Chanukah, Christmas, and the Call to Jewish Evangelism

Hanukkah? Jewish evangelism, all coming your way today on Thursday, Jewish Thursday. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and President of Fire School of Ministry.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH. That's 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Yeah.

Light up your lights and keep your candles burning these eight nights. Put them in the window. And let the whole world know that. I'm not sure if I can do it. I'm Israel Kai.

The people of Israel live. Those are the words and sounds of Kyrie Goldman, a Hanukkah song. It just so happens this year, Hanukkah and Christmas fall at the same time. Are they two distinct holidays going back to completely different holidays? Origins?

Are they both pagan adaptations found at the same time of the year? Is Hanukkah the good holiday at this time of the year? Christmas the bad holiday? Are they connected in different ways? We'll actually talk about that today on the line of fire.

It is thoroughly Jewish Thursday, after all. And I want to talk to you as well about the calling on the church to provoke. the Jewish people to jealousy. How can that be done? How can Christians, how can Gentile believers who love Jesus, Yeshua, provoke Jewish people to spiritual envy?

Is it by trying to live like Jews, look like Jews, practice Jewish customs, traditions? Or is that maybe not the best thing to do? Is it a matter of life in the spirit? Is it a matter of experiencing the reality of God and his forgiveness and goodness? We'll talk about that.

An old friend will join me on the air today. And it's an interesting thing to see. Even though Paul made plain in Romans 1 that the gospel is to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, and we see that repeated in Romans 2, that blessing will come to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, and judgment will come to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. that in recent months, a major Lutheran denomination in Germany has said that they will no longer seek to evangelize Jews. This is part of the overrepentance That has taken place in European churches and some other churches in recognition of the church's historic complicity of the Holocaust, by which I mean centuries of anti-Semitism in the church paving the way for the Holocaust in Europe.

And then this feeling of remorse that, wow, we blame the Jews as being Christ killers, and we didn't recognize they had their own covenant with God. And there's been an over-repentance. And rather than saying the anti-Semitism was horrific and demonic, the persecution was horrific and demonic. But what we must do is with love and respect and honor, reach out to all people, including the Jewish people, with the good news of the Messiah. In fact, to the Jewish people first.

Rather than do that, this major Lutheran denomination Has said we will no longer seek to proselytize or evangelize Jews.

Now, look, the goal. is not to get Jews to convert to Christianity. That's not the goal. The goal is not to get Jews to convert to a different religion and lose. Their Jewish foundations and Jewish roots and Jewish heritage.

Rather, it is to recognize Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, recognize Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, and make him known to his own people. And then, in every different culture and background of the Jewish people, for them to then walk that out, what it means to be a Jewish follower of Jesus, which is going to look different in different settings. That's the goal. And if not for the church, believers caring about me and sharing the gospel with me. I wouldn't be here today.

I probably would have died in my sins as a crazy drug-using teenager.

So, by all means, the church needs to reach out to the Jewish people, but not to assimilate them into the church so they cease to have Jewish identity, but rather to help them discover Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and then enrich the church in doing so. All right, your Jewish-related questions: 866-348-7884-866-34TRUT is. The number to call, we'll be right back. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-342. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. One, two, three. Four, five, six, seven, eight A pains are kind of girls.

Every one of them goes in love. I must confess, I've never heard that tune until my faithful producer Matt brought it to my attention. Earlier today, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the eight days of Hanukkah. Hey. We do things a little bit Differently here and there on the line of fire.

It is Thurley Jewish Thursday. If you've got a Jewish-related question, by all means, give me a call, 866-348-7884. Right before the break. I talked about the Lutheran denomination. in Germany.

So Lutheran churches in Germany are called evangelical, although it has a different meaning there than it does in the States. And major denominations said we'll no longer proselytize Jews, recognizing that Jewish people have their own covenant with God. And this is something that other churches won't say explicitly. They won't hold to what we call dual covenant theology explicitly, namely that Jews have their own covenant with God through Sinai and don't need Jesus and the new covenant. They they don't say that explicitly, but in practice they give little place to Jewish evangelism.

In practice they give little place to praying for the salvation of Israel. They might go as far as saying we love Israel and bless Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. But they don't realize that the most important thing they could do is an expression of love, share the good news of Jesus, the Messiah, with the Jewish people.

So I want to take that up with a dear friend of mine, J.B. Bernstein. And what's even perhaps more ironic is that many Messianic Jewish congregations are actually weak. In evangelism, Whereas you would think we should be leading the way in reaching out to our own Jewish people with the good news of the Messiah. JB, great to have you on the line of fire today.

Um great to be with you. Thanks, man. Hey, uh when you came to faith decades ago, was it through a messianic congregation, a church, or kind of a different group? It's on the streets of New York City actually in the borough of Richmond, also known as Staten Island. That's when it began.

But I um actually Received Um Salvation in prayer. Um Under the shadow of the World Trade Towers in downtown Manhattan. I don't have it. How did that happen? Oh, do you want the long story or the short story?

Short story, man. This is live radio.

Well, I'll give it to you as brief as I can. Um as many um Jewish people and as many young uh Americans during the um Days of uh Uh Woodstock. the whole shebang, Vietnam. I was searching. I kind of thought that there might be something more to.

merely uh getting married, having kids, growing older and then um dying. And so I always was uh wondering if there was something more and I began to search and got involved with like a lot of Jewish people into uh some mysticism, Eastern, you know, I thought that the uh Indian Mystics, they were um the ancient ones who must have known the truth about God. And so I began to practice Yoga and And uh other uh Disciplines where it it came, it went from beyond exercises to learning about God and wondering. you know, how to reach him and kind of their philosophy is God is within you. You just need to be still enough to recognize that and all that kind of stuff.

And so One day I was meditating very early in the morning where I was living in Staten Island, New York. And I um Had my legs crossed? Yoga position. with my hands stretched out. in a um you know a position of um trying to seek uh seeking god or something and Ah, okay.

And the voice said. It was an inner voice. It wasn't an audible voice. But it was clear and And this boy said, You're Jewish. What are you doing?

And I thought to myself. Myself. Goodness. Yeah. I mean, what does it really mean to be Jewish?

And I thought of two things. Um, Israel, which I knew was real. Why? Because I had stamps. Postage stamps from Israel.

I had never been there, but I had stamps. I knew Israel was a real country, and I knew that Hebrew was a real language. And so there must be something about Being Jewish, that was real.

So it was early Saturday morning. And I decided that since it was the Sabbath day. I would observe Sabbath for the first Day and my life as a young ad as an adult. And so uh my brother called me up to go and shoot hoops at the park. And I said, nope.

Um today's a day of rest. Sabbath, the T. thought I was crazy. And I said, I'll walk and I'll meet you there.

So I'm walking to this park. And uh who do I run into? Uh out of nowhere, this young man with with a a dark beard and piercing blue eyes. Approached me. And F.

Me this question: How is your faith in? Jesus. I said to him, I'm Jewish. I don't believe in Jesus.

Well, he said to me I'm Jewish. And I do. And I said, you can. You've got to be kidding me. How could you...

How could you believe in Jesus if you're Jewish?

Well, he was glad to show me he had a Bible with him and uh showed me one passage after the other. in the Hebrew, in the English translation of the Hebrew scriptures. that spoke about This person who I kind of thought it was Jesus. And I was kind of amazed. about Jesus in the Hebrew Bible in the in the Old Testament.

So I had got a little nervous and got away from this guy, and I kept on walking. Ten minutes later, another guy appeared out of nowhere. He also had a dark beard. piercing blue eyes. and asks me the same question.

How is your faith in Jesus? I said, didn't I just See you just before. No, I never met you before in my life. I said, this is crazy.

Well, it turned out to be his identical twin. Whatever the first twin didn't show me. in the Hebrew scriptures, in the trans English translation. Second twin did. I went away visibly shaken.

And then two weeks later, I'm on my way to Greenwich Village in New York to go to a jazz concert. And who do I meet on the ferry boat but one of these Jewish. twins. who then surrounded me with some of his friends, and he told me, You need to be saved. And I thought, oh my goodness, I knew he was right.

