A Prominent Jew Finds GRACE

A "Jihadist terrorist" becomes a missionary for Jesus!

A Jewish Rabbi, a Master and teaching authority of Judah and all Israelites, was a leader among the powerful ruling class Jews who "lorded over" the people of his first century generation and time in history.

He would recount having an amazing experience of God's GRACE. But first he would be God's adversary; a “terrorist” against those who followed Jesus!

This leading Jew among his brethren after the flesh as “sons” (and daughters) of Jacob, likely dreamed of one day actually being the High Priest of Israel...and the head of the Sanhedrin. “Politically" among his peers, he was a highly respected Pharisee... an extraordinary force in their midst. He was undoubtedly a rising star! He worked hard at his personal piety and worship of Jehovah God, the ALMIGHTY and MOST HIGH, the one true God.

He must have been born of a very prominent family in Tarsus because he was a Roman citizen by birth and could freely move about the Empire with the liberties and protections of Roman law that the everyday “commoners” did not enjoy. The Romans had many “subjects” as essentially conquered “servant people” to be controlled and taxed much like today's global powers in place.

The people of the Roman province known as “Judea”; the land called Judah and Israel, were one of these servant groups. They were known as a difficult bunch to rule with their singular God religion, their temple and their unique forms of worship. However, this Rabbi was an elite citizen connected to the powerful Jewish ruling class and therefore became a “religious leader” of the Israelites and others living in Judea.

Though a “Roman”, he was also an Israelite Jew from the southern kingdom tribe of Benjamin, geographically located right next to Judah (and known as Judah's "right arm").

As an aside...Benjamin was the “right arm” younger brother of Judah, the only two sons of Jacob by his beloved wife Rachel. They both held a special place in the heart of Jacob, for she was his only romantic true love... and she had died giving birth to the younger son Benjamin.

You had to be from one of the three southern tribes or you were not a "real Jew". You ask "three"? I thought there were only two tribes in JUDAH, the southern kingdom after the split of David and Solomon's "united Israel". This southern kingdom was named after the "royal" tribe, the ruling class "elites".

Well... the accurate truth was there were four tribes if you count the Simeonites (discussed later)...and the Levites, the priesthood tribe, intentionally mingled among all twelve tribes to perform priestly ministry in each locale. They Levites had been strategically “scattered” to serve as “pastors” of the people. The greatest concentration of Levites would naturally have been in Judah...and Jerusalem in particular, to minister in the temple that King Herod had built to please the Jews.

Herod's beautiful temple was to solidify political support from the ruling elites even though he was NOT of the royal line of Judah. In fact he was not even an Israelite from any of the twelve tribes. He was an Edomite, descended from the family of Esau, Israel's nemesis throughout their Old Testament history.

The Romans knew the Herodian political ruling blood line would be more likely to properly discipline populations not made up of their actual “brethren”...and therefore would be less sympathetic as Edomites to any resistance against Rome by the Jews. The old blood feud between Esau and Jacob (Israel) would cause a “perpetual hatred” as the Old Testament prophesied. This feud mingled its family strife with that of Ishmael and Isaac, another earlier division of strife in the family of Jacob.

Both conflicts would be a constant source of struggle down through history. The Arab nations, mostly Muslims, competing against the nation, Israel, of the flesh and spiritual Israel (Jewish and Gentile Christian born again believers) are the present centers of global crises and conflicts today.

Even though they were all of Abraham, they were not all of the chosen bloodline of the LORD for the promise concerning the coming Messiah, Jesus.

The confusion surrounding the number of the southern tribes is solved when we realize that God intentionally also “scattered” yet another tribe to mingle with all the others; the tribe of Simeon, the second son of Jacob, fathered with Leah, his first wife.

The tribe of Simeon, was descended from Jacob among the original twelve tribes (and sons)...but this tribe was the only one not blessed by Jacob as were the others.

Their violent warlike temperaments... and tendencies to settle matters with the sword, caused their great reduction in population numbers leading also to their “scattering” by the LORD throughout the entire land of Israel.

The main core of Simeonites, however, were found sharing space as a "sub group" of the land inheritance of Judah at the time of Jesus. They lived among Judah and to a lesser extent Benjamin.

God apparently did this to control the volatile temper traits and tendencies toward violent resolution of problems of the family of Simeon in the Old Testament record. That is a story for another time as I digress...

