Messianic Quickenings
Messianic Quickenings
Before the Lord returns to be this world’s King of Kings, there must occur a tremendous global awakening of God’s Jewish People to Jesus as Messiah.
"O My People, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land." (Ezekiel 37.12-14)
"And I will pour out on the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the 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 … On that day a fountain will be opened to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity." (Zechariah 12.10 and 13.1)
"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited; Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…" (Romans 11.25-26)
This great quickening of a whole People by the Holy Spirit is already underway, as evidenced by the phenomenal growth of the Messianic Movement (assemblies of born-again Jews) in Israel itself … especially since 1967.
Another fascinating indicator of this Last Days’ phenomenon is contained in a book called "The Rebbe’s Army" by Sue Fishkoff. It is an exceptionally detailed account of the Hasidic Lubavitcher movement and its leader, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
The book addresses the reality of Messianic hope and expectation among God’s Jewish People. The author records that a fundamental tenet of Orthodox Judaism is "belief in the Messiah, a man born into the ancient Davidic line who will lead the Jewish People out of the 2000-year exile into the Land of Israel and into a universal age of peace and justice."
Ms Fishkoff continues that "it is one of Maimonides’ (12th c Jewish scholar and sage) 13 principles of faith, recited every day at the end of the morning prayer service, ‘I believe with complete faith, in the coming of Messiah.’"
Rebbe Schneerson died in New York City in the ‘90s. Immediately before and after his death, some of his followers passionately declared his messiah-ship. This sparked considerable controversy within Judaism, and interest in the wider community.
The interest and debate is best portrayed and summed up by these ponderings (contained in the above book) by Dr Norman Lamm, the president of the Jewish Orthodox movement’s Yeshiva University.
"If they (Lubavitcher Hasidim) believe the Rebbe (Schneerson) could have been Moshiah, fine, I agree. Many people could have been the Moshiah, and he had a far better chance than most. But to say he’s the Moshiah after he died? The whole polemic (argument and controversy) we’ve had with Christianity for two thousand years is that we say a Moshiah who did not accomplish world peace, who did not accomplish the redemption of Israel and the world, is not Moshiah. And here we’re told that (the Rebbe) can be. If that’s the case, why are we so reluctant to accept Jesus?"
Great question doctor!
Postscript: "I am more convinced that Romans 9-11 (the chapters on the election of Israel) are the key to everything today. This is the point where we have to look, and press, and search, and listen to the Word. For here we enter the understanding of scripture, the wholeness of revelation and of the Church." (Thomas Merton, 1964)
