Mathew 24 - a relevant prophecy

Throughout this period of medidating and hibernating in the lord, the scripture that keeps appearing is Matthew 24:

Matthew 24:1-14

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

What a great promise! I think my blog can do that - preach this gospel of the kingdom unto all nations... I am so excited!

Stay blessed, and stat tuned...

Alpha Omega

Hibernation in the Lord

I have a confession; recently I’ve encountered a ridiculous amount of outrageous acts by people. It seems that everywhere I go; everybody is on an out-of-control selfish rampage. I’ve never been attacked by total strangers as much as I have in the past few days.

I was praying and asking God to help me, and remove this terrible attack from me. I was feeling very weak and overwhelmed.

I wasn’t getting any answer, and I couldn’t figure out why. I remembered the time we spent together, in my spiritual cocoon, when he healed me before…  and how I emerged from the cocoon feeling like a beautiful butterfly; full of new understandings and insight; free from the pain of the past…

I couldn’t understand what happened. How did I lose favor?

You didn’t lose favor, the Holy Spirit explained to me. You have a blog to write, in which I want you to share my love and my knowledge. You went through this experience before you started writing your blog, and when you wrote about it in your first blog entries, you were remembering… I need you to explain it a little better, to those who never experienced this kind of death-to-yourself before…

I understood, and here I am. I’m in hibernation. What does it mean? It means that the arrows of Satan have wounded me a little too severely, and I need to heal… if you want your soul to heal, you must let it rest. What better place to rest your soul than in the arms of our loving savior, Jesus?

I am going to take a few days off from the world; stay home, and just focus on Jesus. I am going to concentrate only on God’s word, leaving everything else outside, and just rest and recuperate with him. I'm going to share with you my experiences through this process.

It may be easier for me, since my work is all about Jesus anyway, and I can take my laptop wherever I want and even work from home… I know not everybody can take their work home, but if we really feel overwhelmed by the offence people are capable of causing, it might be wise to try to take that time off anyway…

Ah, I can feel the blessings already at the door…

Stay blessed, and stay tuned!

Alpha Omega

When the world seems to swallow you up…

There are times in our lives when we feel overwhelmed by the actions of other people. No doubt; people can do the strangest things at times, and trying to understand their motives is often impossible.

The truth is that most of the people are self-centered, and lack the ability to give of themselves without looking for a reward of some sort. Society is greedy, and those who do try to contribute, often get pushed around and abused.

If we try to share God’s love with the lost world, we frequently encounter people who would spot that desire to do good as a sign of weakness, and try to take advantage of our gifts for their personal gain.

There are times in our lives when the wrongdoings of others cause us to feel displaced and lonely. If that happens to us, we mustn’t worry, or feel as if something wrong has happened. It is only natural to feel this way, since we really don’t belong to this world.

So if we find ourselves feeling as if nobody understands us, or as if the behavior of people is outrageous and discouraging, we should take some time out from the company of others, and just hibernate for a little time in the Lord.

We need to let go of all that troubles us, and just concentrate on what God has to say to us; shut off our racing minds and our over-emotional hearts, and just listen.

Hibernation isn’t easy. The need to get up and do something is very strong. But even if it takes a few days to reach that place of rest, where time stands still, and only you and God exist, when you do get there, you will be able to look at things from a new and fresh perspective – a godly perspective, and maybe deal with the disappointments better…

I hope we all find the comfort we need to deal with this harsh world in the beauty and stillness of our Messiah Jesus.

Alpha Omega

Jewish love for Yeshua

Today I wanted to share with you some of the love of the remnant for Jesus... These are all videos by Jewish people, who are saved by the precious shed blood of Yeshua the Messiah - Jesus Christ. I hope you will be blessed by them.

Today, is not a day for speaking, but a day for listening, and worshiping...


Stay blessed, and stay tuned,


Alpha Omega

Shavuot and the Mimra

In Jewish tradition, Shavuot is considered to be the day on which the Torah was given; it is thus also called Hag Matan Torah – Holiday of the Giving of the Torah.

In Exodus 19-20, we read the account of this incredible event.

In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai… and there Israel camped before the mount.

And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever … Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow… And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai…

You can imagine the suspense. The Israelites were gathered around Mount Sinai, in the middle of the seemingly endless desert, waiting to receive the Word of God, for three days.

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt…

And God gave the people of Israel the Ten Commandments, which you can read here.

In verse 18 we read:

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

How can someone see noise? And what does it mean?

In order to understand, we have to refer to the Gospel of John 1:1-4:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

We find the equivalent in genesis 1:3:

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light...

