Messianic Jewish musicians utilize their craft to express their faith in Yeshua in distinctly Jewish ways. Shai Sol is one such musician who brings a distinctive Israeli sound to the Messianic Jewish music world. Her musical journey began early, sparked by a childhood introduction to the darbukha. This path eventually led her to compete on the Israeli reality TV series HaKochav HaBah, where she famously and courageously revealed her discipleship to Jesus, making quite a splash. This episode expl...
Jun 06, 2025•56 min
74 – I Am Israel: A Filmmaker's Journey to Zion | Filmmaker David Kiern by First Fruits of Zion
May 20, 2025•1 hr 9 min
The American Messianic Jewish congregational movement as we know it today blossomed in the 1960s and ‘70s. These young congregations borrowed theological ideas from Judaism and from Christianity, but comparatively little work has been done to synthesize a truly original, authentic, relevant, and beautiful Messianic Jewish theology. Our guest today, Dr. Richard Harvey, is the only person in the world with a Ph.D. in Messianic Jewish theology, and in this conversation he discusses how far Messiani...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 5 min
For centuries, supersessionist assumptions in higher education led generations of academics to assume that Jesus came to abolish the Mosaic Law. Today, a new generation of professors and researchers is producing rigorous, meticulously cited work arguing for a different perspective—that Jesus kept the Torah, valued the Torah, and instructed his disciples to keep the Torah and keep practicing Judaism. We’re joined today by Dr. Logan Williams and Dr. Paul Sloan, who have recently inaugurated a podc...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Paul's relationship with Jewish law is notoriously difficult to grasp. In this episode, Dr. Matthew Novenson joins the podcast and proposes a new interpretive framework to make sense of the prolific apostle—Paul saw himself as a Jew, not at the end of Judaism, but at the end of history. Dr. Novenson is a Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of “Paul and Judaism at the End of History.” In this conversation we will examine Paul's views on justification, legal...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 16 min
The Soviet Union suppressed Judaism and Jewish identity for decades. Atheism was enforced by the state. But our guest today, Pinchas Shir, knew there was more to life than the material world. In the era of perestroika, he fled to the United States, and today, he’s a Messianic Jewish rabbi. Join us as Rabbi Shir unpacks his academic work on Jewish literature, meals and food in antiquity, and the impact of texts like 1 Enoch, Letter of Aristeas, and Wisdom of Solomon on our understanding of the Ne...
Mar 13, 2025•56 min
Followers of Yeshua are called to take up their cross—to become martyrs. This mandate inspired one filmmaker, Reed Smith, to explore the lives of those disciples who are risking everything to follow Yeshua. In the process, he found that the gospel message was inextricably tied to the exile and redemption of Israel. In this episode, filmmaker Reed Smith discusses the themes of his new film, Sojourners and Exiles, which explores the cost of discipleship for modern-day disciples of Yeshua. – Episod...
Mar 02, 2025•1 hr 9 min
The Telepathy Tapes has become one of the most popular podcasts in the world. Severely autistic non-verbal children and adults have apparently always been able to read minds, and they’re receiving revelations from God that validate a Messianic Jewish perspective. Our guests today, First Fruits of Zion’s Director of Education, D. Thomas Lancaster, and Jeremiah Michael from the Bram Center for Messianic Jewish Learning, are here to untangle the spiritual implications of this phenomenon—is it real?...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 50 min
For almost two decades, the doctors told her that her son was a lost cause—he would never speak, would never understand, would never function in society. Then, a miracle happened. Our guest today is Katie Asher from The Telepathy Tapes podcast, and her son Houston can read her thoughts. But that’s just the beginning of the story. She’s here today to tell us about Houston’s spiritual journey and what he has taught her about the God of Israel and the Jewish Messiah. – Takeaways – • Katie Asher's j...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 48 min
The Middle East is in turmoil and anti-Muslim sentiment in the West has rarely been higher. Many are preparing for an apocalyptic battle in which Muslims are the enemy. Nevertheless, a chosen few have crossed oceans and borders to undertake missionary work in Muslim communities. Our guest today, Devon Phillips, spent years with Frontier Alliance International in Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. She’s here today to help us sort out what’s happening in the Middle East and how we can reach Muslims ...
