©11 April 2014 Revive Israel Ministries

The Soul of Yeshua

By Asher Intrater

In Isaiah 53, there are 3 references to the "soul" of the Suffering Servant.  (The poetry of this chapter is as beautiful as its message is profound):

Verse 10 – "If He will make his soul a guilt offering"

Yeshua made His soul a guilt offering.  We are guilty before God: we accuse one another, and we justify ourselves. It is as if two people are having an argument, and Yeshua steps into the middle to take the blame from both sides--thus allowing them to forgive and be reconciled.

Verse 11 – "from the labor of His soul He will see…"

Yeshua labored and toiled for the salvation of mankind. This was difficult and exhausting work.  He lost sleep, prayed, served, preached, and healed.  He put out great effort from His own soul that often seemed futile.  Yet the promise of this prophecy is that all His efforts were not in vain. He will see results from His labors that were not apparent to the eye.

Verse 12 – "on account of that He poured out His soul to death"

Yeshua poured out His soul unto death.  The words are similar to the words of the Torah that justice demand "eye for an eye; soul for soul" (Exodus 23:23-24). It is not His blood itself that makes atonement for us but his soul within the blood (Leviticus 17:11). He loved us to the point of giving His very life and soul (John 13:1; 15:13).

Sometimes we are not fully aware of the reality of Yeshua's soul.  He had thoughts, feelings, desires, expectations; He experienced all the stresses and temptations of mankind (Matthew 26:37-38; Luke 4:2; John 11:33-38; 12:27). He gave all of His soul to save ours. Let's dedicate our souls back to serve Him.

By Ariel Blumenthal

God doesn’t just forgive, but His promise of complete atonement includes this amazing fact: in Yeshua, in the New Covenant, God totally FORGETS our sins! 

“…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jer 31:34)

This is how the Apostle Paul can speak of believers as being “new creations” (2 Cor 5:17), because the Creator now deals with us as new people, without our past baggage of sin. 

Recently we wrote about the 70 year window of Biblical time that we are approaching since the end of WWII (1945-2015).  The wartime wounds and memories still condition the relationship between nations—especially between Israel & Germany, and Japan & the nations of East Asia.  But, we are approaching a time when the Lord desires to “forgive and forget,” enabling nations and peoples to move forward into the future on the grounds of the “new creation” and not the past.

For How Long?

Every year, on Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel (April 28th, this year), our people proclaim: “Never forgive, Never forget!!”  In modern China, hatred and unforgiveness towards the Japanese is a foundation of the education system and national sense of identity.  As New Covenant Jews and Chinese, we must have the courage to stand and proclaim this Gospel of forgiveness, even at the national level.  How long do we plan to remember in this way? 

After about 70 years in His economy of mercy and judgment, I believe the sin of unforgiveness on the part of the victim nation becomes a greater sin than that originally perpetrated upon them by the aggressor nation.  Can we Jews and Chinese forgive and put the sins of Germany and Japan away from us, “as far as the east is from the west?” (Ps 103:12) And thus change the destiny of the nations of the world—both east and west??

Collapse of Foundational Values

By Roni Rejuwan

The citizens of Israel have been exposed recently to an ever-increasing breakdown of moral and spiritual values on all sides.  The average citizen is somewhat shocked and bewildered at these events.  Four particular areas stand out:

1. Government Corruption – This week former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was convicted on bribery and corruption charges. Several other prominent government and business leaders were convicted as well.  What does this say about our society when a prime minister is convicted?
2. Sexual Sin – There have been shocking reports of gang rape and solicitation for prostitution of young girls even to the ages of 12 to 15.  The conscience of the society is being warped by such perversion, pornography and prostitution.
3. Islamic Violence – Incomprehensible violence in many of the surrounding Muslim countries continues unstopped.  Christians in Syria have been slaughtered by Muslims; and Shiite and Suni Muslims are outright killing one another by the thousands.  Mass demonstrations in Gaza continue to call for Israel's destruction.
4. Religious Hypocrisy – Hundreds of thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Jews (haredim) continue to protest against the government of Israel, refusing to serve in the army or share the basic civil and economic burdens which all the rest of the citizens face.  The fact that they claim to be representing God creates waves of confusion concerning basic issues of faith.

Join us in prayer that these difficult events will cause the people of the Middle East--Jew and Arab, religious and secular-- to cry out for new answers, real faith and true values.  A spiritual and moral upheaval is taking place. Let us believe for it to result in salvation.

In this message Asher speaks about restoring the original meaning of the Law, the Prophets and the New Covenant.... To watch click HERE!