In my last article on the unique roles between Israel and the church, I spoke of the analogy of a wedding and emphasized the pandemonium that so often can precede the ceremony itself. It is actually this time and during this hour that before Christ is to return to the earth as the bridegroom that He wants His bride to focus upon.
We need to fully address the relationship between Jew and Gentile to bring forth healing and reconciliation to the many issues that keep us separate, including much of the divide that the enemy himself is also fueling to keep us apart from our roles. Please click here to review part 1 and part 2 to gain a fuller understanding of the roles of Israel and the church in the last days.
The Prodigal Son Through Jew and Gentile Brothers
To continue, let us take a look at the story of prodigal son, reflecting upon the Jew and Gentile sons through the New Covenant thus far. (See Luke 15:11-31.) The Gentile has mostly received it first, who in this analogy is the older son and has been faithful to oversee His Father’s house (the church). However, at this time and the time coming, the Jewish son now returns in full repentance, as is prophesied through the word of G-d, thus fulfilling G-d’s covenants and promises to Israel, as they must come into a spiritual awakening and cleansing, which has been written and foretold despite their resistance. For Yeshua has said that He will not return until they say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the L-rd.”
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be … great” (Zech. 12:10-11, NIV).
For G-d’s words and covenants must be fulfilled, please also read Ezekiel 36:22-28 to fully understand this context from the Scripture. For while G-d has always planned to restore Israel spiritually so that they actually come in at the end to redeem His Jewish family, the emphasis on these Scriptures makes clear to us that it is not only for their sake, but rather for the sake of His holy name that His words, promises and covenants to restore them must be fulfilled.
This in itself is crucial for us to comprehend at this time, because His plan is to show His glory to the world through their rebirth. Therefore, if we truly want the L-rd to be glorified upon the earth, we must come into agreement with Israel’s spiritual awakening, making it our top priority. Because it is this plan as well as our association to it that will help to usher in the end time outpouring upon the earth along with the L-rd’s return. For what does Scripture tell us that Israel’s reconciliation will be but resurrection power! (See Romans 11:15.)
Referring back to the prodigal story, let us reflect upon the different reactions here between the father and the son to fully see this picture between the heart of man through the brother and the heart of G-d through the Father. Because only operating in the Father’s heart will enable us to fulfill our role to love Israel as our own. This must take place first within us through the Spirit in a family reconnection that can only come through faith.
What a dramatic difference here in the way in which the father and the son respond, and we will never be able to love Israel through the heart of the brother, which has so clearly reflected the church’s response to Israel through the ages as well as the weaknesses of our own humanity. I address this issue in its entirety in my new book The Ezekiel Generation (on bookshelves this month), which I would encourage you to read.
Has Our Bloodline Been Affected From the Past?
I know this is a difficult, delicate and sensitive matter for us to process from our past, for we cannot undo what has been done. While we are not responsible for anybody’s actions other than our own, this does not necessarily remove the influence of our ancestral past if it has not been properly renounced and repented of, as the sins of the fathers travel to the third and fourth generations and can still influence us and our actions (Ex. 20:5).
Sometimes in our own walks, do we not have to overcome or renounce our own ancestral influences (the sins of our fathers or mothers)? I know I have done so with things my parents or grandparents moved in. And so it is the same with anti-Jewish sentiment, which has unfortunately been very strong in the bloodline of the church from the past. Just look at racism, for example, and how it had its effects on all believers.
As a result, I believe the enemy has been using this against us without our knowledge, which I am bringing to light at this time. For the devil can only attach himself or his strongholds to some form of disobedience, which in this case has been keeping us veiled and separate from our own role to love Israel as ourselves and to provoke them to jealousy (Rom. 11:13-15). I believe it is this generational bloodline issue that has been clouding and blinding our spiritual sight regarding Israel to the unity that the Father is looking to bring now amongst His family, so that He may work His will through us so the end may come.
I ask you in all honesty and sincerity and only raise these issues for the sake of G-d’s healing and reconciliation, because there is no condemnation in Christ. However, I believe that our bloodline needs to be cleansed from the past, and it is preventing us from coming into the great role to help G-d release His breath and life back into His first born child (Ezek. 37:9-11).
But how can we honestly expect to have clean and pure revelation and understanding regarding Israel and the church and end-time theology when our own church history has been so dark toward the Jewish people? When our own ancestral actions toward them have been in complete contradiction to our calling to release G-d’s mercy back to them, to draw them to jealousy through our own intimate relationship with their G-d, who is now our G-d? After all, whose vine are we grafted into? And is the family of G-d complete without Israel’s awakening? (See Romans 11.)
This is why I believe the church has not yet gotten the full download from G-d regarding Israel and the end times, because the enemy has been using the bloodline to keep us apart. He has been using the actions of our ancestry against us. I call this generational anti-Semitism, and one does not necessarily have to be anti-Semitic to still be affected by it—although when this is in our bloodline, it is much easier for us to be anti-Semitic.
Alternatively, when generational anti-Semitism is in the bloodline, I believe it allows the enemy to cloud and confuse, so much so that we can even love Israel and yet still be confused regarding our theology. This so easily explains why in our modern day, amongst many of our evangelical groups as well as many other believers, there is almost a romantic association to the land and yet still no real connection to our unique role, which is to help give them life. We seem to be more concerned about the land than we are to reach the people, which is of much greater significance.
If the enemy can keep us separate from this calling, which I believe starts in prayer and repentance, it enables him to keep dominion. He knows when Israel comes in, he is finished, because the L-rd is coming back! Just think for a moment of those churches located in more heavily populated Jewish areas. How can they not have a special focus and burden in wanting to somehow reach the Jewish people? And yet this is so often not the case. Could there be something wrong with this picture?
Up to this point in our theological positions, we have not yet seen any personal connection between the church and Israel in the end times, that G-d is going to redeem them all by Himself. However, as I have already pointed out in earlier articles on this subject, I believe this is in great need of correction, as both the Father and the Son are waiting for our earnest intercession that can only come through a spiritual reconnection in His family—through us receiving the Father’s heart for Israel.
I believe now is the time for us to address these delicate issues and to allow the Holy Spirit to break off any ungodly influences from the past that this generational bloodline issue is still causing. For certain, this is a most sensitive subject but one that we must be willing to face, because judgment always begins in the house first (1 Pet. 4:17). Please earnestly take this matter to prayer, whether you agree with it or not.
To be continued …
Grant Berry is a Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus and author of The New Covenant Prophecy and The Ezekiel Generation. He has founded Reconnecting Ministries with the specific focus to help the church reconnect spiritually to Israel and considers it vital to the kingdom of G-d in the last days. His message focuses on the unity, love and healing that the Father wants to bring between Jew and Gentile yet clearly points out the differences and misunderstandings between the two groups. Now is the time to look more carefully into this mystery to make way for healing and reconnection in the Spirit. For more information, please visit reconnectingministries.org.
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