In Prophecy - Ariel Ministries

2014 Program of Messianic Jewish Studies

The

Arab States In Prophecy:

World Mission Outreach Arnold visits South Africa

Future Conflicts

Testimony Chris Eisbrenner

As a way of showing our appreciation for her endless commitment to Ariel's teaching and ministry efforts, we would like to give back!

The Ruth Wardell Fund is an opportunity for contributors to financially care for Ms. Wardell, who, in recent years, has suffered two strokes. Her retirement and pension funds will only cover 50 percent of her healthcare and personal costs. But with your help, we can cover all of her costs. Ruth Wardell, also known as "Ruth with the Truth", has actively been involved in messianic Jewish evangelism for more than 50 years. As Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum's "spiritual mother", she has taken Ariel's materials and shared them with many - leading Bible study groups and teaching the Word from a Jewish perspective to anyone who would listen.

If you would like to give to the Ruth Wardell Fund, please log on to http://www.ariel.org/ and click the "giving" tab. Or mail your donation to Ariel Ministries P.O. Box 792507, San Antonio, Texas 78279

table of contents 04 testimony

Chris Eisbrenner shares his path to salvation and his call to Jewish missions.

06 feature

World Mission Outreach taps into Ariel's resources, making disciples throughout the world.

12 on the road

Arnold visits South Africa for the first time! Read about his African adventures.

14 cover story

What will become of the Arab nations during the millennium? What does scripture have to say about this?

19 summer program

We are celebrating 40 wonderful years of Shoshanah! Be sure and register for the summer program today.

24 fruit from the frucht

Get an inside look at the Spiritual Life from a Jewish Perspective. 01

from the home office Purpose Statement Ariel Ministries exists in order to evangelize Jewish people and to disciple Jewish and Gentile believers through intensive Bible teaching from a Jewish perspective. Board of Directors: Charles Barg

Dear Ariel Family, Greetings to you in this New Year! I hope and pray that it is off to a wonderful start for you and your family. As we begin 2014, I have been reminded of Micah 6:8 which says, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." May we all live out the truth of these words! 

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum Jerry Gross Guy Hoffman Jake Hogue

Publication: Publisher Ariel Ministries Executive Editor Chris Nikkel

I am very excited about this issue of Ariel Magazine! Emily Glisson does a great job putting it all together. As you can see from the cover, you will find great content in the following pages. Our winter cover story, Arab States and Prophecy, gives an inside look at the future of Arab nations during the millennium, as taught in the Bible. It is one of Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s most popular speaking-topics. I hope you’ll check it out.

Managing Editor Emily Glisson Copy Editor Christiane Jurik Contributing Writers Arnold Fruchtenbaum Chris Eisbrenner

This issue also includes details about the Summer Program at Camp Shoshanah. For decades now, people from all over the world have come to learn and study the Bible from a Jewish perspective. I encourage you to pray about attending the program this summer. The courses and application information are provided in this issue and on our website.

Nanette Keao Art Directors Jesse & Josh Gonzales vipgraphics.net Home Office Contact: Ariel Ministries

I want to also draw your attention to the Ruth Wardell Fund. Ruth (also known as “Ruth with the Truth”) shared the gospel with Arnold years ago and is now in need of support as a result of two recent strokes and minimal funds to cover the substantial costs of healthcare. You will find more information about this fund on the page to your left.

11926 Radium Street San Antonio, Texas 78216-2713 (210) 344-7707 [email protected] Mailing Address:

Thank you for your prayers and support of Ariel Ministries. We are honored to be partnering with you. I hope you enjoy this issue of Ariel Magazine! Blessings,

P.O. Box 792507 San Antonio, Texas

Chris Nikkel Home Office Manager

78279-2507

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meet the team Ariel Branches & Representatives Ariel Hungary Ivan & Rita Nagy Email: [email protected] Ivan and Rita Nagy represent Ariel Ministries in Hungary. The husband and wife team have developed a Come & See website in Hungarian. They also host several home Bible study groups, teaching from Ariel’s materials. Their goal is to make teachings available to Jewish people, believers, and to the Hungarian people.

ARIEL BRANCHES Ariel Australia Paul and Sue Cohen Email: [email protected] Paul and Sue Cohen represent Ariel Ministries in Australia. Paul’s ministry focuses on three main components: Bible theology and doctrine, Christian evangelism, and discipleship. The Cohens reside on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

ARIEL REPRESENTATIVES

Ariel Canada Jacques Isaac and Sharon Gabizon Website: www.arielcanada.com Email: [email protected] Jacques and Sharon Gabizon represent Ariel Ministries in Canada. Their projects include door-to-door evangelism of Jewish homes in Montreal and translating Ariel’s manuscripts into French. Ariel Canada established a messianic congregation in Montreal called Beth Ariel.

INDIA

Michael & Hannah Gabizon (Texas) Email: [email protected] Michael and Hannah Gabizon are missionaries representing Ariel Ministries in Dallas, Texas. The young couple has actively been involved in teaching and discipling people through God’s Word. Their goal is to identify other young people within their sphere of influence who may be interested in becoming involved with Ariel.

Ariel India Bakul N. Christian Email: [email protected] Bakul Christian represents Ariel Ministries in India and resides with his wife and daughter in Ahmedabad. After a chance meeting with a former New Zealand representative, Bakul became interested in the Jewish perspective of God’s Word. Today, Bakul daily seeks the Lord’s direction concerning his outreach ministry in India.

UNITED STATES

Ariel Israel Sasha G. & Lilian G. Email: [email protected] Sasha and Lilian G. represent Ariel Ministries in Israel. The husband and wife team have been representing Ariel Ministries in Israel since October 2009. They are responsible for coordinating the translating the Come & See Discipleship Program into Hebrew and Russian.

Chris & Tina Eisbrenner (North Carolina) http://ariel.org/ariel-eisbrenner.htm Email: [email protected] Phone: 919-607-1327 Chris and Tina Eisbrenner are missionary representatives who joined Ariel Ministries in August 2013. They are currently representing the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina, where there is a budding and growing Jewish community. Chris will also be doing work as a Field Representative ministering in churches by teaching the Bible from a Jewish historical and cultural perspective. John Metzger (North Carolina) Website: www.promisestoisrael.org Email: [email protected] John Metzger is a missionary who represents Ariel Ministries in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a teacher and speaker who actively travels throughout the central and eastern part of the U.S., speaking at various churches and conferences. John is also the author of Discovering the Mystery of the Unity of God published by Ariel Ministries.

Ariel China For safety issues, we must protect the identity of this branch. Please keep them in your prayers. Ariel Germany Georg Hagedorn Website: www.cmv-duesseldorf.de Email: [email protected] Georg and Heidi Hagedorn represent Ariel Ministries in Germany. Georg has been working as a representative in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland since 2004 and as a full branch since 2010. His tasks include translating, editing, and publishing materials in German. Georg’s future goal is to one day establish a German Ariel camp program.

Gary & Missy Demers (New York) [email protected] Gary and his wife Missy are the managers and camp facilitators of the Shoshanah campus in upstate New York. Every summer they help host Ariel's Program of Messianic Jewish Studies. For more information about this program, please visit www.ariel.org.

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testimony 13. That was when my Dad went through a mid-life crisis and wound up turning away from God, leaving our family, and eventually remarrying. My reaction to this as a 13-year old boy was devastation and anger. I was angry at my Dad, my Mom, and God for letting this happen. As a result, my teenage years were spent distant from God in rebellion, engulfed in alcohol, drugs, and partying. During those years, I remember the Lord’s conviction of my lifestyle, but I kept trying to block that out. Finally, at the age of 18 and through the prayers of many, God gave me a heart to change. I began to seek Him again. This led to enrolling in Friends of Israel’s one-year Bible Institute so I could learn the Bible better. During that year, and for the first time in my life, I learned about the Bible from a premillennial and dispensational perspective (despite going to church my whole life), and it opened up the Word of God to me in a way I never imagined possible. Dr. William Varner, now with the Master’s College, challenged us that year to study Israel and the Jewish people. He said if we did, it would be the key that would unlock the Word of God in our lives… and it was! We also did a study tour of Israel that year, and all of this led to God giving me a heart for Israel: the land and the Jewish people.

A Gentile’s Call to Jewish Missions By Chris Eisbrenner

One of the questions I am asked most often while I minister is, “Are you Jewish?” Most people assume that to be in Jewish missions means you must be Jewish, but I am a Gentile; half Italian on my mother’s side and half German on my father’s. I like to think of myself as what the Scriptures call a “God-fearing Gentile,” one that recognizes that the true God is the God of Israel. Thus one who bows the knee to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and one who is extremely grateful to be grafted in and to have become a partaker of the spiritual blessings of the Jewish covenants – by God’s grace.