And I knew there was something about this change. Jesus That um Mm-hmm. Pure and holy, and I realized I was doing some stuff that was not. Holy, so I kind of thought, you know, wow, I don't think I want to get involved in this. But then, on the other hand, I said to myself, Bernstein.

Supposedly, you're looking for the truth, huh? What are you going to do? This might be it.

So, anyway, the ferry boat docked right under the World Trade Towers. Battery Park City. Yeah. These guys on their hands and knees and started praying out loud. me And that was shocking enough, and then they asked me to follow them in a prayer.

And I did. And to tell you something, uh Mike, I'd never been s this same sense.

So something First, you had to be convinced that Jesus was Jewish because God had been dealing with you, yoga, Eastern mysticism, and all this. You're Jewish. What are you doing? And it's in the midst of you seeking to recover what it means to be a Jew, seeking to obey that voice, that then, as you're walking, because you're going to drive on the Sabbath, you're suddenly going to become a religious Jew, you meet two Jewish, identical twins who show you from the Hebrew scriptures. That Jesus is our Messiah, and this gets your attention.

And then when you prayed, you said you've never been the same since. What actually happened in terms of the changes in your life that you immediately began to experience?

Well, what happened was I went to the jazz concert afterwards And I was sitting um and and enjoying the music But then I just realized, I said there's something different. And I got up And I left the concert. And I went outside. Mm-hmm. And when I looked up in the sky, It was bluer than ever.

The trees were greener than ever. Everything just seemed Bright knew I felt like uh There was a weight that That I had before. That was just not there anymore. I felt Free on the inside. Like I felt Um very, very different.

And I didn't exactly know what was going on, but you know, then eventually. I went home and I told my parents that Jesus is the Messiah. And they immediately began to search for a psychiatrist. They thought that I was on drugs. Um And uh Then eventually I Started meeting other people.

Um Jewish people who have had similar experiences is not exactly the same, of course. but phenomenal type of experiences and day two. became um came to us A knowledge that He's really the Messiah. He's really our Messiah. Like, who would have ever known?

Who would ever believe that? Yeah. And uh And then I would Yeah. Prayed before in my life, I would start praying. And then when I read Never read the Bible before, really.

So I met other, I met Christians, and I met those twins. And they would belong to some group that met in homes and stuff.

So I never really went into an official church building. But I experienced The presence of God. Almost immediately, especially since I thought when you first. Became a follower of Jesus, that you're supposed to tell everybody about it, which is what I did. All right.

Why is it that that same contagious desire to tell everyone about Jesus is not as present in our assemblies as it used to be? Oh, God of burning, cleansing flame, send the fire. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. Light up, light up your light Just yesterday or day before. Became friends with a young woman on Facebook, a Messianic Jewish woman, singer-songwriter, and she sent me this song. Hanukkah's song. And I went on YouTube and checked out some of her other songs and found she's got a delightful voice and a great spirit about her singing.

Kyra Goldman, K-Y-R-A Goldman. Check her out on YouTube. Search and check out some of the music. I think you'll be blessed by it.

So I'm speaking with my old friend J.B. Bernstein. How long ago was it that you had that miraculous encounter with the Lord and were born again? Almost 41 years ago. Almost 41 years.

All right. I just celebrated 45 on my end.

So God's keeping power is very real. JB, you have a mini book, an e-book, that folks can get for free just by signing up on your website. Before we go any further, I want to make sure that everybody hears this, and then we'll mention it again later. But what's the mini book about, and how do people get it?

Okay, the name of the book the e-book is Five Steps. To provoke is Israel. to Jewish people to Jewish people. Jealousy. And it's about how to fulfill Romans 11:11.

You know, the scripture says that. Salvation has Come to the nations, to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous, to provoke. Israel to jealousy and uh So far in history, the church, for the most part, have provoked Jewish people to despair and anger, as we both know. But I believe it's God's timing for the entire body to recognize their Debt they have to the Jewish people, and to pay that. Yeah.

By bringing the Jewish people the greatest Blessing of all time, which is salvation. And that is what this book is about: on actually how to do it. And it goes to really um issues of the heart Where one needs to be be in in a In a heart Attitude that is close to God's heart, and they can get Yeah. e-book by going to W W dot gatesofzion. net.

That's gatesofzion. net. And they just scroll down a little bit and they'll see free ebook. Just click on there and you'll be instructed exactly how to get The e-book will be. They just put down their name and email.

Exactly. And then the e-book will be emailed. to them. a um a link to the to to downl the e-book. All right, friends, yeah, let me encourage every one of you, jot this down.

Gatesofzion.net. One word, gatesofzion.net. And you'll see free ebook as you scroll down. Again, to get it, all you do is just fill out your name, email. And then you'll be getting emails as you desire from Gates of Zion, but you'll get the free e-book.

So take advantage of this. I strongly encourage you to. JB, we've got about three, four minutes. Give me the heart of it. Why do you think many churches neglect Jewish evangelism?

Well, I think that if you really um go down to it, they Neglect evangelism. Period. It's widely neglected. It's something that is One of the pillars of of our faith. It's one of the mandates And it's the purpose for which the Lord came.

He said, I came to seek and save the lost. But especially why is Jewish evangelism so Um off The radar. Is really because There is an enemy. Me, who is a liar for From the beginning, and the murderer, and he He is terrified of Jewish people. People coming into the kingdom of God because the last time they did and embraced the gospel, they turned the world upside down.

He doesn't want that to happen. And so he's trying to keep the body quiet, especially to the Jewish people, because the Jewish people today are open if people. understand how how to effectively communicate to them A gospel which is a Jewish message. to the Jewish people about the Jewish Messiah. I believe it's a demonic stronghold.

and that he's blinding. As the scriptures say that the eyes of Israel has been blinded. Yeah. Well, on the same token, the eyes of Christians have been blinded As to the importance of the salvation of of Israel and the Jewish people. Mm-hmm.

And this mini book will help Christians understand how to share the gospel with Jewish people? Yes, it will provide a real foundation, especially of a hard. attitude and actually how to begin a conversation with a Jewish person We are in the past people that have followed these precepts that I've taught in this eBay. book, the reaction of Jewish people to this kind of dialogue has been tears. It's the Jewish people don't know what to do when they hear some of the stuff that they will hear from Christians who read and embrace What I'm talking about.

they will actually begin to To want to know what is it about this person that is talking. Talking to me, what did they have? And why are they saying? It belongs to me. And this is something, you're not just talking in theory, JB.

You have gone out with congregations, preached to them, stirred their hearts, brought them to a place of corporate and individual repentance, and then said, let's do it. Let's go out on the streets. And you've done it and you've seen some amazing things, haven't you? Yeah, well, for instance, in Norway, where there are not many Jews, there's a whole group that was going to Israel, and I tried. Yeah.

equip them in order to Understanding how do you make Jewish people jealous? And they came back from Israel and telling me that. The Israelis that they spoke to were in tears. tears when they shared with them. what I tell them to do is that Jewish people need to see That's what you believe.

Belongs to them. The God that you worship is. Yeah. Israel, it's their God, and that Jewish people have never heard that message. always heard you need to follow our God.

Need to convert to our religion instead. What I'm saying is. Is what we need to say to them. There's no I love your God I serve your God. I worship your God.

I love your God. And I love your people. Because everything that I have as a an outsider one time I was an outsider and all the Blessings that I have, they first belong to you. And when Jewish people hear this, They melt. Friends, let me encourage you strongly.

Go to the Gates of Zion website, gatesofzion.net, sign up for the free e-book. Again, it's absolutely free. Just need a name and email to get it to you. Put it into practice. and you will be blessed.

Friends, don't forget. You can still order all digital downloads 40% off on my website. Go to the line of fire. A bunch of new articles and videos there as well. Check them out in the Digital Library.

It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. Thanks so much for joining us on Thurly Jewish Thursday. This weekend will mark both Hanukkah and Christmas. And my guest, J.B. Bernstein, years ago wrote a poem about Hanukkah.

