The Commonwealth of Israel
Two olive trees supply the oil for the menorah.
which is the true emblem of Israel. The dual
anointing of Messiah, our High Priest and the
King of Salem is in the Order of Melchizedek.
This wonderful image shown above is from
the Jewish Cervera Bible. (Spain circa 1299).
A devotional/exhortational
By Gavin Finley MD
endtimepilgrim.org
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"Candles at the Wall" by Jewish artist Eizen. Click the image above to go to the article. Click HERE to go to the Israeli Poster Center. The two witnesses are showcased in the two Shabbat candles. And two candles are presented on our dining tables in Christendom. The theme of 'two witnesses' is seen in both Old and New Testaments and represents the completed Commonwealth of Israel.
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DUAL ANOINTINGS FROM THE TWO OLIVE TREES
THE
TWO WITNESSES OF ZECH 4 AND REV. 11.
TWO LIGHTS FROM THE TWO SABBATH CANDLES.
TWO OFFICES OF MESSIAH AS HIGH PRIEST AND KING
IN THE
ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. (PS.110:1-4)
It seems that the chief role of the Church is the Gospel of Grace.
And the main burden of the royal Jewish House of Judah in Israel is for God's Law.
At present the two camps do not appreciate or understand each other very well.
Is this destined to change in times to come?
Oh yes!
Christian believers do not appreciate the Law of God very much right now. They are inclined discount it all as "Mosaic Law" and insist that "the Law" has been "done away with". And so they retire to the Church to concentrate on Grace. After all, this is what God in His mercy has given has he not?
Ah, but here is the rub. "Grace", in the minds of many, is but a short distance from antinomian lawlessness. Many who call themselves Christians are being pushed down the skids into Godlessness by the Hegelian dialectic. They are slip-sliding down the path to destruction. As we read Psalm 2 we see that indulgence to sin is just what the raging heathen gentiles want. And as we look around we see that the Church in the West today is becoming increasingly accommodating to what is now a catastrophic moral decline.
But the Christian God is the Holy One of Israel. He is the God of righteousness. His Law, even His Torah, is part of His divine purpose. The Prophet Jeremiah spoke of the New Covenant. It seems that in this New Covenant the Law is not "done away with" at all. Jeremiah clearly stated that as holy history unfolds the Law is destined to be written in the hearts. (Jer.31:31-33)
The Law involves the anointing of a King to enact Righteous Rule. YHVH-God's Kingdom rule is a throne of righteousness. He establishes and enthrones His Law in the hearts of His Holy People in the Person of the indwelling Christ. But this is just the beginning. The coming Millennium of Messiah will see His rule going out from His Holy City, Jerusalem. Both of these anointings in Law and Grace, the anointing of a King, and the anointing of a High Priest, are seen in our Messiah who will rule under the Order of Melchizedek. Messiah Himself brings them into perfect Union. It is this reunion of the two anointings under Messiah that will bring in the true double anointing that energizes the End Time Revival and accomplishes the full restoration of all Israel.
These two anointings in YHVH-God are estranged from each other right now. One is in the Jewish house of Israel. And the other is in something we call "the Church", from a Greek word "ekklesia" which merely means "called out", "congregation", or "assembly". But the two offices, anointings, and authorities are focussed on Messiah! And it is in Him that they are destined to flow together in perfect harmony.
So when Israel's restoration actually happens it will not be just a theological thing. This revival and reunion under Messiah will be a wonder of wonders. It will change the history of this world forever. The restoration of Israel will establish that long awaited "peace on earth and good will to men."
This sounds like an awesome turn of events.
How will it happen?
During the wedding feast at Cana our Messiah indicated that our God does things differently to the ways of this world He reserves the best things to the last. The God of Israel is going to unveil this entire mystery of the Commonwealth of Israel and His unified Elect during the latter days.
It is a big task. But God has promised in His Word to restore all Israel. (Rom. 11) Quite clearly this has not happened yet, not by a long shot. But the climax of this magnificent story will surely come. And from the Holy Scriptures the consensus is unanimous. It will all come together during the Apocalypse.
Both houses of Israel will be regathered from their scatterings.
"And so all Israel will be saved". (Rom. 11)
Jesus prayed to the Father concerning this,
"the glory which You gave Me I have given them,(See John 17:20-22)
that they may be one just as We are one:"
No longer will God's covenant people be in a state of disunity and disharmony.
No longer will there be two estranged kingdoms, one for "Law" and one for "Grace".
They will come together in Messiah precisely as Moses and the Apostle Peter have both stated.
They will become a single indivisible "royal priesthood and
a holy nation".
