RABBI KIRT: I GO TO SLEEP ONE NIGHT.
I HAD NEVER READ THE NEW TESTAMENT.
JESUS WAS AS FAR AWAY TO ME,
I KID YOU NOT, AS THE MAN ON THE MOON.
I WAS AWOKEN FROM MY SLEEP.
MY EYES WERE STILL CLOSED.
I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING,
AND JESUS APPEARED ON THE CROSS.
GOD WAS SHOWING ME THAT
JESUS WAS THE WAY TO HIM.
SO WHEN I FIRST STARTED TELLING EVERYBODY ABOUT IT,
AND EVENTUALLY WHAT THEY DID IS,
THEY HIRED THE MOST FAMOUS DEPROGRAMMER
IN THE COUNTRY.
BECAUSE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS WAS VERY, VERY
SHAMEFUL FOR THEM.
THEN WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK,
THEY PROBATED ME TO A PSYCHIATRIC WARD
FOR TWO MONTHS.
IT WAS LIKE THERE WAS NOTHING
THAT WAS GOING TO STOP ME.
SO WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT IF WE'RE GOING
TO BREAK THROUGH,
WE WILL FACE RESISTANCE.
REBECCA: HEY, GUYS.
WELCOME TO THE REBECCA WEISS PODCAST.
I AM JOINED TODAY WITH SOMEONE
WHO IS LIKE A FAMILY FRIEND OF OURS.
I'M TALKING ABOUT
RABBI KIRT SCHNEIDER, THE AUTHOR AND FOUNDER
OF DISCOVERING THE JEWISH JESUS.
RABBI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
RABBI KIRT: HONEY, I AM THRILLED TO BE WITH YOU
AND TO BE ABLE TO
SPEND THIS TIME AND GO ON THIS LITTLE JOURNEY TODAY
TALKING ABOUT THE HEBREW NAMES OF GOD.
REBECCA: I LOVE THAT.
SO BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THE BOOK,
FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU,
DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU,
WHY DON'T YOU GIVE US YOUR TESTIMONY?
HOW DID YOU FIND --
WHO ARE YOU?
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
AND HOW DID YOU FIND JESUS?
RABBI KIRT: YEAH.
WELL, I GREW UP IN A VERY JEWISH ENVIRONMENT.
IN FACT, WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,
IT WAS A SECULAR SCHOOL, REBECCA,
BUT THEY ACTUALLY CLOSED
THE SCHOOLS DURING YOM KIPPUR,
ROSH HASHANAH, ET CETERA,
BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD SHOW UP.
IT WAS JUST REALLY ISOLATED.
VERY BEAUTIFUL CULTURE TO GROW UP WITH, VERY CLOSE.
BUT MY FAMILY WAS MOSTLY SECULAR.
I WAS BAR MITZVAHED AT A CONSERVATIVE SYNAGOGUE,
WHICH IS NOT SECULAR.
SO MY HEBREW SCHOOL TRAINING WAS KIND OF
LIKE CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM.
BUT I NEVER REALLY TIED IN TO KNOWING GOD
THROUGH MY HEBREW EDUCATION.
I ALWAYS BELIEVED IN GOD
VERY DEEPLY, VERY SINCERELY,
AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE A CHILD.
I ALWAYS BELIEVED IN GOD,
BUT THE JUDAISM THAT I LEARNED IN HEBREW SCHOOL
WAS VERY DRY.
IT WAS KIND OF LIKE MEMORIZING PRAYERS,
LEARNING HOW TO READ HEBREW,
ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
SO I WAS NEVER THAT DRAWN TO IT.
ALWAYS THOUGH, TOTALLY,
YOU KNOW, YOU KNEW
I'M A JEW,
NOW I'M A JEW, YOU KNOW.
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: SO THAT WAS NEVER, THAT WAS NEVER,
YOU KNOW, AN ISSUE.
IT WAS JUST THAT I WASN'T ATTRACTED TO RABBINIC
JUDAISM SO MUCH.
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: SO WHEN I WAS DONE WITH MY,
WITH MY BAR MITZVAH,
MY PARENTS GAVE ME THE CHOICE.
YOU CAN CONTINUE TO GO TO HEBREW SCHOOL THREE, FOUR
DAYS A WEEK OR NOW THAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED
YOUR BAR MITZVAH,
YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION.
SO AT THAT POINT,
I BASICALLY WENT TO SYNAGOGUE ON MOSTLY
THE HIGH HOLIDAYS, ROSH HASHANAH, YOM KIPPUR, ET CETERA.
EVENTUALLY, I RAN INTO SOME TROUBLE IN LIFE.
I WOULD CALL IT,
I HAD AN IDENTITY CRISIS
WHEN I WAS 18 YEARS OLD.
I WAS A VERY COMMITTED ATHLETE.