In 1989, at the age of 19, I met my wife-to-be, Tina. We dated for five years and were married in 1994. She also attended Friends of Israel’s one-year Bible Institute. Also in 1994, God led us to a local Jewish mission in Philadelphia called Hananeel House. The director of the mission, Reverend Thomas

My path to salvation, and eventually to Jewish missions, began in a Christian home in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. I was saved at the age of nine during Vacation Bible School at my home church. I walked with God during the next four years until I turned

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testimony Huckel, recognized the call on our lives and told me so. He encouraged me to go to Bible College, began discipling me, and offered us the third floor apartment of the mission while in college. As a result, I graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible in 1997 with a B.S. in Bible and a minor in Jewish missions. No man has had a greater impact on my life than Reverend Huckel.

graduated with my Masters of Divinity in 2013. During seminary, I had been doing some ministry, including my internship, at a local Jewish mission, but began talking to Ariel Ministries in the spring of 2013, as I had always been fond of Dr. Fruchtenbaum, his books, and his ministry. This led to Ariel inviting us to Camp Shoshanah to meet the staff this past summer and to Dr. Fruchtenbaum inviting me to come on staff. Thus, Tina and I joined Ariel Ministries in August of 2013 as missionaries, and I will also be a field representative, traveling and speaking in churches. After raising all of my support, I plan to start working toward my doctorate in Judaic Studies.

Unfortunately, the pressures of college, working full-time, beginning to have children, and trying to minister became overwhelming at the age of 27. So after graduating from Bible College, I fell away for a time and became distant from God again. I call these my “Jonah years” as I found myself running from God’s call on my life. Looking back, I see this as a time where the adversary worked long and hard to try to destroy my life and calling, and I was too young and immature in the Lord to put up much of a fight. I dove into my career during the next five years and again tried to look for comfort in the things the world had to offer, but there was no comfort in those things. There is nothing more miserable than a true believer living a lukewarm, double-minded lifestyle. I know this from experience, and it should be difficult for a believer to stay there. We ought to want more. I wrestled with God mightily in those five years of running, but eventually God won.

God did not have to do all of this for me as a Gentile, but He did. Romans 11 tells me that God has grafted me in at the cost of Israel being blinded (…”by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.” 11:11). Israel was given a spirit of stupor and eyes to not see (11:8-10) so that God could call for Himself a people among the Gentiles (Acts 15:14) and have an age of Gentile fullness (Rom. 11:25). Further, Romans 11 tells me it is my responsibility as a Gentile to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy by being a witness to them. By doing so, it magnifies my own ministry (Rom. 11:13-14). Finally, Romans 12 tells me that because of the mercies of God being extended to me as a Gentile, it is my reasonable service to do so.

So through the prayers of many, God would not let me rest in spiritual mediocrity, and I began to seek Him once again. Once I did, my heart for Israel and for education returned. I enrolled in seminary during the fall of 2005, and there was no looking back. This eventually led me to Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, North Carolina, where I

For all these reasons, it is an honor to be a missionary to the Jewish people, to be grafted in to God’s plan for the ages, and to be a part of such an amazing work of God at Ariel Ministries. That is the story of one man’s call to Jewish missions.

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feature World Mission Outreach: Spreading the Fruit from the Frucht & Making Disciples throughout the World.

pastors from Liberia and nearby countries, absorb the teaching presented by the World Mission Outreach (WMO) team, led by Henry and Darlene Matarrita.  Across the continent, churches in remote rural villages in the regions of Mbeya, Morogoro, and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania display Israeli flags and pray fervently for Jewish people and Israel’s national salvation.  A small band of Tanzanian widows, dedicated prayer intercessors for the people of Israel, pray at their own wailing wall, built by their own

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

hands.  In Thailand, Nepal, Egypt, Holland, Romania, Germany, and many other areas of the world, the story is the same.  By God’s grace, WMO, an evangelistic association, is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus to Jews and Gentiles, equipping the next generation, and mobilizing the church worldwide.  Arnold Fruchtenbaum and Ariel Ministries play an integral role in Henry and Darlene’s work, providing the materials from which they and WMO team members effectively teach the Bible.  After graduating from Talbot Seminary at Biola University and completing an internship with the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, Henry came to Hawaii in 1996 with a vision for Jewish evangelism. Familiar with Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s work and the goals of Ariel Ministries, Henry sought Dr.

By Nanette Keao

Romans 1:16

In a bright yellow church in Liberia on Africa’s west coast, an Israeli national flag hangs on the wall behind Pastor Wion and his guest speakers, symbolizing the Jewish roots of the New Testament faith and the call to proclaim the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.   Conference attendees, including 60 plus

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feature Fruchtenbaum’s advice.  Arnold wrote a letter to the Oahu churches that opened the door for Henry to begin his Jewish evangelistic work. Later, Arnold sat on Henry’s advisory board for Hawaii Jewish Outreach, the predecessor to WMO.  Today, Arnold is both friend and mentor to Henry and Darlene as they prepare WMO team members for Jewish evangelism and church equipping.  Evangelism is the first priority of Henry and Darlene, beginning with the house of Israel, but they don’t stop there.  They work

many other pastors from other nations.  Ariel Ministries and WMO are opening the eyes of the church worldwide to the importance of studying the Bible from a Messianic Jewish perspective.  As Henry and Darlene obey Romans 1:16, bringing the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles around the world, the fruit of their efforts is multiplied in several unique ways. They partner with local pastors and churches of the Gentile nations to organize outreaches and follow up with the discipleship of new

diligently to equip pastors worldwide with Biblical understanding from a Messianic Jewish perspective so that these pastors will instill this perspective in their local churches, preparing their flocks for Jewish evangelism and intercessory prayer on behalf of the Jewish people.  Pastor Piniel Lucumay of Arusha, Tanzania, pinpointed ways in which the teachings of WMO were life changing for him, saying, “I learned to understand the importance of my role as a Gentile believer for the salvation of Israel and our Christian responsibility toward the Jewish people . . . Our first call as Christians is to support those ministries that bring the Gospel to the Jews since the Gospel is the most important and valuable thing anyone can give them.” What is true for Pastor Lucumay is also true for

believers.  Additionally, as pastors and their flocks gain a greater understanding of the Jewish perspective in their Bible studies, the churches are motivated to join WMO in planning Jewish evangelistic outreaches in keeping with Romans 11:11 and 11:30-31.  Plans are in the making in Tanzania and other nations for Jewish outreaches in 2014, with churches already equipped for Jewish evangelism.  The core staff of WMO, Henry, Darlene, and Christiane Ahnert, also lead small teams to Israel during two important seasons, Shavuot or Pentecost and Christmas, teaching believers to share their faith and speak about the Bible in an engaging manner to Jews and Muslims. They teach on such sensitive subjects as the Trinity, the deity of Messiah, common Jewish

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feature objections to Yeshua, and how to avoid offending Jews and Muslims as they share their faith.  Group members are reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 14: 11 concerning the Jews, that “by their [Jews’] transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.” The WMO staff provides the small groups with an outstanding tour of Israel’s most important sites pertaining to Yeshua’s ministry, using Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s book An Historical and Geographical Study Guide of Israel as a constant teaching resource.   The typical

Often Ariel and WMO’s ministries overlap in Israel as Dr. Fruchtenbaum leads his Israel Geography and History tours while Henry and Darlene lead small teams throughout Israel during the Pentecost season.  Last May, Arnold met with the WMO team before  Shavuot at Henry and Darlene’s Jerusalem home to answer questions pertaining to the Jewish mindset toward "Christians" and the Bible from a Messianic Jewish perspective.  Accompanying Arnold were Sasha and Lilian of the Ariel Israel Branch and Arnold’s former

outreach in Israel for Shavuot is ten days, and in that time, the groups develop a love for Israel and for the people who so desperately need to know their Savior.  The opportunities for these groups to meet and interact with the Jewish people are unique and to a certain extent, unscripted.  The highlight of the trip during Shavuot is when the WMO group sets up camp on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee for three days.  Here they interact with Israeli families and individuals who are, for the most part, partakers in the holiday celebration according to tradition and not religious conviction. Truly, this is a field that is ripe for harvest, and inevitably, souls are reached for Messiah through the WMO team as they camp side by side with the Israeli people. 

Messianic congregational pastor in California, Dr. Larry Feldman, and his wife Fran.  The discussions were lively and informative and team members received precious insights in the interaction.  During that same week, the team entertained a Jewish Holocaust survivor, who, at 92 years old, allowed them to pray for him in Yeshua’s name.  As is common for Henry and Darlene, a friendship was formed, trust prevailed, and the seed of salvation was planted in yet another Jewish heart. Another facet of World Mission Outreach’s ministry is to conduct Messiah in the Passover  Seders in churches throughout America and elsewhere, teaching how Yeshua became the Passover lamb, thus fulfilling the Passover. Concerning the teaching in Messiah in the Passover, one pastor in Germany commented,

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feature “One point was most important for me: the conclusive and logical introduction of communion through the Jewish tradition.  The details given and the lively presentation were powerful and gave us a thorough insight into the Jewish traditions.  Everybody enjoyed it a lot!” He was also excited to have participants from five different denominations and became “convinced that the teaching and celebration of Messiah in the Passover can finally unify us again in the Body of Christ.”