Do you happen to have that poem handy, J.B.? I could get it in a few seconds, yeah. All right, well, all right. Tell you what, we we've got a little time here. I want to grab a caller that we'll speak with, and then we'll uh we'll come back and hear the Hanukkah poem written by my friend J.B.

Bernstein. We go to uh Powder Springs, Georgia. Bryson, welcome to the line of fire. Oh, hi, Doctor Brown. Hey Yeah.

Yeah, I was calling and and and please forgive me for this question. you know, I I know it's probably more personal for you, But I know a couple of weeks ago, um, your your mother passed And you were telling us about the rabbi that came in and spoke at a funeral, and that your sister is into Judaism. And I was like, man, that's interesting, you know, because Dr. Brown, you know, he had the school. I was watching some of the videos on YouTube of the Brownsville Revival.

you know, you travel the world, you know, and I'm like, How is the filter? with Judaism, seeing her brother is blessed so much, you know, so I know if you don't want to answer, I I completely understand because it's personal. But it it just fascinated me and I always w I want to ask that. Like, how does that work? Yeah, I I appreciate that, sir.

Uh and I'm I'm very happy to answer it. And and JB can weigh in as well. But this is this is one of the One of the burdens that Jewish believers carry very deeply, which is family members, I was at a large rally one time, it was uh about 1993 And I was going to be speaking, but one of the people leading the worship said to the crowd, How many of you have loved ones you can't wait to see in heaven? And you know, hands went up all over the place. And I was speaking on Israel that night, and I got up and said, You know, if you asked that at a Messianic Jewish gathering, you wouldn't have as many hands going up because we don't have assurance that many of our relatives were saved, and some were convinced we're not.

And the fact is, everyone has choices to make. My sister, you, myself, we all have choices to make. And God does not force Himself on people. And my sister certainly knows that the Lord saved me from a disastrous life. She is very spiritually minded, Judaism, and other spiritual.

uh traditions, you know, she's very open to. But obviously doesn't believe what I believe.

So, you know, we pray. We pray for many, many years for her and for other family members. Both my wife and I have had cousins come to the Lord. Nancy's sister was one of the first that we shared with that came to the Lord. We've had other family members pray, but then others not.

And JB, that's something that you always find. I mean, with Jewish believers, the burden we carry for our families. Isn't that the case? Yeah, well it's Yeah. Because for some reason, we were just so open-minded and hungry for the truth.

But you know, The thing that hurts us the most is w is the wall has been pulled over the eyes of our loved ones and indeed our entire nation Because when anyone really comes to see who Yeshua Really is. And they're Jewish, you just keep. Can't help but fall in love with him. And that's part of obviously what you seek to do: you train and equip believers. Hey, Bryson, thanks for the call.

And my sister's been married for decades, got a great husband and family. I would pray for the fullness of God's blessing on their lives. I'm sure they would welcome that prayer. I tell you what, we come back. We're going to hear for the first time on national radio.

J.P. Bernstein's Hanukkah poem, The Christmas. Of the Jews. Oh, yeah. And I want to talk more.

But practical things we can do to ignite evangelism Reaching out to all people, including the Jewish people, with my friend J.B. Bernstein. His website, gatesofzion.net. We'll be right back. Shake the new sign, change the world, change the world.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 Truth. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks so much for joining us on this Thursday Jewish Thursday. You know, I wanted to play a clip for you. JB, I think you'll like this. Uh JJ grab Clip number seven, Woody Guthrie. Father of folk music, also father of Arlo Guthrie.

He actually had a Hanukkah song named Hanukkah Dance. Let's listen to that for a moment. Tip-tap-toe, happy, Hanukkah, round you go. My little Hankey on your toes, happy, hanukkah, round and around you go. Look at that.

Oh, yeah, we're bringing you the full cultural experience today on Thursday, Jewish Thursday on the line of fire. My guest JB Bernstein has a website, gatesofzion.net. If you'd like to invite him to speak at your church or congregation, just know this. He will challenge you to get out on the streets and to share the good news with everyone you meet. JB, do you have your Christmas poem?

Well, it's a Hanukkah Christmas poem. Sure. Yes, yes. Yeah, I'm hoping people will understand it because it has a little bit of a. Jewish uh Flavor to it that if you're not grown-up Jewish, you might not even know some of the words.

But I'll go for it if you want. Yeah, do it, do it.

Okay. Halaka Halaker declared Christmas of the Jews. If the Gentiles get present, We will get them too. Your gifts Don't come from Santa. They're purchased at a store.

Yeah. And for every gift you get, we'll get ten or more. Do you think Santa brings your gifts? and other fairy tales but it's your Jewish neighbours biggest Yeah. in sales.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Region. Rain Vidare ain't got nothing on me. As I devour a potato latka. Maybe two or three. And you can have your tinsel.

silver bells and green balls that are hollow. What good is a ball? I ask. that a person cannot swallow. The Pope Where's A yarmaker.

That is no lie. If I eat another locker I think I just Might. Die. Oh no. All right.

You heard it first here. And we're not sure how many more times it'll be repeated. A little bit of a goofy fall, but yeah, yeah. Still, I remember hearing it from you many, many years ago. And, you know, it is interesting.

Nancy talks about this, and you know, we've all had Jewish friends grow up with the same experience, but we had Gentile friends, and they'd have this great big Christmas tree, and they'd get these amazing presents on Christmas. And then, you know, we'd like the Hanukkah candles for, you know, for eight days. And as we'd be lighting them, you know, the, the, the, uh, you'd get like a little kind of Chinese Toy or gift every day, which is really secondary to the holiday. It was almost like competing with Christmas. And I remember, JV, when I lived in Maryland, there was a Jewish bookstore owned by Orthodox Jews.

We became very friendly. They knew what I believed, but we became very friendly and they would recommend books to me that they thought I would like and so on. And uh Not far from the store was a honey-baked ham show, store, honey-baked ham. And obviously, if there's something that religious Jews are not going to eat, it's ham. And right before Christmas, the lines would form outside of this store, small store, because everybody wanted the honey-baked ham.

And I remember the owner of the store, an old, old Jewish man, he said to me, you know. the goyim, the gentiles. He goes, you know, the goim, they really know how to do it. Because he drove by the store and saw the line outside. I don't mean that that's not the way to provoke someone to spiritual jealousy, honey-baked ham, but it is, it is interesting.

All right, so let's talk about the excitement. Of sharing the good news. Let's talk about what happens. What have you seen happen in congregations when they have gotten a burden and a vision to sharing the good news of the Messiah to the Jew first, also to the Gentile, and started to get outside the four walls of their congregations and make an effort to reach out to lost friends and neighbors? What have you actually seen happen in front of your eyes?

Well you see The thing that has been missing that was very apparent Um amongst the very first First, followers of Jesus. in the book of Acts. Is they went everywhere. They went everywhere, they healed everyone. It was uh they were on an adventure.

And it was something that was part of the It was their life. It wasn't even part of their life. It was their life after they met. The one who uh who Who rose from the dead, they lived as if they were living in a new life, and they were, and so are we. But the problem is, And I believe this.

When it comes to Yeah. Uh the doing of what God has called us to do. Yeah. And and it says in the scriptures that we are called before the foundation of the world and that we have been called to do the same thing as the Messiah did. He said, I came.

Mm-hmm. to seek and to save the loss. And he said to He said, as the Father has sent me, so I send you. And his First words were Go and follow me. and I'll make you fishers of men.

And his last words were go and make disciples of all nations. The thing that has been missing, Dr. Brown, for centuries is the fellowship of the sent ones. I think that Christians Do share with their friends. and their families and people in their immediate world, but then They stop.

And they And the very ones who are called to equipped and sent out Or Instead, going to a weekly meeting once a week, whether it's a Saturday if you're Messianic Jewish or Sunday. If you're Christian, And being faithful. Has been seen as: do you go to church? In other words, do you show up at the building on the weekend. And if you do, then you're kind of faithful in a way.

And yet, that's nothing at all of what the Lord. established. Body design. Yeah. to change the world.

