The Hebrew Roots Movement

   This article is going to be quite a bit different than most of my other articles, mainly because it is one that I have been genuinely reluctant to write. On the one hand, I have wanted to write to address this issue for quite some time. Yet I have also wanted to avoid stirring up arguments and “foolish discussions” (Titus 3:9-11), so I have avoided the topic of the Hebrew Roots Movement, and have alluded to it only briefly in some of my previous articles. 

   That being said, I have been in prayer about the topic for quite some time, and have sought council on whether or not I should even get involved. In the end, however, my desire for unity in the church and peace among all the followers of Christ has compelled me to write this article. Know that I do not harbor any ill-will toward those who would call Jesus Christ their Lord and yet continue to follow the traditions of their Hebrew ancestors. Nor do I wish to condemn anyone. What I say, I say gently out of a genuine concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

   If you have read any of my other articles you will know that the matter of unity among the believers is something that is very important to me, as is discerning between what is true and what is not. I have lost several close friends and family members to false teachers and to the errors of human reasoning over the years, so the topic of false doctrine is something that hits very close to home for me personally.

    In light of this, I want to point out that even though the Hebrew Roots Movement originated in the early 20th century, its core teachings are nothing new. In the first century AD, a sect of Jewish converts to Christianity known as the Judaizers, taught that the Gentile believers must also be circumcised, observe their Jewish traditions, and follow the Law of Moses in order to be justified before God. However, much of the New Testament addresses this teaching directly—the most obvious example being the Book of Galatians. 

  

   Other examples of this can be found in Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews, and James. The Judaizers' teachings were also addressed twice in the Book of Acts; first in Acts 15:1-31, and again in Acts 21:15-25. 

   Now, as I stated before it is not my intention to stir up arguments, as the Scriptures condemn this, but rather to gently instruct those who's faith may be wavering. (1 Timothy 6: 2b-5, 2 Timothy 2:14, 23-26) 
   That being said, if you know someone who is a part of the Hebrew Roots Movement; or if you are curious about it; or if you are a follower yourself; then I strongly recommend that you read the books of Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews, and James—as well as the verses referenced above. Investigate God's Word for yourself. Meditate on it. Pray and ask the Lord to give you guidance and wisdom. 

   If you are investigating a teacher to see if he is telling the truth, remember that Satan can quote the Bible, too. Just because someone quotes a verse correctly and that verse happens to agree with the doctrine they're teaching, which happens to sound like the truth, doesn't mean that that person is from God. Nor does it mean that what they're teaching is true. Remember, the best lies are seasoned with just a pinch of truth—it makes them easier to swallow. Which is why it is so important to test everything against God's Word. If someone quotes the Bible, check the context to see if what they're teaching is true—read the entire book if you have to! You can never be too careful when it comes to searching the Scriptures for truth. (Acts 17:11)
  That being said, if you still feel that God has called you to observe the Jewish Traditions and the Law of Moses after investigating God's Word, then by all means, do whatever you feel led to do. I can't condemn you for following your convictions any more than you can condemn me for following mine. (Romans 14) But if following a new doctrine—Hebrew Roots or otherwise—causes you to look down on your fellow believers; or if it stirs up division, malicious gossip, and slander among you, then have nothing more to do with it! Such a teaching is contrary to God's Word. It is destructive and harmful to the body of Christ, and is therefore a false teaching. (Titus 3:10-11, Romans 16:17-18, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 5:19-20)
   But whoever you are and wherever your circumstances may be, it is my sincere hope and prayer that God will give you wisdom in discerning whatever path He has laid out before you. 

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
~Matthew 7:7-8 New Living Translation (NLT) 

   May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 

   

The Prophecy of History

Following in the footsteps of my previous article, The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great, I thought I would mention another Old Testament prophecy of unrivaled accuracy and significance: Daniel's Prophecy of History.

   As I stated before, many people believe that the Torah was written during the Babylonian captivity, and that the Jewish religion and Law did not exist until then—historical evidence to the contrary not withstanding. That being said, one thing that all historians agree on is that the Book of Daniel was indeed written during the Babylonian Exile, sometime during the mid 500s BC. It is this historical fact that makes what is said in Daniel 2:24-45 so fascinating.

   “Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”

   Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”

   The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”

Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

   “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.

   “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

   “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.

   “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.

   “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

~Daniel 2:24-45 New Living Translation (NLT)

   In this well-known passage, Daniel describes the rise and fall of every major empire in world history starting with the Babylonian Empire under king Nebuchadnezzar II (the Head of Gold). After the Babylonians came the Achaemenid Empire of Cyrus the Great (the Chest and Arms of Silver) followed by Alexander the Great's Macedonian Empire (the Belly and Thighs of Bronze). After this came the Legs of Iron, which smashed and crushed all other empires before them. These were the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Finally, Daniel spoke of the Feet of Iron and Clay, a conglomerate of nations—some strong, some weak—seeking strength through alliances and intermarriage. These represent the nations of the post-Roman world, right up to the present day.  

   Not only did Daniel prophesy every major empire in world history, he also gave us very specific information concerning Xerxes the First's invasion of Greece in 480 BC, as well as the rise and fall of Alexander the Great, and the subsequent division of his Empire. Both of these accounts can be found in Daniel 11:2-4.

   “Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece.
   “Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do. But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others... ”

~Daniel 11:2-4 New Living Translation (NLT)

   Both history and the Bible tell us that events transpired exactly as Daniel foretold. Xerxes the First did use his wealth to go to war against the kingdoms of Greece in 480 BC. (Ester 1) And Alexander the Great accomplished everything he set out to do, only to die suddenly at the age of 32, at the height of his power. With no legitimate heir to the throne, Alexander’s empire was divided up and given to four of his generals—thus fulfilling the words of Daniel 11:3-4. 

   

   Now some may continue to argue that Daniel was a fictional character, dreamed up by the despondent Jewish exiles in Babylon—a sort of "super prophet" created to give the people hope. But this does not negate the fact that the author of Daniel, whoever he was, somehow managed to accurately predict the rise and fall of every major empire in human history over the last 2,500 years.   
   Furthermore, if Daniel were a fictional character, why would his creator give him both a Jewish and Babylonian name, and make him a prominent political figure in both the Babylonian and Persian Empires? Remember, the people who would have been reading the Book of Daniel were Jewish exiles living in Babylon. Ergo, every single Jew could have refuted Daniel's existence at the time the book was written. Instead, the book was added into the Jewish Scriptures. 

   The only logical explanation for this is that Daniel was indeed a living, breathing person, and that he was well known at the time that he lived. If he were not a living, breathing person, then no one would have taken the prophecies in the Book of Daniel seriously. Not only that, they probably would have stoned the man who had written the book for being a false prophet. 

   This is the same sort of logic that I used to defend the existence of Christ in Was Jesus Real?: You cannot claim that something miraculous has happened in a city where every single person can disprove your claim through eye-witness accounts and first-hand testimony. The same thing goes for prominent political figures. 

   Think of it this way: If you were to go to your neighbor claiming that your brother is the President of the United States of America, he wouldn't believe you—unless your brother really is the President. Not only that, he would probably have you committed. 

   So then, how is it that a book of the Bible written in the mid 500s BC. was somehow able to accurately predict the rise and fall of every major empire in history over a span of 2,500 years? Either someone in ancient Babylon was extremely lucky with their predictions, or God revealed his plan to a Prophet named Daniel some 2,500 years ago. 

   Given the historical evidence, my money is on the latter.