Henry and Darlene reside in Jerusalem, where Henry is completing his doctoral dissertation on the Holocaust through the Hebrew University, the University of the Holy Land, and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.  Henry completed his Masters in Theology at Moody Bible Institute, and Darlene has a B.A. in Biblical and Jewish studies from the Israel College of the Bible in Jerusalem.  Prior to beginning establishing WMO, Henry and Darlene worked for Chosen People Ministries for 10 years, where

Ariel’s Camp Shoshanah provides refreshment and intense Biblical studies for Darlene and Henry. They are delighted to find spiritual unity and form relationships with the teachers and international participants of Camp Shoshanah.  WMO team members are encouraged to attend camp, and Ariel Ministries has assisted this effort by extending scholarships on the basis of Henry and Arnold’s recommendations. Christiane Ahnert, teacher and coordinator for the WMO German branch, the Naomi Ruth Foundation, received a scholarship two years ago to attend camp for the one-week seminar on The Life of the Messiah with Arnold.  She is an ardent student of Arnold’s work, so attending Camp Shoshanah was an answered prayer for Christiane.  

they established many of the contacts leading to their current work In Africa and other countries, World Mission Outreach and Ariel Ministries have joined efforts to work with churches in San Antonio for future Jewish evangelistic outreaches. To learn more about World Mission Outreach, the opportunities for your participation as a WMO team member, or ways your church can be involved in their ministry, please visit the WMO website at:  www.wmoutreach.org or contact them through World Mission Outreach, P.O. Box 10664, Lahaina,, Hawaii  96761,  USA.  Christiane Ahnert of the WMO/Naomi Ruth branch in Germany may be reached at  [email protected].

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branch updates CHINA We appreciate your faithfulness, prayers, and support within the last year. We gladly report to you that in the last three month we have... Finished the first season trans-churches Messianic Bible study of LOM. Finished the translation of “Messianic Jewish Epistles”. Begun to translate “The Remnant of Israel” and “Messianic Eschatology”. Begun to share the Bible teaching from a Jewish perspective with local pastors here. Begun to contact Jews in China and develop relationships with them. Begun to build a translation team for Ariel China.

I will be very busy in 2014. My schedule includes meetings in different places throughout Gujarat, planning and executing a library in my city, and beginning Life of Messiah classes. My goal is to start Life of Messiah correspondence courses in Gujarati. Please pray for Dr. Robin, who is one of our trustees. He currently teaches Life of Messiah and Eschatology in two churches in Surat (South Gujarat). Please also pray for God’s financial provision over Ariel India. I have given the MOU a draft of the Church of North India, and they will make a decision on it very soon, so please pray for that also.

In 2014, Ariel China plans to... Publish two to three books written by Dr. Arnold. Translate two or more books, as well as five to seven manuscripts written by Dr. Arnold. Recruit some brothers and sisters to join the ministry of Ariel China. Have the second season trans-churches Messianic Bible study of Life of Messiah. Host a two and a half-day seminar studying Life of Messiah.

I would like to start a wing of Ariel India, which will work to evangelize people (with the permission of the trustees). I would also like to bring my family to Ariel’s summer program this July and August for at least three weeks. Please pray for this as well.

CANADA

Please pray for strength and resources so we are able to translate Ariel’s materials into Chinese. We would also like to see attendees at the second season trans-churches Messianic Bible study and at the seminar we’re hosting in 2014 – both events will be featuring an in-depth teaching on Life of Messiah. Please pray for our financial support to publish books. Finally, please pray for the Kaifeng Jewish Campaign 2015 with Pastor Henry Matarrita

Of course it’s hard for anyone to match the number of road trips that our beloved Dr. Fruchtenbaum manages in a given year (One gift we can ask him for is his air mile points!), but we are still excited for the ones that we have booked in 2014, and we ask that you would pray with us and for us. Jacques Isaac Gabizon will be teaching for a week at Capernwray Bible School (Thetis Island B.C.) in January. He will then head to Calgary for a prophecy conference, as well as a 3-church visit on that following Sunday. There has already been enthusiasm from many Calgarians for this conference. We are hoping for a mid-winter Stampede - a rush of folks to get on the bandwagon and join us in understanding what times and events are soon to come. Between Blood Moons and Rabbi Kaduri’s prophecy relating to Ariel Sharon’s passing, we are hard pressed to finish the race teaching the truth of God’s Word. After Calgary, during the month of March, Jacques Isaac heads for Mexico to teach in Juarez. This city not only houses a Bible school, but it is also notorious for having the heaviest drug cartel activity in Mexico. Please pray for travel mercies and safety.

INDIA Last year we were given many opportunities to teach and preach Ariel's material in many places throughout Gujarat state. We praise God for those opportunities. Personally, I praise God for an opportunity to attend the summer program last year. I was sponsored by Ariel USA, who graciously gave me a scholarship to go and learn the Bible from a Jewish perspective at the Shoshanah campground in upstate New York. Thanks to Arnold Fruchtenbaum and the board members for allowing this to happen.

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branch updates We continue translating Ariel’s material. We also continue our door-to-door outreach and praying for more airtime on the radio in Montreal, Toronto, and Israel. For those wishing to get news of our Montreal door-to-door outreach to Jewish homes, or to pray with us and reap the blessings of standing with this team, you can email us at [email protected]. We will send you exciting stories of great encounters at the doors of Jewish homes. Please pray as well for our Ottawa monthly Bible study and soon-to-come outreach in that city.

communication with other believers who have many questions. This is what we need - questions, because we have biblical answers. Rita will start a new Come and See teaching via Skype with her cousin, who got saved recently. Please pray for her. A chief accountant, whom I taught German for eight years, got saved recently. I talked to her about the gospel many times, and she had many questions and fears. Last week, I asked her if she believes and she said yes! It was the first opportunity for her to confess. Glory to God!

We have a hard climb ahead of us, but when that time comes, we will take off on our first journey in incorruptible flight suits. Come soon, Lord Yeshua!

ISRAEL

HUNGARY

We have started working on the second module for our new website. Two more lessons will soon be added. We are so excited!

We would like to thank you for your faithfulness, prayers, and support, especially during difficult times while Rita had her health problems. As many of you know, last autumn Rita was diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease. With God’s help and care, her health is much better, but she has a long road of recovery ahead of her. Please pray for us.

In the frame of our messianic congregation, Sasha is sharing the resources of Ariel Ministries that were translated into Hebrew to the young believers who have been discpled lately. Sasha was asked to write an article in Israel College of the Bible Magazine, introducing the work and available material of Ariel Ministries. We do have a praise report to share: We recently received word from Ariel’s Home Office that due to generous supporter's donation, we can cover and close the loan we took for the vehicle 1.5 years ago. We are so thankful!

2014 will be a very busy year for us! We have reserved spots on Arnold’s 5-week Israel Tour. Please pray for strength and health to be able to participate, which would be a huge blessing for us. We are also planning to attend Camp Shoshanah this summer. We would like to participate in the 5-week program.

As you might know, every summer, for the last three years, Sasha comes with Liel, Ariel, and once with Yonatan, to Camp Shoshanah (in upstate New York), for 4-6 weeks. This year, for Liel to participate in the camp, we need to provide an assistant for her while she is in class. Please pray with us for the right person. We can bring her/him from Israel with us, but we need to raise enough donations to cover the airfare and accommodation/conference fees/meals. For the last 3 years, the only way for us to attend the summer program was through generous donations from supporters like you.

In October, we will have the second Hungarian conference with Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum. There are already some partners attending, but it would be good to have some more. We also need volunteers to help us at the conference. Please pray for us, that everything will be well organized and that God leads people there to participate in the program. With great activity and joy, we have more and more Bible studies. Last year we started with Acts, and in January we were able to read and discuss the New Testament on a weekly basis with a very good Jewish friend. He was the Chairman of the Board of Holocaust Museum, where Rita worked, and he is a well-known figure with hundreds of Jewish friends. He is neolog (not strictly religious). He said he would like to read the New Testament, but not alone. So we gladly said yes! Please pray that God will use this opportunity as an open door for others.

If you feel led to support our family to attend Camp Shoshanah this summer, please make a short note on your donation indicating that your support is for the Israel branch to attend camp. You may also contact the Home Office at 210-344-7707 for more details on how to place your donation. We ask that you be involved with us in what happens in Israel, with the “kingdom mentality”. This means acting together, hand-in-hand, and lending your prayers, your encouragement, and your support.

I have been writing weekly teaching articles on Facebook. Parallel to this, I also started a group to indicate

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on the road was what the South Africans had told me. Beyond that, I was in for a surprise. My Israeli cousin spent some years in South Africa when it still was under apartheid rule. She spoke glowingly of life there, how safe the streets were and how thievery was virtually unknown. She was back in Israel by the time the apartheid government collapsed in 1994. Thus, when I arrived into Johannesburg that is not what I found.

Africa Zimbabwe Harare Chitungwiza

Johannesburg Cape

South Africa

For those unfamiliar with this form of government, the word apartheid itself means “the state of being apart”. In simple terms, the minority rules over the majority, and only the minority is given the right to vote. In a democracy, this cannot be tolerated. That kind of government simply had to go and, indeed, it is gone now. However, in the transfer of power and authority, it would have been wise to allow for a transitional period so that different functions of the government could have transferred to people who were qualified to run a government, but that has not been the case in most parts. The first four days of my trip were spent in Johannesburg. I stayed in the beautiful home with a Messianic mother and her son. While riding around the city, I noticed that some of the population lives in rather strict security compounds with high walls surrounding them and electric fences, iron bars, and gates on the door fronts. They struck me as wealthy or well-to-do concentration camps. However, they were not designed to keep people in, but rather to keep people out. Thievery unfortunately runs rampant in Johannesburg, as does murder. It has ceased to be a lawful society, and this is a sad change from what my cousin once told me.