The tribe of Benjamin and the talented Rabbi we are discussing here, would be a special source of spreading the truth of the Messiah, Jesus to the world!...the "glorious Gospel". His name was Saul of Tarsus.

Benjamites would be at the very center of the

New Testament Gospel record.

All of the disciples were known as “Galileans” and they were all of the tribe of Benjamin (except the one who betrayed Jesus, Judas Iscariot). The Israelite bloodline of the eleven chosen disciples, flowed from their family ancestry of Benjamin, which had resettled in the region of the Sea of Galilee (a large inland lake) after these ancestors returned from the Babylonian captivity.

Their primary vocations were as rugged fisherman... and some had other basic skills as tradesman, shopkeepers, shepherds and farmers. One was even a loathed “money man”; a tax collector and money changer for Rome.

Jesus chose His disciples from this group to establish His core of leadership. They would become commissioned as “Apostles”, to spread the Gospel far and wide. The “right arm” of the Father in heaven, Jesus, would use Benjamites, the “right arm” of the royal tribe of Judah, to preach the wonderful news of the Gospel of salvation to the world.

To strict Jews however, these Galileans were considered not much better than pagan "Gentiles" because the "lost ten tribes" from the northern kingdom known as "Israel", after the split of the people in the Old Testament record, were no longer associated with the "royal house" of Judah, the ruling class.

The elite Jews looked down on them as common "sheeple". And the nearby mixed breed “partial Israelites” in Samaria were looked upon as even worse. The Samaritans were quick to recognize the Messiah, Jesus, in spite of their “half breed” status. God is no respecter of persons. Your status, position, wealth, fame or talents, as men would measure them, mean nothing to God. The Samaritans were bloodline tribes of Jacob mingled with Assyrians and other heathen nations, but God reached them using the woman at the well that Jesus revealed Himself to...

The Rabbi Master of the tribe of Benjamin that we are discussing is Saul of Tarsus. He was a brilliant intellect, trained at the highest academic level, with a family pedigree. He had great persuasive leadership and oratorical skills. His knowledge of key languages of his day and fluency with them made him truly an international man for all seasons.

All of this innate talent and preparation coming about from "privilege", gave him great advantage. It all pointed to his eventual prominence and position among the Jews at the highest levels of their society and political power structure.

He was mentored and trained at the feet of Master Rabbi Gamaliel, the greatest Jewish Teacher and Master of Israel of that day (early first century AD or CE if you prefer).

So recapping...this exceptional man we are discussing was known as Saul. He was one of the leading Pharisees, originally born a free Roman in Tarsus, and had become a prominent intelligence "asset" of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.

Saul was given the mission of stopping the growing “religious cult” that followed the "dead Rabbi", "the blaspheming" Jesus of Nazareth, who was claimed by many of his followers to have been seen alive after his death by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans.

Jesus was being worshiped "as a god" and even as "the ONE TRUE, MOST HIGH, GOD" of ancient Israel – the “I AM”! He was being proclaimed to the people as the long awaited Messiah, who died for the sins of all mankind as the "Lamb of God". The saved followers took note of the very literal promise to Abraham and Isaac that “God will provide HIMSELF a lamb”...They earnestly believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead by God to return to heaven for further future work and preparations which would ultimately lead to his imminent return to the earth to judge the nations... and to rule and reign over all of the world from Jerusalem.

As Saul, "the Inquisitor", he sought out "followers of the way" (Jesus). With his small army of “special operations forces”, they rounded up the "believers", taking them to Jerusalem to be imprisoned, tried for blasphemy and heresy... and in certain cases of their leadership, to be sentenced to death having the Romans approval. The Romans saw it as a strategy to deal with any possible insurrection against Rome. These were the same false charges leveled against Jesus that led to His illegal trials and death on the cross.

Saul was instrumental in the stoning of Stephen, the first Jewish martyr for Jesus and "the way". Saul supported this action against this godly disciple and preacher of the truth about Jesus.

The oppression was fierce and it caused many of the saved, believing Jewish converts to flee Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee, Samaria and other regions, to look for refuge and settlement elsewhere in the Roman Empire where they could safely hide. God used this to spread the Gospel far and wide!

Where sin abounds GRACE much more abounds!

However, Saul was relentless and was determined to track them all down and stamp out this movement.

God used this persecution from Saul and and his army of Jewish enforcers supplied by the Jewish elite rulers as an opportunity to spread the LORD's words of salvation through JESUS.

The Age of GRACE had begun!