This is a concept, which although not fully understood, is quite known in Judaism; it is called the Mimra. The Mimra is an Aramaic term, which means “the creative power of God in a word”. This is clearly seen in Genesis’s creation story, where God “speaks” the world into being…

We, who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb, and know the words spoken by John, understand that Jesus and the Mimra are one and the same.

When I look at the verse from Exodus: “And all the people saw the noise of the trumpet…”  I can see the Mimra – Jesus –in action! Actually, according to Jewish tradition, the Ten Commandments were spoken by God, and written by a flame of fire onto the tablets; not unlike Genesis 1…

Jesus was there, leaving his footsteps, observable to those who seek him, whether by sight or by visible sound, from the very beginning, throughout time, until eternity. If we follow in his footsteps, we are bound to reach eternity, together with him.

Let us worship him, and rejoice in our salvation, and in the infinite blessings that our Heavenly Father showers upon us boundlessly.

Hag Shavuot Mevorah Vesame’ah – Have a happy and blessed Shavuot!

Alpha Omega

Shavuot – Holy Spirit worship

In Acts 2, we learn about the first Shavuot in the new era of grace, after the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection:

…And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance…

…the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?  …Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken… But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain…

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear…

…Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Shavuot is a wonderful time to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the church.

The Holy Spirit is the most valueable gift that we could recieve, for the Holy Spirit is the guide and the comforter, directly from the Father's heart, within our own hearts. It is our  For Shavuot, I would like to invite you to AlphaOmega’s chapel, for a special Holy Spirit worship service.

Please click here and join us; let us bask in the glory of the Holy Spirit together!

Have a blessed and happy Shavuot!

With love,

Alpha Omega

Lihvod Shabbat – In honor of the Sabbath

Today, in honor of the Sabbath, I want to enjoy, together with you, from this lovely rendition of a popular Jewish song, called: “Is Ephraim my dear son?”

The composer is unknown; the lyrics are taken from Jeremiah 31:20 (Jeremiah 31:19 in the Hebrew bible), which says:

Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.

הֲבֵן יַקִּיר לִי אֶפְרַיִם אִם יֶלֶד שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים כִּי-מִדֵּי דַבְּרִי בּוֹ זָכֹר אֶזְכְּרֶנּוּ עוֹד
עַל-כֵּן הָמוּ מֵעַי לוֹ רַחֵם אֲרַחֲמֶנּוּ נְאֻם-יהוה

This verse follows a beautiful prophecy, which speaks of the restoration of Israel:

…I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

…For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.  They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

…Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

Rest in this wonderful promise, and enjoy your Sabbath; Shabbat Shalom!

Alpha Omega

What do you do when people steal from you?

When someone steals from us, our immediate reaction might be to retrieve what was stolen or at least, to have the thief punished; but we know that Jesus taught us otherwise. In fact, Jesus taught us that if someone wants to steal our shirt, than we should give him our coat as well. Why?

Why should someone get away with stealing from us? Why should Satan get away with stealing from us?

I’ll tell you why; because like in any case of injury that requires forgiveness, demanding justice never bears good results. You don't know what a good search in your past might dig up… And you can be sure, there is nothing that can remain hidden, for all things done in darkness, will see the light of truth.  The trick is to learn how to turn every bad situation into a blessing. This situation is no different.

This is one of the secrets that Jesus told me, in the time when a lot was stolen from me. What you do is you give it to God, as a tithing. You turn everything that was stolen into a gift to your Heavenly Father.

That way, instead of suffering the loss of one portion, you have turned it into a multipliable blessing! God will honor your offering of one portion, as the scriptures tell us on numerous occasions, and will bless you with many portions for your obedience!

Don’t be fooled into feeling sorry for material things that get taken from you… Use it to glorify God’s name, and surrender it all to him… You will be blessed, not just for your obedience, but for your wisdom and understanding as well!

Wishing you, as always, all of God’s incredible blessings!

With a holy kiss,

Alpha Omega

An apology...

When you serve Yeshua - Jesus, and do the tasks of a disciple, your time becomes an important asset. Your whole day must be used wisely, in order to fulfill all your obligations, without wasting time. For us, as humans, who get caught up in timewasting activities, sometimes out of our control, it is very hard to maintain a fully utilized schedule. We have worldly duties, in addition to our Godly ones, which we sometimes wish we hadn't.