ON THE ROAD By Arnold Fruchtenbaum

Africa is the one continent (not counting the Antarctica) that I had never been to – at least not until recently. In 2013, I finally had the wonderful opportunity to visit both South Africa and Zimbabwe. Two years ago, three people from South Africa came to Camp Shoshanah, and one of them was a pastor. He invited me to come to his country for three weeks, but since my schedule was already set up two years in advance, it was difficult for me to plan this trip sooner. Finally, during the months of October and November, I was able to visit the country.

But there is good news as well. The Bible Church that invited me is a solid dispensational Bible teaching church and very integrated as it should be. The church has a budget that includes establishing similar churches throughout South Africa and elsewhere, including Zimbabwe. During my time there, the Bible Church was holding a mission’s conference. Many of the other

I came with no preconceived notions, something I had learned to do from my many overseas trips around the world. All I knew about this country

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on the road churches they support were present, and I got to meet most of them. These people are zealous, committed to evangelism, and passionate about teaching the Word of God from both a dispensational and Messianic Jewish perspective. It was refreshing to see such an active Bible Church zeroing in on solid doctrine.

and the menu was very simple. There was cold cereal, but to eat it required hot powdered milk. There were some great aspects to my stay in Zimbabwe. The pastor arranged for me to speak at a local pastors’ meeting and his own church meetings. I was also invited to teach at a local Bible college. There were meetings with a Christian segment of the local police force, though afterwards, a policewoman, who was not part of the meetings, interrogated us. It reminded us of what a police state is like. I left Zimbabwe with a great appreciation for the local work and what the pastor and his family are trying to accomplish.

After four days in South Africa, I flew into Zimbabwe (formally Rhodesia) with the associate pastor of the church and a Zimbabwean pastor and his wife. It was not a normal flight. Once I boarded the aircraft, I could tell that it was rather old.   After about 45 minutes in the air, the pilot announced that there was an electrical failure and that we would need to return to Johannesburg. I looked at the expression of one of the flight attendants and could see that she was worried (something I learned to do after many flights). I knew things were much more serious than what the pilot let on, and I prayed a prayer I often prayed before: "Lord, my life is in your hands, and I pray for your protection..." And He did. As we approached the runway for landing, I noticed there were fire trucks waiting on both sides of the runway. Only upon landing did the pilot give us the whole story. It seems that the plane had major electrical and hydraulic problems.

Back in South Africa, the meetings were now taking place in areas outside of Johannesburg, where the security was less tight. I finally got to take my walks again. But the most rewarding time was spent teaching in two different churches near a wildlife park in South Africa. There was also a four-hour leadership teaching session within the park. Then we were off to the Cape where the security factor was even less obvious. In fact, some of the parts reminded me more of Southern California than Africa. Here again, there were churches built on the basis of sound Bible teaching, and it was rewarding to teach at three different dispensational congregations.

After a three-hour delay, we boarded another plane, and the new pilot informed us that this was a brand new plane and there should be no further problem. And there were none.

Upon my return to Johannesburg, we had two additional meetings, which were added to the itinerary at the last minute, but the audience was large and rewarding.

We landed in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, but that is not where we stayed. We went into the third largest city called Chitungwiza which is quite poverty-stricken. For three nights, we stayed with the local pastor and his family. My policy has always been to acculturate to the place where I’m visiting. So the electricity would come and go, there was running cold, but no hot water,

I will be returning to South Africa in 2015 for a shorter trip - 10 days instead of three weeks. At that time, we will have begun our new School of Messianic Jewish Studies, and so my travel schedule will need to be sharply reduced for that reason.

On one occasion, the associate pastor talked me into trying a cooked worm, a Zimbabwean specialty. I tried one and was cured from trying a second one. But the pastor's family took great joy in watching me eat it! 13

cover story

The

Arab States In Prophecy: Future Conflicts by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

With so much news coming out of the Middle East in the last few years, a great deal of attention has been given to the area of prophetic Scriptures. By and large most of the studies in the realm of Bible prophecy as it relates to the Middle East have been primarily concerned with the State of Israel. Virtually nothing has been said about the Arab states and their future insofar as the Scriptures are concerned. 14

cover story and your cities shall not be inhabited; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

It is clear from the Scriptures that the land commonly referred to as Palestine was given to Jewish people by divine right. The Scriptures invalidate any Arab claim to the land, and whatever future the Bible deals with concerning the Arab peoples does not include Israel itself.

In verses 6-8, the picture is one of massive destruction with blood and dead bodies filling the mountains, hills, and valleys, resulting in Edom becoming a perpetual desolation in verse 9.

In determining the place of the Arab states in the Millennial Kingdom, it should be viewed from the background of the Arabs’ perpetual hatred against the Jews – specifically the history of their antiSemitism and how closely these individual states are related by blood to Israel. Ultimately, peace will come between Israel and the various Arab states, but it will come in one of three forms: first, by means of occupation; second, by means of destruction; or third, by means of conversion.

Adding to all this, Jeremiah 49:7-13 states: Of Edom. Thus says Jehovah of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? 8Flee ye, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I shall visit him. 9If grapegatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, would they not destroy till they had enough? 10But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is destroyed, and his brethren, and his neighbors; and he is not. 11Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let your widows trust in me. 12For thus says Jehovah: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and are you he that shall altogether go unpunished? you shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink. 13For I have sworn by myself, says Jehovah, that Bozrah shall become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. 7

Lebanon Peace will come between Israel and

Lebanon by means of occupation. Scripture does not so much explicitly state this as it is derived from certain facts contained in the Scriptures. Ezekiel 47:13-48:29 give the boundaries in the Messianic Kingdom. The tracing of the northern boundary shows that Israel will encompass all of modernday Lebanon. From this fact, it can be deduced that Israel will occupy and possess all of Lebanon in the Kingdom. Some of its northern tribes will settle there. In the Messianic Kingdom, there will be no nation called Lebanon; it will be part of Millennial Israel.

In verses 7-10, the emphasis of Jeremiah is on the totality of the destruction of Edom so as to leave nothing remaining of the seed of Esau. In verse 11, Edom had been given an opportunity to trust in the Lord but failed to respond. So now the cup of iniquity is full. In verse 12, Edom must drink of the cup of God’s wrath. In verse 13, the result will be that it will become nothing but an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse.

Edom:  Southern Jordan

It is Edom (or southern Jordan) in particular that the prophets were concerned about. Several passages disclose that peace will come between Israel and Edom by means of destruction. One such passage is Ezekiel 35:6-9:

Obadiah centers his entire attention on Edom’s destruction, emphasizing its totality pointing out their failure to be aided either by their friends or by the Edomites own wisdom or military might.

. . .6therefore, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, I will prepare you unto blood, and blood shall pursue you: since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7Thus will I make mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation; and I will cut off from it him that passes through and him that returns. 8And I will fill its mountains with its slain: in your hills and in your valleys and in all your watercourses shall they fall that are slain with the sword. 9I will make you a perpetual desolation,

In verses 17-21, Obadiah adds: But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their

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cover story possessions. 18And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for Jehovah has spoken it. 19And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 20And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, shall possess even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. 21And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be Jehovah’s.

will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the children of Ammon; and it shall become a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel possess them that did possess him, says Jehovah. As with Moab, it will not be a total destruction, and those who survive will turn to the Lord, for a remnant of Ammon will also be found in the Kingdom according to Jeremiah 49:6: But afterward I will bring back the captivity of the children of Ammon, says Jehovah. Thus, peace comes between Israel and northern Jordan by means of a partial destruction, followed by conversion, and there will be a saved nation called Ammon in the Kingdom.

In verse 17, the time of Israel’s final restoration will also be the time of Edom’s final destruction. In verse 18, Obadiah states rather clearly that this destruction will come by means of the children of Israel, for the two houses of Israel will be like fire while Edom will be like stubble that quickly catches fire when exposed to the flame. In verses 19-20, this destruction will be total, so that nothing will remain of Esau’s descendants, while the descendants of his brother Jacob will own and possess the mountains of Edom. In verse 21, it is out of mount Zion that judgment will fall on Edom.

Egypt Peace will come between Israel and Egypt

initially by means of destruction and later by means of conversion. A comprehensive story of Egypt’s future is given in Isaiah 19:1-22. In verses 1-10, the Prophet Isaiah described Egypt’s punishment because of her sins. Egypt will be characterized by civil war, desolation, and famine. In verses 11-15, the prophet stated that the root cause of Egypt’s devastation was her leaders, who had led her astray. Under the dictatorships of Farouk, Nasser, and Sadat, Egypt went to war against Israel on four occasions, each resulting in heavy losses for Egypt and wrecking her economy.

