I think we all agree that the rock in this verse is Yeshua. To make sure we are right we need to look at scripture. "But Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that Law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumble over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed." (Romans 9:31-33)

"Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem." (Isaiah 8:14) "Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costle cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." (Isaiah 28:16) "And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Christ." (1Corinthians 10:4) Also read Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11; Psalms 78:15. You may also read I Corinthians 10:1-4; to receive the full meaning.

First we are going to look at two words, Christian and Church, to help us understand more fully what is being said in scriptures. When we go to E - Sword (E - Sword is a free program that you can download at http://www.e-sword.net) and see what Christian means, Strong's G5546: a follower of Christ; next G5547: Anointed as Messiah. When we look at Christ in G5548 we have again Anointed Messiah. Now the first thing we have to understand is that there was no word such as Christian or Church.

How did we get these two words? When we look at the name Jesus in e-sword, Strong's list H3091: Jesus refers to Jehoshua. We understand with our English names that they have no meaning as far as names. That is different in Hebrew, all names have a meaning. Since there is no J in Hebrew you must change Joshua to Y'hoshua. Yeshua, which means God saves, would be Jesus Hebrew name. We will look in e-sword for Messiah; our Hebrew meaning would be H4899; that is Mashiach. Now we have Yeshua The Mashiach, Jesus The Messiah.

In Acts 11: 26; we find our first mention of Christians. "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Let us not get so dogmatic on names, such as Christian or Messianic. We are all one in Messiah and that is what should matter. Christian, Messianic, both followers of Messiah. Where I may prefer to be called Messianic and you prefer Christian. Should it matter? No! We are not here to judge one another on names instead we should stand together as true believers in Messiah.

Now we will look at the word Church. Strong's G1577: a religious congregation such as a Jewish synagogue, or an assembly of called out believers. We must understand for at least eight years after Jesus death. There were no Gentiles being saved; they were all Jewish believers in Messiah. When did we start calling the believers Christians and congregation changed to Church.

All those who believed in Yeshua was called People of The Way. Here is what Paul said before Yeshua called him to be an apostle to the Gentilies. "Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." (Acts 9:1-2)

The word Church replaced congregation at least 400 years after the death of Yeshua and the apostles. God's people were always refered to as a congregation, a people called out for God. I do not see anything wrong with useing Church instead of congregation. What concerns me is what the Church represents today.

Today the Church is divided into many donominations that never agree with each other. How sad, we cannot be one congregation in Messiah, made up of Jew and Gentile. Just as the first century believers were one congregation. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone." (Ephesians 2:19-20)

Who are these strangers and aliens? We know Paul was refering to Gentiles coming into the faith. He then tells us we are fellow citizens with the saints. Now we ask who are these saints? Since there was no New Testament yet, and the Gentiles were just now being saved into the household of God. These can be no other then Old Testament saints as well as all of the first Jewish New Testament believers.

We now have Jew and Gentile coming into the household of God. Since our faith is built on the foundation of Jesus/Yeshua, the apostles and the prophets. Where is the writings of the prophets? No other then the Old Testament. How many books of the Old Testament prophets have you read? Without the prophets your foundation is not complete.

"These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."(Matthew 10:5-7) Yeshua said, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24-28)

We need to look at verse 22, to have a full understanding on what Yeshua is saying. We know Yeshua was speaking to a Canaanite woman, she began to cry out, "have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David." In verse 25; she came again and began to bow down saying, "Sir, help me!" Verse 26; Yeshua answered and said, "it is not right to take the children's food and toss it to dogs." In the next verse, "she said that is true, sir, but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters table." Yeshua then said to her, " your faith is great."

What else have we seen from these verses? First, we see that Yeshua was sent only to the house of Israel. We must remember God has a set time for all things to be fulfilled. Yeshua had to come first to His own, since the Good News was to go to the Jews first then the Gentiles. We need to realize when we see two houses mentioned in scripture this always refers to Israel. When the house of Israel split in 920 BCE. The ten tribes of Israel became the northern kingdom and Judah and Benjamin became the southern kingdom. Yeshua came to restore the two houses of Israel. You want to see prophecy being fulfilled keep your eyes on Israel. These two houses will be restored again as one nation, just as they were under King David..