Now here is where it gets really interesting and exciting! 

This rabid hater of Jesus, Saul, who "loved" and served the God of Israel (and Judah) would be chosen by the LORD for a special calling and ministry as an Apostle in spite of his terrorist activities!

Saul's sinful persecution of Jesus and His followers was overlooked by the LORD... for Saul did it in ignorance, not necessarily unbelief... for he worshiped and believed in Jehovah of the Old Testament, the God of his fathers.

He was essentially a holy terrorist (a jihadist fighting holy war) misguided by the deception of JEWISH RELIGIOUS TRADITION; JUDAISM!

Much like today's terrorists, deceived by Satan with the false god "Allah", Mohamed and their false Islamic teachings defending “Allah's Sharia laws", Saul was on a mission to defend the God of Israel from the devilish blasphemy of Jesus.

The Eternal God and Father of Jesus, His only begotten Son, with the Holy Ghost (the three persons of the Godhead) have inexhaustible MERCY and GRACE...they work together to bring salvation and eternal LIFE. It all springs from our triune God's unfathomable LOVE!

On the road from Jerusalem to Damascus (Syria), Saul experiences a supernatural encounter with a vision from heaven...a blinding light with a voice from heaven... and he is knocked off of his horse...This is the "risen Lord", from the dead, now resurrected as the glorified Messiah, Jesus, revealing himself as the LORD God from heaven, Jehovah.

Saul instantly realizes he has been wrong... and he has been persecuting God's true people that have received Jesus as their Messiah and Saviour. The book of Acts recounts all of the details and Saul's conversation with the LORD Jesus.

This mighty conversion encounter changed Saul's direction 180 degrees. He becomes the commissioned Apostle Paul to take the “glorious Gospel” far and wide throughout the Empire. A personal name change is in order in light of the dramatic transformation he went through as a result of God's GRACE. He emerges as Paul, the missionary Apostle!

Have you been transformed dear friend and reader? You can be! It's a simple question of childlike faith; trusting only in Jesus...His person as God and His work on the cross for you... and all of mankind.

After a time of preparation and training, Paul is now ready to carry the "glorious Gospel" everywhere the Holy Spirit would lead him. In each locale, he would go to the local synagogue of the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles.

Countless thousands are saved and local churches established everywhere. One of them was in Galatia in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).

Paul, the Apostle, publically challenges famous church “father figures” of his day; other Apostles, like Peter and Barnabas who were commissioned by the LORD Jesus...

Paul writes it down for the record in a letter to the Galatians:

 "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles (everyone else), knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

This is an extraordinary statement for this former Jewish Rabbi to make!

WORKS no longer earn justification!? Actually they never did in the Old Testament either! But the traditions had brought that thinking into their religion.

What!?

It was well known that only the just will ever see God!

That's a fact.

How could this be possible? How can we be justified?

This theological expert Rabbi Paul knew traditional theological truth...and every devout Jew of his day knew that as well...It was a cultural and religious absolute.

The religious Jews worked hard at showing themselves to be pious and deserving God's approval! Working, working and more working to earn a place in the Kingdom of God and heaven. They went about daily trying to establish their own righteousness. They tried to justify themselves!

One must keep and observe ALL of the written law of Moses including the oral traditions (oral Torah) passed down through the priests (Levitical priesthood) if one subscribes to this kind of justification ...and for "mistakes" (sins) one must make certain to keep and observe the proper sacrificial ordinances and traditions of the fathers and elders of the nation of Judah (Israel) to the letter to remit and cover their sin. Or else, you will be forever lost!

The real truth is that it was always God's GRACE that saved them! The object of faith was Jehovah God as the SAVIOUR! If you read the Psalms, this becomes clear. The works of the Law and the rituals of sacrifice and keeping the Feasts of the LORD were for establishing a walk of intimate worship and fellowship, not salvation.

The Seven Feasts of the LORD

First and foremost...there was the Passover (celebrating the deliverance from Egypt)... and Second in importance... the Day of Atonement (for each individual, the nation and the 70 nations of the world)...these two would be the MOST important “feasts of the LORD”, but the other 5 major convocations also held great significance as the “LORD's feasts” in earning Jehovah's approval and acceptance in proper fellowship, NOT salvation.

