One Roof

For centuries the ruling Catholic Church and others have told the Jews that they must repent and convert to Christianity to be saved. Under threat of force and even death, many were converted. The Spanish Inquisition was the perfect example of this. More than 13,000 Conversos (converted Jews who secretly practiced their Judaism) were put on trial during the first 12 years of the Spanish Inquisition. Hoping to eliminate ties between the Jewish community and Conversos, the Jews of Spain were expelled in 1492. Not until the second half of the 18th century did the Inquisition abate due to the spread of the enlightenment and lack of resources. The Prince of Peace and King of the Jews now became their enemy. Jews were not allowed to contest or even reason with their persecutors on this point.   Now that there are Jews who claim Yeshua as their promised Messiah, the One the prophets foretold (John 1:43-46), there has been a paradigm shift and there are a number of "Christians" who don't like this shift. Now that we have put the Messiah of Israel back into His biblical Jewish context and recognized Him as our own, it has forced these opposing “Christians” to be confronted with the past sin of dejudifing the Gospel, from Constantine to Luther, and making it into a separate religious entity apart from its Jewish root. Messianic Jews are now telling the rest of the Body of Believers that they must go back to first century Messianic faith. They must abandon the pagan customs they have brought in with them and come back to the pure Biblical concept of the Messiah of Israel, and there are those who don't like it at all.  There is a great possibility that what I am writing today is causing offense to many who read it. The main difference is that we are not forcing or threatening anyone with death.   The time of the Gentiles is drawing near (Rms 11:25-27). When this happens, religious systems with all of its divisions and denominations will come to an end. The rightful place of Israel will again be established (Is 62:6-7), and Yeshua [not Jesus], the King of the Jews, will reign from His holy mountain in Jerusalem (Is 2:2-4), and His law will again be reestablished. The natural born children are coming home, and it is time for the adopted children to welcome them back and not act out in jealousy. No longer is there room for division in the body (Eph 2-14-19). It is time for all of the children to come home under one roof. What will that roof look like? Will it be a Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Charismatic or Catholic covering? Or could it be any one of the other 38,000 plus denominations out there? A house divided will not stand and we are living in Paul's nightmare! 1 Corinthians 1:11-13 "For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"   I propose that it will be as the Scripture says; it will come back to the root.   Is 66:   18“For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. 19“I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. 20“Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 21“I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites,” says the LORD.   The Gospel started in Israel as a Biblically Jewish message that was given to the Gentiles, and that is the way it is going to end: A Jewish message in Jerusalem. The Gentiles will come back under the only roof that was ordained to last.   Rms 11:   17But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?    

Shalom uvracha b'Yeshua (Peace and blessings in Yeshua) Rabbi Henry