Especially when you are a vital part of a ministry, working tirelessly to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the Jewish people, in a wide field that lacks courageous workers willing to work in such hostile environment… You are under constant attack by the forces that try to hinder the spread of God’s word. You really do need the full amour of God to keep going…

I want to share my experiences with you, and tell you all about my daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, but as much as I would love to be able to sit and record all that happens every day, it is sometimes just physically impossible to do it… I am merely a human, the work is plenty, the workers are few, and the obstacles – many…

So forgive me if I neglect you sometimes. It is never my intention. You are always on my mind, and in my prayers.

I wanted to share with you an image, which was created by an Israel young lady, who was recently baptized. It is her interpretation of John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Stay blessed and stay tuned…

Alpha Omega

P.S. Don't forget to visit out chapel!

With his stripes we are healed.

This is another wonderful prophecy, which I like to use while sharing the Gospel with Jewish people. The prophecy speaks for itself, and although you will encounter objection when you explain its fulfillment in Messiah, allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, and you can refute any counter-argument. It is yet another one of those scriptures that Jewish people prefer to ignore, and so it is not read in the synagogues. Many Jews will find it very surprising to read…

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

What an amazing God we serve!!!

Stay blessed, and stay tuned...

Alpha Omega

How to witness to the Jewish people – Jeremiah 31

Last week, I began to give some examples of biblical prophecies regarding the Messiah, which are especially useful for witnessing to the Jewish people. Today, I want to share the prophecy from Jeremiah 31:31-34:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Some time ago, I decided to distribute this scripture in the market square someplace in Israel. I photocopied the text from a Jewish bible, highlighted the phrase “new covenant” - ברית חדשה – which is synonymous with “New Testament” in Hebrew, and started handing it out to the passersby. Many of them, after glancing at the paper in their hands, returned it to me, and claimed that they didn’t want to read “stuff from the New Testament”.

It took a few moments to explain to them that it was not taken from the New Testament, but from the Tanach; some still refused to read it, but others were intrigued.

It is one of those scriptures whose existence a lot of Jewish people prefer to forget…

I find it a very useful prophecy to quote when witnessing to Jews...

Stay blessed, my beloved, and stay tuned...

Alpha Omega

Raising the dead

Yesterday, while I was watering my little window-garden, I noticed something amazing, which I want to share with you.

But, first of all, let me fill you in on the background…

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some new saplings for my window garden. I planted them comfortably, watered them, and wished them all the best from the bottom of my heart. The next day, although it was very hot, I was too busy, and neglected to water them.  The next day,  when I came to check on them, I saw that they were dead. Now, when I say dead, I mean dried-out-beyond-repair-dead, not lying there looking thirsty… It was hopeless!

I felt very bad about it, and began to pray. First, I repented for my irresponsibility and asked God to forgive me. Then, I laid my hands on the little dead plants, and prayed for them to come back to life. I felt a strong faith that this is the right thing to do, and I called them, in the name of Jesus, and by His authority, to be revived and bloom…

For a while, nothing seemed to happen. I kept watering them and believing… After a few days, I noticed that some little shoots have sprung out; and yesterday, this is what I found; the three previously dead plants are now fully alive and blooming!

I know some might say that this is a folly; but for me, who witnessed it all, it is a vivid example to the power of prayer, and the authority we have in Christ.

If we can pray over plants, and revive them; there is no reason why we wouldn’t be able to do it for people too…

Prayer has an incredible power; and when it is unleashed with faith, it can literally move mountains!

As for me, these images of the revived plants fill me with great joy and hope!

Keep on praying, my beloved, for He is near…

Alpha Omega

Announcing the opening of our online chapel

Alpha Omega is happy to announce the opening of our online chapel!

I am a part of a ministry, Alpha Omega, which provides Hebrew services to Christian ministries for low costs. Our services include: translation, proofreading, editing, informatics, videos, subtitles, websites for online evangelism and much more. (For more information, visit us).

We, at Alpha Omega, are thrilled to invite you to the opening of our online chapel, and welcome you to visit us, and praise the name of Jesus Christ together with us on this joyful day!

In our chapel, you can find a little bit of everything for your Christian soul:

You can enjoy reading the Bible online, or meditating on some psalms or other illuminating scriptures with our audio-visual aids.

You can enrich yourself with some spiritual food, in our sermon library; where you can listen to some of the best preaching from the last 50 years; from speakers such as the famous A.W Tozer, to other well-known men of this last generation such as David Wilkerson.

You can praise and worship with our audio players, each one designed to provide you with a different experience - from jovial rejoicing to quiet contemplation…

You can send us your prayer requests, and our prayer warriors will pray for you; or you can join our prayer warriors through live chat, and we will pray, right there, with you.