And those first disciples not only changed. the world in which they live. lived, they turned it upside down. And I believe that. We have the same calling if we would only Take hold of Yeah.

and move into it and become the people that God intends us to be. And as folks have now acted on this, JB, as you've helped mobilize congregations and they've recovered their first love. And they've recovered this reality that new souls are the lifeblood of the body. People coming to faith, new people coming to faith in Jesus the Messiah bring new life with them. What an impact has it had on the congregations?

Well, the one congregation I was at down in Florida it completely changed their entire congregation. They started going out every single day And it didn't matter whether the person was a introvert or an extrovert. In fact, one of the things that I will have on my website Soon is evangelism. For introverts. In other words, there are people that say, this is not my calling.

I'm not. I'm not a preacher. I'm not. I'm not an extrovert. I'm not out there.

I don't like talking to people.

Well, you know what? Those are things. Yeah. best Evangelists. Because God never calls us to go witnessing or to do Yeah.

a a spiritual activity But rather we are called to be lights of the world. And if a any church and the one in Florida and another one in in in Maryland Maybe we began to meet at the building Have a time of prayer. At a time of equipping, And when people went out, they We'd go for a walk. or they would go to a restaurant. Yeah.

time be open to to the fact that God is working and we pray voice Send your chosen ones to us. Send us to the Them. And the Lord said, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And so we're looking for the one who has been drawn by the Father. We're looking for that kind of a fish.

so to speak.

So we're going fishing. What does a fisherman do? A fisherman doesn't let the fish know he's there. You're going, you're going to go have a slice of pizza. You're going to go have a cup of coffee.

You're going to go into a coffeehouse or a restaurant. But you're in Touch with the Lord. You know that you're an ambassador. You have the power. And you're trusting that God is going to.

to set up a divine appointment and he does it All the time. All we need to do is smile Be friendly and just look for an opening. Just say, you know, hey, how are you? You know, almost in any city, you can say, oh, how are you doing? Even in New York, you could talk to strangers and say, hey, what's going on?

And then, you know, say, hey, look, you know what? I'm looking for someone here. And they'll say, well, who are you looking for? I said, I'm looking for someone That just wants to know the truth. Could that possibly be you?

Now, that's not so hard to ask someone. I'll tell you.

So many times. I've approached people with that question and the person says, I can't believe you're asking me that question. Just the other day, I was just Wondering, why am I here on this earth? Is there a God? I mean, so many times, because you know what?

There are so many people out there that are waiting to meet us. if we would only make ourselves available.

Alright friends. God wants to use you. to reach the lost. And give them new life in the Messiah. Go to gatesofzion.net, get the free e-book.

Give us strength to always do what's right. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks for joining us on the line of fire, 866-34TRUTH. Go to thelineoffire.org. and click on the digital library. We've got new videos, some of them getting a lot of attention. Trump calls out radical Muslims who call Christians, saying what Obama would not say.

A teaching video, a short teaching video, answering the question: Are you a Trinitarian?

So these are new videos up on our digital library, all free, all for you. Just go to thelineoffire.org and click. On digital library and have at it. Enjoy the videos and then share them with your friends. If you're blessed by them, share them with your friends, retweet them, share them on Facebook, like them so that we can reach many more people with the message.

866-34Truth. If you have, oh, yeah, also, should Christians celebrate Christmas? That's another new video we've got up all in the digital library. JB, you have had the experience of talking to Jewish people. In America, in Israel.

And in other nations over the years.

Now, you've been following the Messiah for 41 years now. That gives you a good track record in terms of watching trends and seeing what's happening among our people. Are Jewish people more open to Jesus, the Messiah now, less open than in past years? What's your own experience? I would say my experience is The Jewish people are more open now.

Than at any time, even back. than when I first came to the Lord. They are absolutely open, but They need to be spoken to In a way That they see Faith in Yeshua, in Jesus, not as something that is foreign, but rather something that belongs to. to them In a certain way, You can't really bring the gospel to Jewish people. you first Need to destroy the strongholds that are over their hearts and minds.

Mine. And the good news is that the Word of God says that we have power. to destroy strongholds and every proud argument Uh the knowledge of God.

So people need to learn. How to break these strongholds, and it begins with. for the very people who Jesus said salvation is from the Jews, I think the first step is for uh Every Christian, every Gentile. who is um who believes in the Messiah of Israel to have a broken heart for the Jewish people. And to and and to uh Realize that if it wasn't Them, they would still be worshiping trees and stones.

You know what I'm saying? I mean, because everybody outside of the people Israel were outsiders. The kingdom of God. The only ones that knew. The Creator, the living God.

Were the Jewish people and those who were joined to them And today Christians who have had a revelation. Through the Messiah. Of Israel, and their eyes are open, and they know God. They don't realize that they're very Salvation comes from the Jewish people. According to Jesus Himself, And once they recognize that there is a debt that they have and a and and they should have a real great love for the Jewish people.

The first step, and then learning how to speak to them heart to. heart. That's really what it comes down to. It's not a technique. But it's it's What's in inside of us.

Yeah, and I'm so glad you put the emphasis there because many times we just want to reduce things to a technique, whereas God wants the heart. And if we have a heart of love, people will know that, people will feel that. And look, JB, you're a gifted evangelist. You're called by God to be an evangelist. You're a soul winner.

It's something God's given you to do. But evangelists also equip others to evangelize. And this can spread in a way that's really contagious.

Sometimes it's just a matter of getting your feet wet, right? Just and if someone's afraid, okay, then reach out with a friend. Let the friend do most of the talking. Just step out, get your feet in the water, get your feet wet, and suddenly you'll have a love for that water. We're talking about the water of winning the lost.

And think, JB, I imagine we're similar in age. I'm 61. You're probably a few years old. Years older than me. Even if we ran hard, we had supernatural health and strength, and we're full of zeal, living for God, until we're 95 years old.

Still, we're out of here pretty soon. And the greatest thing that we can take with us is people. Oh, yeah. And think that you're going to be meeting people for millions of years in the world to come. That by God's grace, you're responsible for bringing them into the kingdom, either talking to them in the mall somewhere or equipping a congregation where someone out and shared the gospel.

And there's no greater reward than that, is there?

Well, it says, those who lead many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever and ever. I mean, that itself is such an awesome scripture that it blows my mind. But you know, Calling me an evangelist, you see the thing is this. Yeah, I am an evangelist, but a an evangelist according from the According to the word of God. is one who equals Equips.

The saints to do the work of Evangelism.

So everyone on convinced Everyone is called to Mm-hmm. of evangelism. Not everyone is called to equip the people in evangelism, but everyone is called to be involved in speaking to other people. People abandoned. the hope that is within them.

And everyone can do it. Everyone can be equipped to do it. Even the shyest individual introvert of all. can be equipped To impact other lives. You know, it's the same thing, like, not everybody is called to be a pastor, but a pastor really loves.

The flock.

Well, we'll Let's say not is is isn't not everyone called to love? We're supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves. Evangelism is the manifestation Of the action of living out the royal law. And the royal law. according to the Messiah is that we love our neighbor as ourselves.

Well, who's our neighbor? Most of our neighbors. Are those who are out? Of the kingdom of God, and if we are going to love them, We're going to bring them the blessing of Salvation. Yeah, JB, you have nailed it.

from the heart with truth. And the Holy Spirit will equip. The Holy Spirit will help. And we lean on Him and say, God, I'm weak. I'm afraid.

I don't know what to do. He'll give us grace. He'll give us the help. And He wants to use all of us neighbors, friends, family members. Hey, we're out of time.

Friends, go to the website gatesofzion.com. Gates of Zion is one word, gates of Zion.net. And then scroll down for the free e-book, or you'll find it on the menu there. Sign up, get it today. How to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy.

And they could also use the website, as also an equipping portal to equip them. That's just one of the e-books is one thing about it. There's so many things in there that they can get. Check it out, friends. Gatesofzion.net.

Keep up the great work and the great witness, JB. Remember to visit thelineoffire.org. Check out the latest entries in the digital library. My bottom line today, Yeshua has called all of us to be fishers of men and women. Hanukkah.

