Messianic Jewish Perspective from Israel with Baruch Korman

Baruch Korman: Well, as you mentioned, around 2000, 2001, I had felt for some time the call to go to Israel to live there. We know that prophetically God is moving people back to the land. And just this past year, 2022 people, Jewish people immigrated, made aliya from 95 countries, the most ever. And I hope people see prophetic significance in that. But we went there in 2001, became citizens, actually, even before we stepped off the plane, through the Law of Return. And as you pointed out, we felt that we wanted to do more. There was not some teaching in Hebrew on television there. We were asked to do it, and we were very pleased to be part of that.

Tim Moore: Well, praise the Lord, I’m glad you’re there. And I’m glad the Lord has blessed your ministry and really multiplied its output. Most people, though, even some that maybe are watching our show today, have many misconceptions about the modern state of Israel. They think that it is an overtly religious society, being Jewish in nature, or perhaps that people live in constant fear of terrorist attacks. And other times Western propaganda has elevated the so-called Palestinians and made people wrongly believe that Israel is the malevolent actor in the Middle East. So as a Jew who made aliya to Israel 22 years ago, what can you tell us about Israel as a nation and about its unashamedly Jewish culture?

Baruch Korman: Well, there is a significant religious influence. I think for the most part, that’s good. We have not had any problems with the Haredi, the ultra-Orthodox. They probably don’t know much about us, but a few have seen our television shows, which are remarkable because most don’t have televisions, and that’s unusual. The second thing I would say is that there’s also a highly secular component to Israel. In fact, it’s probably 60% secular compared to 40% religious. And I think that the tensions between those two groups are almost nonexistent at times, but for the most part, people get along very well. There is terrorism, as you mentioned, the rockets come and other terrorist activities, but they are rare and most people feel very, very safe in Israel. And if you ask the Israel population, the rating of satisfaction with your country and just life in general is extremely high in Israel. So it’s a great place to live. And I feel very fortunate and blessed to be in Israel.

Tim Moore: I enjoy going to Israel every time I get the opportunity, and I always feel very safe in Israel. So having come from America, I know that you feel right at home. But as a follower of Yeshua, our Jewish Messiah, what kind of reception did you receive when you arrived in Israel? And quite frankly, how difficult was it for you to make aliya? And beyond that, has your message been well received?

Baruch Korman: Well, there’s a big difference, as we were talking about in the world in general, 25 years, Israel has changed drastically in regard to the process. Another organization has taken. It’s called Nefesh B’nefesh has really taken over the process of becoming a citizen. It’s an Orthodox group, and they’re very concerned about Jewish believers being able to come and become citizens in Israel.

Tim Moore: Jewish followers of Christ?

Baruch Korman: Yes, Jewish followers of Christ becoming citizens. So it’s much more difficult. When I did it, it was relatively easy, no problem. I was also very involved in the Jewish community where we used to live in Miami Beach, so that made it easier for me. But it’s a great place to live. You asked about our message. Most people don’t know, they look at you, they don’t know whether you’re a believer or not. So there’s not that initial problem. And I have found, and I think you would agree with this, a change with more acceptance, many more, and I’m speaking about Orthodox Jewish Israelis recognize that believers are about the only true friends Israel have. More and more are waking up to that. And I also find in sharing with people there’s a greater interest, not a hostility, not a being combative against it. So I’m encouraged about what God’s doing to the hearts of people as we move closer and closer to the last days.

Tim Moore: Amen. You know, you obviously would present to even many people in Israel as a very conservative person, so maybe they would not be sure. But I have witnessed, even in the 20 years I’ve been traveling to Israel, a real shift, almost a softening even among the Orthodox community to me as an evangelical Christian. So while they sometimes are still resistant to the message of the Gospel of Yeshua, specifically, I’ve had several testify to me personally that they recognize that the evangelical Christians really do love the Jewish people. And so I see that as a door beginning to open. Have you seen that same kind of shift in attitude?

Baruch Korman: I have, very much so. But even beyond that, there are believers within the Orthodox world. I’ll give you one brief example. We had a group, I know you take a lot of groups over in Israel, much more than we participate in groups. But we were at Qever Rahel, the Tomb of Rachel. And we came in and there was a gentleman from Missouri with our group, and he had a hat on that said, Jesus is Lord. And he even forgot what hat he had on, and he went into this place. And if you’ve been, I’m sure you have to the tomb of Rachel. There are places for services I’m talking about Haredi, Orthodox Judaism, and there was a group, what’s called a minyan, praying.

Tim Moore: It’s a synagogue.