EVEN GOT A SMALL SCHOLARSHIP TO WRESTLE AT COLLEGE.
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: BUT WHEN I WALKED OFF
THE WRESTLING MAT, REBECCA,
AFTER WRESTLING MY LAST MATCH,
IT WAS LIKE I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY FUTURE WAS ANYMORE.
BECAUSE WRESTLING, I REALIZED, DIDN'T MEAN
ANYTHING GOING IN TO THE REAL WORLD AS AN ADULT.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS ANYMORE,
BECAUSE THAT'S WHO I WAS.
AND IT JUST PUT ME IN A TAILSPIN.
I ALSO REALIZED THAT THE WORLD WAS A LOT BIGGER
THAN PEOPLE THAT WRESTLED MY WEIGHT CLASS AND I FELT
IN CONTROL IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.
I FELT THE CONTROL
WHEN I WAS JUST DEALING WITH PEOPLE THAT WRESTLED
IN MY WEIGHT CLASS.
BUT NOW I REALIZE THAT ISN'T MY WORLD ANYMORE.
AND IT MADE ME FEEL VERY VULNERABLE RECOGNIZING
THAT THE WORLD WAS MUCH BIGGER THAN ME.
SO I WENT INTO A TAILSPIN,
IDENTITY CRISIS,
NO PURPOSE.
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE ANYMORE,
AND I FELT VULNERABLE.
BECAUSE I REALIZED
I WAS NO LONGER IN CONTROL.
SO IN A NUTSHELL,
I STARTED SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS.
AND I WAS READING A BOOK ON THE NEW AGE RELIGION.
IT WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE MOST
FAMOUS NEW AGE BOOKS EVER REWRITTEN.
IT'S CALLEDAUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI BY PARAMAHANSA
YOGANANDA THAT INTRODUCED YOGA TO THE WESTERN WORLD.
AND I OPENED THE BOOK AND THERE WERE PICTURES IN THE
BOOK OF THESE SWAMIS FROM INDIA
LEVITATING OFF THE GROUND.
AND I SAID, GOD, I SAID, IF THAT'S REAL,
IF THOSE GUYS ARE REALLY LEVITATING OFF THE GROUND,
I FOUND MY NEW GOAL.
I FOUND MY NEW WRESTLING.
I WANT TO BE ABLE TO LEVITATE OFF THE GROUND
BECAUSE THIS IS A HIGHER REALITY THAN MAKING MONEY.
AND I IMAGINE HOW -- WHAT BLISS
I WOULD FEEL LEVITATING OFF THE GROUND.
AND SO I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF READING THIS BOOK.
I GO TO SLEEP ONE NIGHT, REBECCA.
NO ONE HAD EVER WITNESSED TO ME.
I HAD NEVER READ THE NEW TESTAMENT.
JESUS WAS AS FAR AWAY TO ME,
I KID YOU NOT, AS THE MAN ON THE MOON.
JESUS NEVER ENTERED MY MIND.
IT WAS TOTALLY FOREIGN TO ME.
TOTALLY, I WOULD SAY,
I DON'T WANT TO USE THE WORD REPULSIVE
BECAUSE THAT SOUNDS TOO STRONG.
BUT AS A JEW,
IT WAS JUST REALLY FOREIGN AND NOT ATTRACTIVE.
BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF READING
THIS BOOKAUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI ,
I WENT TO SLEEP ONE NIGHT.
I WAS AWOKEN FROM MY SLEEP INTO WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE
AS A SUPERNATURAL CONSCIOUS STATE OF AWARENESS.
SUDDENLY, I WAS AWARE THAT I WASN'T SLEEPING.
MY EYES WERE STILL CLOSED.
I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING AND JESUS
APPEARED ON THE CROSS.
I KNEW AS AN AMERICAN THAT THE PERSON ON
THE CROSS IS JESUS.
THAT'S ALL I KNEW.
BUT I UNDERSTOOD
WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
JESUS APPEARED ON THE CROSS.
IT WAS IN COLOR.
I COULD SEE THE TERRAIN
THE CROSS WAS STAKED IN.
THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE IN THE DISTANCE LOOKING AT HIM
AS HE WAS BEING CRUCIFIED.
AND THEN A RAY OF RED LIGHT FROM STRAIGHT
THROUGH THE SKY, FROM STRAIGHT ABOVE THE BLUE,
CAME DOWN ON HIS HEAD.
AND WHEN I SAW THAT RAY OF LIGHT,
REBECCA, COME DOWN IN HIS HEAD,
I KNEW GOD WAS SHOWING ME THAT
JESUS WAS THE WAY TO HIM.
AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE,
THAT WAS IT.
I GOT OUT OF BED, WENT TO THE RESTROOM.
AND SUDDENLY, HOPE HAD COME INTO MY HEART.
I KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE OKAY.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ANY CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AT ALL.
I JUST KNEW THAT GOD HAD JUST REVEALED HIMSELF TO ME,
SHOWED ME THAT JESUS WAS THE WAY
AND THAT THINGS WERE GOING
TO GET GOOD.
REBECCA: HOW DID YOU --
WHERE DID YOU GO FROM THERE?
RABBI KIRT: WELL, WHERE I WENT FROM THERE,
IS I STARTED TELLING EVERYBODY ABOUT IT.
I HAD NO, I HAD NO CONCEPT OF WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN
WHEN I STARTED TELLING EVERYBODY ABOUT IT.
BECAUSE JESUS WAS JUST NEVER BROUGHT UP IN MY HOME.
IT WAS JUST LIKE A TOTAL NONISSUE.
SO I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE RESISTANCE AND THE, UM,
YOU KNOW, BACKLASH THAT I WAS GOING TO GET.
SO WHEN I FIRST STARTED TELLING EVERYBODY ABOUT IT,
I'M SPEAKING OF MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
THEY DIDN'T REACT MUCH BECAUSE THEY PROBABLY
THOUGHT IT WAS A DREAM OR SOMETHING AND IT'D BE OVER
IN A COUPLE DAYS.
BUT I JUST KEPT ON TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT IT,
TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT IT.
SOMEBODY EVENTUALLY SAID TO ME,
WELL, YOU SHOULD GO GET A NEW TESTAMENT,
BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH ALL MY CLOSE FRIENDS WERE JEWS,
I KNEW A LOT OF PEOPLE.
AND SO I WENT AND GOT A NEW TESTAMENT,
STARTED DEVOURING IT.
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS,
THIS IS LIKE THE COOLEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD.
I'D GO TO MY DAD,
DAD, LOOK AT THIS FIRST.
GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING
THE WORLD TO HIMSELF.
REBECCA: OH, WOW.
RABBI KIRT: AND EVENTUALLY WHAT THEY DID IS
THEY HIRED THE MOST FAMOUS
DEPROGRAMMER IN THE COUNTRY.
THEY FLEW HIM DOWN FROM CALIFORNIA TO KIDNAP ME.
REBECCA: YOUR SECULAR PARENTS?
RABBI KIRT: YES.
REBECCA: OH, MY GOODNESS.
RABBI KIRT: BECAUSE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS,
IT WAS VERY, VERY SHAMEFUL FOR THEM.
REBECCA: OH, WOW.
RABBI KIRT: FOR THEIR SON TO BE BELIEVING IN JESUS,
WALKING AROUND THE JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD,
TALKING ABOUT JESUS TO EVERYBODY.
AND SO, UM, YEAH,
THEY HIRED SOMEBODY TO COME AND KIDNAP ME,
TED PATRICK AND DEPROGRAM ME.
IT'S ACTUALLY -- I HAVE FOOTAGE OF THE ACTUAL,
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ACTUAL, UH,
THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON IN A VIDEO ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
AND THE NAME OF THE VIDEO ON
MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
IT'S CALLED JESUS APPEARED IN MY ROOM.
SO I SHOW SOME OF THE FOOTAGE OF, YOU KNOW,
THE DEPROGRAMMER AND SOME OF, SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT I EXPERIENCED GROWING UP.
BUT BASICALLY THEN WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK,
THEY PROBATED ME TO A PSYCHIATRIC WARD FOR TWO MONTHS.
REBECCA: WHAT?
RABBI KIRT: THINKING THAT IF I COULD JUST GET AWAY
FROM WHOEVER THEY THOUGHT WAS PROGRAMMING ME.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE I'D SNAP BACK OUT OF IT.
SO, YEAH,
SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE DEPROGRAMMING DIDN'T WORK.
I MEAN, I TRIED TO BE A LITTLE LESS VOCAL
WHEN I CAME BACK HOME.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M STILL TALKING ABOUT JESUS.
SO THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, TOTALLY,
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THEM.
I MEAN, IT WAS JUST A TOTAL, YOU KNOW,
JUST TOTAL GRIEF IN THEIR HEART
THAT THEIR SON IS TALKING ABOUT JESUS.
BECAUSE TO MOST JEWS,
ESPECIALLY MY PARENTS GENERATION, YOU KNOW,
JESUS AND HITLER WERE,
YOU KNOW, SOMEHOW RELATED.
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: SO FOR THEIR SON TO BE TALKING ABOUT
JESUS WAS JUST A TOTAL RIP THEIR HEART IN HALF.
SO WHEN THE DEPROGRAMMING DIDN'T WORK,
THEN THEY HIRED, THEY BROUGHT A JEWISH
PSYCHIATRIST OVER MY HOME.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN
AND HE'S THERE.
AND I SIT DOWN AT THE KITCHEN TABLE.