Jewish evangelism, all coming your way today on Thurly Jewish Thursday. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and president of Fire School of Ministry. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH.

That's 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael. And while we are playing, the candles get burning low. One for each night, they shed a sweet light to remind us of days long ago.

A song in the key of Hanukkah. This is Michael Brown. Let me wish you a happy, happy, not a happy, a happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate either or both. They happen to fall at the same time of the year. We'll talk about Hanukkah, a little of the history.

Yes, it occurs in John the 10th chapter, where it speaks about the feast of dedication in John 10. That's what Hanukkah means in Hebrew, dedication. And it is celebrating the rededication of the temple that had been defiled under Antiochus Epiphanes or Antiochus IV about 160 years before the time of Jesus. Celebrated by Jewish men and women around the world today. By the way, By the way, you might think that the the Call it the candelabra if you want, but it's often called the menara.

And it's got nine candles, the one that is used to light the others, and then you light one for each of the eight days of the year. Many call it a menara. But a menarah really refers to the candlestand in the temple that had seven stands. This is the Hanukiah is the technical name for it with nine candles. And when many Messianic Jews light these and you put it in a place where it can be seen, you put it in a window, a front window or a place where it can be seen that you're celebrating this and lighting the candles, that this is also a way for Messianic Jews to remind us that we and the Messiah call to be a light to the world.

And through the efforts of some religious Jews in America and around the world today, there are massive Hanukkah displays. This is a symbol of Jewish pride, and it's a way of Jewish people saying that we have a message for the whole world. And again, it just happens that these holidays fall at the same time this year. You say, why does it shift every year?

Well, we follow a solar calendar, right?

So 365 days. A year, and then you have leap years every four because it's 365 and a quarter days exactly for the solar revolution for the earth to go around the sun, and hence every four years a day to make up, so you've got an extra day in February. Jews, traditional Jews, and the Jewish calendar follows a lunar calendar, so with 13 months rather than 12, there's an inter-calorie month where every so often you've got to set things back, and that's added in.

So things will shift when the calendars are compared. Then they'll get close and then they'll get a little further apart. But it just so happens that they coincide this year.

So I want to talk to you about that. I want to talk to you about Jewish perceptions, or I should say, perceptions of the Jewish people around the world. perceptions Of the Jewish people around the world. Are those perceptions changing?

Now, I'm looking at an article here posted on camera.org December 9th. According to the FBI, according to their data, American Jews are the most targeted minority for hate crimes in 2015. The story says American Jews account for a shockingly disproportionate number of hate crime victims. According to 2015 FBI statistics, the Bureau defines a hate crime as an offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or gender identity. And far and away, percentage-wise, the highest number of crimes.

So-called hate crimes were against Jews. Is that in keeping with worldwide sentiments or is there some positive turning? As far as world sentiments towards the Jewish people, we'll talk about that. If you've got a Jewish-related question, give me a call 866-34TRUTH. Ain't to worry.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thank you for joining us on the line of fire 866.

Three, four, eight, seven. 884. Got a lot to talk with you about today. And before I go to the phones, I want to play a couple of clips for you. Let's see, let's grab number 11.

And this is the president of the Belgian People's Party. And he's talking about this populist wave rising in Europe. Many European nations feel that their nationhood is being threatened, that their sovereignty is being threatened, that their distinctives as a people are being threatened. And a lot of it is because of mass immigration. And then the violent attacks in Belgium, in Belgium, France, Germany, other European nations, the horrific radical Islamic attacks have further stirred up a populism.

You see it in the Netherlands, you see it in other countries. It's not an Islamophobia. It's nations saying, we love our country, we love our heritage, and we see it threatened and attacked.

So What does this have to do with the Jews, though? Listen to what the founder and president of the Belgian People's Party has to say about this as it affects Israel. The election of Trump itself, of course, will have influence on Europe. I mean because the narrative is changing. But the same forces that got Trump elected, you know, in the States are also, they are a bit different, but they are also working in Europe.

So these are the kind of forces that are also at work. That is good for Israel. That's certainly good for Israel. And I think that Israel does not realize these forces. If I look, for example, at the official policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and so on, they are very cautious about this kind of populist movement, even in Europe.

They don't know if they should have contact with them or not. Why they are certainly today the allies that are the most sympathetic to Israel for many reasons.

Now, let me share something else with you. According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, He was addressing reporters two days ago on different subjects, and he said he called on Western countries to unite against Islamist terrorism. And he said, we can defeat it if the whole world would join forces to wage a joint war on terror, wherever it is. And he said the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are not an obstacle to peace. I don't understand why Jews can't live in Judea and Samaria under any conditions and going on with that.

And he he senses a revolution in international attitudes towards Israel. Israel, of course, on the front lines of trying to help The refugees in Syria, Israel on the front lines of reaching out to other nations in Africa to help them in their development, Israel reaching out to European nations and saying, let us help you with security against Islamic terrorism. And although I personally believe that at the end of the age, there will be an international attorney against Israel and the Jewish people. Every day that that is delayed, and every day that there are positive sentiments towards Israel and the Jewish people, I rejoice. 866-34TRUTH.

Let's go to Pastor Eric in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Welcome to the line of fire. Hey, doctor Brown. It's great to talk to you again. First of all, if I can just express my sympathies at the loss of your mom.

Oh, thank you, sir. I appreciate that. Yes, I have a question. You worked in the Brownsville Revival, so I assume that you knew Dick Rubin fairly well. Yes, uh-huh.

Now I remember during the Bronze Hill Revivals, he had done some teachings, and I remember seeing a video that he did specifically dealing with Jesus' baptism Regarding John the Baptist's lineage through his father, his connection with the priesthood, his father being from the division of Abijah, and even his mother, Elizabeth, being the daughter of Aaron. And the idea that Dick Rubin was talking about in this study was That the priesthood had to change, as it says in Hebrews chapter seven, from the Levitical priesthood to um that that another priest would arise off of the order of Melchizedek. And what he was suggesting was that, of course, Jesus did not need to submit to a baptism of repentance. But that When John baptized him, that was in fact the transference of the priesthood. From the order of from the order of Aaron to the order of Melchizedek.

And I wonder what your thoughts are on that. Peaceful. Yes, it's an absolutely fascinating idea. It's one that I would say you could read the Bible your whole life and never. see it jumping out at you unless you dug.

And it's one of those things, then, as strange as it sounds, in other words, it's just not normally heard or taught. Could there be truth to it? Let me just say this. Dick is a serious student of the word and a real lover of the Lord, and I appreciate that. And a man who loved the presence and the glory of the Lord, and whose teaching on the tabernacle, according to Pastor John Kilpatrick, was used by God to help usher in the revival as they began to teach on the principles of the tabernacle.

It wasn't going back to tabernacle worship. The key was not, we're going to build a tabernacle in the building here, but it was as these things were taught. That people learned about the meaning and significance of it and somehow the reality of the presence of God. And that is some of the deep, powerful presence we experienced during the revival. When the pattern is right, the glory will fall.

Right, exactly. That's what Dick taught, and that's what Pastor Kilpatrick believed.

So I would, if Dick was digging into the word and found this or read it elsewhere and thought it rang true, then I'd look at it with interest, but I've never seen that myself. I've never seen that or believed it myself. And that it seemed to me that the priesthood after the order of Melchitzedek was something that God Himself had established that didn't need an official transfer. I mean, it's again, it's a fascinating idea, but I've just never seen it myself. That still, Messiah is of the line of David, so that was established.

But then how could he be priestly if he wasn't of the line of Aaron? And the answer is because he was after the order of Melchizedek, who was a priestly king. Who ruled in Shalem, which some would associate with Jerusalem.

So let's just say it's fascinating. I don't know that there's a way to prove it. I've just never seen it or held to it myself. Mm. I wonder if I could ask you another quick question about John Baptist.