The royalty of the Kingdom will be applied to the Priesthood.
And the holiness of the Priesthood will be applied to the Kingdom.
This is how the
Breach of Jeroboam will be healed.
The two camps we see today are prophesied to become
one Elect and Chosen People.
As we can see, God's holy purposes are far from concluded.
The long sweeping saga of the children of Abraham still goes on.
A host of loose ends are still out there, hidden in the mystery.
But God's grand adventure is also the divine romance.
And it will climax in the Apocalypse, in a blaze of glory.
All this is inspiring beyond all words to tell.
| The Two Witnesses. |
As Christians we are contented. We attend church on Sunday. We pursue our own personal happiness the rest of the week with few other concerns. We have our ticket to heaven. It is right there in our pocket. Our bags are packed for a nice early rapture, (strangely disconnected from the Resurrection of the just). And we have been told that the Glory Train could pick us up at "any time". Nothing further needs to be attended to. That's it for the eternal covenant as far as we are concerned. We believe what we have been told. Most of us have not checked it out in the Bible. But like sheep we are driven to a large degree by peer pressure. We believe that "everything is settled". There will be no necessity for patience in tribulation, holding fast to the faith, or "enduring to the end". The Pax American has wrapped up and secured history for a triumphal Christendom to start receiving their rewards right now, "at any moment". Our departure by rapture is 'imminent' and could occur at any moment. Ans so could holy history for that matter. When the last trumpet sounds, (and we believe that it will sound at the beginning of the final seven years of this age), we are, (as the saying goes), "outta here!"
This all sounds pretty good. But pause for a moment. We belong to "The Church" which means "called out congregation". Called out to whom, and by whom, and for what purpose, (other than "my purpose")? Is their an ongoing history, an ongoing Pilgrim pathway, that goes on beyond the Pax Americana? Is there more to being a Biblical Christian than we have been told?
Our Messiah is being established in human hearts across the earth in the Gospel.
But there are shakings and eruptions as His Kingdom advances. ((Mat. 11:12)
The Kingdom of God suffers or endures violence, that is a violent bursting forth
as our Messiah leads us on. Indeed He is in His name and character, Perez,
'The Breaker'. (Matt.11:12, Micah 2:12-13)
Is it possible that like Esther we have been
We need not fear.
The
Glory Train will still be arriving to pick us up, and not one minute late!
So let us stop for a moment's prayerful reflection here.
Could it be that we, as Biblical Christians, have a vital role of witness yet to engage in as God's covenant people?
If we are the soon to be Bride of Christ upon this earth
is it not unreasonable to expect that as a true Bride, (an not a passive uninvolved purchased concubine), we are in the loop here?
The Holy Scriptures are plain. And the message is clear.
Yeshua/Jesus told us that we are to be His agents.
We have been "called out" to be a witness before, (and against), kings and rulers. (Luke 21)
So then. Could we actually have some end-time responsibilities to attend to in times to come?
When do our responsibilities as the Congregation of Israel actually end?
What do our
Commissioning Papers state?
And have we not been "called out" to
run the race right through to the finish line? (Heb. 12:1)
So then, let's cut to the chase. We have read Revelation 7 and seen the huge multitude of Tribulation Saints
gathered before the throne of God.
They have a strong connection, being showcased in the same narrative and chapter, to the 12 tribes of Israel.
Is this why our Bible teachers say the Tribulation Saints do not belong to the Church?
These dear people have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. And they died for the witness!
Why wouldn't they be eligible for Church membership?
This indifferent treatment by the western Church is a strange business.
Some churches are happy to ordain unrepentant open life style neo-pagan gays and lesbians.
And yet we won't admit the Tribulation saints into our Church!
What is wrong with us?
Oh yes, the Ancient of Days will be sitting in judgment.
And judgment come first to the Household of God. It has always been that way.
The Ancient of Days will be calling for His witnesses.
He will be looking for witnesses willing to testify for his Messiah.
If there is in fact an epic "final witness" of the saints in the 5th seal then what does this mean
for the laid back
Laodicean Christians of this age?
Surely the 5th seal witness of the saints will be seen. It must be seen before the opening of the 6th seal,
that awesome future time when the Son of Man appears in the heavens?
Will saints belonging to the Church, (the wider Congregation of Israel),
be called upon to bring some important testimony at this time?
Or is all this to be done by 144,000 brand new Jewish Christians
as our popular Bible teachers tell us?
Jesus Himself told His trusted disciples what to expect.
Here is another important matter.
Then there is this matter.
So are we sure that the Bible teaches a special early rapture for the Church?