AND HE JUST, YOU KNOW, SAID, YOU KNOW.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT'S GOING ON,
AND HE WAS LIKE THIS REAL MILD-MANNERED GUY.
JUST LIKE TOTALLY, LIKE TOTALLY LIKE,
HE APPEARED ALMOST LIKE, UM, FRAIL.
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: AND I JUST, I JUST LIKE LAID IT ON HIM.
I JUST SAID IF JESUS WOULDN'T HAVE SAVED ME,
YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
I MEAN, THIS IS WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH.
AND HE JUST LISTENED FOR 45 MINUTES OR SO
AND IT WAS OVER.
AND I ACTUALLY WAS PROUD OF MYSELF FOR BEING SUCH
A STRONG WITNESS TO HIM.
BUT WHAT HE DID WAS
HE WENT TO THE,
YOU KNOW, TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE WHATEVER PROTOCOL THEY HAD.
AND SO THIS, THIS MAN'S DELUSIONAL AND WE NEED TO
PROBATE HIM TO GET HIM HELP.
WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO PUT HIM IN THE PSYCHIATRIC WARD
TO GET HIM HELP.
HE'S SEEING THINGS.
HE SAID HE HAD A VISION OF JESUS.
SO I WAS PROBATED AT MOUNT SINAI
HOSPITAL IN CLEVELAND, OHIO FOR TWO MONTHS.
AND AT THAT TIME, YOU COULD GET PROBATED BY THE WITNESS
OF ONE PSYCHIATRIST.
BUT THEN THE WAY THE LAW WORKED WAS AFTER TWO MONTHS,
THE PERSON THAT WAS PROBATED HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GO BEFORE A BOARD OF PSYCHIATRISTS
AND SPEAK FOR THEMSELF.
SO AFTER TWO MONTHS,
THEY BROUGHT ME THROUGH THE BOARD OF PSYCHIATRISTS
IN A CONFERENCE ROOM AND I SPOKE FOR MYSELF.
AND THEY RELEASED ME AND THAT WAS IT.
AND I'VE JUST CONTINUED ON AND GOD JUST, YOU KNOW,
JUST CONTINUED TO WORK POWERFULLY IN MY LIFE.
WENT AWAY TO BIBLE SCHOOL, GOT MARRIED, AND BEEN PREACHING
ALL OVER THE WORLD
NOW FOR OVER 40 YEARS.
REBECCA: THAT IS SUCH A POWERFUL TESTIMONY.
BUT THERE WAS SUCH, YOU KNOW,
SPIRITUAL PUSHBACK FROM YOU
IN THE BEGINNING.
TRYING TO LIKE TAKE THAT FLAME OUT.
RABBI KIRT: YEAH, YEAH.
REBECCA: I MEAN, WHAT A FIGHT.
BUT WHAT KEPT YOU GOING THROUGH --
I MEAN, DEPROGRAMMING IN A PSYCHIATRIC WARD,
HOW DID -- WHAT KEPT YOU GOING
THROUGH THAT DIFFICULTY?
RABBI KIRT: IT WAS, YOU KNOW,
IT WAS THE LORD.
IT REALLY WAS.
I MEAN, THERE WASN'T ANY THING IN ME
THAT I COULD TAKE ANY CREDIT FOR.
IT WAS THAT I KNEW THAT GOD WAS REAL.
I KNEW THAT HE WAS ALIVE.
I BELIEVE WHAT THE BIBLE SAID, YOU KNOW.
JESUS SAID, IF THE SUN SHALL SET YOU FREE,
YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED.
I BELIEVED IN THE VICTORY THAT WE CAN HAVE
AND HAVE IN JESUS.
AND I WAS SO MOTIVATED TO EXPERIENCE
THE FULLNESS OF WHAT MESSIAH PURCHASED FOR US
TO ENTER INTO THE FULLNESS OF HIS POWER AND HIS PEACE
AND HIS JOY AND HIS GLORY AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
AND I KNEW HE WAS REAL.
THAT IT WAS LIKE,
THERE WAS NOTHING
THAT WAS GOING TO STOP ME.
YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE PUSHBACK.
I REMEMBER, REBECCA, THINKING ABOUT PUSHBACK,
AND THIS IS FOR EVERYONE THAT WILL LISTEN TO THIS.
I THINK IT'S SUCH A TRUE THING FOR US TO REALIZE
THAT NOT ONLY DID I HAVE PUSHBACK
IN THE NATURAL WORLD,
BUT I REMEMBER, REBECCA, WHEN I BEGAN TO READ
THE WORD OF GOD.
AND I READ IN THE BOOK OF HEBREWS THAT
FAITH IS BELIEVING THAT GOD IS A REWARDER OF THOSE
THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.
GOD IS A REWARDER FOR THOSE THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.