Baruch Korman: It’s a synagogue, it’s used just as that, as a synagogue. And he was there. And one of the gentlemen caught his attention. Man, of course, in a black suit, long beard, everything that you would expect. And he goes. And this man, unfortunately, he’s passed away, his name is Carol. Carol didn’t know why he did that. Again. He didn’t know. He did like this, and the guy pointed to his hat.

Tim Moore: Oh, boy.

Baruch Korman: Now, he was amazed by that. Just amazed by that. But there are, God’s get people all over. So you never know who’s a believer and who’s not in Israel or anywhere else.

Tim Moore: Or anywhere else. One time I was getting ready to lead a small group up to the Temple Mount, and I stopped partway up the ramp where the overview of the Temple Mount is, the model of the original temple. And I was explaining some of the history and then, of course, the prophetic significance when it comes to Jesus coming again, the end times. And two Orthodox men stopped and listened. And when I finished, one of them said, “Can I speak to your group?” And I said, “Yes.” He said, “This man speaks truth. He’s the only person I’ve ever heard declare the truth about our Temple Mount.” And it was a verification of even the gospel presentation I had made. So you’re exactly right. You never know.

Many Gentile Christians, though, don’t understand why so many Jews are resistant to the Gospel. And I think that there has been a historic resistance, sometimes as a response to Gentile anti-Semitism. And that’s tragic. So until the Lord led Peter to go and share the Good News to Cornelius, all the believers in the church were Jewish. And so what has caused this reluctance even to this day among some Jewish people, that that we hope to break down and again, share the Gospel with?

Baruch Korman: Well, I think there’s two things. Number one, oftentimes they don’t see modesty. And I’m talking about dress among women. And some of the ways that worship is done. It seems like there’s a big disconnect to the cultural and sometimes biblical norms that they expect to see. So that’s one of the reasons there’s a disconnect. And then what you were alluding to a few minutes ago about anti-Semitism, unfortunately, the church has a very poor history in regard to how the church has related. Not always, but there’s been many times where there’s been very strong persecution in words and also in violence against the Jewish people at the hands of those who we know they’re not real believers, but those who proclaim to be Christ followers.

Tim Moore: Yes.

Baruch Korman: And that has caused I think, a large, large gulf between the two groups. But we know something, God’s going to heal that, and He’s going to make us one people. And that only comes as you and I, and this is the purpose that both of us serve, it only comes through that Gospel message. There’s no other way.

Tim Moore: No other way. You know, it breaks my heart that anti-Semitism has marked too much of church history, especially in perception of Jewish people. Whether they think of Nazi Germany as a Christian nation, or Russia under the czar and prior as a Christian nation perpetrating so much persecution on them. So instead of making the Jewish people jealous of our relationship with God as Christians, in other words, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Gentile Christians have too often offered a curse, if you will, on the Jewish people in direct contradiction to what Genesis 12:2-3 says that we are to bless them. Do you see anti-Semitism growing worse today?

Baruch Korman: I see anti-Semitism growing worse throughout the world, but also much more within the church with growing in almost a normalcy of Replacement Theology. But also things as Dominion theology, saying that the church is going to bring everything under control before Christ returns to set up His Kingdom. And this includes some things that are also very problematic in how they view Israel and Israel’s future, in fact thinking that Israel has no future and that God’s not going to do anything in that land. We both know reading the Scripture there is a mighty future in that land of Israel and among the Jewish people throughout the world.

Tim Moore: You know, I get that it aggravates me sometimes to hear a pastor claim the promises of God given to the Jews for themselves or for the Gentiles. And I say, if you can steal the promises given to another group of people, someone else, you know, how come someone couldn’t come and steal your promises? God’s promises are true to the Jews, to the Gentiles, to the Arab world, and to His Son, who really is the beneficiary of the promise of even the glorious return. It’s about Him. And so I think as the end times draw near, the world is going to continue to plunge into greater and greater darkness as Satan rages with greater and greater animosity. And so one of the things he’s always done is to pour out his hatred on the Jewish people in effort to prove God a liar, because God has promised to protect and preserve the Jewish people.

Baruch Korman: Things are changing in the sense that in the world a small but growing remnant are coming aware of prophetic truth, about the changes that are happening. Satan, anti-Semitism is really rooted in Satan’s plan. His mindset.

Tim Moore: Yes.

Baruch Korman: Because he knows, he thinks if he can destroy the Jewish people, he destroys the Word of God because God has a future for them, and if they don’t exist, then He wins and God loses. We know that’ll never happen, but that’s the mindset.

