It is reported that the religious leaders, the scribes and pharisees, went to Yaakov to ask him to speak to all those gathered in the temple for the passover of that year 63 a.d., telling them that Yeshua is not the Messiah. It seems they were in quite a panic as ever more people were accepting Yeshua as the Messiah - even members of the ruling class. In their recorded adjuration they say that all are bound to obey Yaakov as he is the Tsadeek.

In speaking to the people, Yaakov answers the question, “Who is the door of the Lord?” stating that it is Yeshua who now sits at the right-hand of God. Upon hearing this the religions leaders are really in panic and throw Yaakov down from the pinnacle of the temple where he had been speaking from.

This fall did not, however, kill him and, thusly, he is stoned. Yaakov still has strength enough to get on his knees and pray to God that He forgive them “for they know not what they do”. One priest standing by, hears the prayer and calls for the insanity to stop. A fuller throws the club which he uses in his work; Yaakov is martyred.

He is interred on that very spot and a column raised to mark the spot and commemorate Yaakov haTsadeek who was haTsadeek not only in office but also in behaviour.

Three years later the roman armies encircled Jerusalem and in 70 a.d. the city was taken. The inhabitants were either killed or sold into slavery and this after years of unimaginable suffering, even coming so low as to kill one another over a scrap of food.

The lesson closes with the reminder that a time worse than that which Jerusalem experienced during the siege is coming. We are all called upon to decide which side we stand upon. The Lord our God is patient but the day of reckoning does come - just as the day came when Noah and his family entered into the Ark and the Lord shut the door. Even now there is time to repent and turn to Yeshua - or if one has already made this decision then to be sure that we are true to Him until the end.

Hallelujah.

I also wanted to mention that on one hand I am really frustrated with the rabbinical system,(with the knowledge that I now have about this) & I am sicken by what the unbelieving jews did to James the Just. On the other hand, I believed YHWH used my rabbinical jewish upbringing to help me discover Him during my childhood. B/c I remember seeing the word “God” many times in the prayer books that we recited in many prayers in what I thought was at the time “Shabbat” during services (sun- down friday to sun-down saturday-thinking at those times>it was Shabbat) and we recited the Shema (Deut. 6:4) at every service that I attended. Those prayers that we recited in the synagogue, had a huge impact on me, & convinced me to secretly seek the God of Israel and to pray to Him consistently, & to tell Him how much I love Him and I asked Him and wanted His forgiveness for all my wrong doings and for all my sins and I asked Him to have an everlasting relationship with Him. I believe one of the ways YHWH was reaching me was through those prayer books, and from some of the discussions I had with others at Summer camp about “God” I believe there was other ways too YHWH was reaching me. But my jewish upbringing had a big impact on me for seeking YHWH and having a love for Biblical feasts.
So, I am thankful for it even though I am sadden too by the rabbinical system. Otherwise where would I be today in my belief, faith & walk?

Sorry for my long post.

But this program had a profound effect on me and I was reminded of how I came to faith in Messiah and my attitude about Yeshua during my childhood in my rabbinic jewish upbringing. I don’t know why I had this attitude, but I would always change the subject when I heard Jesus being spoke of, from friends trying to witness to me and or I would cringe when I had to sing in choir class and Jesus name came up in the songs. At that time I knew His name to be Jesus. I learned of His Hebrew name in the mid 90’s(several yrs. later) I wondered why I had that attitude.

I believed at that time that Jews didn’t believe in Jesus as Messiah, so I would change the subject. However at that time, (talking about my elementary age yrs. and up)I did pray to constantly and believe in the God of the Bible, the God that gave us the 10 commandments & The God that created the Heavens and the earth & me. So my thinking at that time was if I believed in Jesus as the Messiah, then the God of Israel would reject me. And I am forbidden by the 10 commandments to have idols. I would never turn my back on the God of Israel. I couldn’t believe in or talk about Jesus. The knowledge of Yeshua was kept a secret or forbidden to talk about in the synagogues & jewish communities that I grew up in including sunday school or religious school that I grew up in at my synagogue, & including my own family(Although growing up, my family and I never really talked about God at all). And to be honest with you, growing up I really had an appreciation for my jewish upbringing and my jewish heritage. I still do as a believer in Yeshua, but in a different way now b/c I have much more of an appreciation & understanding of the Biblical feasts that I had celebrated all my life which has much more meaning now in my life. But, I was really involved in the Jewish rabbinic upbringing, attending summer jewish camps, religious school, BBYO, & the JCC & working at the JCC too. Coming to faith in Yeshua rocked my whole world as active person in the Jewish community who liked my Jewish upbringing. So I thought being involved in Messianic Congregation was the way to go , after becoming a believer and learning about them(messianic congregation) in the church. Why not? I can witness to other non believer jews this way and I can continue in my jewish identity. Again my world was rocked, when I discovered Tsiyon.org b/c, I then became aware of not only new teachings & revelations that I haven’t heard before that wasn’t being taught at my congregation, and it wasn’t being welcomed either by the few of the people at that congregation, that I tried to share with concerning Tsiyon programs, except for one of my good friends there did welcome Tsiyon messages & who came on board with me regarding Tsiyon teachings, but I also came of aware of what rabbinical Judaism is vs Biblical Judaism & Biblical Israel & who is the authority that I am following. That was a whole new change in my life that I didn’t expect to come up and it all started with “Holy Time” However there was many other reasons as well, that was leading me to leave my congregation. But after discovering Tsiyon, I have no intention of going back to any congregation unless they or one of them come on board with Tsiyon’s messages and walk it out. Why am I bringing all of this up regarding this program? > B/c it was the rabbinic unbelieving jews that brought its destruction on Jerusalem in 70 AD & they are the ones who murder James. I have been involved in rabbinic Judaism almost my whole life and I really liked my jewish upbringing and I was still following their(rabbinic) calendar and their traditions even as a believer in Yeshua by being involved in the Messianic Congregations. Being in the church is no different then being in the congregation. I have been in both settings. They all follow man’s traditions and pagan practices & distort the Truth. Did I really waste so much time and energy in the wrong place? However, I am thankful b/c Yeshua brought me to the knowledge of this and to the Truth that is being presented at Tsiyon.

In the last three yrs., I had woken up to this. Even though the change in my life really started for me in 2007. This revelation came to me in 2008. I left the congregation in late 2008 and early 2009. So I find this program really emotional for me. B/c I was very much involved in modern day rabbinic Judaism that doesn’t believe in Yeshua the messiah and are hostile when you speak of His Name & yet the messianic believers in Yeshua are following the rabbinic traditions and calendar so they can be a witness to the Jews, from my understanding b/c that was one of my reasons for being in the congregation as well as wanting to continue my Jewish identity except now I want to continue my Jewish identity in Messiah and the Biblical sense. I want to have Yeshua as my authority, and in His model that I want to follow. I don’t care what the earthly man thinks of me. They don’t hold my soul in the palm of their hands. I seek to have Yeshua’s acceptance, and an everlasting relationship with Him.
So I kinda of live like Joe does, according to his previous posts. B/c I have walked away from the church and the congregation, having very little fellowship with like minded folks and here I am alone in the middle of no where trying to follow Yeshua.

Joe>Thank you for your testimony. Stay strong in your faith.

What a testimony James was too all the people in his day knowing his life was in jeopardy from the unbelieving Jews. He stood firm in the Truth about Yeshua & continued to pray for all the unbelieving Jews even all the way up to his death of murder.

Shalom

Shalom,

Don