Since we came to Israel we saw that almost all the believers that ever come to visit Israel, come with the miss-concept that they are going to "bring the Jews to Jesus". In Israel there is a law that prevent the believers to "bring the Jews to Jesus". If one goes around and preach and teach about Jesus, you can be deported. One can, however, answer when someone asks a question. When this happens, God opens a door so that one can talk about Jesus. But one has to be sure that God has opened a door and therefor one has to have a close relationship with God and act immediately when the Holy Spirit reveals that there is an open door. Keeping in mind that the Word of God teaches us to abide to authority, we prayed about this and asked God for a divine stragedy.
During the years here in Israel we come to the knowledge that +/- 70% of the Jews are secular Jews and do not even believe in God nor read the Torah. The religious Jews only read the Torah (5 Books of Moses - Gen., Ex, Lev, Num., Deut.). Like us, in the Christian world, we have many denominations, the Jews have many "sects" and some of the "sects" forbid the people to read the Prophets. Daniel is one book which not even the rabbis would read because: "it is closed until the end time". (there is a small group that is different). But we are speaking of more that 70% of the nation who do not really "know" God.
Then we realized what God said, when He spoke through Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 4.
:1 "If you will return, O Israel, says the Lord, Return to Me . . ."
:22 "For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. . ."
As believers we must bring the Jews to the Torah and show them God (the Father) and He will show them Jesus (Messiah) in the Word. We realized that we are talking about a "Son" and they do not even know there is a Father. Now I know that the Word say that the only way to God the Father is through the Son.
John 14
:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
But the Word of God also says that no man can come to Jesus except the Father draws on him.
"John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which have sent me draws him: and I will raise him up at the last day".
I do not want to say that we must bring the Jews to the Father and contradict the Word of God. No, what we have to do is to bring them back to the Word (Jesus is the Word), the Torah as they know it, and pray that God would draw them and reveal His Son to them. We can sow the seed and God will let it grow.
We have the same "ministry" which John had. "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God". This we can only do by "being" Jesus to them. So many times people tried to convince others, but they do not live accordingly to the Word of God. Our deeds speak harder than our words. If we imitate Christ, we will bring Him to those around us.
Luke 1
:12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
:14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
:15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
:16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
:17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, "to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
In the time of Zacharias there was a lot of corruption amongst the priests. There were so many priests that they had to throw the lot to know who would serve as priest before God. (: 9 "according to the custom of the priesthood . . .") Today in Israel it is the same situation. There is a lot of corruption amongst the religious leaders and one can just call out to God to have mercy on them.
God always used one man. He needs only one man that is righteous and willing. (Moses, Abraham, Gideon, Jehosafat, David, John, etc.) Zacharias was righteous before God.
Luke 1 : 5-6 " . . . a certain priest named Zacharias . . . his wife . . . Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinance of the Lord blameless."
There are some Jews (although in secret, we believe that there are born again Spirit filled rabbis here in Israel) that are righteous before God in Israel today. (: 15 . . . filled with the Holy Spirit, . . .") Speaking about John here, we believe there will be a man that soon is going to stand in front of his nation with the same mission as John. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God and he will also do so in the Spirit and power of Elijah.
Luke 1
: 16 " . . . and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God."
: 17 "He will also go before Him in the Spirit and power of Elijah . . ."
The Lord will lift the vail from their eyes and show them Jesus His Son and the whole household of Israel will be saved.