AND WHEN I READ THAT VERSE,
IT WAS LIKE, WOW.
IF I JUST KEEP SEEKING GOD,
HE'S GOING TO REWARD ME.
SO I IMMEDIATELY SAID, OKAY.
TOMORROW, ALL I'M GOING TO DO IS SEEK YOU, GOD.
I'M GOING TO SPEND ALL DAY READING THE BIBLE,
LISTENING TO, LISTENING TO WORSHIP MUSIC AND PRAYING.
SO I SPENT ALL THAT NEXT DAY
JUST SITTING BEFORE THE LORD.
THAT DAY AT THE END OF THE DAY,
I WENT INTO MY BEDROOM TO GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT.
AND I WAS SO EXCITED, REBECCA,
BECAUSE I THOUGHT I JUST SPENT ALL DAY SEEKING GOD.
AND HE PROMISED HE WAS GOING TO REWARD ME
FOR SEEKING HIM.
SO I WAS JUST SO EXPECTANT WHEN I WENT TO SLEEP THAT NIGHT.
THAT NIGHT,
I HAD THE WORST SPIRITUAL ATTACK LITERALLY FROM
THE VIOLENCE OF SPIRITUAL EVIL THAT
I EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY LIFE.
I MEAN, I LITERALLY, IN MY SLEEP, FELT LIKE I WAS
A DODGEBALL BEING THROWN VIOLENTLY AGAINST
THE WALLS IN MY ROOM.
REBECCA: OH, MY GOODNESS.
RABBI KIRT: AND IT WAS --
IT ABSOLUTELY WAS THE DEVIL TRYING TO STOP ME
FROM SEEKING GOD.
SO WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT IF WE'RE GOING
TO BREAK THROUGH,
WE WILL FACE RESISTANCE AND WE HAVE
TO KEEP BREAKING THROUGH.
AND SOMETIMES WHEN WE'RE FACING RESISTANCE,
WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE.
AND WE FEEL WEAK BECAUSE WE JUST FEEL
THE RESISTANCE, BUT KEEP PRESSING IN AND YOU'LL
BREAK THROUGH AND GET VICTORY.
REBECCA: THAT'S SUCH A GOOD WORD.
IT'S SO TRUE.
WE DO HAVE TO PERSEVERE.
THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT THAT AND I'M GLAD YOU SHARED
THAT BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE ALLOW
THEMSELVES TO BECOME DISCOURAGED.
AND IF YOU GET DISCOURAGED,
YOU WON'T PERSEVERE.
BUT YOU'RE A LIVING TESTIMONY.
YOU'RE STANDING HERE TODAY AND I'VE LOOKED AT ALL
THAT YOU'VE DONE.
AND WHAT I LOVED ABOUT YOUR TESTIMONY
IS YOU SAID YOU GREW UP IN THIS BEAUTIFUL JEWISH COMMUNITY.
BUT JUDAISM,
THE WAY IT WAS BROUGHT TO YOU, WAS KIND OF DRY.
BUT WHEN YOU MET YESHUA, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE ABLE TO
CONNECT THESE TWO WORLDS WITH THE HEBREW ROOTS OF THE
FAITH AND HOW THERE'S SO MUCH LIFE AND FULLNESS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT I THINK SO MANY GENTILE
CHRISTIANS ARE MISSING OUT ON WHICH IS WHY I LOVE THAT
YOU WROTE THIS BOOK.
SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE NAMES OF GOD,
BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH RICHNESS AND DEPTH THERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WITH SOMEONE WITH
YOUR BACKGROUND AND UNDERSTANDING,
YOU'RE ABLE TO CONNECT THOSE TWO DOTS
WHERE A LOT OF TIMES GENTILES DON'T UNDERSTAND
THE JEWISH ROOTS OF THE FAITH.
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HEBREW LANGUAGE.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NAMES OF GOD,
AND YOU CAN JUST, YOU CAN HIT ON DIFFERENT ONES THAT YOU
THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT.
RABBI KIRT: OKAY.
WELL, THANK YOU.
FIRST OF ALL,
I THINK THERE'S A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN NAMES AND TITLES.
SO, LET'S START WITH THE FIRST TITLE OF GOD.
IT'S THE TITLE OF THE CREATOR AND EVERYBODY
KNOWS THE VERSE,
GENESIS OR BERESHIT CHAPTER ONE, VERSE ONE.
IN THE BEGINNING,
GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THAT VERSE, AS A BELIEVER AT LEAST.
AND WE JUST THINK GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS
AND THE EARTH, BUT THE ACTUAL HEBREW WORD THERE
IN THE TANAKH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT IS ELOHIM.
SO IT SAYS IN THE BEGINNING,
ELOHIM CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.
SO WHAT CAN WE --
WHAT CAN WE MIND FROM THAT?