We will now look at Peter and Paul. First, we will look at Peter. Starting with John 21:15-17; you need to read these verses first to understand what took place. Jesus said to Peter, "do you love me more than these." Peter then replied, "Yes, Lord." Jesus replied "tend my Lambs." A second time, Jesus asked Peter, "do you love me," again Peter answered " Yes, Lord". Jesus then replied "Shepherd my sheep." A third time, Jesus asked Peter "do you Love me", again Peter replied, "Yes, Lord". Jesus then replied again "feed my sheep."

Why would Yeshua ask Peter the same question three times? If you remember Yeshua said on this rock I will build my Church. Yeshua is telling Peter you are to tend and shepherd my people. Feed them the truth that I have given you. We know this took place after Yeshua was raised from the dead, and before He was taken up into heaven.

Now we need to look at what Paul said about Peter."But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised, for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised worked for me also to the Gentiles, and recognized the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised." (Galatians 2:7-9)

What did Paul just tell us? He told us Peter was an Apostle to the Jewish people, and he was an Apostle to the Gentiles. We will look even deeper into John and Paul's words here. We know Yeshua was building His Assembly of believers on this Rock. This Rock is Jewish; Peter is Jewish; Paul and all the Apostles are Jewish. The first believers were all Jewish. Why is this Rock Jewish? Because our Saviour is Jewish and He is our Rock.

Again I ask, where in God's word does it say the Church would replace Israel and become a whole new religion? Let's be truthful here, nowhere can you find this in scripture. God never intended for the Gentiles to break away from their Jewish brothers and sisters. Instead He intended for Jews and Gentiles to stay united, as One in our Jewish Messiah.This was Paul's message to the Gentiles, not to turn away and become a religion built on antisemitism and hatred toward the Jewish people.

We know from scripture that Yeshua spent forty days teaching His apostles things concerning the Kingdom of God. He also told them not to leave Jerusalem, to wait for what the Father had promised. Yeshua was asked, "Lord is it at this time You are restoring the Kingdom of Israel" (Acts 1:6). That should tell us right there, God will restore Israel. You should read all of Acts 1:1-26; to fully understand what I said here.

In Acts 2;1-41; we see the giving of the Holy Spirit. We see Peter stand up and present the gospel. Now we know this is the festival of Shavuot also called Pentcost. There came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind. They saw what looked like tongues of fire, and they received the Holy Spirit. We are told there were about three thousand souls saved that day and were baptized into Yeahua. These three thousand were all Jewish no Gentiles being saved at this time.

I pray as you read my articles you will also refer to the Bible. If you do not use your Bible. How will you know if I am telling you the truth. As you can tell I use scripture to to teach me God's truth. When it comes to truth I never listen to what others teach. My salvation is very important to me, mans teaching mean nothing to me. Only God's word can teach you truth with the guidence of the Holy Spirit and prayer.

We find them day by day in the Temple, and the Lord was adding to their number day by day to those who were saved. (Acts 2:46-4 7). I could go on and on about how many Jewish people were saved and followed Yeshua. We need to realize that Israel has always been God's chosen people. The gospel was always to go to the Jewish people first, then to the nations.When a Jewish person excepts Yeshua, again does he stop being a Jew? No, he becomes a complete Jew in his Jewish Messiah. When a Gentile becomes saved in a Jewish Messiah, will he now become a Jew? No, he will always be a Gentile. Now he is a Gentile who is complete in Yeshua the Jewish Messiah.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) I have heard so many people say there is no difference now between Jew and Gentile. Is that what Paul was telling us here? No I think what he was saying is when Jew and Gentile come together as one new man in Messiah, we are to be one in Messiah, as Yeshua and His Father are one. After all I do not believe God broke down the dividing wall for the Jewish people to convert to a Gentile. (Ephesians 2:14)

Now we will look at the first Gentile saved which is Cornelius. You will need to read all of Acts 10:1-48, as I will only list what took place. First we see Cornelius, a Roman officer of what was called the Italian Regiment. In verse two it says;"He was a devout man, a God-fearer, as was his whole household; he gave generously to help the Jewish poor and prayed regularly to God." We know God sent an angel to Cornelius in a vision. "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God." He was then told to send some men to Joppa and find a man named Simon, who is also called Peter.

