-Interview-
 
Rabbi Loren Jacobs: "We are zealous for evangelism."
 

Tell me please how many Jews believing in Yeshua(Jesus) are in the world and in USA at present?
- While there are no concrete figures, it has been estimated by those involved in the movement (and even by those outside the movement) that there are approximately 40,000 to 50,000 Jewish Believers in the Messiah in the United States and 7,000 Messianic Jews in Israel. There are approximately 200 congregations in the U.S. and 80 in Israel. The congregations range in size from ten to several hundred members. The Messianic Jewish movement is also active in other countries throughout the world.

How many Christians who support Israel are now?
- It's hard to come up an an actual number, but in the United States, a significant percentage of the Evangelical Christian Church supports Israel.
 
Why do Christians must know about Jewish roots of Christian belief?
- Knowing the Jewish Roots of Christianity enables Christians to understand the history of the Bible, and the history of salvation. It helps them understand the New Testament. It helps them relate properly to the Jewish people, with love and appreciation.

Do your organization help to Jewish people in the countries of former USSR(for example in Ukraine, Russia etc)?
- We have tried to reach Russian-speaking Jewish people in our area with the Good News.

January 11 in Tel Aviv there was big demonstration(from 100,000 to 200,000 people took part in it) in support of Jewish settlements of  Judea, Samaria and Gaza District. Please comment this event.
- I believe that eventually all of the Land of Israel will return to the Jewish people. It would be nice if the world would recognize our right to the Land that God has promised to us as an everlasting possession.

How do you understand these lines from Bible: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved..." Romans 11:25, 26
- I do not want you to be uninformed... lest you be wise in your own estimation. The Apostle to the Gentiles drives home the point he made in verses 17-24. The Gentiles are not to have a proud attitude towards the Jewish people based on being uniformed about Israel's future.

Paul informs us that God's plans for Israel were a mystery. Israel's destiny wasn't clearly revealed until Messiah's first coming. When Yeshua arrived it became clear that a remnant of the Jewish people would acknowledge Him as Lord but the majority would reject Him. When the apostles began their ministry after His resurrection, it was further apparent that Gentiles from all nations would be grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. All Israel wouldn't accept Messiah until His second coming.

Paul emphasizes that Israel's hardening towards God is partial. Not all of Israel has been hardened. In keeping with the remnant principle discussed earlier, ever since the time of the apostles there have always been some Jewish people who have believed in Yeshua. Since the Six Day war in 1967 when Jerusalem was restored to Israel, the number has been measurably increasing.

This partial hardening is only temporary and will not last forever. Once the full number of Gentiles from all the nations have been grafted into the Olive Tree of salvation and blessing, God's spirit will be poured out on Israel so that the entire nation will turn to faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. Paul refers back to Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 59:20-21) that the Deliverer will come from Zion and remove the sins of Jacob (the Jewish people). All Israel will be saved by turning to Messiah and embracing the One whom we have pierced (Zechariah 12:10).

"This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins". Israel's future atonement, forgiveness, salvation and restoration is absolutely sure because the Truthful One, the Amen, Who cannot lie, has guaranteed it to Israel by covenant.

Tell please about your religion community a little.
- We are a community made up of about 175 people, about one-third Messianic Jews and two-thirds Gentile Christians. We have our own unique style of worship, which is a combination of Jewish and Christian expression. We worship on the morning of the Sabbath. We celebrate the Jewish holidays. We have Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. We are zealous for evangelism.
 
 
02.2004

Jews, Christians and the Word of God