An exciting Move of God has been presenting in the Body of Christ worldwide and, to a great extent, in the U.S. - Jews (including leading Jerusalem Rabbis) in unprecedented numbers (except for the first century) are turning to Yeshua (Jesus) and accepting Him as the Messiah. At the same time, Christians are being drawn back to their Hebraic roots. Jew and Gentile are coming together, understanding that they are both branches of the olive tree rooted in Messiah and nourished by Him. Growing steadily since the 1970’s ( following the 6-day war which placed Jerusalem once again in the hands of the Jews), this modern Messianic Movement has picked up momentum and become an accelerating worldwide phenomenon, appearing independently and spontaneously in different countries. In 1948, when Israel was reestablished as an independent nation, there were fewer than 100 Messianic Jews living in Israel. -- There are now over 100 Messianic congregations in Israel and over 400 congregations in the U.S. though it is hard to track since many Messianic Jews join evangelical Christian churches. Almost every country in the world is home to a Messianic Jewish congregation, including Russia, Mexico, and Cuba. Some Messianic Synagogues number 1,000 members and operate schools and community centers. This is not counting the many thousands of Believers who remain in, and continue to worship with, their Synagogues and Churches while meeting quietly during the week in small Messianic study groups. Christian congregations with memberships sometimes in the thousands are displaying Israeli flags, and selling prayer shawls, menorahs, and shofars in their bookstores, along with singing Messianic worship songs, and offering Hebrew classes. Messianic study materials and Bibles are flooding Amazon and Messianic websites as people hunger for this knowledge. In traditional Synagogues that offer adult Hebrew classes, as many as 90% of students now are Gentiles.
Messianic Jews call themselves completed Jews because they have found true Biblical Judaism in Messiah Yeshua, for Messiah said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Mt. 5:17). Along with the call of God to the Jews to accept the Messiah, many Christians are being called back to the Hebrew roots of Christianity. Recognizing that Messiah said that “ salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22), the intention is not to “become Jewish” as critics sometimes charge, but to simply accept their grafting-in to the Olive Tree of Israel, alongside Jews. Two branches – Jew and Gentile – joining as One in Messiah Yeshua, standing together in prayer, and giving God “ no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth”( Isaiah 62:7) While Messianic Jews embrace the New Testament Scriptures, Messianic Christians are studying Torah. Both believe that the re-establishment of the State of Israel is a direct fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and that God has done this supernaturally as predicted from Scriptures centuries ago. Since Messianic Jews and Christians support the state of Israel, they are called Zionists. Sometimes Messianic Christians are referred to as Christian Zionists in a derogatory way by those who oppose Israel, or by Christians influenced by Replacement Theology (which contends that the Church has superceded Israel in God’s eyes). It is said that to be a Messianic Christian is to “walk a lonely road” since they are mistakenly perceived as 'turning their backs on Christianity' or ‘wanting to become Jewish'. In truth, just as Messianic Jews have repented of rejecting Messiah – Messianic Christians have repented of rejecting their Biblical roots, including Torah and the Biblical Feasts such as Sukkot and Passover (which are God’s appointed times, rather than Christmas and Easter which are heavily adorned with pagan influences and never commanded by God.)
What is the heart-cry of the people who are part of this modern phenomenon? --- “ Blessed are those who walk in the instructions of Yahweh,… who keep His testimonies,… and who seek Him with their whole heart.” (Psalm 119: 1) I don’t see that as a bad thing, do you?
