Privileged Perspectives, Apparent – FAQ

I have encountered many people in my Messianic experience, who believe that they have special information or perspectives. Much of this actually manifests in people thinking that they are entitled to just talk or say anything they want about various matters, offering no references or documentation to what they say. Can you please help?

It is fair to say that a great number of us, in our experience with people within the broad Messianic sphere of influence, think that we have some kind of privileged perspective. On the one hand, it does have to be noted that being involved with matters involving support of Israel, the salvation of the Jewish people, seeing many non-Jewish Believers embrace a conscious faith heritage in the Scriptures of Israel—and most especially heralding the return of Yeshua the Messiah to Planet Earth—is a great privilege. At the same time, this does not at all justify any one of us—who is an active participant within things Messianic—to act in an arrogant or superior manner to others, as though we are the only ones in the worldwide Body of Messiah, with some corner on “the Truth” with a capital T.

The legacy, of what has largely become the independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement over the past several decades, has become highly stigmatized by an entire host of false and aberrant teachings. (Because of this, many of us cannot even employ the term “Hebrew/Hebraic Roots” any more, to stress matters such as Hebrew language study, Tanach [OT] study, or examination of Second Temple Jewish literature—as was easily the case in the 1990s and 2000s.)[1] These include, but are not limited to: denial of the Divinity of Yeshua,[2] denial of the inspiration of various Apostolic (NT) writings,[3] treating polygamy or plural marriage as being legitimate for Messiah followers,[4] embracing Flat Earth,[5] and hyper-speculation on the Nephilim of Genesis 6,[6] among other matters. While it is true that each one of those subjects, and various others, doubtlessly deserve some attention—the independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement is not one known for facilitating stability. Rather, an entire host of highly fringe and controversial subjects, are sensationalized by individuals desiring to gain a quick following and become household names, of a sort.

To be certain, the Messianic Jewish movement has great concern about the independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement, and the division and confusion it frequently brings to its congregations and conference-level events. Still, this does not mean that parts of Messianic Judaism are not influenced by various sensational voices, either.

No one is immune from the effects of people who think they can just open their mouths, in order to be a man/woman/person of influence.

Today’s Messianic movement does have a unique mission and purpose, and as such many are of the sincere conviction that the Lord has given many people within our faith community unique perspectives and information on what He intends to do with us in the future. What is the best way for us to deal with the unique work we widely believe that God has in store for us? A steadfast requirement seen within the Holy Scriptures, is that truth be confirmed by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28). Many people in the independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement, who have seen their influence grow into the tens of thousands, or more—have often been able to do so, by presenting various teachings which are not only sensational, but also overly simplistic. They have not watched their mouths. Many claim that they have been told by the Lord that they do not have to provide any evidence or documentation for their claims. This can make the work of a ministry like Outreach Israel and Messianic Apologetics quite difficult, as people often ask us where this or that teaching they have heard, actually originated. The very reason why a number of our publications and commentaries are so large and hefty, is so we can demonstrate to skeptical persons that we have indeed thought through the many components of our unique Messianic perspective, not “making things up.”

What are some of the sources of information, which we all need to know are out there in the world of ideas? If you were a government agency determining some policy, in particular, there are three main sources you would likely consider:

1. Open Source: material widely available to the general public, in media such as newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television, websites.
2. Diplomatic: information exchanged between national embassies and civil servants, often using unofficial back channels.
3. Secret: information “for your eyes/ears only,” collected from agents on the ground, who have often infiltrated top secret installations or caches.

The considerable bulk of what a ministry like Outreach Israel and Messianic Apologetics does, concerns issues and data which are all available as Open Source. While some of these issues and subjects are inconvenient and uncomfortable for many people across the Messianic movement to sort through, they are hardly hidden. The reference sources and tools we use, while not always available to everyone free of cost, are likewise hardly hidden.

As a family involved in the Messianic movement, we do have access to what might be considered Diplomatic information, as we have spent many years getting to know and be acquainted with different leaders and teachers in person. Attending major conference events is an excellent way to get to learn about the complex personalities of some of the pioneers of Messianic Judaism, various early controversies and divisions, and decisions which were made in the 1970s to the present, often behind closed doors—yet affecting almost everyone within the broad Messianic sphere of influence to our present day. We have had to be careful with things we have heard spoken to us in confidence, and some of the memoirs we have read before publication—but we are definitely aware of many matters involving major leaders of long standing.

The independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement is far, far more influenced by Secret information than Messianic Judaism tends to be, being highly swayed by perspectives usually considered to be part of the Alt-Right, and can be surrounded by a great deal of rumor and innuendo. For sure, not all of the issues or subjects labeled as Alt-Right are isolated to sectors of Hebrew Roots, as many evangelical Christian “prophecy ministries” also focus on some of the same matters in order to gain a following. And also to be noted, is how there are some legitimate questions to be posed about matters involving: a Deep State (and/or various secret societies), the Vatican, NASA, extra-terrestrials (UFOs/UAPs), world health, and political machinations, just to name a few.[7] Yet how much of the information and talk one may encounter regarding these matters is accurate? How many people have utterly discredited themselves, by becoming engulfed in fringe misinformation from the Alt-Right—much of which can be associated with anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism, and Holocaust denial? Many lack the patience to see various interesting or intriguing matters, which are talked about in Alt-Right sources, be given the necessary time to play out as either accurate or inaccurate. Some cannot wait for a number of Secret issues, to become Open Source issues, and indeed find themselves speaking presumptuously.

If one focuses too highly on any of these matters of the world, then one’s attention can be focused off of the two most important things where today’s Believers should be expelling their energy: (1) making sure that the lost of Planet Earth have repented of their sins and know Yeshua, and (2) preventing people from committing apostasy against the God of the Bible. While we should be concerned with what is happening in our world, and hardly remain ignorant—how do the affairs of the Kingdom of the World align with the breaking in of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the gospel assignments that the redeemed in Messiah have?

There are compelling matters, for sure, talked about at the Diplomatic and Secret levels, which do eventually come out into the open. Yeshua Himself indeed taught,

“But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3, NASU).

As we get closer and closer to the Messiah’s return, the people of God are said to be those who will possess great insight and wisdom: “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3, NASU). Today in 2023, there are many theological and spiritual issues—which may be labeled as Open Source—which are highly controversial and needed to be addressed “yesterday” (i.e., the various matters of Woke, Deconstruction, Ex-vangelical, Affirming).[8] Many of us have the information, materials, tools, and temperament to see that these Open Source issues are dealt with properly in our various ministry venues. Today’s Messianic community has plenty to keep itself fully occupied and effectual—in the event that some issues which may be Secret at present, do eventually come out into the open at some future moment.[9]

NOTES

[1] Our ministry previously used a term like “Hebraic Roots” to describe precisely this, and not what the independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement has devolved into now in the 2020s. In our ministry’s ongoing editing/update rotation of our many publications, “Hebrew/Hebraic Roots” is being steadily replaced with something like “faith heritage in the Scriptures of Israel.” A notable change was how our 2009 workbook Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study, was retitled in 2018 as Messianic Beginnings: An Introductory Study.

[2] Consult the editor’s books Salvation on the Line, Volumes I & II: The Nature of Yeshua and His Divinity.

[3] Consult the editor’s workbook A Survey of the Apostolic Scriptures for the Practical Messianic (planned to be joined with A Survey of the Tanach for the Practical Messianic into a single volume, A Survey of the Holy Scriptures for the Practical Messianic in the near future).

[4] Consult the editor’s article “Is Polygamy for Today? The Case Against Polygamy” (appearing in Men and Women in the Body of Messiah: Answering Crucial Questions).

[5] Consult the editor’s YouTube video from 13 May 2019, “Addressing Flat Earth – Blogcast,” accessible via <youtube.com/MessianicApologetics>.

[6] Consult the Messianic Apologetics FAQ, “Nephilim.”

[7] Also to be considered, could be various, supposed “dreams and visions,” especially as they involve contemporary political figures and what is believed to be their God-ordained destiny.

[8] For a further discussion, consult the editor’s brief Ten Minute Talk from the 2023 IAMCS Rabbis Conference, 11 January, 2023, “Temporal Versus Eternal? Living in a Woke World While Maintaining Our Kingdom Objectives,” accessible via <youtube.com/MessianicApologetics>.

Also consult the editor’s 2013 book Confronting Critical Issues: An Analysis of Subjects that Affects the Growth and Stability of the Emerging Messianic Movement.

[9] For a further discussion, consult the 20 September, 2023 episode of Messianic Insider, “Being on the Inside: Responsibly or Irresponsibly?”, accessible via <youtube.com/MessianicApologetics>.