And many people, I think with the best intentions or just a lack of biblical understanding, fall prey to this false theology. They’re good people. They don’t mean anything negative, but they don’t know, and therefore they embrace these things which are, I think your word was tragic. It truly is.

Tim Moore: It is tragic. It’s wrong. And so Christians, all of us need to be grounded in the Word of God to test everything that even a pastor would preach. Is it true, according to the scripture? As Paul said to the Bereans don’t trust anyone’s word except the Word of God. You know, speaking of Satan raging, we know that there’s going to be a period of horror unleashed upon the world and the Jewish people in particular. But even then, during the Tribulation, there’s a promise of hope. So what do you see is the purpose of the Tribulation or the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob’s Trouble that focuses on the Jewish people?

Baruch Korman: Well, in short, God’s good to bring the Jewish people to their knees. You know that’s a good thing. I mean, that’s a good thing when we’re brought to our knees. It’s a good thing when anyone says, I have no hope, I’m desperate. Only you, God. And I think we all know the verse that Messiah quoted as well. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Tim Moore: Yes.

Baruch Korman: Things are going to get tough for Israel. We know that two thirds are going to lose their life in that time of what’s called (et tsarah Yaaqob) a time of trouble to Jacob. But the good thing (Hebrew) which means but from it or out of it, he will be saved. That promises from Jeremiah 30:7 a future. Here again, how are they going to be saved? We all know there’s only one way. But He’s going to use this time of trouble for the purpose of bringing a remnant to salvation.

Tim Moore: Yes.

Baruch Korman: And what Paul says in Roman 11, let’s not be egotistical. I think he uses the old English word haughty. Let’s not be prideful, but let’s be praying for that time because until that remnant comes to faith, the Kingdom of God won’t be established. That’s what we want and we want all the nations, including Israel, to have that remnant from everyone there. That’s the promise that God gives us.

Tim Moore: From every tribe, tongue and nation. You know that phrase you used containing your own name is my favorite phrase in Hebrew. I probably don’t do it justice. But Baruch haba b’shem Adonia. Meaning your name Baruch is a part of that great promise of Christ that when the Jewish people say blessed, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, then He and in turn will come.

Baruch Korman: Amen.

Tim Moore: Well, you obviously have placed your faith in Yeshua, so you are part of the church. And as our friend Olivier Melnick says, you know, when Scripture says a great portion of the Jewish people will perish during the Tribulation, he said that really weighed heavily on his spirit until he realized God never put a number on how many would perish, and what remnant would be saved. So he says, our goal is to convince as many Jews to embrace Yeshua now, become part of the church, so that they can be rescued from the wrath to come. And that that number dwindles as the size of the Jewish population, hopefully that is part of the church grows.

Baruch Korman: We know that the promise is for all people, given to the Jew first and also to the Greek or we would say Gentile.

Tim Moore: Yes.

Baruch Korman: And our whole purpose, why your organization, my organization exists, is to do just what that gentleman said, we want to see that number grow as part of the church. And the church, I think, has a lot to do, you know, the first place we see the term church in Greek, in the Septuagint, the Greek translation are those that came out of Egypt. And the message is simple, everyone has to have a Passover experience to come out and enter into the promise land. I think that’s a paradigm. We come out also through a Passover experience. It’s not by chance that the crucifixion happened on Passover.

Tim Moore: No, it’s not.

Baruch Korman: And therefore, everyone is going to be brought out of this world and into the Kingdom of God has a Passover experience, and we want more and more people, Jew and Gentile alike, to experience that. Nothing good in one’s life is going to have eternal consequences until they have that Passover experience with the blood of the lamb, and I’m talking about Christ’s blood.

Tim Moore: Yes. And not just applied to a physical doorway, but to the doorway of our heart and covered by His blood. You know, Baruch, throughout 2023, our ministry has been reviewing and exploring the signs of the times. We’ve talked about signs of nature, society, spiritual signs, signs of world politics, technology, but the most important sign of all, I believe, is the signs of Israel. So beginning in 1948, with the reestablishment of the modern nation of Israel, in 1967, when Israel became in possession of the city of Jerusalem, Old City, Jerusalem. I think even today, with the world’s fixation on all that’s happening in Israel. That Israel becomes proof that God is keeping his promises, and that Jesus’ return is imminent.

Baruch Korman: Absolutely. His return in the blessed hope, in the Rapture is indeed soon. And the church needs to be ready for that. How do we get ready? Well, in His Word, but also sharing His Word with others. And another thing I would say in regard to that is that the enemy knows that his time is short. And that’s why we’re seeing more and more of an increase in anti-Semitism. And you know what? More and more persecution of Christians throughout the world. We know of an organization that shares statistics. And the last year was the greatest time in modern history of Christians being persecuted and put to death. I think that’s also very significant in what we’re living in. We’re seeing the hostility towards things relating to the God of Scripture.

