The One New Man

And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)

As the times of the Gentiles draws to a close, is the "One New Man" ready to take his place? Ephesians 2:11-18 says, "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—that at that time you were without Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without Yehuweh in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

There is a fulfilment of this Scripture that is happening in front of our eyes and, I might add, largely unnoticed by the church world. A few weeks ago a petition was started to encourage our president NOT to give land for peace in Israel. The goal was 100,000 signatures before the President leaves for the Holy Land. Two days ago an addendum was forwarded, a portion from which is quoted here:

"Because of the marvelous response of over 100,000 appealing to President Bush to not divide Jerusalem, Rabbis in Jerusalem have contacted me, have humbly appealed that the Jerusalem Prayer Team would not stop this campaign but would continue it until a million lovers of Jerusalem signed the Petition to President Bush.We have pledged that they will pray at the Kotel, the Western Wall. One of the Rabbis came from the Soviet Union and said that many years ago one million Americans united in a petition called "Let My People Go" to the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, to appeal to Gorbachev to let one million Russian Jews go home to Israel. A television special and book by the same name were also written.I appealed to President Reagan if he would ask Mikhail Gorbachev to release the Russian dissidents - specifically Natan Sharansky - and open the doors for Russian Jews to go back to Israel. Ronald Reagan did just that. Since those days, one million Russian Jews have returned to the Land of Israel as the prayer of their lips "Next year in Jerusalem," came true. Sharansky left his cold prison cell with a small book of Psalms and a Yarmulke. The skull cap, Yarmulke, was made from the rags around the feet of a Pentecostal pastor who shared his cell with him one evening when he slept. The pastor gave it to him so that he could celebrate the Passover. To this very day Natan Sharansky wears that Yarmulke on Yom Kippur and during the Passover."

As a voice, crying for reformation, is is very encouraging to see tangible evidence of the "one new man" doing what he is supposed to do. As we discussed in our last post, it is time for the body to begin 'doing' because of who we are. We have a tremendous responsibility to the grace that has been given to us (See Romans 6:1). Let us be students of Scripture to see what believers do...Lay your traditional thoughts aside here...Much of what we have been taught is simply more man-made religion. The voice of the prophet is being heard among the dry bones, and there is definitely a wind stirring. Is LIFE on the way?

Shalom