Neither Jew, Nor Gentile

Much of what happens in our world is tied to Israel because it's God's chosen nation. In this 700 Club interview with Sid Roth, the founder of Messianic Vision, a nationally syndicated radio, television and publishing ministry to Jews, you will learn the significance of Yom Kippur, the most important holiday in the Jewish year; God's desire to see Jews and gentiles united; and Israel's link to revival.

PAT ROBERTSON: Sid, it's so nice to have you with us again. May the Lord bless you and give you His peace. Shalom.

SID ROTH: Shalom to you.

P. ROBERTSON: Tell me about how you see Israel right now. This is a day of atonement (Yom Kippur), and Jews all over the world are fasting. It's a day of repentance. Tell us what Yom Kippur means to the Jewish people.

ROTH: Let me state what atonement says. You cannot have Yom Kippur without the shedding of blood. My father was born in Poland and he used to have a custom where they would take a chicken and hold it over their head and wring the neck and say, 'This life for mine.' That, of course, fits in exactly with the Torah in the book of Leviticus, where it says, 'Without the shedding of blood, there's no atonement for sin.' Leviticus 17:11 says, 'I have given the blood upon the altar as atonement for your sin.' It is the blood that makes atonement for your sin.

I believe that you're talking about revival. We're talking today about Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, and there is a combination that God has been after for a long time that is about ready to happen on planet earth that I believe will springboard the revival. The basis is found in Ephesians, which says that Jesus came to break the middle wall of separation between Jew and gentile so that He could create one new man, who is Jesus, in both of them. There has been a war, if you will, between the devil and God. The devil tries to put the wall of separation between Jew and gentile, and God tries to remove that wall.

Between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, the high priest would go in on Yom Kippur once a day. When Jesus died and rose from the dead, the curtain separating those two was rent in half. That wall of separation was divided and the glory could come out like in David's tabernacle.

This next revival will be an outpouring of God's glory like we've never seen before, but I believe, as I've studied Scripture, it is contingent on Jesus' prayer from John 17:21. Jesus said, 'I pray that they might be one.' The verse before tells us it is Jews and gentiles. 'I pray that Jews and gentiles might be one so that the world will believe.' But the next verse, John 17:22 says, 'The same glory that is on me will be on them.' When? When Jews and gentiles become one new man in Jesus.

And I can tell you as a fact, I have one friend that works in the former Soviet Union. He has had, over the last five years, over 100,000 Jewish people making professions of faith. I have distributed to every Jewish household in Moscow a copy of my book 'They Thought for Themselves,' which includes ten Jewish testimonies,' in Russian, to every Jewish home in Moscow, every Jewish home in St. Petersburg. You know what's going to happen, Pat? As the anti-Semitism increases, these Jews are going to run for their lives to Israel and have encounters -- they've already come to know the Messiah. And out of Zion shall go forth the Lord and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

P. ROBERTSON: It's getting ready to happen right now, isn't it? There's no question about it. I just mentioned to Terry that when Solomon built the temple and dedicated it, it was during the Feast of Tabernacles. The priest went in, and when they put all the furnishings in the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, they said a cloud came down and the glory of the Lord was so powerful that they couldn't stand to minister. And that's what we're going to see when that whole temple is established. That will be marvelous!

ROTH: The Hebrew word for glory, which is kabowd, is different from the stereotype that comes into our heads when we hear the glory of God. The Hebrew word for glory means 'a heaviness,' so that's why the priest couldn't stand, because the glory was a heaviness. And it literally made them prostrate on their faces. At another point, the Scriptures say the glory was so heavy, they couldn't even walk in. Could you picture someone with cancer or diabetes or heart trouble walking into that tangible presence of the living God? The two cannot coexist.

P. ROBERTSON: How do you see the prophetic significance of this attack, the problem with the Palestinians, the pressures on Israel? I mean, what do you see? This is obviously coming to a climax.

ROTH: I see it very clearly. There are patterns in Scriptures. In the book of Corinthians, it says first the natural, then the spiritual. And every time something major has happened to natural, physical Israel, something major has happened in the outpouring of God's Spirit. For instance, 1900, the first Zionist Congress, what happened? The Pentecostal movement began. In 1948 Israel became a nation. I just saw the clip on Billy Graham. Billy Graham got started and all of the healing revivalists got started. In 1967, during the Six Day War, the Charismatic movement began. We can take every battle, every victory.

There's a major, major battle coming up in Israel. It could be any moment now. We know this is coming. I kind of believe it's from Ezekiel 37 and 38. A lot of people don't know, but Russia is very Muslim, and so when we hear about Russia invading Israel, we think what would be the motivation? Well, that's Muslim, and the linking of the Muslim nations. When this occurs, I believe there will be a major release of God's Spirit on planet earth on the church.

You're so right on for praying for revival at this moment. The key to revival is repentance.

P. ROBERTSON: Amen. That's heavy hitting, brother. One last thing: The role of Israel now, the people in Israel, the Bible says they're going to look upon Him whom they have pierced, and Israel is, in a sense, going to be saved in a day. Do you see some event that's going to cause national repentance, or is it coming now gradually?

ROTH: It's coming right now. Muslims, as well as Jews, are having major encounters with Jesus. There have been more Muslims that have come to the Lord in the last decade than ever before in history. There have been more Jews that have come to the Lord in the last decade than ever before in history. They are coming to the Lord through supernatural means, not natural means, because God says, 'Salvation has come to the gentile to provoke the Jew to jealousy.' People say, 'I want a prophecy.' I'll give you one; it is written, 'Salvation has come to the gentile to provoke the Jew to jealousy.'

P. ROBERTSON: Ladies and gentlemen, Sid has written a book called 'The Last Lap: The Emergence of the One New Man.' That's going to be in the stores in November. Sid, we just appreciate your ministry. God bless you, my brother.

ROTH: Thank you.