Tim Moore: Amen. From your perspective as a Jew living in Jerusalem, a follower of Yeshua, what other signs do you think are multiplying today or even converging that become evidence for those with eyes to see and ears to hear?

Baruch Korman: Well, one thing, the massive immigration back to Israel. We talked about that earlier. I think that’s very, very significant. Secondly, we’re seeing some movements within Orthodox Judaism about reading the Tanakh, reading the Hebrew Bible. I think a lot of your listeners and those who watch your program don’t realize that Orthodox Judaism, Judaism in general, is a religion that really has separated from the Scripture. And so now when there’s these programs to read the Bible, and I’m talking about the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, this is wonderful. And it also, in our work in Israel, allows me much easier to ask questions. You know how we do most of our work is by going to a synagogue and asking questions frequently from the weekly Torah portion or the reading from the prophets, and just asking: Can you help me understand that? No one has ever said no to me. Everyone has been very kind in response. And it opens up just when we’re having a dialog. And when the dialog is on Scripture, the Holy Spirit gets involved and He works. Not us, but He works.

Tim Moore: Exactly.

Baruch Korman: And things go much better when He’s doing the work than when you and I.

Tim Moore: I’ve always been amazed, even riding on an airplane back and forth to Israel next to an Orthodox Jew and getting in conversations and asking them specifically about passages in Scripture. And they will be reading the devotionals and the writings of their favorite rabbis. But they’ll say, “You know, I’ve never read that book or that passage.” And I’d say, “Really, you’ve never read the actual scriptures?” And for the brief moment, they say, “Well, let me see.” And they’ll look with me and it makes them think. You know, Baruch, I’ve asked you a lot of questions, but what insights or messages has the Lord laid on your heart that you would like to share with our viewers today?

Baruch Korman: The importance of two things, not only reading God’s Word, but secondly, sharing and praying beforehand, “God, whatever you teach me, I’m going to implement in my life.” When we approach the Word of God with the desire to obey. And it may be surprising to you, but probably the biggest criticism that we get through emails is our emphasis on obedience. Now we know we’re not saved by our obedience. It’s not through good works that that God receives us. But having been saved by grace, a free gift through faith, we are called to obey His Word. And when we say to God, “God, I’m going to open up your Word, and whatever you teach me, I’m going to do.” Things change. So I think this is something I would really like to share with your audience the importance of approaching the study of God’s Word through a desire to recognize His authority and the authority of His Word. It changes lives, and that’s what we’re seeing in Israel. Lives are being changed because we teach, be brought under His authority. No one ever regrets obeying God.

Tim Moore: No, they don’t. I love two places in Revelation how John records the words of Christ, and it says, For instance, in chapter one, verse three, “Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it.” How do you heed? You heed by first believing and then obeying. And he even says, “Because the time is near.” We must not just read and hear. We need to study and as you said, we need to heed, meaning we need to believe and obey. Baruch, how can our viewers get in touch with you or follow your ministry?

Baruch Korman: Probably the easiest way we have a Bible app called My Bible Study available no matter what device you have, you can go on and just My Bible Study has all of our teachings and articles and such. It’s free. And the other way is through our website LoveIsrael.org. Again, we’re so grateful for your support, and not just your mouth support, not just your prayer support, but your financial support, it really means a lot to see a ministry like you lead invest in us. We’re humbled by that. Very grateful. So I thank you and thank the people who also support your ministry because it goes beyond just Lamb & Lion, it goes into the land of Israel and I’m sure many other places as well.

Tim Moore: Well, Baruch, well said. And really, it is our honor to be partnered with you. Lamb & Lion Ministries considers it a great privilege to be able to pour into Love Israel. So if you’re watching today, I hope that you will go to LoveIsrael.org, perhaps send a message of encouragement to Baruch and tell him how much this conversation has blessed you. And if you’d like to send a special donation that would be earmarked for Baruch and his work there in Israel to Love Israel you can send it to Lamb & Lion Ministries, and I can assure you that every dollar will flow forward to him.

Well, Baruch, thanks again for your passion for the Lord and proclaiming the Good News about our Jewish Messiah. And finally, for joining me today in Kentucky, as my pilgrims will understand, our conversation today has really been “sababa”. Baruch, shalom, my friend.

Baruch Korman: Thank you and God bless you.

Tim Moore: Godspeed.