Cornelius then instructed his men and sent them to find Peter. Verse 9-16; It is now the next day Peter went up on the housetop, about the sixth hour to pray. He became hungry, and while they were making preparation he fell into a trance. Peter saw the sky open and an object coming down to the ground. There were in it all kinds of four footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and wild birds. "A voice said to Peter, get up, Peter, kill and eat. Peter replied by no means Lord, I have never eaten anything that was unclean." Again the voice spoke a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unclean." This happened three times and the object was taken up into the sky.

In verses 19-23; Peter is still trying to understand what this vision meant. We now have three men looking for Peter. God told Peter He had sent them. Then he went down and told the men he was Peter, he asked what the reason was that they had come to him. They said to Peter, "Cornelius, a righteous and God fearing man, well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house to hear a message from you."

The following day Cornelius was waiting for them with his relatives and close friends. When Peter came to Cornelius he fell at his feet to worship him. Peter said stand up, I too am just a man.Verse 28;"And he said to them, you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit them; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean."

What was Peter referring to here when he said unclean? When you look at the vision Peter had in verse 14, you should understand that he was now referring to the Gentiles, who are no longer unclean. I have heard many people say this verse tells us we can eat all foods. Not so, this verse referred only to Gentiles coming into the faith, nothing more. When you start adding what you believe to be God's word, with no scripture to back it up. This is how we come up with false doctrine. Always let the Bible interpet itself then you will find truth.

Peter now asks for what reason have you sent for me, then Cornelius told Peter all that the angel had told him. "We are all here present before God, to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord. Opening his mouth, Peter said; I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him."

Peter was still speaking when the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening. All the Jewish believers who had came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been given to the Gentiles, also. Peter then said no one can refuse them to be baptized after receiving the Holy Spirit. Then he ordered them to be baptized". Why did God send Peter to the first Gentile instead of Paul? We know Peter held a lot of authority over the Jerusalem congregation. Peter had to be the first witness of the Gentiles coming into the faith.

Acts 11:18-19; is our witness to the question I asked. Why Peter was sent instead of Paul? Peter here gives a full account on Cornelius coming into the faith. I do not believe Paul would have been accepted, without Peter being the first witness. The Jewish believers glorified God, that He had granted repentance to the Gentiles. Those who had been scattered after the death of Stephen, went to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch. Notice it says "they went only to the Jews."

In 1 Corinthians 15:5-8; Paul tells us Yeshua after His resurrection appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. He appeared to more than five hundred brethren. Then He appeared to James, then to all the Apostles, and last to Paul. We know from scripture even Gentiles were meeting in the synagogues and hearing the words of the Lord. Chapters 13, 14, and 15 in Acts tell us alot about the first Gentile believers. No Christian can say our faith is not Jewish, Any Church that teaches Replacement Theology will one day stand before their Jewish Messiah to be judged. One thing I noticed on all Christian sites I had been on, very few go past 400 to 200 A.D. Why is that?

Roman General Titus suppressed the first Jewish revolt (66-70 A.D). Completely destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple with fire. In 70 A.D. as far as history shows, the Jews and Gentiles still worshipped together. Since the Apostles and leaders were still alive, everything stayed the same.

In the second century, historical records show Heggesippus describes the rivalry between a man named Thebouthis and others seeking the position, after James the brother of Yeshua was killed. They finally decided to choose Simon who was a cousin to Yeshua. Epiphanius lists the last 13: Justus, Zaccheus, Tobiyah, Benjamin, Yochanan, Matityahu, Phillip, Seneca, Justus, Levi, Ephrayim, Yoseph annd Yahudah. They were all relatives of Yeshua. They were all persecuted because of their Davidic Lineage and relation to Yeshua.