There is much more to discover in our chapel; we intend to continue to develop it even further, to truly provide you with all your needs for your daily walk with Jesus Christ.

Will you join me for true Christian fellowship?

Click here!

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Alpha Omega

Shabbat Shalom!

Let us stop for a moment from what we are doing, and welcome the Sabbath.

In the Jewish home, it is customary to begin the Sabbath meal by singing to the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. This hymn is written so that every line begins with the next letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, starting from Aleph. According to the legend, it was originally composed by Abraham as a eulogy for his wife Sarah.

So, to all virtuous women out there: You should know that you are highly valued in the Jewish tradition, and the Sabbath meal never starts without singing your praise, and thanking you for all that you have done in the week that ended…

I want to do the same today, and sing to you:

Eshet  Hayil

Eshet hayil mi yimtza v'rahok mip'ninim mih’ra

Batah ba lev ba'la v'shalal lo yehsar

G'malathu tov v'lo ra kol y'mei hayeiha

Darshah tzemer ufishtim vata'as b'hefetz kapeiha

Haitah k'oniyot soher mimerhak tavi lahmah

Vatakom b'od lailah vatiten teref l'vetah v'hok l'na'aroteiha

Zam'ma sade vatikahehu mip'ri hapeiha nat'a karem

Hagrah v'oz motneiha vat'ametz zro'oteiha

Ta'ama ki tov sahrah lo yihbeh balailah nera

Yadeha shilhah vakishor v'hapeiha tamhu feleh

Kapa parsa le'ani v'yadeiha shil'hah la'evyon

Lo tira l'veta mishaleg ki hol beta lavush shanim

Marvadim asta la shesh v'argaman l'vushah

Noda bash'arim ba'la b'shivto im ziknei aretz

Sadin asta vatimkor vahagor natna lacna'ani

Oz v'hadar l'vusha vatis’hak l'yom aharon

Piha patha v'hohma v'torat hesed al l'shona

Tzofi'a halihot beta v'lehem atzlut lo tohel

Kamu vaneha vay'ash'ruha ba'lah vay'hal'la

Rabot banot asu hayil v'at alit al kulana

Sheker hahen v'hevel hayofi isha yir'at Adonai hi tit'halal

T'nu la mip'ri yadeiha vihal'luha vash'arim ma'aseha

Virtuous woman

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,
so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

She riseth also while it is yet night,
and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it:
with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor;
yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household:
for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates,
when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

She looketh well to the ways of her household,
and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also,
and he praiseth her.

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:

but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands;
and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Enjoy your Sabbath!

With love,

Alpha Omega

Moshiach Ben Yoseph

In my previous blog entry, I discussed the prophecy in Zechariah 12, which talks about the removal of the blindness that has happened to Israel (See Romans 11:25), and the resulting recognition in Jesus as Messiah and God. In verse 10, Zechariah describes the moment of recognition:

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

When you approach Jewish people with this prophecy, many will argue back that this cannot be about the Messiah, because according to the Jewish tradition, Messiah will come and put an end to all the suffering in the world; and nowhere does it mention him dying or being pierced…

Although this is a common notion, it is incorrect.

In the Jewish writings, in the Babylonian Talmud, there is a discussion about Zechariah 12. In this discussion, they mention a figure which is named, Moshiach Ben Yoseph - Messiah the son of Joseph:

And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart [Zech. 12:12]....What is the cause of the mourning? -- R. Dosa and the Rabbis differ on the point. One explained. The cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, and the other explained, The cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination.

It is well with him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, And they shall look upon me because they have thrust him through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son; but according to him who explains the cause to be the slaying of the Evil Inclination, is this an occasion for mourning? Is it not rather an occasion for rejoicing? Why then should they weep?

This isn’t the only occasion where Moshiach Ben Yoseph is mentioned. In fact, the concept of the dying Moshiach Ben Yoseph is well rooted in the Jewish writings.

According to Jewish tradition, two Messiahs will come: The first one – Moshiach Ben Yoseph, will precede the coming of the second Messiah - Moshiach Ben David (Messiah the son of David), and will die in battle.

The difference between this theory and what we know to be true is the fact that according to the Jewish sages, one Messiah will come as a lamb, and the other – as a lion, whereas we know that it is the same Messiah who comes first a s a lamb, and then as a lion in glory – Jesus Christ.

So, when discussing this prophecy with a Jewish person, it is good to mention the fact that even the sages knew that it talks about the Messiah. Once you do that, I’m sure the Holy Spirit will lead you to take the discussion into fertile grounds.

Stay blessed, my beloved, and stay tuned…

Alpha Omega