jews and Their Lies", which I prefer to think of as "The Jews" and "their Lies", as in the Jewish People and the lies that rush forth so effortlessly from the mouths of their many enemies. What you will read is the script directly from ha satan, but it must be beheld, and its many historical effects comprehended, in order to even begin to understand Jewish/Christian relations today. Church, behold the words of one of your most beloved "fathers".

The Irrelevant Drunkard

In speaking with James, of Morning Meditations, I said, "James, you’ve asked an excellent question: “If Jesus was/is Jewish and he lived and taught in a manner completely consistent with the Judaism of his day (which would include Rabbinic rulings and halachah), how can you be a disciple of “the ultimate Rebbe”, and yet disdain people who are Jews?” And it should be a rhetorical one, but sadly, there are many out there who would try to answer it. From my experience, it seems that many Christians, and even some Messianic Gentiles, so to speak, “love” Israel because “Jesus” was born there. It’s like they’re sticking up for His “hometown”, in a sense. They really don’t (and probably can’t) have a handle on how Mashiach relates to and fits into Rabbinic Judaism – and aren’t even conscious that anything is missing in their perspective. For the average Christian, if I may say, Israel is precious to the extent that it serves as a harbinger of the return of “Jesus”. Its existence and people are a timepiece pointing to heaven, rapture, etc and little more. They “love” the concept Israel much like they “love” the concept “Jesus” – which, while it surely sounds harsh, is probably more about a “what’s in it for me?” attitude than a grasp of the “big picture” purpose of Israel in the earth – understood as G-d’s magnificent plan for redeeming humanity through the Jewish People, their faith, and ultimate blessing, the Mashiach Nagid."

Durban III

I just had to share this tremendously important, and very well done, video rather than what I had planned for tonight. The information it contains is absolutely astonishing - and it's something of which we all need to be aware. It's basically a call to arms from the Israel Now campaign, which is spear-headed by the awesome Calev Myers, of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, who I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago when he spoke at our synagogue. The campaign seeks to raise awareness concerning the upcoming Durban III conference in New York. I needn't say much besides please watch the video - twice. The information moves so fast, you might miss just how serious all of this really is if you only watch it once. Whether you're planning to attend or not, please forward this video on to others. It just really needs to be seen.
Thanks guys. Leilah tov.

Israel Forever

In my previous post, I announced the launch, so to speak, of KOEOY Media. This is something borne of my strong desire to see more creative presentations in Messianic Judaism. I'm very passionate about equipping others to be more effective in reaching the world with the truth of Yeshua Ha Mashiach, as well as the unrivaled importance of Israel and the Jewish People in the purposes of G-d. In order to communicate this message well, I believe we need two things; one is accurate, life-changing teaching and two, the most creative means to present it. Now, tonight will see the first installment of KM - the Israel Forever design packs. If you're just joining us, you can read a bit more about what all this means, or could mean for you, in my previous post fittingly titled: KOEOY Media. For those of you who already know what's going on, or enough to get started, let's do just that!

I'd like to first explain the concept behind the Israel Forever design packs:

KOEOY Media

Some of you may have noticed that I've been a little preoccupied recently. My posts have been a bit brief, but I've done my best to keep the conversation going. Behind the scenes, though, I've been wrestling with a few secret projects, so to speak. The first of which will see the light of day tomorrow evening, actually.

Reappearing Light

"The perpetual light in the Mishkan was typical of the light of King Messiah." ~ Leviticus Rabba 31

"As you brought Me the perpetual light in the Temple, says G-d unto Israel, so will I bring unto you Him, Messiah, who is the personification of light, 'the sun of righteousness' promised through Malachi." ~ Midrash Tanhuma Tetzava

"The great gifts of G-d, of which Adam was deprived by reason of his sin and fall, light being one of them, will all be restored through Messiah, who will appear from the North and rebuild the Temple in the South." ~ Numbers Rabba 13

Food for Thought

Rabbi Simeon said, "If three have eaten at one table and have not spoken words of Torah there, it is as if they had eaten sacrifices offered to the dead, for of such persons it is said, for all tables are full of filthy vomit, they are without the All-Present. But, if three have eaten at one table, and have spoken words of Torah there, it is as if they had eaten at the table of the All-Present, blessed be He, as it is said, this is the table before the L-RD." - Mishnah: Avoth 3:3

No Secret

It's no secret that there are those who would prefer the pasukim that comprise Yeshayahu 53 to be solely concerning Yisrael. While this chapter does concern Israel, it's not in the manner that these folks are comfortable with. They would prefer Yeshayahu 53 to feature Yisrael as the subject, but it is clearly speaking prophetically of the suffering Servant, the Mashiach of Yisrael. Now, there are no shortage of arguments against this very plain interpretation of the text, but they can all be laid to rest in the face of some old fashioned common sense. Let's take a quick look. I promise not to keep you too long.

Reappearing Love

"When King Solomon speaks of his 'beloved,' he usually means Israel the nation. In one instance, he compares his beloved to a roe, and therein he refers to a feature which marks alike Moses and the Messiah, the two redeemers of Israel. Just as a roe comes within the range of man's vision only to disappear from sight and then appear again, so it is with these redeemers. Moses appeared to the Israelites, then disappeared, and eventually appeared once more, and the same peculiarity we have in connexion with Messiah; He will appear, disappear, and appear again." ~ Numbers Rabba 11

Of minim and men

I understand this video is somewhat older as far as internet videos go, but it's so eye-opening and I haven't seen it featured in too many places. I'm sure there are still quite a few people that haven't yet seen it. It saddens me greatly to think of how Israelis who accept the Messiah of Israel are treated in the Land of Israel. I don't post a video like this one to add fuel, but simply to make those aware that may not be. If it isn't something you pray about regularly already, it's helpful to be reminded of this very important issue.