DEAR BRETHREN AND FRIENDS, HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY ARE ISRAEL'S CALLED-OUT SO PRONE TO DECEPTION?
Before anything else, let"s define what a "called-out" person is. Are "Israel's called-out," people who believe in certain doctrines and teachings, belong to a synagoge/assembly/kehilot, congregate on Shabbat, read and study Torah, and pray?
Not one of those things by themselves makes a person a called-out. A real Israelite today, as Abba Yhwh defines it, is an "israelite" called-out from spiritual Egypt, who has actually come out of Egypt, and is a person who has been born again by the Spirit of Yhwh (the Ruach Ha Kodesh) by believing in and obeying Yahwshua Ha Mashiach. He has been "born again a new creature" and had his otherwise "dead" human spirit brought to life. That makes a special part of our being –-- the “Elohim shaped and formed” inner "room" within us, a special "place" within our human temples where we fellowship with Yhwh. And it is that transforming life inside that changes us inside-out, not our own efforts to be "good" or to act a certain way (John 3:1-21), although we are required to do good works and actions. But by themselves they do not make us new creatures that are kodeshim and empowered by the Ruah Ha Kodesh.
However, what happens often with Israel's called-out is as Shaul/Paul says, "having begun in the spirit we continue in the flesh" (Galatians 3:1-3). We may experience a new life and relationship but then get distracted and gradually start to act like we think a called-out person ought to act. We lose our perspective of how Our Abba Yhwh thinks we as His "called-out people" should behave.
Before going on let me go over something again which is very important. A called-out person is not necessarily saved. As stated earlier above, a true "israelite" today in Yhwh's righteous judgment is one who has been called out of Egypt and has actually come out of the bondage of sin. But a called-out israelite is not saved and restored until he has actually entered the Promised Land.
Having come out of Egypt and be wandering in the desert does not suffice to be considered "saved." We must complete our journey until we arrive at our destination. Thus to make this very clear, Scripture states that"many are called but few are chosen." That means many leave Egypt but do not arrive at their destination. Obviously then, something very strange and dangerous happens to many "called-out" brethren in and during the time and space encompassed between Egypt and the Promised Land. It is called deception. We are prone to deception AND ITS CONSEQUENCES just as ancient Israel was.
So what does that have to do with being prone to deception? Ancient Israel became self-confident and lukewarm during the journey through the desert. They let the fact they were Yhwh's chosen people go to their heads. They thought themselves better than everyone else and developed a "deserving" attitude with our Creator. They allowed themselves to be deceived thus and disobeyed. For this reason, most did not enter the Promised Land.
Scriptures warns us that those things that happened to our ancestors in the desert are written for our admonishment and instruction today. If we don’t maintain that relationship with Yhwh, we revert to our old ways and our old life, and become miserable, hypocritical actors! We become lukewarm believers in Yhwh and hypocritical followers of Yahwshua. We may become part of a group of believers but in no time we might follow the normal trend and conform to the spiritual state of the majority. Our conversion to Yahwshua Ha Mashiach then becomes a religion, not a personal relation. We become conceited and let the fact that we are "Yhwh's chosen" go to our heads. We do not let Mashiach grow inside of us and form the innermost chamber by which we can continue a strong Father/Son relation and communication with our Maker.
This is true of more messianics, converted jews and christians than most people are aware of. Instead of letting Him dwell in us and grow in the maturity of Mashiach to where we reach His stature, we unconsciously allow ourselves to shut Him out of us and start looking at Him as something external and alien to our salvation.
We start out so alive, so relieved to be forgiven and cleansed for once in our lives. We sense Yhwh’s presence and spend a lot of time fellowshipping with Him. But soon, something happens and we lose that wonderful relationship we started with, and we learn to be religious---or, in other words, how to act, how to go through the motions of being a convert. We learn and do the outward mechanics and construction, but not the inward edifying of the temple. Many things distract us, but we (especially American efrayimites) have a unique problem in the history of the world.
It’s pretty simple if you think about it: We resist full conversion to our Mashiach because we have too much to lose! We are the wealthiest nation and people to ever live on the face of the earth. Americans set the standard of living comfortably and lavishly for the rest of the world.
Perhaps if we lived in a mud hut in Haiti, China or Africa, and merely owned the clothes on our back, a spoon, a bowl, a blanket, had no shoes and got one meal a day, we might have a different outlook on our calling and altogether different priorities. I could go on and bore you for hours on end with how much more of everything we have--- compared to 80% of the rest of the world---but I’ll spare you. Basically, we want our cake and eat it too.