Stephen who was Jewish gave his life for Yeshua. What would you do? Stephen was only the first of so many Jewish believers who died for their faith in Yeshua. The Church has a lot of repentance to do for what they have done to the nation of Israel. For those who do not know, James, brother of Yeshua, was stoned to death, as he would not denounce Yeshua as the Messiah.

The Bar-Kochba Revolt (A.D. 132-135) was a sad time for the Jewish believers in Yeshua. Rabbi Akiva formed a revolt to overthrow the Romans. He choose Simon Bar-Kochba to be the messiah. Here is how the split between the Jews and Gentiles happened. The Jewish believers would not except this false messiah. They all left Jerusalem in obedience to Yeshua, as He had instructed them. They fled to the mountains of Pella, which is now present day Jordan.

Rabbi Akiva and his false messiah both were killed. Jerusalem was completely destroyed and renamed Aelia Capitolina by the Romans. The Jewish people were forbidden to enter Jerusalem for at least one hundred years. Now this left only Gentile believers in control of Jerusalem for the first time; they quickly appointed a man named Mark. According to Baring Gould's history, the believers in exile still clung tightly to the traditions and teachings of Yeshua.

As late as A.D.150 the leaders in the synagogue were called nasi or president instead of pastor. James, the half brother of Yeshua, was the nasi of the early synagogue in Jerusalem. The early writings of the Didache suggest the congregations in Asia Minor and Greece treated the Jerusalem congregation with much the same authourity as the synagogues did the Sanhedrin. For at least 150 years Jews and Gentiles worshipped together with no seperation as we have today. How sad that we cannot worship today as Jew and Gentile as the early believers did.

You notice this article is called Orpah and Ruth, so lets take time here to look at the book of Ruth. Naomi had two daughter-in-laws after her husband had died and both sons. Naomi departed from Moab with both daughter-in-laws to return to her home in Judah. Then Naomi decided it would be better for them to return to their mother's house. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned home, but Ruth clung to her. We will return to Naomi and Ruth later to see what happened when Naomi returned to her people.

The emperor Constantine is famous for making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. If you think Constantine was a kind Christian, not so; he killed his own wife and son. We first see the Council of Nicaea in 325, which was later to be what we have today. As the Western Christians brought in Pagan customs, so did Constantine as he was a worshiper of the sun.

Constantine is quoted in Eusebius: It appeared an unwortthy thing that in the celebration of the most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are therefore, deservedly afflicated with blindness of soul....Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Saviour a different way. (Life Of Constantine).

This is nothing more than anti-Semitism with all of its hate. Our Messiah Yeshua, who was also Jewish, He kept Passover as well as all the feast. Polycarp I believe was the last great leader to celebrate Passover. Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John and knew the teachings of Yeshua and the Apostles. He was martyred around (A.D.150) in Rome, as he would not agree to changing the teachings he had received from John.

As I studied on the early Church history and Constantine, I asked myself this question. Will I keep a date for Yeshua's Resurrection founded on pagan beliefs? Or will I celebrate Yeshua's Resurrection after Passover? I now celebrate Passover as a remembrance of Yeshua, three days later I celebrate His Resurrection.

The Holocaust was built on centuries of anti Jewish hatred. Who do we blame for all this hatred of just one nation? Which has been the murder of millions of men, women and children. From Constantine to the Roman Catholic Church, and now the Protestant Church. So who is to blame? We as a people who call ourselves Christians, when we do not stand with Israel, and say never again, then we are to blame and we are guility. When we take hate into our souls instead of the love Jesus had. This is what you get, nothing more than anti-semitism.

The Jewish people have suffered more than any other nation. More Jews have died in the name of Jesus Christ than I could ever count. If you were a Jew and watched your whole family die, would you want to accept Jesus Christ. I think not. We have some in the Church today who teach their children ant-semitism against the Jews. The evil one, Satan, is really busy in our Churches. We will go much deeper into anti-semitism in a later article.