Moab:  Central Jordan

Peace will come between Israel and Moab, present-day central Jordan, by means of partial destruction (Jer. 48:1-46). Those who survive will come to repentance. Thus, there will be a saved nation called Moab in the Messianic Kingdom, according to Jeremiah 48:47:

Out of all this, there developed in Egypt a fear of Israel, as prophesied in Isaiah 19:16-17: In that day shall the Egyptians be like unto women; and they shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of Jehovah of hosts, which he shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah shall become a terror unto Egypt; every one to whom mention is made thereof shall be afraid, because of the purpose of Jehovah of hosts, which he purposes against it. 16

Yet will I bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith Jehovah. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Ammon:  Northern Jordan

Concerning Ammon, modern day northern Jordan, it will also suffer a partial destruction and become a possession of Israel, according to Jeremiah 49:12:

Never in ancient history has this been true. Even in the days of Solomon, Egyptian forces passed through Israel freely. Only since 1948, and especially since the Six Day War, have the Egyptian forces evidenced a fear and dread of Israel portrayed in this passage. Having

Of the children of Ammon. Thus says Jehovah: Has Israel no sons? has he no heir? why then does Malcam possess Gad, and his people dwell in the cities thereof? 2 Therefore, behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I 1

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cover story Nevertheless, because of her longstanding hatred of Israel, in the outworking of the cursing principle of the Abrahamic Covenant, Egypt will suffer a desolation that will be similar to that of Edom, according to Joel  3:19:

lost four wars against Israel with heavy casualties, the fear is deeply rooted. Prophetically, today is still the period of Isaiah 19:16-17. But eventually peace will come between Israel and Egypt. Initially, the peace will be a political one, when the Hebrew language will be spoken by five Egyptian cities, according to Isaiah 19:18:

Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Jehovah of hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction.

The desolation of Egypt is to last only for the first 40 years of the Kingdom (Ezekiel 29:1-16).

Assyria:  Northern Iraq Ancient

This, in turn, will slowly give way to Egypt’s conversion, according to Isaiah 19:19-22:

Assyria is today comprised of modern northern Iraq, another implacable Arab enemy of modern Israel. But peace will come between Israel and northern Iraq by means of conversion, according to Isaiah 19:23-25:

In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Jehovah. 20And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto Jehovah because of oppressors, and he will send them a saviour, and a defender, and he will deliver them. 21And Jehovah shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day; yea, they shall worship with sacrifice and oblation, and shall vow a vow unto Jehovah, and shall perform it. 22And Jehovah will smite Egypt, smiting and healing; and they shall return unto Jehovah, and he will be entreated of them, and will heal them. 19

In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians. 24In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; 25for that Jehovah of hosts has blessed them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance. 23

Verse 23 describes an economic unit that will encompass Egypt, Israel, and Assyria. The famous highway of the ancient world, known as the Via Maris, has ceased to function in 1948, when Israel became a state. That same year, Egypt and Syria closed their borders, making the highway inoperable. However, in the Kingdom, when peace will be restored, all borders will be open, and the highway, a symbol of economy, will be restored between these middleeastern states. The means by which this will occur is conversion in verses  24-25. Not only will Egypt undergo a conversion experience, so also will the ancient area of Assyria. Assyria will become a blessing in the earth and will receive a blessing from God. The three former enemies will now have a spiritual unity as well as an economic and political one. God declares: Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance. This spiritual unity will be the basis for the other unities.

In verses 19-20a, an altar to the God of Israel will be built as a sign and a witness of the power of the God of Israel to save the land of Egypt. Egypt will be greatly oppressed by the forces of the Antichrist and his cohorts (Dan. 11:42-43), but God will save Egypt from the domination of those oppressors in verse 20b. The Egyptians will realize that Allah, the Muslim god, cannot save them, but only Jehovah, the God of Israel. This will lead to the national conversion of Egypt. In conjunction with the latter days of the Tribulation and the Campaign of Armageddon, there will be a national conversion of Egypt. In this manner, they will take their place in the ranks of the sheep Gentiles (Mat.  25:31-46). It should be noted that Egypt will be one of the nations that will move against the Antichrist, according to Daniel 11:40.

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cover story The first of these two desolate spots will be the former world capital of the Antichrist: Babylon. Several passages make this point, one of which is Isaiah 13:20-22:

  Kedar and Hazor: Saudi Arabia Peace will come between

Israel and Saudi Arabia by means of destruction. This is taught in Jeremiah 49:28-33. This passage describes the total devastation of Saudi Arabia by war until the inhabitants are scattered and dispersed all over the world. As for the land itself, verse 33 states:

It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there. 21But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there. 22And wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. 20

And Hazor shall be a dwellingplace of jackals, a desolation for ever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein. The land of Saudi Arabia will be a perpetual desolation throughout the Kingdom, and the residents will be dispersed everywhere. While Egypt’s desolation and dispersion will last only forty years, for Saudi Arabia, it will last for all of the one thousand years of the Messianic Kingdom.

Throughout the Kingdom period, no man will even so much as pass by the ruins of Babylon, something that is hardly true today. Not only is Babylon to be a desolate waste throughout the Kingdom, it will also be a place of continual burning and smoke (Revelation 19:3).

Elam:  Persia or Iran Although Persia

The second desolate spot in the Kingdom will be Edom. This is pointed out in Jeremiah 49:17-18:

or Iran, which is ancient Elam, is not an Arab state, its future will be examined here because the Iranians share the same religion with the Muslim Arabs.

And Edom shall become an astonishment: every one that passes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. 18As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, says Jehovah, no man shall dwell there, neither any son of man sojourn therein. 17

Peace will come between Israel and Iran by means of destruction, according to Jeremiah 49:34-39. In verses  34-38, Jeremiah describes the destruction of Elam, with the inhabitants being completely dispersed all over the world. But then verse 39 declares:

The emphasis is on its totality, for no human will inhabit the land of Edom or even pass through it. Like Babylon, the desolation will be similar to that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam, says Jehovah. The destruction of Iran will be partial, and the dispersion will be temporary. Eventually the inhabitants will return and resettle the country. The future of Iran is similar to that of Egypt, but the length of time of the dispersion is not revealed.

Because of Edom’s glee over the fall of Israel and Judah, the punishment must come. So while the whole earth is beautified and rejoicing, Edom will be a desolation. The calamities, which fell on Israel and over which Edom rejoiced, will now fall on Edom in a more severe way (Ezekiel 35:10-15).

The Two Desolate Spots of the Kingdom During the Messianic

Throughout the Millennial Kingdom, smoke will rise over Edom and Babylon. It will be visible for the entire 1,000 years. While Satan will be confined in the Abyss, his demons will be confined in Babylon and Edom. These two places will be the abode of demons for the entire Kingdom period.

Kingdom, the entire world will be fruitful and very productive; it will be characterized by beauty. Nevertheless, there will be two desolate spots of burning pitch brimstone throughout the period of the Kingdom.

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Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum,Th.M, Ph.D. Founder & Director Ariel Ministries San Antonio, TX

Barry R. Leventhal, Th.M, Ph.D Distinguished Senior Professor Southern Evangelical Seminary Charlotte, NC

Mark Adler, Ph.D.

(Talbot School of Theology) Anaheim, CA Bible Teacher - Woodcrest Christian School, Riverside, CA

Mottel Baleston

Associate Messianic Rabbi Beth Messiah Congregation Livingston, NJ

Throughout the years, our Messianic

SHOSHANAH

Jewish Studies Program has been growing. We now offer a six-week program teaching various Bible topics and courses from a Messianic Jewish Perspective. There is a two week curriculum followed by a three week curriculum, followed by a one week course of the Life of Messiah from a Jewish Perspective.

Every summer for the past 40 years, Ariel Ministries has welcomed students of all ages from many countries to join us for our Messianic You may attend for one to six discipleship program held at weeks depending on your schedule. Students are encouraged to attend Camp Shoshanah. It is all six week of the program if their nestled in the beautiful schedule allows. Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, and THE PROGRAM BREAKDOWN provides the perfect setting Classes begin on Monday morning for our newly expanded and end on Friday evening. During six-week program of rich the first two weeks, the program will run four hours per day. During the Bible study, fellowship, and fun. You can attend from 1 to remaining four weeks, the program will run five hours per day. The 6 weeks of the Program structure of the program will include depending on your schedule. four classes, each an hour long per day Our program centers on the for both two and three week programs. The three week program has a required grounding and growth of fifth session for first-time attendees: The believers through in-depth Survey of the Life of Messiah, which runs for 75 minutes each day. The sixth week study of the Scriptures program will also run for five hours a day from a Jewish giving a complete detailed study of perspective. Messiah's life. The time of Bible A youth program is provided during the study combined with adult sessions. We have designed our worship, fellowship, schedule for the maximum teaching time and the beautiful during the day, while allowing ample time for fun and fellowship. The afternoons and surroundings, weekends allow plenty of free time for makes Shoshanah worship, fellowship, hiking, and recreation School the perfect at Trout Pond, as well as various other retreat for activities located nearby. refreshment Each Friday evening we have a special and Shabbat service and dinner. Saturday is a renewal free day for students who will continue their study and a departure day for those of your who are leaving. On Sunday mornings, we faith.

gather for a time of worship led by Ariel staff members and students. If you play a musical instrument, please bring it along to share with us. Saturday and Sunday evenings are reserved for lakeside cookouts with music, dance, and fellowship.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH:

(AGES 2-17) Serious Bible education is required for our youth. While opportunities for good fun abound, first and foremost the Shoshanah facility is a Discipleship Program. During adult classes, we will conduct Bible teaching and recreation program for children ages 2-17. Topics will mirror the adult program topics. We are not able to take care of children under two years of age. You are welcome to bring your own babysitter or advise the camp to see if they can hire a sitter for you.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

Accommodations include cabins for married couples and families, separate dorms for single men and single women, and camp grounds (tent, camper, or RV). All accommodations are available on a first-come, first-served basis, giving early registrants preference regarding dates of attendance. You may also commute from one of the local motels (contact Camp Shoshanah for a list). Pets are NOT permitted.