I recently did a study in the book of Luke, and I really kind of dug into John the Baptist a bit. And I find it very interesting that the scripture says that he lived in the wilderness. and he lived a very ascetic life. And then he came he began to perform the baptism of repentance. And in studying him, I I I studied the Essenes quite a bit, and what I found fascinating is that there was, or still, the ruins.

of an Essene community in the Judean wilderness. That they lived a very ascetic life and that they practiced a baptism of repentance. And so my question is, do you do you think there's a possibility that John may have in fact been a member of the Essenes? Yeah, that's more widely held. In other words, many of the concepts among the Essenes.

Were common to concepts that we find in the New Testament writings. The idea of being the people of a new covenant, an end times people, a conflict between light and darkness, and things like that. These were themes that were prevalent in their writings, which were discovered. The famous Dead Sea Scrolls, the late 40s, and the great majority of scholars hold to them being Essenes, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Qumran Scrolls. And yes, this ascetic life, a separation, somewhat monastic, not marrying.

You had Essenes who did marry and have children, and you had others who were completely monastic and were celibate.

So yes, some have said That he would have been part of that community, and that he would have then embraced some of the teaching of that community, and that that was a shared heritage. In other words, this was something that God had planted in their hearts so that they had also seen this from the scriptures. They were strong on what's called pesher, which is biblical interpretation where they sought to use certain principles to open up the meaning of the Hebrew Bible. And they did that, and then they had other documents that were completely external. Like the Temple Scroll.

In other words, it wasn't the Pesher of Habakkuk, where they're giving a commentary on Habakkuk or the Pesher of another biblical book, but rather their own writings, like the. the war scroll or the community scroll, their discipline, way of life that they followed, or the temple scroll.

So they had their own theology, their teaching. They seem to have messianic expectations of two messiahs, a messiah from the line of David and a messiah from the line of Aaron. And that some even speculate their leader, the teacher of righteousness, they equate it with being a messianic figure. You know, a lot of that is obviously speculative how it's read, and some of the texts are limited. But could John have been part of them?

Sure. I mean, he was a first century Jew, and that was one of the Jewish groups. And there are certain things that Yeshua, Jesus, has in common with the Pharisees, and others where he deeply opposes their views. And some say, yeah, that's because it was in-house. He was a Pharisee.

So I don't put him within one group only, but certainly sharing certain sentiments and viewpoints. Why not? Could John have been an Essene? Certainly. Ain't tour.

Oh God of burning, cleansing flame. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 TRUTH. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. Thank you so much for joining us on this pre-Hanuka, pre-Christmas edition of the Line of Fire Thursday Jewish Thursday. If you've got a Jewish-related question, by all means, give me a call 866-34Truth.

Now, there's one more clip from the president of the Belgian People's Party speaking to Arutz Sheva. This is Israel News. Clip number 12: as he talks about the populist wave in the United States, in Europe, how it's great for Israel. Clip number 12. Because they see example Israel as a kind of example, as a kind if I may quote a religious word, kind of lie to the nation.

You know, what Israel is doing, up on its feet, fighting radical Islam, controlling its border, you know, and being strong on its value with this history and so on. For many of us, it's an example, Israel. Yeah, I wanted to make sure you heard that from the earlier, longer quote. I wanted to make sure you heard that, that much of the world is saying, okay, Israel is battling stuff. We're now just battling.

And they know how to do it, and they've done it in an exemplary way. What can we learn from them?

Now, sometimes these positive sentiments are short-lived, but let it be, let it be positive, let there be. an appreciation for Israel in The nations. 866-34Truth. Let's go to Burlington, North Carolina. Angela, welcome to the line of fire.

I I can barely hear you. Are you speaking into your phone? I'm thankful. All right, I I can barely hear you. Uh, let's do our best here.

Go ahead.

Okay, can you hear me better now? A little bit. Go ahead.

My question is, how do they Modern Jewish Family, celebrate honor. Mm-hmm. They would celebrate it the way it's been celebrated for many centuries. And basically, it's not a time when there is as much. Synagogue attendance.

For example, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, you're spending, let's say it begins on a Wednesday night, so you're having dinner. And then that's it, you're not eating for over 25 hours. You're spending, if you're a traditional family, that entire night. You know, several hours in the synagogue praying and confessing sin, and then the next morning. And the next afternoon, right up until dinner time, pretty much, you are spending in the synagogue.

So, hours of praying and confessing. And that's what a traditional Jewish family would do. When it comes to Hanukkah, the main thing that's done, aside from certain prayers that would be added to the daily prayer time that a traditional Jew would have, the main thing is the uh celebrating of Hanukkah by lighting the candles.

Alright, so you have what's called a hanukia, which has nine stems. And candle holders, the middle one, and then four on each side. The middle one, the shamash, the helper, that's lit first. And then you start on the left side, then you work your way across.

So you light the first one, the first night. And then two, the second night, three, the third, four, and then until you get to the end of the eight nights, this commemorates the miraculous preservation of the oil in the temple candlestand. When there was no oil and no ability to consecrate the temple and keep the candles burning for the week, miraculously, the oil was preserved by God, and this is celebrated with the rededication of the temple. And prayers are prayed. And then there can be the small exchange of gifts.

Games with what's called a dreidel. That's a top that spins, and that would have different markers on it. That would be part of a game that's played. It's a celebratory time of the year. But the central thing, what is most known on Hanukkah, is the lighting of the candles.

Prayers are prayed, recognizing what God did. And then candles lit. And I remember going to Hebrew school and coming home and learning to pray the prayers. I never liked to do it because you had to chant, and I didn't like the way my voice sounded, chanted just little childhood memories. But that's the way it's done.

So it would not be the father lighting the candles, it would be one of the children, one of the boys in particular, lighting the candles for the Hanukki, the Hanukkah lights. And then these are displayed, as I said, in the first hour in a prominent place, ideally.

so that you're doing it in the window, you're proclaiming this to the whole world. and you are shining your light as Jewish people. Then. Hey, thank you for asking. Much appreciated.

866-348-7884. If you have a Jewish-related question, let me see here. Which story did I want to get into? Two days ago, camera.org. Wall Street Journal of its important context on Jerusalem Embassy issue.

Will Street Journal on Monday, December 12th, ran an article entitled Trump Moving U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Very Big Priority. Indeed, David Friedman, who was poised to become the new U.S. Ambassador to Israel, has stated that he intends to work in the U.S. Embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem.

Reporter Felicia Schwartz omitted several essential facts. About Jerusalem, Schwartz wrote that both Israel and the Palestinians have claims to the contested city. Canvas says they may both have claims, but the Jewish case rests on international law. as well as archaeological evidence of historical Jewish sovereignty over the city. And while there may be a religious connection between Islam and Jerusalem, there is no historical Or legal basis for a specifically Palestinian claim on Jerusalem, as there has, for one thing, never been Palestinian sovereignty over the city.

Schwartz continues: The U.S. has held that Jerusalem's final status should be the subject of broader international negotiations aimed at resolving the long-simmering dispute. In fact, Camera says, and this is Committee for Accuracy and Reporting on the Middle East, the U.S. position is that the status of the city should be decided by direct negotiations between the parties. Schwartz also wrote that the chief representative of the PLO in the U.S., Maeen Rashid Arakat, said that moving the embassy would make it more difficult to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue, but failed to note that Palestinians have already thought it multiple attempts at resolving the dispute, including Israeli offers to divide Jerusalem.

In a telling final paragraph, Schwartz summarizes what she terms the contentious issues between the parties that are actually Palestinian concerns and demands. She writes, The two sides remain at odds over the construction of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, the release of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, and the schism between Fatach and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. From Israel's vantage the parties are at odds. Because Palestinian leaders refused to desist from anti-Jewish hate-mongering and calls for violence in their media, mosques, schools, and political culture, and refused to come to terms with the legitimacy of a Jewish state of Israel in the region. As demonstrated by the repeated rejection of end of conflict, peace.

offers.

So, a camera gives you a bit more perspective than you might have gotten in the Wall Street article. By the way, a camera posted on December 18th that NPR's morning edition. As corrected, a December 16th broadcast, which on some stations misidentified Tel Aviv as Israel's capital. Glad to know that they made that. Correction.