Ironically... in all of this ritual and feast keeping, they never used publically His personal sacred name! He was now just the "NAME" (as in some of the Dead Sea scrolls)...the Hebrew “Hashem” simply means “the name”, ascribed to a nameless deity...or they used Adonai (which means Lord, Master or owner)...and the Almighty, yes...the Most High, to be certain...the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, yes indeed...Elohim (the plural form for "God")...but the personal and intimate Holy name of “Jehovah” and the shortened pet name “Jah” that King David used? No...they had long been lost to the nation's guilt and shame of idolatry, apostasy which led to judgment and captivity.

"Abba" ("daddy" Jehovah and Jah) had been neglected. God was now a judgmental national deity that they had to appease and placate instead of the intimate and close fellowship...and the giving of loving worship by close “family members” unto God, their heavenly Father.

To make matters worse the Babylonian Mystery religion elements had come into their hearts and minds to turn them to Jewish mysticism and fables.

Kabalah (systematic Jewish mysticism), the Zohar (its main codified book), the Talmud (Rabbinic writings and commentaries) and much more are all man centered traditions brought about from this spiritual fornication and corruption.

Even newer and lesser “feasts” also became part of their traditions... like Purim, (the Book of Esther) celebrating the Jews' deliverance from Haman's evil pursuit to destroy the Jews in Babylon...

And the “Festival of Lights”; the Hanukkah celebration, commemorating the Maccabees revolting against Rome and cleansing the defiled temple of the LORD. This became a traditional feast as well.

Jesus recognized and honored these lesser feasts out of respect for his human cultural heritage as a Jew, but the major seven feasts all pointed to Him...the Messiah of Israel and the entire world! They were prophetic...again I digress as that subject is a beautiful separate study worthy of focused attention unto itself.

In general summary though...the first four feasts associated with barley and wheat harvest in the Springtime, reveal to us parallels and beautiful “shadows” of Messiah Jesus' first coming as the sacrificial Lamb and Saviour...with the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost concluding the Spring convocations, exactly 50 days after the ascension of Jesus back to the Father.

And the final three feasts during the Fall harvest time of the fruit of the vine, pertain to His triumphant return to rule and reign for the thousand year period spoken of by the prophets.

Paul would be led to write down 14 books of the New Testament, the new covenant of the blood of the Lamb atoning for our sin, just as the LORD, Jehovah, revealed to Abraham way back in Genesis.

This would be the GRACE and MERCY of God extended to mankind who could not keep or fulfill the Law of God... the way Jesus did this for us, as our surrogate, our substitute! GRACE! MERCY!...all motivated by the infinite LOVE of God! The Father imputed His Son's righteousness to us as a GIFT! We must humbly and gladly receive the gift in faith believing in the death, shed blood, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, God manifest in the flesh.

The Jews in the Galatians' church were mixing their traditions of works back into the “glorious Gospel” of Grace. Paul straightened out their error. Even Peter and Barnabas were caught up in this deception from Satan...

Please read Galatians and see the rich doctrines about the true spiritual Israel (the true church) of God and the true spiritual children of Abraham.

Our Apostle Paul, a real Jew...a super Jew.. that experienced God's amazing GRACE...by the Holy Ghost, reveals the details of God's precious truths.

Your bloodline does not matter...Jew or Gentile, we are all one new man in Christ Jesus! If we believe and trust only in Him...and on Him...that is true saving faith.

Turn to this truth for your own salvation...that is the repentance toward God spoken of in the Scriptures that leads to faith in our LORD Jesus Christ.

3-26-2017

More to follow soon...pertinent scripture will be higlighted in due course ...and added in the right column to coincide with this article. In the meantime, read the book of Acts and the 14 letters written by Paul, the missionary Apostle as found in the New Testament of the King James Bible...and trust no other English Bible.

LRS

God's Amazing GRACE

God's

God, the Most High, Almighty and only wise LORD God (and Godhead) JEHOVAH

Riches

Redemption, Reconciliation, Resurrection, 

Restitution

At

Atonement

Christ's

The Anointed One and only begotten Son of God, Jesus, the Messiah, Saviour of Mankind and coming KING of Kings, LORD of Lords

Expense

His leaving His exalted glory; His servant ministry on the earth; His sacrifice on the cross; His priestly mediator ministry; His preparing a place for his own "sheep" that hear his voice; His children

The "Glorious Gospel" of God's GRACE

Galatians 

 "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles (everyone else), knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

A statement of Paul, the Apostle, publically challenging famous figures of his day like Peter and Barnabas who were also Apostles... and wrote it down for the record in a letter to the Galatian church.