The reverend doctor has in mind one of the events I alluded to as the 6th world-changing spiritual trend of 2016, additional to those Rick Joyner noticed (here). Both events indicate a significant trend of great Biblical and prophetical importance. One was drawn to my attention over the recent New Year, but let’s consider Clifford Hill’s editorial first.
‘After nearly two millennia of mutual hostility and alienation, we Orthodox Rabbis who lead communities, institutions and seminaries in Israel, the United States and Europe recognize the historic opportunity now before us. We seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven by accepting the hand offered to us by our Christian brothers and sisters…’
It makes for highly informative reading and should be read by all Christians. In recognising that the Church of Rome’s ‘official teachings on Judaism have changed fundamentally and irrevocably’, the Statement declares:
‘Now that the Catholic Church has acknowledged the eternal Covenant between G-d and Israel, we Jews can acknowledge the ongoing constructive validity of Christianity as our partner in world redemption, without any fear that this will be exploited for missionary purposes. As stated by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Bilateral Commission with the Holy See under the leadership of Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, “We are no longer enemies, but unequivocal partners in articulating the essential moral values for the survival and welfare of humanity”. Neither of us can achieve G-d’s mission in this world alone.’
[I flag the lack of relevance such a ‘dual covenant’ has for the Messianic movement.]
NEW ATTITUDE TO JESUS
Clifford Hill notes one of the Statement’s key points is in the Orthodox acknowledgement that Jesus upheld the centrality of the Torah, which was the original bone of contention brought against the Apostles by false witnesses (Acts 6:13-14). Clifford writes,
“In the Gospels there are many occasions when Jesus disputed with the Pharisees concerning their interpretation and practice of the Torah, but he always upheld the Torah as the unchangeable word of God. In the Statement from the Orthodox rabbis this is acknowledged in a momentous passage that unties 2,000 years of misunderstanding between Jews and Christians. The Statement affirms a declaration by 18th Century German rabbi Jacob Emden:
‘Jesus brought a double goodness to the world. On the one hand he strengthened the Torah of Moses majestically, and not one of our sages spoke out more emphatically concerning the immutability of the Torah. On the other hand he removed idols from the nations’.“
HISTORIC TURNING POINT
The Statement now bears over 60 rabbi’s signatures and Clifford points out (emphases added),
“This is surely a notable miracle and could signal a turning point in the history of Jewish-Christian relations, as prophesied by the Apostle Paul in a letter to Christians in Ephesus. He said that the purpose of Jesus was to destroy the barrier between Jews and Gentiles. “His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace” (Eph 2.15).
CJCUC’s Academic Director endorses Dr Hill’s opinion by saying,
“This proclamation’s breakthrough is that influential Orthodox Rabbis across all centers of Jewish life have finally acknowledged that…Christianity and Judaism have much in common spiritually and practically. Given our toxic history, this is unprecedented in Orthodoxy.”
Another significant passage is on Jew’s and Christian’s ‘common covenantal mission to perfect the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty’. In the summary of Christian doctrine delivered in his letter to the church in Rome, St Paul saw a future when barriers between Gentiles and Jews would be broken and they’d powerfully be used by God in a spiritual unity of ‘One New Man’. This wouldn’t happen ‘until the full number of the Gentiles has come in’ (Rom 11:25), which Jesus prophesied will be when Jerusalem ceased being trampled upon by Gentiles (Luke 21:24).
REJECTION OF REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY
Clifford makes no bones about the falsity and damage done by this accursed theology in providing grounds for the Holocaust. And so this Statement from Orthodox rabbis brings a great opportunity for the Church:
“This is an historic time for Christians throughout the world to call upon church leaders to respond to this statement from Orthodox rabbis by humbly apologising for the false theology we have propagated for centuries. We should also be humbly confessing before God that we have dared to teach that he is not a covenant-keeping God who would never ever break his promises.” (Emphasis added)
He concludes by pointing out to Protestants that,
“Now is the time, while God is shaking the whole world, for Christians to recognise our responsibility for so many of the tragedies of history and to reach out in love and humility to our Jewish brothers and sisters. The Catholic Church has done this: surely Protestant Church leaders should do the same – reaching out in the name of Jesus the Jewish Messiah.”
Read Clifford’s full editorial > Turning the World Upside-Down.
The Statement has not been without reaction within Judaism and which has been given a most informative answer – read about the controversy here and CJCUC’s perspective here.
AN ‘ISRAEL REFORMATION’
Clifford’s call reiterates that of Dr Jurgen Buhler, Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, in his excellent exposition published in March 2015.
Jurgen writes in The Coming ‘Israel Reformation’ in The Church on ‘a major paradigm shift’ concerning Israel is taking place for Israel, and for the Church. He uses scripture to outline how the Church should relate to the Jewish people and the state of Israel, as under these topics:
- remember your pagan past
- acknowledge the Hebrew roots of your faith
- appreciate the irrevocable calling over Israel
- recognise your spiritual debt to Israel
- expect the restoration of Israel.
Next, we’ll look at the New Year’s news I received about an Orthodox priest speaking up for Jesus!…continue reading here.
[#1,000 – as here]
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God… For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now (Rom 8:19, 22).
Thank you to Mike Parsons for the first of two posts that will give my readers a base for what I’m about to blog on prophecy and time, as an outcome of weekend’s 
My book “The Kingdom, Here Be Dragons, Here Be Dreams” starts with my great-great grandmother Anna, a deaf woman who lost her hearing soon after her arrival in New Zealand in 1875. Anna spoke German and never did learn English. 
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