All right, we'll be right back with your calls, questions, and with more thoughts on Hanukkah and Christmas. Down forever. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Light up your lights and keep your candles burning these eight nights. Put them in the window.

And let the whole world know that I'm Israel Chai. That is the Hanukkah song. By Kyra Goldman, K-Y-R-A. Kyra Goldman. Check her out on YouTube.

Check out her music. I believe you'll be blessed by it. She is a Messianic Jewish singer and songwriter. Welcome to Thorly Jewish Thursday. This is Michael Brown, your Thoroughly Jewish host.

All right. I cannot weigh in on this with any any any any authority whatsoever or even venture an opinion on it. But there's a fascinating article that I was sent. by a Jewish man, Jewish follower of Jesus. Who himself lived as an ultra-Orthodox Jew for decades before finding new life in Jesus the Messiah?

And he's an unashamed witness of the Lord. And he uh he sent me Uh an article. Written, I believe, by Alfred Edersheim. The great Jewish Christian scholar of the 1800s, his most famous work, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. And Uh if if if I'm correct that Dieter Sharm wrote it.

Edershan was arguing. That there were, the article is from 1873, in any event, that he was arguing. That many of the customs of Christmas, including the Christmas tree and things that later became part of Christmas practice. And remember, many Protestants rejected this. The founding of America Christmas celebrations were rejected.

There's some to this day that claim that they're pagan origins of Christmas and Easter and things like that. And these are discussions, debates we've had every year for years on the line of fry. I just thought, you know, we don't need to have it anymore because the debates come down to the same two arguments. One saying, hey, we have the festivals of the Lord, the holy days of scripture, and Christmas customs are of pagan origins and the dates, pagan origin. And others saying, look, this is sacred to us.

We celebrate Jesus coming into the world. It's beautiful. We read scripture. It's not a worldly, carnal thing for us. And even if he wasn't born on the 25th of December, even if that was originally a pagan holiday, his birth was celebrated there to draw pagans who were coming to faith in Jesus away from their pagan holidays and to worship the one true God.

So I. I didn't feel there's a need to repeat the debate this year, but a fascinating article that argues that many of these traditions ultimately. go back to aspects of celebration of Hanukkah. That then made their way into the church because there would have first been Jews as followers of Jesus Yeshua who made up the nucleus of what becomes called the church, the Ecclesia, the Messianic Assembly. And that that's how these customs have been passed down.

So, yet another interesting Argument, another interesting twist in the story. By the way, I have just about finished writing something that should post tonight and tomorrow on many websites: The Christmas Story We Told in Light of the Ghoulish Practices of Planned Parenthood. Oh yeah. You're going to want to read that. The Christmas story retold in light of the ghoulish practices of planned parenthood.

So if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, then as soon as that article is posted, you'll be notified about it. And then it will be found on our digital library on thelineofire.org. Shortly after it's posted, you'll find it there on the digital library and the line of fire.

So check it out and share it with others. We come back. I want to get to your calls, your Jewish-related questions, and share some more. Jewish news of interest around the world. And we come back, we're gonna start off the segment with an amazing clip.

A young girl, about 10 years old with autism. Kaylee Rogers singing a powerful rendition of Leonard Cohen's hallelujah. You're going to want to hear this. Ain't the world It's fire we want, for fire we It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-342. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. I know you came to rescue me, this baby boy. Why do it grow to me?

A man who one day died for me and you my sins were dried. The nails in you. That running cross was my cross too. Still every breath was drunk. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Incredible. Kaylee Rogers.

Northern Ireland, ten years old. Artistic Has learning difficulties This video is going absolutely viral. You can watch it on our Facebook page, Ask Dr. Brown, A-S-K-D-R-Brown. Let's go to the phones with your Jewish-related questions on Thursday, Jewish Thursday.

We'll start in New York City with Joe. Welcome to the line of fire. Dr. Brown, thanks for taking my call. Sure, sir.

This is Joan Carriman. President of Rebecca Isaac Incorporated, and I wrote a book titled The Sons of Zion vs. The Sons of Brief, The Antichrist Revealed. And my main question is The fact that Jews all over are preparing for the coming of the Messiah. They know that the time is near and they spend in Hundreds of millions of dollars, perhaps billions, preparing for the coming of their Messiah.

Whereas Christians who also have a Messiah who's on the way, at a standstill because they're saying no one knows the day of the hour of the Messiah's return.

Well, the truth is, Jesus did say no one knows the day of the hour in the first century, not even me. He so he said not even I know the day of the hour, only the Father in heaven. But he also said, the scriptures also say in 1 Thessalonians 5 that those who are in the light will know the day or the hour. It doesn't say the day of the hour. It says times and seasons.

Yeah, but times and seasons.

So that the day won't take us all. It won't surprise us, exactly.

So it's suggesting that we will know the time of the Messiah's coming. It doesn't stop at Noah knows the day of the hour. It says we will know. And Jesus also said it will be like the days of Noah. And in the days of Noah, Noah knew 120 years before the flood that the flood was coming.

And then he knew seven days before when God said it's time to enter the You know, it's time to enter the ark.

So I'm very concerned about the fact that we are on the cusp of the coming of the Messiah. He may be back in 2017, but we're not even trying to interpret the other prophecies and Daniel and other prophecies that tell us that he is, in fact, that close, even though the Jews know he is. Yeah, let me jump in and say a few things. And I appreciate your passion and interest in this. As far as Jews spending millions or billions of dollars in preparation, the main preparation Is that very religious Jews pray daily for the coming of the Messiah and long for his coming?

And some Jewish groups, like the Lubavitch. They are Hasidic Jews, ultra-Orthodox Jews, who do a lot of outreach to other Jewish people.

So they spend certainly multiplied millions of dollars to do Jewish outreach. And their view is, of course, that the more Jewish people that observe traditional Judaism, and the more Jewish people that observe the Sabbath and follow the commandments, and the more Jewish women that light candles in the home, that that will hasten the coming of the Messiah. There's even Jewish tradition that if all Israel would observe two consecutive Sabbaths, that the Messiah would come.

So in. In this case. The main thing traditional Jews are doing is praying, longing for the Messiah's coming. And there's a small, small group. That does not represent the majority at all.

That's involved with preparing the items of the temple, the sacrificial altar and the priestly garments, and training and teaching people so that when the Messiah is revealed and builds the temple, they'll be able to participate. But that represents a very small group. But here's, I'm sympathetic to what you're saying, but here's where I have my concerns. When I came to faith in 1971, we were told Jesus is coming any minute. All the prophecies lined up.

It was all figured out. Jesus coming any minute. And we developed an attitude that was an unhealthful attitude. It was an attitude of, we're out of here any minute. That's not conducive to long-term evangelism outreach planning change.

So, what I say is this: that every generation Should do their best to bring back the Messiah. How so? by seeking to complete the great commission, By seeking to provoke the Jewish people to spiritual jealousy, by seeking to come together in unity, by seeking to live holy lives. 2 Peter 3 says that we can hasten speed the Messiah's coming by us living holy and godly lives. And we know that the fulfilling of the great commission is important, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

So I believe we should live our lives with the goal. of seeing Jesus return in our lifetimes. That should be our goal, our passion, our vision. And if it doesn't happen, we pass the baton on to the next generation with a sense of urgency, but also with a multi-generational mentality, lest we think, hey, we're out of here. Any minute.

Hey, thank you, though, for the call and the provocative subject. And no, we should not be taken unaware when the Messiah is about to come. He should not come for us as a thief in the night, because we're the children of the day. Not the children of the night. Thanks for the call.

866-34TRUTH. Let's go to Kim in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Welcome to the line of fire. Thank you, Dr. Brown.

My question is coming from a Numbers twelve. Verse fourteen. And the response Scar gave to uh Moses and Aaron about giving Uh Miriam. They're pushed. what reason would a father have Just big in his daughter's face and be justified by God.

