Luke 11:14-23 NASB And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. (15) But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." (16) Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. (17) But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. (18) "If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. (19) "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. (20) "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (21) "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. (22) "But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. (23) "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

Ephesians 2:11-18 LITV Because of this, remember that you, the nations (descendants of the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel), were then in the flesh (those having been called Uncircumcision by those having been called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands) (12) that at that time (when the house of Judah was hearing the gospel preached of their salvation by the Messianics) you were without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers of the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (13) But now, in Christ Jesus you who then were afar off, came to be near by the blood of Christ. (14) For He is our peace, He making us both one, and breaking down the middle wall of partition, (15) in His flesh causing to cease the enmity, the Law of the commandments in decrees, that He might in Himself create the two into one new man, making peace, (16) and might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, slaying the enmity in Himself. (17) And coming, He proclaimed "peace to you, the ones afar off, and to the ones near." Isaiah 57:19.  (18) For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Can a believer be under a curse for the anti-Semitic attitudes of his ancestors? Just ask Eric Carlson. While serving on a submarine he had a life-changing visitation from God that lasted for two days. The Lord revealed to him he was Jewish. Eric later discovered that his grandfather had changed his last name when he immigrated to America in order to hide his Jewish identity. Many Jews did for safety of their families safety.

Then God told Eric he was under a family curse for denying his Jewish heritage and that the curse must be broken. After when he prayed to break the curse, he was flooded with revelation.

Could the church be under a similar curse? Constantine, the Roman Emperor in the beginning of the fourth century, was a master politician. He tried to satisfy heathens and Christians through the modification  of pagan customs and festivals and giving them Christian meanings.

The Sabbath Moved From Saturday To Sunday
Appointed Times of The LORD Were Done Away With
Leviticus 23
(Genesis 1:1-3;  Leviticus 23:1-44; Deuteronomy 4:2 & Deuteronomy 12:2)

One of the reforms by the Council of Nicaea (headed by Constantine) legislated the switch of the day of Christian worship from Saturday to Sunday — the day dedicated to the worship of the sun for the pagans. Another legislated change was of the celebration of Resurrection Day from the context of Passover week to Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the vernal equinox. Easter was the time the pagans worshipped the fertility goddess, Ishtar. Have you ever wondered why we have Easter bunnies and eggs? These are vestiges or leftovers of Ishtar worship.

Constantine didn’t like the Jews because they had tried to rebel against Rome. And the church was more than willing to follow his lead in order to avoid persecution. Christians were prohibited from worshipping on Saturday or observing Passover, upon the threat of excommunication, or worse. Constantine expressed the anti-Judaic sentiments of all the bishops of the Christian world when he wrote the following:

"Let us therefore have nothing in common with this odious people, the Jews, for we have received from our Savior a different way . . . . Strive and pray continually that the purity of your souls may not be sullied by fellowship with the customs of these most wicked men . . . .  All should unite in desiring that which sound reason appears to demand in avoiding all participation in the perjured conduct of the Jews" (Theodoret, Historia Ecclesiastica 1,10).

History shows that as the center of the Christian faith moved from Jerusalem to Rome, it became increasingly Hellenized (mixed with the Greek culture and philosophies), adopting pagan customs and philosophies rather than the God-ordained customs and beliefs of the Bible. By the middle of the second century the day devoted to the sun god had largely replaced the day devoted to the One True God, whose period of time, the Sabbath, was the first element of creation that He had sanctified or set apart in remembrance of His creative power. That God had rested on the Sabbath day was a historical fact and could no more be changed than the fact that He created light on the first day of the week. Nevertheless the change was made and justified by the church fathers, and not initially on the basis of the resurrection. The primary rationale for the observance of Sunday was to commemorate the first day of creation and the resurrection of Jesus was only a secondary issue. (It should be noted that nowhere does the New Testament say that we are even to observe Resurrection Day.)

Justin Martyr writes, "Sunday indeed, is the day on which we hold our common assembly because it is the first day on which God, transforming the darkness and prime matter created the world…" (Justin, I Apology 67, 3-7). He goes on to mention the resurrection, but only secondarily.

Many of the church fathers who originally changed the Sabbath day were anti-Semitic. Moreover, those who changed the Sabbath show no understanding of the God-given nature of the day. Tertullian thought that God had always hated the Sabbath (Against Marcion 1, pg. 271 ANF III). The Epistle of Barnabas denies altogether that God had ever given the Sabbath as a commandment to be kept. Justin Martyr considered the Sabbath to be a highly deserved curse on the Jewish people.