Does the Bible teach that "the Church" gets a special separate deal?
Is there a separate glorification of Church saints different from Israel's saints?
Is the Church given a
special early express rapture separate from
God's
70th week covenant dealings with Israel?
Does our God, the God of Israel, preside over two Elects or just
one Elect.
Are there two separate salvation deals under heaven?
Does the Holy One of Israel have a down and dirty apartheid policy?
Our Apostle Paul gives us the answer
here in Ephesians 2:12-13.
When Christian believers are saved they come into intimate union with Christ who is the Seed of faithful Abraham.
(See Gal:3:29)
And so they become
'new creatures'.
As new creatures in Christ the Seed of faithful Abraham resides inside them.
In Christ they receive a new national identity
to add to the national identity they already have.
This is imparted to them by the Holy Spirit
This is how Christian believers come into the Commonwealth of Israel.
So unknown to most Christians, they actually own two passports.
Like the British Commonwealth this new citizenship is a sovereign or spiritual impartation.
Citizenship in the Commonwealth of Israel is not directly linked with race or the flows of DNA through the generations.
It is true that the promised Seed of the Woman spoken of in Genesis
has historically tracked along through the bloodlines of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel.
But that was just the beginning of the story.
Israel's Light the nations is shining.
This is that wonder Isaiah spoke about.
(See Isaiah 49:6)
The wells of salvation have sprung up bringing streams in the desert.
Truly, Israel is blessing the nations.
And the Jordan River overflows its banks,
There is only one Eternal Covenant. And that treaty with God is only to be found
by grace through faith in the atoning blood of Israel's Sacrifice Lamb.
After we are saved we eventually come to realize that we are in an eternal covenant with our Jewish Messiah.
But there is more. Now we learn that we belong in the Commonwealth or citizenship of Israel of all things!
Most Christians are almost completely in the dark about all this.
Why is this so?
But why are our church leaders so subject to these worldly influences?
Surely these churchmen are more than hired religious power brokers.
They cannot be just religious agents for kings, merchants, labor brokers and the greens.
Why the secrecy?
Why shouldn't Christians know about their vital blood covenant Calvary connection with Israel through Messiah?
Is there an "ecclesiastical correctness"? And who is pulling the strings here?
Are we seeing just another part of the wider worldly mosaic of "political correctness"?
Is this "conspiracy of silence" in these vital covenant matters part of the conspiracy of the
heathen nations King David wrote that song about?
Or is it
church sponsored anti-Semitism.
There is no doubt, the worldly powers, angelic and human, loathe and dread the coming of Messiah.
And so they rage against Him.
When they cannot get what they want by raging then they adopt the Fabian strategy.
They quietly camp out against at the city gates of the kingdom they want to bring down.
They seek to influence the commerce, put their "spin" on the information going to the people,
and re-route the conversation of the people within.
Above all, they conspire against the return of Christ and seek to block out, dilute, and distort word of His Second Coming
using
disinformation.
The
principalities and powers are the key to our understanding here.
These angelic rulers are in
stark terror of the Second Coming of Messiah.
And the heathen, the gentile nations, are under the rule of those dark angelic principalities and powers.
(See Psalm 2)
There is a big worldly "church and state" ecumenical conspiracy going on against Messiah and His covenant people.
Their main agenda would seem to be this.
The powers want to stop our Jewish brethren from recognizing their Messiah.
They don't want them to see that He has already come for His first visit
as the suffering Servant nearly 2,000 years ago. (See
Isaiah 53).
And over on the other side they want to stop Christians from knowing their identity
and responsibility in the Commonwealth of Israel.
The Apocalypse is also a heavenly court case.
And in the latter days the Ancient of Days will sit. He will be calling for His witnesses.
Some will turn up. Others will be crusading, "fighting the system" or hiding in caves.
The principalities and powers know all about this crucial final witness of the saints.
And they know that when this happens it will be their undoing.
So that is why they want to hoodwink Christians. They want to keep them in the dark about
their high calling in Christ.
The prophet Zechariah tells us that there will be a national repentance
and late salvation of the whole Jewish nation at the end of the age.
(See Zech. 12)
As Evangelical Christians we often think of our Jewish brethren.
We wonder about their "partial blindness" to the identity of their Messiah. (Rom.11)
But wait!
If "blindness in part has happened to Israel"
and if we, as Christian believers, are in the Commonwealth or citizenship of Israel (and don't know it)
then what does that say about us? Are not we in the Church also in "partial blindness" too?
Why are we not "seeing" our vital connection to Israel?