MEALS AT FACILITY:

Meals include breakfast, lunch and dinner. Please plan to arrive after 4 pm on Saturday. The first meal for new arrivals will be the evening cookout. Please Note: Attendees are not permitted to prepare their own meals nor is food allowed in the cabins, nor use of the kitchen facilities for any purpose. A refrigerator is provided in the dining hall for those attendees who have special needs. Anything that will be stored in the refrigerator in the Dining Hall designated "Student Fridge" MUST be put in a covered plastic box (obtained from the Office) and CLEARLY labeled.

Week 3 – July 21- 26 CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH CAMP CAMP CAMP SHOSHANAH CAMP CAMP SHOSHANAH CAMP CAMP SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH CAMP2012 CAMP2012 CAMP CAMP2012 CAMP CAMP2012 CAMP 2012 2012 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH SHOSHANAH 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE SYLLABUS

Jewish History Mottel Baleston

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE SYLLABUS

CAMP SHOSHANAH 2014

Week 1– July 7 – July 12 The Book of Joshua Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum Along with Caleb, Joshua was one of two surviving members of his generation who entered the Promised Land. Preparation for assuming his leadership of the children of Israel was Moses’ responsibility. Your study of Joshua’s life and mission will be an exciting adventure of discovery about the Israel’s early days in the Land.

The Book of Deuteronomy Mark Adler Deuteronomy means “Second Law.” Following forty years in the wilderness as a consequence of Israel's lack of belief, the children of the Exodus generation stood poised to enter the land that would become their home. Before they could cross the Jordan, Moses taught them how to observe the Law first entrusted to their parents at Mount Sinai. This will be the subject of your study.

Week 2 – July 14 – July 19 The Books of Judges and Ruth Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum These two history books are set in the time when Israel was in the Land but not yet a unified nation. Although God continues to hear the cry of the children of Israel each time they fall away and face turmoil, they fall ever further into spiritual blindness because of their disobedience. Eventually, even the spiritual leaders become immune to their own glaring indifference to God’s Word. In all, God sent twelve Judges to save the children of Israel. Seven of these Judges are treated in detail as Israel goes through each cycle of apostasy, oppression, repentance, and salvation by a Judge. The Book of Ruth, an appendix to the Book of Judges, presents enormously touching portraits of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. They are pictured as part of the faithful community of Messianic Jewish believers of their own time, worthy ancestors of King David and the promised King Messiah yet to be revealed.

The Book of Deuteronomy (continued) Mark Adler

CAMP SHOSHANAH 2012

This course provides a survey that begins with a look at the world of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their journey to the land God promised to give to the people of Israel. This study traces the history of the Jewish people through the nations. Emphasis is on the last 2,000 years as wandering and persecution forms their community and takes them throughout the world. Most importantly, we'll trace the outworking of God's covenant promises to the Jewish people as Messiah is revealed to Jew and Gentile alike.

Book of Isaiah Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum The Lord asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah's response launched his ministry as God's prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah. Wearing sackcloth and walking barefoot, as a sign to Israel of her coming destruction, Isaiah's work spanned the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This study will help you understand the historical context of Isaiah's life, and gain insight into the outworking of God's plan for all humanity.

Survey of the Life of the Messiah From a Jewish Perspective Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum Based on the book Harmony of the Gospels, this class walks you through the four Gospels. It focuses on the events in the life of Messiah from a Jewish perspective, shedding light on the Jewish theology and customs that surround our Messiah.

The Feasts of Israel Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum At Mount Sinai, Moses instructed Israel how to observe seven annual festivals as a continual remembrance of God’s faithfulness and provision. In addition, these set appointments provided a prophetic picture of Messiah’s first and second coming. Your understanding of the Lord's festivals, often referred to as “The Feasts of the Israel”, will enhance immeasurably your ability to share the Gospel with the Jewish people you know.

The Book of Proverbs: The Sanity of Proverbs and the Insanity of the World. How to Live a Divine Wise Life Barry Leventhal The Book of Proverbs lays out God’s wisdom for a life that pleases Him, others, and ourselves. We will look at how to gain this life of wisdom beginning with the fear of the Lord and then seeing how this divine wisdom plays out in several key areas of our lives, such as in our relationships, in our parenting skills, in our finances, etc.

Week 5 – July 28 – August 2 Jewish History (continued) Mottel Baleston Book of Isaiah (continued) Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum The Feasts of Israel (continued) Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum The Book of Proverbs (continued) Barry Leventhal

Week 5 – August 4 – August 9 Jewish History (continued) Mottel Baleston The Book of Isaiah (continued) Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum Survey of the Life of Messiah (continued) Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum The Feasts of Israel (continued) Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum The Spiritual Life: Defined And Experienced In Our Relationship With The Lord, Relationship With The Body Of Messiah And The Relationship With The World. Dr. Barry Leventhal The Spiritual Life is one of the most confusing of the believer’s life, so to clear up this confusion we will need to see what this spiritual life is in the first place, and then how it plays out in our relationship with Him, with those in His Messianic Body and with those in the world. To say it another way, is to explain the Spirit Life in terms of the old wise Puritans: The Spirit Life is a battle against the world, the flesh and the devil.

Week 6 – August 11 – 16 The Life of Messiah from a Jewish Perspective Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum Based on the book Harmony of the Gospels, this class is a study through all four gospels. It focuses on the events in the life of the Messiah from a Jewish perspective, shedding light on Jewish theology and customs that surround our Messiah. This is the complete course taught in one week.

Mark your calendars Check our webpage www.ariel.org

ACCOMMODATION, CONFERENCE FEE & MEALS COSTS

SHOSHANAH ACCOMODATIONS Room/Cabin RV Site Dormitory Tent Site Commuter Commuter w/ Meals Children (Ages 2 - 17) CANCELLATION FEE:

1 WEEK 2 WEEKS 3 WEEKS 4 WEEKS 5 WEEKS 6 WEEKS $575 $925 $1,275 $1,425 $1,575 $1,675 500 775 1,050 1,200 1,425 1,525 450 675 900 1,050 1,200 1,300 400 575 750 900 1,050 1,150 225 325 425 575 725 825 325 425 525 675 900 1,050 350 525 700 850 1,000 1,100 50% of total amount due if cancelling in the arriving month of your reservation.

CLASS SCHEDULES Monday - Friday TIME

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

JULY 7 - 11

JULY 14 - 18

9:00 - 10:00 am

Book of Joshua (Fruchtenbaum)

Book of Judges & Ruth (Fruchtenbaum)

10:30 - 11:30 am

Book of Joshua (continued) (Fruchtenbaum)

Book of Judges & Ruth (continued) (Fruchtenbaum)

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Book of Joshua (continued) (Fruchtenbaum)

Book of Judges & Ruth (continued) (Fruchtenbaum)

8:00 - 9:00 pm

Book of Deuteronomy (Adler)

WEEK 3 TIME

JULY 21 - JULY 25

WEEK 4

Book of Deuteronomy (continued) (Adler)

WEEK 5

WEEK 6

JULY 28 - AUG 1

AUG 4 - AUG 8

AUG 11 - AUG 15

Jewish History (cont'd) (Baleston)

Jewish History (cont'd) (Baleston)

Life of Messiah (Fruchtenbaum)

8:30 - 9:30 am

Jewish History (Baleston)

9:45 - 10:45 am

Book of Isaiah (Fruchtenbaum)

Book of Isaiah (cont'd) (Fruchtenbaum)

Book of Isaiah (cont'd) (Fruchtenbaum)

Life of Messiah (Fruchtenbaum)

11:15 - 12:30 pm

Survey of the Life of Messiah (Fruchtenbaum)

Survey of the Life of Messiah (cont'd) (Fruchtenbaum)

Survey of the Life of Messiah (cont'd) (Fruchtenbaum)

Life of Messiah (Fruchtenbaum)

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Feasts of Israel (Fruchtenbaum)

Feasts of Israel (cont'd) (Fruchtenbaum)

Feasts of Israel (cont'd) (Fruchtenbaum)

Life of Messiah (Fruchtenbaum)

8:00 - 9:00 pm

Book of Proverbs (Leventhal)

Book of Proverbs (cont'd) (Leventhal)

The Spiritual Life (Leventhal)

Life of Messiah (Fruchtenbaum)

Ariel Ministries has established a scholarship fund to aid pastors and others, who wish to seriously study the Scriptures, to attend the Shoshanah Program of Messianic Studies. To apply for a partial scholarship, please complete a Shoshanah Application Form and submit the completed form along with a deposit of $100 to the address on the application. TYNDALE SEMINARY or Bible School Course Credit: You can receive Bible school or seminary credit for classes taken at Shoshanah. Shoshanah Discipleship Program, up to three credit hours. FOR INFORMATION ON OBTAINING CREDIT, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr. Patrick Belville at: (800) 866-1415, or by EMAIL at: [email protected] You may send your course completion information to Dr. Belville at: Tyndale Seminary - 6800 Manhattan Blvd Ste 200 - Ft. Worth, TX 76120

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Ariel Ministries has established a scholarship fund to aid pastors and others, who wish to seriously study the Scriptures, to attend the Shoshanah Program of Messianic Studies. To apply for a partial scholarship, please complete a Shoshanah Application Form and submit the completed form along with a deposit of $100 to the address on the application for consideration no later than May 1, 2014. Applications received after that time will not be considered.