Justin lectures Trypho the Jew by saying, "As I stated before, it was by reason of your sins and the sins of your Fathers that, among other precepts, God imposed upon you the observance of the Sabbath as a mark." This "mark" was to "single them out for the punishment they so well deserved for their infidelities" (Dialogue 21,1; 23,3).

Instead of recognizing that "the Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27), the Sabbath was seen as part of the curse of the law, upon that hated and despised race — the Jews. It was to separate themselves (the Greek philosophy infested church) from all things Jewish that the post-Apostolic church instituted another day of worship. This anti-Judaism was not only reflected in Constantine, but also in the Replacement Theology of all the other early writers of the Hellenized church.

It’s no coincidence that when the Jewish biblical heritage of the church was removed, intimacy with God was watered down. The church went from everyone doing the works of Jesus to professional clergy leading a congregation of spectators. The supernatural power of God was replaced with the politics and traditions of men.

Does all of this mean that today we should stop worshipping God on Sunday? No. I believe since our culture is based on Sunday vacations, it is the best day for corporate worship. "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink [or specific days of worship], but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17,5,6,10). I personally attend a congregation that worships on Sunday.

But if we continue to deny our Jewish heritage, we are dishonoring the fathers of our faith. The Fifth Commandment says, "honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long . . . . " (Exodus 20:12). And Romans 9:5 identifies the "fathers" of our faith as the Jewish fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and Sha'ul gives the impression that the Torah is feminine in his letter to the Galatians. (Galatians 1:15; 4:26)

We are also commanded to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy that they will desire Jesus (Romans 11:11). What would provoke a Jew to jealousy more — celebrating Jesus on Easter? Or Jesus in the Passover?

The big lie the devil tells Jewish people is: you can’t be Jewish and believe in Jesus. By hiding its Jewish roots the church has reinforced this lie. It’s time for Jewish people and Christians alike to see Christianity’s Jewish connection. Soon the only friend the Jew will have will be true (I repeat true) Christians.

The first church observed all the biblical festivals. During the Millennium we will observe the Shabbat (Isaiah 66:23) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16,17). Why have we put these celebrations "on hold" for centuries?

Today we shouldn’t try to restore the Jewish biblical feasts as a means of salvation or righteousness. This was the mistake of the Galatians. We are justified as human beings before a holy God by repentance and the blood of Jesus. Nothing more is needed.

So what should our attitude be? Since the biblical festivals are shadows of past and future events in the history of God, we should observe them as great celebrations. There is so much revelation about Jesus ready to be released as we worship God at these appointed times. I have also found that God increases the anointing for miracles and evangelism during the festivals.

We should not necessarily follow the rabbinic interpretations and traditions. Instead, we should study each festival in the Scriptures. Then pray, Lord how can we honor Jesus?" Let God breathe His Spirit into the feasts.

God is once again dealing with the Jew and Israel; He is restoring the true meaning of these festivals or holy convocations (rehearsals). This is the set time to favor Zion .

I believe there are supernatural blessings connected with observing the biblical festivals in liberty. For instance, God specifically states that for those who observe the Sabbath, "the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD, have spoken!" (Isaiah 58:14, New Living Translation).

I am suggesting churches use the seven biblical festivals as corporate or even city-wide worship events (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles). Many churches have chosen Friday night (the beginning of the Sabbath) as a time for prayer or night watches.

Another idea is to have a corporate Sabbath service once a month. The other Friday nights, why not observe the Sabbath in your homes? The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. This is a wonderful time for families to bond together. Invite unsaved family and friends to join you. What a great way for Jesus to fulfill ("fill full" of Himself) the Fourth Commandment.

As part of the church, we must repent for anti-Semitism against the Jewish people, just as Daniel repented for the sins of Israel. Not only has the church forsaken its Jewish roots, blatantly anti-Semitic statements by many church fathers have been fuel for the likes of Adolph Hitler.

Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, "Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the JEW, I am fighting for the work of the Lord" ( Mein Kampf, translated by Ralph Manheim (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1971), p. 65).

Thank God for the Passover Lamb of God Who takes away the sin and trespasses of the whole world. May His power, lordship and intimacy be restored quickly.

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