And why, in spite of all the Biblical evidence, are we as Christians so willingly and persistently blind to our Hebrew roots?
Our spiritual roots in Israel are a reality to be sure. We saw the Holy Spirit overflow Israel and the Gospel outreach to the heathen gentiles
begin at
Pentecost.
But for many westerners their family roots may actually
go back to the
Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. For some interesting evidence of this see
the Yair Davidiy interview on YouTube.)
Yes, so what is our problem here?
What does our Christian identification in the Commonwealth of Israel really mean?
It seems a bit "over the top" doesn't it.
Here are the facts concerning western Christendom.
Our western nations always fought and spilled their blood for "God and country".
And for 1700 years the God of western Christendom has not been in question.
He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
So even under persecution and duress, our national allegiance as Christians to our country still stands.
The allegiance of all the nations, heathen and otherwise, is due Him.
So in Christ, the Messiah of Israel, our national identity is not in question here.
In the Church, (the Congregation of Israel), we come to know a greater Sovereign Power than any earthly ruler.
And when we study history we discover that he is the One who lies behind the glory of our nation.
So if our nation under a worldly power summons us to witness and causes us some grief over God's Word
then it will be "good grief".
Our witness to the God of Israel will not be in vain.
Through His witnesses God is in fact calling our nation, (and all the nations), up to a higher level.
And we ourselves, as Christian believers, are being "called out" to
blood covenant commitment.
This is true patriotism, even the higher patriotism to a greater glory.
We are witnesses to a greater king, even the King of kings.
We are speaking here of the latter day "Gospel of the Kingdom" spoken of in the Book of Revelation.
So as Christian believers we are involved with Israel.
What if we come into the fall season
of some future year to find ourselves
waking up one morning to the sound of
trumpets.
How shall we react if we discover that we have gone on
beyond the current protective
umbrella of the
Pax Americana?
What if that seven year "covenant with many" brings us into a
New World Order?
We look around.
We pinch ourselves and say "ouch".
We have not been raptured.
What then?
Are we prepared for this?
Do we have
the oil for our lamps against the coming night?
Have we prepared ourselves in the devotion and in the Holy Spirit
for a late time Post-Tribulation Rapture if that should prove to be the case?
Have we even been given a heads up on this other strong possibility?
Have our ministers given us any inkling at all about these things?
Have we been told that we might do well to prepare our hearts for witness
under some duress at some future time?
Corrie Ten Boom was a woman of faith and commitment to her Jesus.
She knows of God's provision
during the inevitable trials of our faith.
This great woman of God is a lone voice speaking out for scriptural truth
in the present eschatological wilderness.
Corrie Ten Boom has sounded a warning
to American and western Christians.
She has spoken out very specifically about the popular
Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching abroad today.
Here is
Corrie Ten Boom's warning to the American church.
Dear saints, we may be all wrong here.
And we don't know how much time we have left before these times of trial come.
So nnow is the time for us to take a long hard look
at our attitude to Christian witness.
God has given us time for peaceful reflection and
preparation in the Holy Spirit.
And that time is now!
True shepherds know that sheep will only drink from still waters.
God has given us this time of peace for a purpose.
This is a time to leave
our pursuit of pleasure and material things.
Now is the time to allow ourselves
to be led in quietness deeper into the heart of the Shepherd.
Let us get to know His voice. (John 10:3-4)
A dark and cloudy day is coming. (Ezek.34:12)
True believers will need to stay very close to the Shepherd of Israel.
Let us join our Apostle Paul
and affirm our faith to the end.
The highway of holiness leads onwards and upwards;
Grace and shalom to all the saints.
"called to the Kingdom for such a time as this"?
THE END TIME WITNESS OF CHRISTIANS BEFORE KINGS AND RULERS.
AND OUR HIGH CALLING IN CHRIST, THE MESSIAH OF ISRAEL,
AND THE FUTURE MILLENNIAL RULER AND KING OF KINGS.
The book of Revelation is an unveiling of Christ.
And in the Apocalypse the mysteries will unfold as we come to the climax of this age.
John was taken up into heaven and into a locus in eternity known as "the Day of the Lord".
There before him he saw an astounding sight. He saw a heavenly court case
with the Ancient of Days presiding. He is the Sovereign Ruler over our cosmos.
John saw the four horsemen and four earthly political systems finish their run.
Then, at the 5th seal, the Ancient of Days had done with the four horsemen of human government.
Now He was calling for His witnesses, witnesses to Christ the coming Messiah of the world.
He laid it out for us in the
Olivet Discourse.
Our Savior has given us good information and His personal charge as well.