American efrayimites are at the top of the pyramid when it comes to Mazloff’s hierarchy of needs; and we have a system of society (called a democratic republic---inherited by Greece and the Roman Empire. By the way, whoever said the Roman Empire was dead?) that demands involvement where we can participate in and affect what happens, and which is a form of human self-government abominable to Yhwh!
By deception, we have come to believe in our ability to shape and change the world, make it better and in fact the “protestant ethic” demands for us to get involved in the process. At the same time, our material appetites increase, we become consumists. The starter home of a typical American family has doubled in size from about 1,200 square feet to more than 2,500 in the past 25 years. The finisher or goal "dream-home" is the proverbial MacMansion (of 5,000 square feet and up), that lately we have seen sprouting up all over american towns and suburbs in those large lots from the ‘50’s --– two story behemoths that take up the whole lot and tower over the now "little" 1,450 sq ft house next door! Whether you go to your local mega church or to a typical messianic congregation, you will never be offended as their religious leaders help you navigate via their own particular religious ways through all the important things of your purpose-driven life, so that the changes you have to undergo are minimal and so that Yahwshua Ha Mashiach actually and literally does not have to "live" in you.
Ocassionally you might hear a thing or two about prophecy, but more often than so it will be considered as something "way too negative," and even irrelevant and troubling to our peaceful, pleasant and precious lives of commodity. In christian circles you will likely be reassured with the imminent rapture doctrine. In messianic circles you might be reassured that by merely being and knowing you are Israel and accepted Torah you are saved, because of the twisted misinterpretation (now turned into a doctrine) of the verse "all Israel will be saved."
Although, you will see disillusionment with the government, criticism will spin on a dime to support it if something bad were to happen, and this is very dangerous because the worst is yet to come. Overall, most american efrayimites (whether christian, messianic or judaic--or atheist) believe America is and has always been essentially a good, well meaning exemplary country under some sort of perpetual blessing from Almighty Yhwh, that it has no place whatsoever in prophecy and that supporting the nation-state of Israel attain peace with its enemies is always good policy.
None of these inclinations come from our Abba Yhwh. Due to the "peace with our enemies" policy, America and Israel have today been surrounded by their enemies!
Let me tell you in plain language the same thing Yahwshua told the young rich man: people raised in this safe atmosphere will never think "outside the box" and will do whatever they think is necessary to protect and defend their lifestyle and what is theirs. These american israelites (and also their european and worlwide efrayimite brother nations) basically view themselves as having dual citizenships. They have their "designer" religions and their life insurance policies to go to the Kingdom, but essentially, this earth and world is where their lives and hearts really are –-- jobs, cars, family, home and religion. They forget that where they have their "treasures" is where Yhwh considers their hearts really are!
Many might be surprised but a vast number of messianics feel a need to participate in society's various entertainment venues, to vote in elections, do jury duty, participate in the PTA –-- after all they think Ha-Satan will take over if “good men do nothing.” They are not aware Ha-Satan has long ago "taken over"! They are more at war with the cultural and secular society aspects that are drawing their kids away, subverting their morals and spawning rebellion than they are at war with spiritual celestial powers behind all of this. They are determined to take their financially-afflicted and morally destroyed countries back....but without the actual help of Yhwh...without following His laws and without actual repentance!
Just before the last general elections I was visiting a local messianic assembly---it was a shambles like most, an "organized chaos" where everyone was able to think and act "freely"---and to my surprise, during Shabbat while participating of the oneg, half of the brethren were frantically discussing who to vote for: Obama or Mc Cain. I remained on the by-side but they asked me who I would be voting for. I said no one, and explained Yhwh's view on the subject, but ended telling them if I was to vote I would never vote for Obama.
The following Shabbat Barak Obama was president and these same brethren were celebrating during the oneg. They had all given him their votes. Today, they are still wondering why Obama is betraying America and Israel. Is this of the Ruach Ha Kodesh?
When our Master Yahwwshua said that we are either FOR or AGAINST Him, He truly absolutely meant it and 90% of the Jews and Jewish leaders of His day were against Him then –-- and Lukke poses the question, “When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?” (18:8). The question for this generation of called-out israelites, which is when the Son of Man is about to return that Lukke spoke of, especially those in America and Europe, is an issue of identity, citizenship and a sense of belonging.
In Yah’s mind, there is no such thing as having dual citizenships (of the nations and of the heavens)! Down through the ages the koddeshim/saints looked for a city whose builder and maker is Yhwh. (Hebrews 11:9-10) Once converted, our identity is in Mashiach who "is not of this world", our citizenship is spiritual, also "not of this world". Scripture says clearly we are "strangers and pilgrims" on this earth. (Hebrews 11:13) We are certainly not part of this world.