Now we are going back to the book of Ruth. I see Israel and the Church here in this little book. We know Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and left, yet Ruth is clinging on tightly to Naomi. Then she said to Ruth, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god's. Ruth then replied, do not ask me to leave you or turn from following you. Where you go, I will go, where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord bring a terrible curse on me, and worse ones as well, if anything but death separates you and me.

What did Ruth just do here? She made a covenant with Naomi. I would call this a love covenant, a special relationship. Ruth the Gentile is saying to Naomi who is Isreal I love you. Your God, is my God, your people, are my people. That is how the Church should be today, if we had loved Israel instead of hating her, our Churches would be different today. Read Ruth 2:10-12; to understand what is being said here.

Ruth fell on her face bowing down to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favor in your sight, since I am a foreigner? Boaz replied, all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of her husband. How you left your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people you did not know. May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. Now as we look at Boaz in chapter four, think of Boaz as (Israel) redeeming Ruth the (Gentile). Remember that you have a kinsman redeemer,Yeshua the Messiah, who died for your sins. As Boaz was Jewish and redeemed Ruth. Our Jewish Messiah redeems us, what a beautiful picture of the Messiah.

Today as the spirit of God searches and seeks the hearts of the Gentile believers, He is calling out for us to return from our false doctrines and pagan beliefs. We have all these Denominations and still cannot come to the truth. For the average Christian who does not study, he has no idea where his beliefs came from. I have watched Christians searching from one denominations to another for truth. Then in time they leave the Church never finding truth.

After all my years of study the Lord showed me so many beautiful truths in His word. The first thing I wanted to do was go to my family and friends and share what the Lord had given me. I was so excited I had finally found the truth that I had searched so many years to find. I mentioned the God of Israel and His Jewish Messiah and how we had lost our Hebraic Roots of our faith.

I was so in love with the Lord, I just could not understand why others were not. Yes, some listened and believed that I was presenting truth. Others started calling me a Judizer, others said I was trying to make them into a Jew. They did not understand the love God had put into my heart for His chosen people. Yes, I am like Ruth, I am a Gentile with a heart full of love for the nation of Israel. Yeshua is my redeemer, His people are my people, His God is My God.

At first I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Now I have found so many people who had the same thing happen to them. We all worship together Jew and Gentile as they did during the time of the Apostles. I heard a lady in England talking about her husband. He was a pastor over a congregation there. She said, God was calling them back to their Hebraic Roots. God was changing both of them from inside out on Sabbath, certain foods and Christmas. She said, her husband told his congregation all the Lord had given them. No one would deny what he said was not true; their only concern was it would be too much for them to do.

When the Spirit of God is in us nothing is too hard for us to do. "O Lord, my strength, my stronghold, and my refuge in day of distress, to you the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, and say, Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, futility and things of no profit." Jeremiah 16:19) Who will come from the ends of the earth? The Gentiles. "Thus says the Lord of Host, In those days ten men from all the the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:23) What will the nations grab hold of? The tzi-tzit on the four corners of the garment, that all Jewish men wear.

Why will the Gentiles do this? Because we have found truth, we know our forefathers have taught us lies. Today there is Messianic congregations all over the world, including Israel. We are truly coming towards the last days. I will quote a second time Micah 4:1-2;"And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, Come, let's go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His paths, For from Zion will go forth the Law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

Our faith does not lay in denominations or the teachings of men. Our faith is in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which is Israel, and our Messiah Yeshua, the greatest Jew who ever lived. No group of people can change God's word. You either stand on His truth or you fall into a make believe truth of your own. The Church of today will never be number one, there is no number one in God's plan for Salvation.

Who are you? Are you like Orpah who kissed Israel Goodbye, also the God of Israel and Yeshua our Jewish Messiah. Or can you say you are like Ruth who loved Israel, who took the God of Israel, as your God and the Jewish Messiah, as your Messiah. After all we as Gentiles worship the same God the Jewish people worship. I want to end this article with two scriptures from the New Testament. Please pray over these two scriptures as you read them Matthew 8:11; 22:32. Remember there are no two paths to God. In our next article we will look at Yeshua within the covenant's of the Old Testament. This will be our next step to Yeshua Who Is He.