WELL, ELOHIM IS THE PLURAL OF THE HEBREW WORD EL,
AND EL JUST MEANS GOD.
SO WHEN WE ADD -IM ONTO THE END OF A HEBREW WORD,
THE SINGULAR HEBREW WORD BECOMES A PLURAL HEBREW WORD.
SO KIBBUTZ SINGULAR,
KIBBUTZIM PLURAL.
SO EL SINGULAR,
ELOHIM PLURAL.
AND THEN IF YOU CONTINUE READING IN GENESIS ONE,
THE LORD SPEAKS AND HE SAYS LET US,
THINK ABOUT THE WORD US,
LET US CREATE MAN IN OUR IMAGE.
SO WHO'S GOD TALKING TO WHEN HE SAID LET US
AND WHO IS HE REFERRING TO
WHEN HE SAID OUR IMAGE.
WELL, THE RABBIS SAY, REBECCA,
THAT HE WAS TALKING TO THE ANGELS,
BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT
CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF THE ANGELS.
WE'RE CREATED IN HIS IMAGE.
SO THAT GIVES US INSIGHT INTO THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL
NATURE OF THE GODHEAD.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE CANNOT CONCEIVE AS IN OUR HUMAN MINDS,
HOW THERE'S ONE GOD, BUT HE EXISTS
AS FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT.
AND THE SON'S IN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER
AS A UNIQUE PERSON, YET THEY'RE BOTH GOD
AND THERE'S ONLY ONE GOD.
THAT'S THE -- THAT'S THE MOST FAMOUS HEBREW DECLARATION,
THE SHEMA, HEAR, O ISRAEL,
THE LORD OUR GOD,
THE LORD IS ONE, RIGHT?
ONE GOD AND SO THAT'S WHY WHEN WE START SHARING
OUR FAITH WITH JEWISH PEOPLE, IN YESHUA,
THEY SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JEWS.
WE BELIEVE IN ONE GOD.
WE SAY, WELL, WE BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, TOO.
WE BELIEVE HE'S MADE HIMSELF KNOWN AS FATHER,
SON, AND SPIRIT.
THEY GO, AH!
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: BUT THE REALITY IS GOD
IS MULTIDIMENSIONAL
AND WE SEE THAT AS HE'S INTRODUCED TO US IN THE
FIRST VERSE OF THE BIBLE AS ELOHIM,
WHICH IS GOD IN PLURAL FORM.
AND THEN HE SPEAKS LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE.
HE -- WHAT WE SEE REVEALED
HERE IS THAT WITHIN GOD,
THERE IS COMMUNITY.
AND THAT GOD IS, HE'S NOT A SINGULAR UNITY.
HE'S A COMPOUND UNITY MEANING THAT
IN THE SHEMA, SHEMA YISRAEL,
ADONAI ELOHEINU, ADONAI ECHAD,
THE WORD ECHAD IS ONE.
HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ECHAD,
THE LORD IS ONE.
BUT WHEN YOU STUDY THAT WORD ECHAD,
WHICH JEWISH PEOPLE,
YOU KNOW, GET THIS CONCEPT.
THERE'S ONLY A GOD IN SINGULAR FORM FROM THE WORD ECHAD.
BUT WHEN YOU STUDY THE WORD OF ECHAD,
IT'S OFTENTIMES USED AS IN AS A COMPOUND UNITY.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER
AND MOTHER AND CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE
AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ECHAD, ONE.
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: SO THE SAME,
HERE'S A MAN AND A WOMAN THEY'RE ONE,
BUT THEY'RE A MAN AND WOMAN TOGETHER AS ONE.
SO WE JUST SEE IN THE INTRODUCTION
OF OUR CREATOR AS ELOHIM
THAT HE IS A COMPOUND UNITY.
LET US,
I LOVE THIS.
GOD IS IN US.
NOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE REALLY WEIRD.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
GOD IS IN US.
BUT LET ME JUST UNPACK IT FOR --
INSIDE GOD,
THERE'S RELATIONSHIP.
LET US, GOD SAID.
HE'S ALWAYS BEEN IN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SON
WHO'S ETERNALLY BEEN IN HIS BOSOM.
THE SON'S IN THE BOSOM OF THE FATHER.
GOD IS LOVE, BUT IN ORDER FOR GOD TO BE LOVE,
THERE HAS TO BE SOMEONE TO LOVE.
SO THE SON'S ALWAYS BEEN PRESENT.
SO LET US, THE FATHER AND THE SON,
MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE.
SO FROM THE VERY FIRST VERSE IN THE BIBLE,
WE HAVE A REVELATION ABOUT THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL
NATURE OF THE GODHEAD.
AND I JUST WANT TO CLOSE THAT LITTLE SEGMENT
BY SAYING THIS.
