For those who think Hashem is not behind Israel becoming a nation in our day or that it does not matter or that christians should have no part or interest in it or those of you who have turned away from the term “christian.” [b]Jeremiah 31:6 "For there will be a day when [u]watchmen[/u] on the hills of Ephraim call out, `Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the L-RD our G-d.' For thus says the L-RD, "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise and say, L-RD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.”Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great company, they will return here. "With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn." Hear the word of the L-RD, O nations, And declare in the coastlands afar off, And say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him. And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock. “For the L-RD has ransomed Jacob. And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. "They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, and they will be radiant over the bounty of the L-RD. Over the grain and the new wine and the oil, And over the young of the flock and the herd; and their life will be like a watered garden, and they will never languish again. "Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together, For I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people will be satisfied with My goodness," declares the L-RD.”[/b] You will notice the word “[i]watchmen[/i]” underlined. You may wonder what that has to do with anything. This word in the Hebrew text is “[i]Natsar[/i].” If you look this word up in Strong’s it will tell you it is defined as ([i]to guard, watch, watch over, keep[/i]). But if you go to the land of Israel you may find your self being asked “[i]Are you Natsar[/i]? Am I a watchman, Huh? Funny thing, in modern Hebrew “[i]Natsar[/i]” means [i]christian.[/i] In sales you will hear the term “loading lips.” This is when you are instructed in what to say to a customer. This is what Hashem has done to the christian with these verses from Jeremiah. He has instructed you in what to say and feel. He has a heart for the natural branches in the tree called Israel and those that are grafted in will have the same desire as He has as He uses you to bring about this gathering together of His people to their land. G-d is about unity and love and His people will be known by it. Let us stop allowing our doctrine to divide us and let it be the engine that drives us together. Right doctrine is important, but people are more so. If you have gained some truth, teach it in love as you remember you have not always believed as you have. Time and time again I fail at this. For example, censorship drives me crazy. I also cringe when a person says “god told me.” I need work dealing with both. Father teach me all your ways and let me not stiff arm a person who does either.

[size=5]!!![/size] Oh my goodness! That's amazing! Now that you say it, I do remember the word from Hebrew class, and I NEVER put it together (of course, I only read in Hebrew for Bible studies, not just reading for my (almost) daily Bible reading. Wow! Did you read this somewhere, or notice it yourself or what? It doesn't matter, all truth is G-d's truth, of course, I'll just totally blown away here. It reminds me of the time I decided for the heck of it to chart the layout of the Israeli encampment, during the Exodus (it forms a cross). *edit* I can't tell you have grateful I am to have you here with us. And I can't wait for the day we can worship together. Much agape, bro! :)

Post edited by: MattBob_SquarePants, at: 2008/01/29 02:16

Moshe Cohen A man I dearly love, has taught me many things. I am blessed to have him lead our congregation. He gave a sermon on this, I came home and started typing. He spoke much longer than what I wrote, but I captured what hit me.