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I just completed your book and have been struggling for a while with the question of the Sabbath. If you have not discovered your Jewish roots, are you bound to keep the Sabbath? My understanding is that the Sabbath was a covenant between Israel and Jehovah. In your studies have you any scriptures that would support Christians following the festivals and the covenants?
In reference to your questions,you are correct, the Sabbath day is a covenant day between the Isralites(Jewish people) and Jehovah God.(see Exodus 31:12-17. I find no biblical command that non-jews(gentlies) are held to observing it. However, I believe that if one feels the conviction of the Lord to observe the Sabbath day or the feast days, then you should. There were many foreign peoples that joined themselves with the Isralites and did what they did. (Exodus-Deuteronomy). They worshipped their God and followed all of the commands that the Israelites did. I believe that God is putting these commands and observances on specific persons hearts (even gentile Christians), these days and you must follow that tug from Him even if you do not fully understand why. He will eventually show you.
The book of Acts chapter 15:1-29 gives gentile Christians direction on what they were and are to observe of the Law of Moses.
All Hebrew-Israelites are Jews-All Jews are not Hebrews--Last October a friend and I attended an open house at the local Jewish Synagogue. As we walked into a lecture being given on the Jewish people, the question was asked about the different Tribes and where were they dispersed. The speakers eyes immediately turned to us as Truth walked in. He had to take a break and regroup. I told my friend that we were the descendants of the original Hebrew Israelites. Patricia Clay, Indiana
You are correct...we are the descendants of the original Hebrew people making us the true Jewish people...Jewish by blood. Most others who are not Black were converted to being Jewish many centuries ago and most of them do not even know this or realize it.The book of Esther 8:17 tells us that many became Jews by believing in the one True God... the God of the Jews but we are Jewish by the blood of our ancestors.
This is what has happened to the Tribes of Israel: The African Hebrew Israelites and all other African peoples intermixed and married with one another in the early beginnings and have become one people. Most of them were expelled out of Israel and moved on primarily to Africa. From there our ancestors were dispersed all over the world through the African slave trade and now we live everywhere in the world.This is exactly what the book of Deuteronomy 28:64-68 tells us was going to happen. The African slave trade fullfilled that prophecy.
I recently found your book through google.com. I'm looking forward to purchasing it soon. I have one question. The prophecy for Jesus to return says that Israel must be restored. Do you believe that "we" should move to Israel and recall our rightful place as the Tribe of Judah?
Thank you for writing me. I pray that you find my book to be very helpful to you. Israel will be restored and I believe that indeed God is starting that restoration now with much of the knowledge coming forth today in who His true Jewish people are. However, I don't think that we need to be anxious or premature about moving to Israel. That is something that scripture is clear that Jesus Himself will make happen. Read Isaiah 11:12 and 15-16. God will provide the way of our return just as He dried up the Red Sea for the Isralites to leave Egypt. We will know when the time has come to leave collectively.
I am now reading your book Me? Jewish?. I'm in St. Louis, Missouri and borrowed your book from the St. Louis Public Library. I was thrilled, for I was the first to read it. I too believe that I am Hebrew. I began a personal relationship with our Jesus in 1992. Having been raised Catholic and receiving Catholic education from kindergarten through college, I began to question any relationship with God. Well, in the summer 1992, our Abbah touched my heart and told me I was Hebrew.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly awesome and is doing a mighty work in the land today! I pray that He will take you to greater knowledge in your Hebrew Ancestry.
I have had questions over the years about being a spiritual Jew and what that meant, so when I saw your book on a table at Barnes & Noble while in Tallahasee the title drew me in. I did receive your book well, considering it was the first time I ever read anything remotely like it. The question has never crossed mind as to where the descendents of Jesus were living. I assumed that they were still in the area of Israel. I learned quite a bit from your book and commend you on your courage.
African Americans and Black people around the world are not just the spiritual Jews. We are Jewish by blood being the descendants of the original Hebrew, Israelite people. As for the descendants of Mary and Joseph, (Jesus' mother and stepfather), they do still exist and like the rest of us are scattered in all parts of the world.
Should I call Jesus by that name or by Yeshua?
Yeshua or Yashua is the Hebrew name for Jesus. Jesus is the name that was created and given to Him in the days of the Romans.
The name "Jesus" is an Anglicization of the Greek Ίησους (Iēsous), itself a Hellenization of the Hebrew יהושע (Yehoshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic ישוע (Yeshua), meaning "YHWH rescues". "Christ" is a title derived from the Greek Χριστός (Christós), meaning the "Anointed One," which corresponds to the Hebrew-derived "Messiah".
Many people prefer to call Him by His Hebrew name once they come into more knowledge of the understanding of His name. I believe that it is well with the Lord if we should call Him by either Jesus or Yeshua because He knows the heart of each of us. If we have only known Him as Jesus and want to continue to use that name for Him, then, He knows that. I personally refer to Him by both names, often depending on who I may be talking to or ministering to.
What does it mean when Jewish people write G-d in this manner with a dash?
Using the dash in the name G-d or L-rd is a highly reverant way for Jewish and Messianic Jewish people to write the name of God or reference to Yeshua. It is often used by Orthodox Jews to avoid writing God's name on paper or something else that could easily be thrown away or erased which would be irreverant or minimize the sacredness of the use of G-d's name. You will see this dash which is called a "genizah" used in many sacred texts.
What is a Messianic Jew?
To Christians, the term is used to describe Jewish people or Gentiles who follow Jesus (Yeshua) and observe the customs laws and feast days (holidays) of the Jewish people. Today there are many Messianic Jewish congregations springing up in the United States and throughout the world. Many believe that this is a latter day move of the L-rd in bringing together all of G-d's people, Jews and Gentiles.
What is Passover About?
Passover is a Hebrew/Jewish holiday that was commanded by G-d to be celebrated every year by the Hebrew/Jewish people and their descendants forever. The story and institution of Passover is told in Exodus 12. It is the yearly celebration of the deliverance of the Hebrew/Jewish people out of Egypt thousands of years ago.G-d commanded them to celebrate it forever and to teach their children to celebrate it so that they would always remember His mighty hand of deliverance of His people with the great miracles that He did including parting the Red Sea so that all of His people would get out of Egypt safely.The Passover occured when G-d spared the lives of every firstborn of the Hebrew/Jewish people who had the blood of a lamb on their doorpost which He had commanded them to put there, but killed all of the firstborns of every Egyptian. I encourage all African Americans and people of African descent to learn about, embrace and celebrate this holiday that is meant for you, as you come into the knowledge and understanding of your Hebrew/Jewish ancestry. It is an eight day observance and during seven of those days we are commanded by G-d not to eat anything that has yeast in it. It is so that we remember that on the day G-d commanded our ancestors to leave Egypt, they had to leave in such haste that the women did not have time for their bread to rise. It is observed on the eve of the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan/Abib for 8 days. Those days usually fall between March and April on the Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated this year 2010 from March 30 to April 8. There is also symbolism between the first Passover in Egypt and Yeshua (Jesus) as the Passover Lamb in His death on the cross as written in the Gospels. He is called the Passover Lamb because mankind was saved because He was sacrificed for us and in the same sense we have been Passed Over from having to die eternally if we believe in Him. Yeshua (Jesus) and His family observed Passover every year and Yeshua actually was crucified on this holiday.
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