NOW WHAT I'M SAYING IF WE'RE TRYING
TO UNDERSTAND THAT INTELLECTUALLY,
IT MAKES NO SENSE.
LIKE HOW COULD THERE BE ONE GOD
THAT EXISTS IN THE PERSON OF
THE FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT.
I MEAN, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
BUT LET ME ASK THIS QUESTION.
DOES IT MAKE SENSE THAT GOD CAME FROM NOWHERE?
THAT GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN.
REBECCA: THAT'S LIKE HARD TO UNDERSTAND.
RABBI KIRT: THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GRASP.
REBECCA: YEAH.
RABBI KIRT: BECAUSE WE CAN ONLY
THINK IN TERMS OF LAWS OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
REBECCA: EXACTLY.
RABBI KIRT: BUT WHERE DID HE COME FROM?
HE DIDN'T COME FROM ANYWHERE.
HE'S ALWAYS --
HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?
SAME THING IS TRUE THAT THERE'S ONE GOD THAT
EXISTS IN THE PERSON OF THE FATHER, SON
AND SPIRIT, ONE GOD,
MULTIDIMENSIONAL IN NATURE.
REBECCA: AND ONE OF THE THINGS
I LOVE THAT YOU WERE TELLING ME BEFORE THIS
INTERVIEW WAS THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT NAME TO
KNOW IS GOD AS FATHER.
AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT YOUR TESTIMONY,
HOW NO ONE HAD WITNESSED TO YOU,
YOU DID NOT HAVE ANY CONCEPT AND UNDERSTANDING
REALLY OF JESUS.
AND YET THE FATHER REACHED OUT TO YOU
BECAUSE HE WANTED TO BRING YOU INTO HIS FAMILY
AS A SON.
RABBI KIRT: YEAH.
REBECCA: AND HOW THE GREAT COMMISSION IS A COMMISSION
GIVEN BY THE FATHER TO GO INTO THE WORLD TO MAKE
DISCIPLES TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD.
SO CAN YOU UNPACK HOW GOD IS OUR FATHER,
AND HOW WE CAN KNOW HIM AS A FATHER?
AND HOW IN TURN
HE IS OUR FATHER?
WE ARE HIS CHILDREN,
AND HOW THAT HAS -- THAT HELPS US UNDERSTAND
OUR OWN IDENTITY.
RABBI KIRT: YEAH, FOR SURE.
SO LET ME KIND OF SET THAT UP FOR A SECOND.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE NAMES THAT I COVER IN MY BOOK,
TO KNOW HIM BY NAME,
IS GOD'S PERSONAL COVENANT NAME YAHWEH.
MOST SEMITIC SCHOLARS BELIEVE IT'S PRONOUNCED THAT WAY.
IT'S COMPOSED OF THE FOUR HEBREW LETTERS YODH HE WAW HE.
AND SO THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, YOUR FOREFATHERS,
ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB KNEW ME AS GOD ALMIGHTY
AS EL SHADDAI,
BUT MY MEMORIAL NAME FOREVER IS YAHWEH.
SO YAHWEH IS THE GOD AND FATHER OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
AND THE COVENANT THAT'S BEEN GIVEN TO US IS
GIVEN TO US IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
WHOSE NAME IS YODH HE WAW HE.
SO I COVER ALL THAT IN THE BOOK.
AND WHAT YODH HE WAW HE DOES
IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES,
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT IS HE REVEALS TO US WHO HE WANTS
TO BE TO US AS FATHER WHEN WE'RE IN COVENANT
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
SO WE HAVE YAHWEH M'KADDESH,
THE LORD OUR SANCTIFIER.
YAHWEH NISSI, THE LORD OUR VICTORY.
YAHWEH RAPHA OR YAHWEH ROPHEKA,
THE LORD OUR HEALER.
SO OUR FATHER WANTS TO BE ALL THESE THINGS TO US
WHEN WE'RE IN COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
AND WHEN WE STUDY HOW YAHWEH HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO US
IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES,
WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE CAN TRUST
THE FATHER TO DO FOR US IN OUR LIFE WHEN WE'RE IN
COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
MOST SIMPLY SOMETHING
THAT WE ALL NEED SO DESPERATELY IS TO KNOW WHO
WE ARE TO HIM.
TO KNOW, I MEAN, TO KNOW OURSELVES
IN HIS LOVE AND THAT HE LOVES US
IN SUCH A WAY THAT EVEN, YOU KNOW, CHRIST
DIED FOR US WHEN WE WERE YET SINNERS.
LIKE THERE'S CERTAIN THOUGHTS
THAT WE HAVE ABOUT OURSELVES THAT
WE REJECT OURSELVES.
A LOT OF SELF-REJECTION IS GOING THROUGH OUR MINDS,
BUT GOD LOVES US COMPLETELY.