The Holy Scriptures tell us the whole world lies in the evil one’s control (I John 5:19) and will remain so until yahwshua returns in full power and glory. Then why would believers want to fight prophecy and try to snatch the world from the hands of Satan? Because so many of the brethren do not identify themselves as citizens of the heavens who are on this earth as mere pilgrims! They do not vote to hasten Yahwshua's return, they vote as trying to delay it. Because they do not want to give up their lavish lifestyles and go out into the wilderness to meet our Maker face to face.
Ha-Satan has deceived the whole world, my dear brethren. Just as all men are fallen and need to be redeemed, all have indeed fallen short...but only through Mashiach and full dependance and trust in Him can we overcome and live through this that is about to transpire soon in this world.
There is no institution in this world created by man that is any better than the man that created it. All nations are broken. All forms of government are broken and corrupt. Societies are morally poisoned and blided. They all fall short. All forms of economic organization are broken, and this is evidently because man is broken; and plainly as Scriptures state it, he has fallen short. He is corrupt to the core and he will bring that hideous corruption with him wherever he goes and into whatever he does. And the world can’t be fixed by man this way and we believers in Yahwshua is due time than we knew this and stopped acting foolish.
Its high time we knew that the only thing that can be actually fixed is the heart of man by Yhwh and few want to go through this. One deceived and defective heart at a time, our hearts need to be fixed, if and only each human being is willing.
But if Yhwh's called-out continue to hold on to their things, to their projects, their lavish lifestiles, to their beloved countries and governments, the savior nation of Israel--- even of the poor and oppressed in the form of today’s false “gospel of social justice” –-- the distorted gospel of the (so-called) Kingdom (of good works) proclaimed by well-meaning but totally-deceived lovers of the ‘theologies of men,' and continue to fail to see through the sham of it all as nothing more than a replacement of Yahwshua himself, THEY WILL BE DECEIVED AND REMAIN DECEIVED JUST AS THEY ARE AT THIE VERY MOMENT!
If the called-out brethren of Israel's twelve tribes continue to go to their congregations, churches and kehilot, and demand (even by whatever subtle insinuation) that their leaders/pastors/rabbis teach them this or that or do this that and the other thing for them, rather than realize that they are the true Kehilah/Ekklesia of Yahwshua that MUST think, do and act, and do so EXCLUSIVELY within the parameters set by Him, WITHOUT departing to the left or to the right (however slightly), and that they have spiritual gifts and should use them, THEY WILL BE DECEIVED AND REMAIN DECEIVED as most today are and have been since early in their callings!
If the called-out fail to give everything they are and have to Yhwh, they will be deceived.
If the called-out think there is nothing more to it than assemblying on Shabbat and on scripture-study days, they will be deceived.
If the called-out refuse to listen to and obey His voice, and EXCLUSIVELY HIS VOICE, they will be deceived.
If the called-out believe the feel-good and reassuring gospels they hear from their teachers, they will be deceived.
If the called-out believe the media, the spins, the lies of their governments, they will be deceived.
If end times’ called-out refuse to read and understand the very prophecy that was written for them in their time because it is too harsh, demanding or confusing, they will be deceived.
If the called-out accept the teachings of their pastors rather than looking into the Scriptures themselves to determine the “purposes of Yhwh” for the end of days as it clearly states in Daniel 12:4, they will be deceived.
If the called-out blindly support America, Europe, Israel, or any human government for that matter, they will be deceived.
If the called-out trust a sincere, charismatic, peace making leader who wants to sign a treaty to defend Israel, they will surely be deceived.
If the called-out ever think they can’t be deceived, they surely will be!
And finally, if the called-out are deceived and remain so, they are of the deceived & spiritually dead of Ha-Satan and ARE NOT PART of the TRUE Kehila/Assembly of Yahwshua that will wed the groom when He returns!
IN CONCLUSION – IT’S TIME TO DECIDE!
Brothers and sisters in Yahwshua, there is nothing to be afraid of. We are about to enter the most exciting, climatic (literally) period in the history of humankind! We are going to have the opportunity to witness those events leading to the return of our Adon Yahwshua Ha Mashiach! The greatest deception and tribulation the world has ever known is settling like a pale upon us. We can either be caught up in it or stand boldly against it, knowing that the short-term price to be paid is nothing compared to the glory about to be revealed.
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of Yhwh, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Yahwshua for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)
Far from the lukewarm religious wanting to hold on to his own life is the attitude of the believer in the midst of the Tribulation: “And they overcame by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:11)