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fruit from the frucht What is the Spiritual Life? INTRODUCTION A.  The Three Factors in Spirituality 1.  Regeneration The first factor is regeneration. The term “regeneration” means, “to be born again.” It means, “to have salvation.” Obviously, living the spiritual life presupposes that one has been regenerated, that one has been saved. An unbeliever simply cannot live the spiritual life. Only a believer can develop the spiritual life. 2.  The Holy Spirit The second factor in spirituality is the Holy Spirit; it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live the spiritual life. In fact, the word “spiritual” relates this life to the Holy Spirit; indeed, He is involved in five different ways in our spiritual life. First, the Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual truths (Jn. 16:12-15). Secondly, the Holy Spirit is involved in guiding us (Rom.  8:14). Thirdly, He gives us assurance of our salvation (Rom.  8:16). Fourthly, He is praying for us (Rom. 8:26-27). And fifth, He is the One who gives us the spiritual gifts for the growth of the local Body (I Cor. 12:47).

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he key concept in spirituality is maturity. Just as it can be used in the physical sense and in the emotional sense, maturity can also be used in the spiritual sense.

3.  Time The third factor in spirituality is time; it takes time to reach the stage described by I Corinthians 2:15 as he that is spiritual. Just as physical development takes time, so spiritual development also takes time. No one is spiritual the day he is born again. Thus, it takes time to become spiritual. B.  The Key Concept The key concept in spirituality is maturity. Just as it can be used in the physical sense and in the emotional sense, maturity can also be used in the spiritual sense. All of us are born physically as babies, and in the course of time, we mature to adulthood. By the same token, all of us are born again as “spiritual babes” or spiritually immature, and it takes time to reach spiritual maturity. Some people never develop to physical or emotional maturity. Things could also happen to keep a believer from developing to spiritual maturity, but the key concept is maturity. C.  The Definition Simply stated in the words of Dr. Charles Ryrie: “Spirituality is a grown-up relationship to the Holy Spirit.” The spiritual life is a life that produces a spiritual believer.

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fruit from the frucht F.  Duration of Babyhood The sixth ramification is that although we are born again as spiritual babes, babyhood need not last long. In I Corinthians  3:13, we see that Paul expected his readers to have been mature by the time he wrote that letter. Between his evangelization of Corinth and the writing of the Book of I Corinthians, there was a period of four to five years. So babyhood need not last very long.

I.  THE SIX RAMIFICATIONS A.  New Believers First, a new believer cannot be called “spiritual” because he has not, as yet, had enough time to grow and develop in spiritual knowledge and experience. A new believer can be Spirit-filled, but that does not make him spiritually mature because a new believer lacks one crucial factor: time.

II.  THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF SPIRITUALITY

B.  Maturity A second ramification is that an older believer may not be spiritually mature because, while he has had the time, he has not allowed the Holy Spirit to control him. So the new believer may be Spirit-filled but lacking in time to mature, while an older believer has had the time, but may not be Spirit-filled. In that case, it is not time that he lacks, but “yielded-ness.”

A.  Spirituality Is Evident in the Believer The first characteristic of spirituality is that it will be evident in the believer himself. This will be seen in at least four areas. First, we are going to be developing a Messiah-like frame of reference. Some of the characteristics of this “Messiah-likeness” are given in Galatians 2:20: Christ lives in me; Galatians 5:22: the fruit of the Spirit; I Peter 2:21: that ye should follow his steps and I John 2:6: “that we abide in the Messiah.” Secondly, there will be knowledgenot knowledge in general, but knowledge in the area of the Word of God (I Cor. 3:13; Heb. 5:14). A believer who does not have knowledge of Scripture cannot be said to be spiritual. Thirdly, this will be seen in his attitude. He will be characterized by a spirit of thanksgiving (Eph. 5:20) and unity of the Spirit with other believers (Eph. 4:3). In fact, one of the ways by which the Corinthian church proved its babyhood was in the divisiveness, which characterized the congregation. It was also a congregation characterized by failure to exercise church discipline. Through these various attitudes, they showed themselves to be unspiritual. Fourthly, it will be expressed in his conduct (Heb. 5:13-14). In his day-to-day conduct, spirituality will be evident.

C.  Backsliding The third ramification is that a believer may backslide in certain areas and yet not lose all the ground that he has gained. He may lose ground only in certain areas, but not in all the areas of his life. For example, a believer can be Spirit-filled in the area of marriage and can be Spirit-filled in the area of his finances. But if he commits immorality and backslides in the area of marriage, it does not mean that he has automatically lost his Spirit-filling in the area of finances. That is why a believer can backslide in certain areas and not lose all the ground he has gained up to that point. D.  Stages of Growth Fourth, there are stages of growth. Just as in the physical realm there are stages of growth, there are also stages of growth in the spiritual realm. It is a growing grown-up relationship to the Holy Spirit. A new believer cannot possibly be spiritual in the Pauline sense of the term. For that reason, a new believer must not be placed in a leadership position in the local church (I Tim. 3:6). Maturity or spirituality cannot be achieved by a sudden, emotional, or an ecstatic experience. Even so, there is always room for further growth and development (I Cor. 13:12; Phil. 3:12-14). There are stages of growth because spirituality is not only a grown-up relationship with the Holy Spirit, but it is a growing grown-up relationship with Him.

B.  Spirituality Will Be Seen in the Believer’s Home The second characteristic of spirituality is that it will be seen in the believer’s home. It will be evident in the wife’s submission to her husband, and the husband’s submission to meeting the needs of his wife. Ephesians 5:22-33 emphasizes the fact that the husband is responsible for the spiritual maturity of the home.

E.  Areas of the Spiritual Life The fifth ramification is that spiritual life is composed of many areas. It involves your personality, your family life, your church life, your employment life, and your national life.

C.  Spirituality Is Seen in Participation in Church Fellowship The third characteristic of spirituality is seen in the believer’s participation in church fellowship (I Cor. 12).

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fruit from the frucht C.  The Indwelling Ministry of the Holy Spirit: I  Corinthians 2:10 The third point is that believers have received the Holy Spirit, and He knows the deep things of God (v. 10). We have the Holy Spirit in order that we, too, may understand the deep things of God. The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God; therefore, He knows the deep things of God. Believers have received the Holy Spirit, who knows the deep things of God, in order that they might also understand them from the Holy Spirit.

III.  THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD: I CORINTHIANS 2:9-3:4 . . .9but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And which entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. 10 But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knows, save the Spirit of God. 12But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teaches; combining spiritual things with spiritual words. 14Now the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. 15But he that is spiritual judges all things, and he himself is judged of no man. 16For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; 3for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men? 4For when one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?

D.  The Divine Wisdom Hidden in Scripture: I Corinthians 2:13 The fourth point is that the divine wisdom is hidden in the Scriptures, and the divine content is understood only as one learns to compare spiritual things with spiritual words (v. 13). God is not just going to reveal His divine wisdom by some kind of visitation or vision. His divine wisdom is hidden in the written Word of God, and the divine content of the Word of God is understood as one learns to compare spiritual things spiritual words. E.  The Classification of Men:  I Corinthians 2:14-3:4 1.  The Natural Man The fifth point is to describe the first classification of men: the natural man (v. 14). The Greek word used is psuchikos, the “soulish man.” This is the unregenerate manthe unsaved man. The unsaved man remains spiritually unchanged because he does not have the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; Jude 19). Because the natural man is an unsaved man, he does not receive the things of the Spirit of God none whatsoever! As far as he is concerned, they are foolishness, and the unsaved man has a need to dispose of or do away with the supernatural. That is why, for example, the unsaved man needs the Theory of Evolution. He believes in evolution, not because of any scientific validity of the theory, but because he needs to do away with any possibility of the supernatural. Furthermore, not only are spiritual things foolishness to him, he cannot know them; there is an innate inability to comprehend, to receive, to know or to interact with spiritual truth. He simply does not have the ability to know the deep things of God. He does, however, have the ability to know the deep things of Satan (Rev.  2:24), but not the deep things of God.