LIKE CLINT EASTWOOD SAID THE GOOD,
THE BAD, AND THE UGLY.
HE JUST LOVES US.
CHRIST DIED FOR US WHEN WE WERE YET SINNERS.
TO ME, THERE IS A CONTINUAL CALLING OUT TO THE LORD TO
HELP ME TO KNOW YOUR LOVE,
TO KNOW WHO I AM TO YOU,
AND TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
IT'S SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND, KNOCK AND THE DOOR
SHALL BE OPENED.
SO THIS IS PROGRESSIVE REVELATION.
IT COMES OVER A LIFETIME OF SEEKING.
AND FOR SOME REASON, THE LORD
HAS JUST ORDAINED THAT WE HAVE TO SEEK TO FIND.
REBECCA: THAT'S SO GOOD.
WELL, WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME.
IS THERE ANY LAST WORDS THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE
WITH OUR AUDIENCE?
RABBI KIRT: WHEN YOU KNOW THAT GOD HAS A NAME,
YODH HE WAW HE, YESHUA,
WHAT THAT HELPS US TO DO IS TO KNOW HE'S A PERSON.
AND WHEN YOU KNOW THAT GOD IS JUST NOT
THE ALL-POWERFUL BEING IN THE SKY.
YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS AUTHORITY TO DO ANYTHING
HE WANTS AND CREATED EVERYTHING.
BUT WHEN YOU KNOW BEYOND THAT, THAT HE'S A PERSON
THAT'S SENSITIVE, LIKE YAHWEH SAID TO THE HEBREW
PEOPLE IN THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL,
HE ACTUALLY SAID TO EZEKIEL ABOUT THE HEBREW PEOPLE,
MY PEOPLE HAVE HURT ME.
WHEN WE REALIZE GOD'S A PERSON THAT HAS FEELINGS,
AND HE'S THE MOST SENSITIVE BEING IN ALL OF
CREATION, THAT WE CAN EITHER BRING HIM PLEASURE
OR HURT HIM,
IT PUTS A RESPONSIBILITY ON OUR LIVES TO WALK WITH
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN SENSITIVITY,
TO BRING GOD PLEASURE,
TO MOVE HIS HEART BY LOVING HIM AND CHOOSING
TO OBEY HIM.
AND TO ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT IF WE DON'T,
WE CAN HURT HIM, AND THAT THAT TO ME IS
A BIG WAKE-UP CALL.
REBECCA: AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT CAME TO ME IS
I DON'T KNOW THE BEST WAY TO SAY IT.
BUT WHAT IS YOUR HEART REALLY FOR THE JEWISH
PEOPLE WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING?
WHAT HAS GOD PUT IN YOUR HEART RECENTLY?
RABBI KIRT: VERY STRONGLY, VERY POWERFULLY
THE LORD SPOKE TO ME ACTS 2:22, MEN OF ISRAEL,
LISTEN TO THESE WORDS.
YESHUA OF NAZARETH, JESUS THE NAZARENE, A MAN
ATTESTED TO YOU BY MIRACLES, SIGNS AND WONDERS.
JUST AS YOU YOURSELF KNOW WAS PUT TO DEATH THROUGH
THE HANDS OF GODLESS MEN,
BUT GOD RAISED HIM UP AGAIN.
FOR ME, WHAT ISRAEL NEEDS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IS TO
BE CONFRONTED WITH THE GOSPEL.
WE NEED BOLD PREACHERS IN ISRAEL AND TO JEWS ALL OVER
THE WORLD WHOSE BOLD WITNESS, WHOSE BOLD
PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS
FOLLOWED BY IRREFUTABLE SIGNS AND WONDERS.
THAT'S HOW THE CHURCH WAS BUILT IN ISRAEL ORIGINALLY
AND THAT'S HOW IT'S GOING TO BE BUILT TODAY.
BOLDNESS FOLLOWED BY SIGNS AND WONDERS.
REBECCA: THAT'S SO POWERFUL.
WELL, RABBI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
TO GET HIS NEW BOOK, TO KNOW HIM BY NAME ,
WE ONLY SCRATCHED A LITTLE BIT OF THE SURFACE.
SO FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED,
WHERE CAN THEY GET THAT?
RABBI KIRT: THEY CAN --
PROBABLY THE EASIEST PLACE IS AMAZON.
THEY CAN GO TO MY WEBSITE DISCOVERING THE JEWISH JESUS,
EITHER ONE.
REBECCA: AWESOME.
WELL, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
RABBI KIRT: THANK YOU.
GREAT TO BE WITH YOU, REBECCA LAMB.
REBECCA: AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO
THE REBECCA WEISS PODCAST.
RABBI KIRT: THE REBECCA WEISS PODCAST.
[ LAUGHTER ]