Is the Olivet Discourse "just for the Jews" as we are often told by churchmen?
Just when does our Commission in Christ's service actually expire?
Do we need to take the
'Great Commission' document to our lawyer?
Do we need to ask him to tell us when our commission expires?
What if there are some earlier trumps before the
'last trump'?
Do the trumpets begin to sound
seven years before the last trump?
Should we open our Bibles and our minds and check this out personally?
One of them is a mystery, still hidden in the Word of God.
It is a passport they have never seen or appreciated before.
It is their passport into the Kingdom of God.
All the days of the harvest.
POLITICS AND RELIGION AT THE CLOSE OF THE AGE.
Strange isn't it?
AND THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM IS UNVEILED.
We understand that the angelic principalities and powers put their pressure on the kings, merchants, bankers, and Hollywood idols.
They and the people of this world do not like Israel.
And kings do not stand for this Israel identity for their subjects one bit.
Naturally they do not want to see their subjects giving their loyalty to any other sovereign.
For them this amounts to disloyalty, even treason.
William Tyndale discovered this as did many other fine saints and martyrs.
THE TRAVAIL OF
THE WOMAN WITH THE DIADEM OF TWELVE STARS.
AND THE IDENTITY OF THE END-TIME CHURCH IN ISRAEL.
The Book of Revelation is the story of two women.
These are two companies of people who claim to know God.
John saw
the harlot of Revelation 17.
And he also saw
the Woman of Revelation chapter 12 with the 12 stars of Israel upon her crown.
One woman sits as a queen, saying, " I will see no sorrow".
The woman with the diadem of 12 stars is in travail and yet she is clothed in the glory of her Father.
These two are the main players we see on the stage of future holy history.
'the rest of the story'.
.......................
Art used by permission of
Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Visit her
'Revelation Illustrated' website.
Are we as Christians partially blind too?
We say we are Christian Australians, Christian Americans, Christian Dutchmen, Christian Germans etc.?
We know that we are under our Jewish Messiah from the House of David, the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah".
But what about this identification in this "Commonwealth of Israel"?
THE CHURCH, NATIONAL IDENTITY, AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL.
Here then is the related big question.
In identifying ourselves as Christians with Israel are we being unpatriotic?
Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach is our supreme Sovereign, our Messiah.
And remember this. Whenever Handel's Messiah was performed in Europe there was a response.
All the kings and royals stood on their feet!
We are certainly not being called to repeat the bloody shame of the earlier crusades.
Rather, we are being called to the witness of the indwelling Messiah.
This is the essence of the New Covenant of which Jeremiah spoke.
(See Jer. 31:31-33)
Our witness by grace at the climax of this age will testify of His law within the heart.
And our witness in the latter days is the true and genuine
blood covenant Christianity.
FUTURE HISTORY, "CHANGE", AND A NEW EMERGING GLOBAL SOVEREIGNTY.
What if holy history rolls forward and in we see a significant world conflict involving the Middle East.
Will the world powers who divide the spoils divide God's Holy Land?
And will they attempt to divide His Holy City as well?
If nuclear tipped missiles have flown the world will be in a state of panic.
Will our national pride be lambasted as the politics of blood and shame?
And in this atmosphere of fear and anger could the western nations be persuaded to give up their sovereignty?
Are we going to hand our standards over to a
New World Order and a global peacemaker promising "peace and safety"?
THERE COULD BE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS FOR ISRAEL AND FOR THE CHURCH.
WILL THERE BE AN EARLY RAPTURE PERMITTING US TO AVOID ALL THIS?
THE TESTIMONY OF CORRIE TEN BOOM
Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian girl in Holland
during World War 2.
At that time the German Nazis controlled Europe.
She, along with her sister and father
were captured by the Germans.
Their crime? They were sheltering Jews.
For this they were sent
to the camps. Only Corrie survived.
THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL AND OUR CALL TO WITNESS
Are we listening?
And how shall we answer?
Are we connecting the dots? Or do we just say.
IN THE FINAL SEVEN YEARS OF THIS AGE UNDER
THE DUAL ANOINTINGS OF JOSEPH AND JUDAH.
"That message of warning and exhortation to spiritual preparation for the end time witness is for the Jews.
That is Old Testament stuff.
We are in a different dispensation.
We are the New Testamant Church!"
Preparation in God is "works".
We are people of "grace".
"For the which cause I suffer these things,
Nevertheless I am not ashamed,
For I know whom I have believed,
And am persuaded, that He is able,
To keep that which I've committed
Unto Him against that Day". -1Tim.1:12
- towards the gates of splendor.