This passage points out eight things. A.  Divine Revelation Now Given Through the Written Word: I Corinthians 2:9 The first point is that divine revelation has now been given through the written Word of God (v. 9). Whereas in the past, certain things had not been revealed, now many more things are being revealed, and divine revelation has now been given through the written Word of God. B.  The Illuminating Ministry of the Holy Spirit: I  Corinthians 2:10-11 The second point is that the Holy Spirit now has the ministry of illumination (vv. 10-11). The Holy Spirit illuminates the mind in the revelation of the deep things of God. God has provided His revelation in the written Word, and the Holy Spirit functions as our “illuminator.” He illuminates our mind to understand the things of God, which no man can know but by the Spirit only. So, men are classified according to their ability to receive and understand the deep things of God.

2.  The Spiritual Man In the sixth point, I Corinthians:1516, Paul next describes the “spiritual man.” The Greek word is pneumatikos, which means “the mature, adult man.” The spiritually mature man is someone who discerns all things (v. 15). The word “discernment” means that he does not have to run around asking questions. He is marked by discernment, and his mind is illuminated by the Holy Spirit. He freely receives all things,

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fruit from the frucht but he understands them with his mind. Romans 7:14 points out that the law is spiritual, and according to I Corinthians  14:37, the spiritual man will be able to understand that which is spiritual. That is why the spiritual man will recognize that the writings of Paul are the Word of God. In Galatians 6:1, Paul mentions that the spiritual ones are to do the work of restoration. A spiritual one is characterized by the meat of the Word of God, which is the deep things of God. The reason the spiritual man is able to discern all these things is because he has the mind of Christ (v. 16). The Holy Spirit illuminates the mind of the spiritual man to discern what is the mind of Christ on any given matter.

IV.  THE CONTRAST BETWEEN BABYHOOD AND MATURITY: HEBREWS  5:1114 The second passage emphasizes the contrast between the characteristics of babyhood and maturity the carnal man and the spiritual man. 11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing. 12For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. 13For every one that partakes of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

3.  The Babes in Christ The seventh point, I Corinthians 3:12 discusses babes in Christ. The Greek word is sarkinos, which means the “flesh-man,” the immature man. The emphasis of this word is on weakness. It describes the brand-new believer, and “flesh-ness” is the mark of a babe in the Messiah. A new believer, simply because he is a babe, can only understand the milk of the Word of God, not the meat of the Word of God. He is not able to bear the deep things of God. Just as a newborn baby cannot be given a steak dinner, even so, a new believer must be given the milk and not the meat of the Word of God. There is no sin, of course, in being a babe in the Messiah. Every one of us who is a believer today started our walk in the Lord in this way. We were born spiritual babies. Now some of us have grown to maturity, while some of us have not. And that is where the problem sets in.

A.  The Difference in Understanding:  Hebrews 5:11 Verse 11 emphasizes the difference in understanding. The spiritual man is able to understand things . . . hard of interpretation. The things, which the writer of the Book of Hebrews calls hard of interpretation, Paul called the deep things of God (I Cor. 2:10). One example of what constitutes the deep things of God or the things...hard of interpretation is the Melchizedekian Priesthood, because that is what he is discussing in the context. A baby believer and a carnal believer will not be able to understand the deep truths concerning the Melchizedekian Priesthood, but the spiritual man will understand such things. The carnal man is someone who has become dull of hearing. The very fact that the writer says become dull points out that the man use to not be this way. This is not a baby believer. This is someone who has been a believer for some time but has not progressed to maturity; he has remained spiritually immature. A carnal man is someone who has become dull of hearing, and therefore is unable to understand the deep things of God.

4.  The Carnal Man The eighth point, I Corinthians 3:34, concerns the “carnal man.” The word used here is sarkikos, which means “fleshly man.” This is one who is able to receive the meat of the Word of God, but who does not do so. The babe in the Messiah does not have that capacity as yet. The carnal man is a believer who does have the ability to receive the meat, but he does not do so because his carnality hinders the full ministry of the Holy Spirit. The carnal man is dominated by his flesh (Rom. 7:14). He is one who cannot get along with other believers, as was true of the Corinthians, who were “fleshly.” In knowledge, he is like the babe, but he should not be because he has had time enough to mature. Like the babe, he is still immature; however, while the babe in the Messiah cannot help it, the carnal man can help it, but chooses not to. The carnal man is someone who “walks as a man.” His lifestyle is no different from that of the natural man (II Cor.  10:2); they differ only in the fact that one is saved and the other is not.

1.  The Test The test in this verse is either the possession of knowledge or the lack of it. The carnal believer lacks knowledge of the deep things of God; he lacks knowledge of things . . . hard of interpretation. But the spiritual man does have knowledge of the deep things of God; he also has knowledge and understanding of things, which are hard to interpret. 2.  The Obligation The obligation upon the believer, as given in this verse, is to develop and mature so as to be able to understand and discuss things, which are hard to interpret, to be able to understand and discuss the deep things of God.

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fruit from the frucht B.  The Differences in Position:  Hebrews 5:12 Verse 12 emphasizes the differences in position. The spiritual ones are those who now have the ability to be the teachers of the Word; they have knowledge, which is now sufficient to qualify them to teach. They have become partakers of the solid food, or the meat of the Word of God. But while the spiritual man is a teacher, the carnal man is still a pupil. He still depends upon someone else to re-teach him the first principles: the fundamentals of biblical faith. Again, they have become such as have need of milk. This means that they use to not be this way. Whereas, they were born again as baby believers, needing the milk of the Word of God, they had become carnal, still needing the milk of the Word, and had not progressed to the meat.

we cannot progress to the meat, and we will keep losing the nurture even of the milk. We will have to be re-taught the same things over and over again. Having used the milk, and started to digest some of the meat, if we do not then use the meat, we will remain spiritually immature. We will simply move from babyhood to carnality. 2.  The Obligation The obligation in this verse is that, in order to attain spirituality as believers, we must display skills in discussing the major issues of biblical theology and doctrine, for, in this context, the writer is dealing with the great doctrine of the Priesthood of the Messiah within the doctrine of His Melchizedekian Priesthood. The clear understanding of the Melchizedekian Priesthood is an example of what it means to be spiritually mature.

1.  The Test The test in this verse is either independence or dependence. Are we dependent upon teachers only, or have we become independent of most teachers? None of us will ever be totally independent of the need to be taught. But if we are always under teachers and never doing any teaching ourselves, that shows immaturity.

D.  The State of Spirituality and Maturity:  Hebrews 5:14 Verse 14 describes the state of spirituality and maturity: solid food is for the fullgrown men. The solid food is the meat of the Word of God; it is the things [which are] hard of interpretation; it is the deep things of God. The expression fullgrown men means the spiritually mature man. He has received the milk of the Word of God and has used it. He has progressed on to the meat of the Word and is using that, too. He is spiritually mature because he is among those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. In other words, the spiritually mature man is someone who uses what he knows. Spiritual maturity is the result of careful exercise. The meat of the Word of God is not mere knowledge. Digesting the meat includes putting to use what one knows. Someone who is partaking of the meat of the Word of God and yet does not use it will regress to needing milk. But someone who is partaking of the meat of the Word of God, and is using it, is the spiritually mature man.

2.  The Obligation The obligation in this verse is the need to show ability in teaching instead of being re-taught the same things time and time again. C.  The State of Babyhood and Carnality:  Hebrews 5:13 Verse 13 describes the state of babyhood and carnality. These were two of the four classifications of men in the I Corinthians passage. Here, they are lumped together because the characteristics are the same. Whereas, for the baby believer there is no sin in being immature, for the carnal believer it is sin to remain immature. The baby believer just has not had sufficient time, while the carnal believer has had plenty of time. In either case, anyone who continually partakes of milk only—and both the baby believer and the carnal believer do partake of milk—shows that he is without experience of the word of righteousness. It shows that a carnal believer has failed to make practical use of the knowledge, which he has. He can handle only the milk because he does not have discernment. The problem is that he has remained a babe, meaning he lacks knowledge. The characteristic of a baby believer is that he needs milk because he lacks knowledge. Once he has had sufficient milk, then that will give him the spiritual strength to gain knowledge from the meat of the Word of God.

1.  The Test The test in this verse is that we must show ability in using the Word in real-life situations, in specific situations. The carnal believer will not show the same ability to apply the Word of God in real-life situations as the spiritually mature man does in applying the Word to anything with which he is confronted. 2.  The Obligation The obligation in this verse is to properly use all that we know as believers. This will show maturity. When the Bible deals with the question of what maturity is and what spirituality is, it emphasizes the issue of the knowledge of the Word of God and the application of that knowledge in day-to-day living.

1.  The Test The test in this verse is either to use it or lose it! If, as baby believers we do not begin to use the milk of the Word of God,

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An Historical and Geographical Study Guide of Israel:

With a Supplement on Jordan by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum

This comprehensive reference guide will illuminate your understanding of the Old Testament and the gospels through examining virtually every place in Israel in relation to biblical events and themes and studying Jewish history, especially the history of the State of Israel. A new format makes this study guide an excellent traveling companion on all Israel tours as well as an essential resource for any believer's ongoing study. As an added bonus, we've included information on Jordan. Includes a glossary, scriptural references and an index four color cover with four color chapter heading pages. Paperback (wire-o-ring bound): 291 pages

$41.95 eBook now available! $31.95

Coming September 2015