That's not even the issue about. uh so much being justified But parents did have tremendous authority. And to the point that under the law, remember under the law, If you cursed your mother or father, you could be put to death. If you struck your mother or father, you could be put to death. If you were incorrigibly disobedient, glutton, drunkard, rebellious, and refused to listen to your parents, you could be put to death under the sign of covenant.

So the reverence that was held for parents, for elders in that setting and in that culture was very, very, very high. night and day different than what you see in America. and if a daughter did something that was so shameful that was so despicable That was so ugly. that that the father spat in her face. That she would be considered unclean because of that.

In Deuteronomy, excuse me, Numbers 12 says, unclean for seven days. You know, that's how. shameful it would be. That's how extreme It would be. And perhaps uh in our culture The father might physically beat the daughter.

And here that wasn't the case. And now there's there's nothing saying it's fine for fathers to spit in their daughter's face. I appreciate your social concern with that. But in a society where parents are revered as they are, And again, this is just for example that God is using to say, hey, if I just smote her. With this severe skin disease.

If I just smote Miriam with a severe skin disease, she's gonna be unclean. Even if I heal her right now, she's gonna be unclean and have to stay outside the camp for a week. I mean, look, if her own father spat in her face that she deserved that. Uh treatment. then under those circumstances she'd be considered unclean.

Again, very different culture than the one. in which we live. That's the simplest Explanation. I can give. But thank you for the question.

I appreciate it. 866-34TRUTH. We go to Shane in Hagerstown, Maryland. Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, thank you, doctor Brown.

My question would be on I've been talking to some Messianic Jews and the I just The versions of the Bibles that they use are totally different than the versions of the Bible that I use. And they've suggested that I could, I guess, make a version that has been, I guess, Trans posed from like the Masoretic Tech, like the TS two thousand nine or something like that. What Version would you suggest that I could parallel with, say, like my King James that actually comes from more of the Yeah, Shane. Everybody bases their translations on the Masoretic text. That's the primary text.

That's the Hebrew text that the King James used, the Hebrew text that the NIV used, the Hebrew text that the complete Jewish Bible would use. But a Messianic translation. It's just going to have certain sensitivities. It'll say Messiah instead of Christ. It'll give you Jesus' name as Yeshua.

So I would highly recommend you get the Tree of Life Bible. You can order it through our website. We've got a beautiful edition of it at askdrbrown.org. Just go to the store there. Or should be in any Christian bookstore or online.

The Tree of Life. Of life version. I participated in the translation. It's a beautiful, readable translation, faithful to the text, but with Jewish. Sensitivity.

The tree of life Version. That's what I'd recommend for you. Thanks for the call. Change the world. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Ta-da. I'm not sure if I can do it.

And it's looking like a little bit of a single thing. But you took it. Yeah, yeah. Moody is a little bit more than a million. There's a father speaking to his seven year old daughter, giving her a last kiss devout radical Muslim man.

Father and mother with their little seven-year-old, he sends her off on her way. She walks into a police station, he presses a button, a remote detonator and blows Yeah. Gives her a last kiss before sending her. Off How utterly sick How utterly demonic how utterly demented how utterly perverse How absolutely an affront Against everything having to do with the love of God and the goodness of God and love for the human race. That is part of the murderous spirit of radical Islam.

Let every moderate Muslim renounce that and denounce that. And work with America and other nations to combat. murderous radical Islam. This is Michael Brown, and it is Thoroughly Jewish Thursday. 866-34TRUTH.

Back to the phones. Johnny in Fort Worth, Texas. Welcome to the line of fire. Hello, how are you, Dr. Brown?

Doing well. Go ahead.

I've got a quick question on Ephesians chapter four, verse eleven. Wow. Where it talks about and engaged some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers. for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry. Yet applying the body of Christ.

There are some that believe apostles and prophets, and not for today. And uh I've just heard so many different views, and I would really like to hear your take on that. Yes, sir. Tell you what, I'd be happy to. Answer you at some depth, but it's Thursday, Jewish Thursday, and we restrict our questions to being Jewish-specific.

So feel free to call on a Friday. You can ask that, but absolutely, I believe that there are apostles and prophets today. The word apostle is just an emissary, a sent one. We do not have apostles like the 12 apostles writing scripture and without authority. But are there those that have a specific apostolic foundation building, pioneering calling, and others who operate with prophetic gifts?

Does that continue for today? Sure. I see no reason scripturally why it doesn't, and I see no reason experientially why it doesn't. Thank you for calling. 866-34TRUTH.

Let's go to Todd in Seagrove, North Carolina. Thanks for calling the line of fire. Thank you, doctor Brown. I have a question for you, and if you have time, I have another one. My initial question is this.

The Course of Abijah that's spoken about in First Chronicles and in Luke chapter one I've heard two different answers concerning this. What time of the year did the course of Abaija fall in, and how long was that course? Yeah, they're they're uh People look at this to try to identify the time of the birth of Jesus, and you have two different priestly courses or times of the year when priests would serve. It's somewhat difficult to coordinate exactly, okay? Or the week-long service that they would perform.

It's kind of difficult. To uh establish it precisely But some have argued That this would have taken place at the beginning of the year using our calendar. And that nine months later would put us into the September, October time period. and that Jesus would have been born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. when Israel remembers tabernacling in the wilderness and living with tent and tents in the wilderness and things like that.

And that this would be in keeping with what's written in John 1. And John 1:14, the word was made flesh and tabernacled among us.

So, uh Can we say with precision? Can we definitely argue that's the case? There's debate. I've seen the argument made. It sounds persuasive, but I don't find it conclusive.

Hey, Todd, we've got other calls I want to get to, but thank you. for your question. I'm sorry I can't give you a definitive answer.

Some are dogmatic on it. I just don't think we can be. All right, let's go to Burlington. Lanny, welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Dr.

Brown. Thank you so much for taking my call. You're welcome. My question is, I have heard people try to fundraise to uh help Jewish people from other nations who have never been to Israel to return to Israel. and then further to fundraise then to help them live there.

Um And just wondering how, first of all, can Israel absorb all of these people that come in? A lot of them are very elderly. They wouldn't be able to um support themselves.

So obviously Israel or someone would have to continue to help them live. And um whether or not I mean, i if if you believe in the rapture and the Not that I mean, not that I don't believe that the Lord's gonna take us up in in all of those types of things. But the you know, the way if some people believe in the way it's gonna happen or the way that that they're interpreting that it's gonna happen, then all of these people are gonna be annihilated. before Christ can come back and Yeah, so yeah, so so number one. It's a good positive thing to help Jewish people return to the land of Israel.

Okay. That's good, that's positive. And there's a ministry that we work with, led by my friend Scott Folk, together for Israel.

So if you go to togetherforisrael.org. They help poor Jewish believers and others struggling in Israel. But if you specially designate it and said, I want to help people making aliyah, that it's called, I want to help Jewish people returning to the land, they will certainly designate those funds and be glad to do it.

So that's number one. It's positive to do. Number two, Israel is absolutely ready to absorb many, many more incoming Jewish people. Elderly, those that can't work in the future because of their age or disability. Israel is ready.

Israel has funding to do it. This is part of the structure of Israel. In fact, if you come and you're younger, in particular, if you're really old, you might not want to do this, but I believe it's the first six months. You have paid full-time Hebrew classes every day. You don't have to work or think about things just to get yourself established.

So Israel does its best.

Now, there are challenges. You may be like a rocket scientist in Russia and come over to Israel and have a hard time finding a job. You're a custodian. I mean, that does happen. Uh but absolutely There is room and there are funds.

Don't worry about an end time scenario. about all the Jews getting wiped out in Israel. The best place for a Jewish person to be is Israel. All right, if you want to have one place to be safe, because if there is an end time calamity, it's on the whole world. They're shaking on the whole world.

And yes, there are passages that talk about attack coming against Israel, but the good news is it says, but Israel will be delivered.

So, don't worry about that. If you can help Jewish people get back to the land, great. And a great way to help with Israel is together for Israel. If I didn't get to your Jewish question today, we'll try for it tomorrow. My bottom line, God himself is rebuilding the lost sheep of the house of Israel.