Jan 21, 2025•52 min
The Nazis lost World War II. But their legacy of anti-Semitism lives on, powered by demonic forces that have infiltrated even the church. So says Pastor Werner Oder, whose father was an SS officer, but whose life was completely transformed through Yeshua the Messiah. Pastor Oder is here to tell his story, talk about the rising tide of Jew hatred, and what we can do to stand for Israel. – Takeaways – • History needs to be understood as “His story”. • Born to a Nazi SS officer comes with lots of b...
Jan 07, 2025•53 min
The evangelical church is in the midst of a scandal epidemic. But the deeper issue is a misunderstanding of the gospel. Without repentance, the gospel loses its power, and so-called Christians persist in willful sin. Our guest today, Marc Tuzzolino, is on a mission to restore a first-century Jewish apocalyptic understanding of the gospel in the context of an accountability group for men who want to live transparent lives characterized by real repentance. – Episode Highlights – 00:00 A disciplesh...
Dec 24, 2024•52 min
Within a year of the October 7 terror attacks, three outspokenly Zionist ministries were rocked by major scandals. The International House of Prayer, Frontier Alliance International, and Gateway Church in Texas. Has this been an attack by Satan from the outside or an awakening to a systemic problem from within? Our guest today, Joel Richardson, is the chair of FAI’s board of directors, and he’s here to talk to us about integrity, accountability, and living up to the high calling of being a disci...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min
When Yeshua called people to discipleship, he was using a first-century Jewish model of passing down faith in and faithfulness to the God of Israel from generation to generation. But for decades, the American Evangelical church has focused almost exclusively on evangelism. Our guest today, Dr. Robby Gallaty, is here to talk about how discipling people the way Yeshua did is the key to reaching the next generation for the kingdom of God. – Episode Highlights – 00:00 Pastor Gallaty’s rocky road to ...
Nov 26, 2024•56 min
Yeshua called his followers to radical discipleship—a life lived entirely for the coming kingdom. His teachings equip us for the suffering and hardship we are destined to experience as we await that kingdom. For those from relatively affluent societies, this first-century Jewish model might seem archaic, but Yeshua’s apocalyptic worldview is still a foundational component of our faith. Bill Scofield joins us to talk about his church in Redding, California, which he planted with discipleship as i...
Nov 12, 2024•50 min
Why did the church break away from Judaism? Why did a small group of followers of a first-century rabbi start a new religion that was different from his? This fall, as a new biblical year begins, First Fruits of Zion’s Torah Club small-group Bible study program embarks on a new journey. It’s called The Sent Ones: Acts of the Jewish Apostles. The Sent Ones will take students through the book of Acts and beyond, exploring and explaining the great divorce between Judaism and Christianity. Our guest...
Sep 10, 2024•53 min
Messiah Podcast goes on location to scenic southern Michigan, where First Fruits of Zion now holds our premiere summer camp known as Camp Tzadi. Camp Tzadi provides a fun and meaningful summer experience for Messianic Jewish and Gentile teens, providing a space for rich spiritual encouragement and needed social connections with others of like mind. With microphone in hand, Jacob Fronczak roamed the grounds of an action-packed day at camp to talk with First Fruits of Zion’s Founder and Director, ...
Aug 27, 2024•54 min
Every year, on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, the Jewish people mourn the loss of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, along with a host of other tragedies that occurred on that same day throughout its history. Why would getting one step closer to its rebuilding instigate a war between Hamas and Israel? What is so important about this ancient building that would prompt a Gentile Christian from Texas to devote his life’s work to researching and teaching the world about the Temple? Joseph Good ...
Aug 13, 2024•57 min
What happens after we die? Thousands of people have reported near-death experiences—brushes with death in which they encounter God, Jesus, angels, and departed family members—and have come back to tell us what awaits us on the other side. After Heidi Barr’s own near-death experience (NDE) she became a hospice nurse. She joins us today to share what it’s like to pass on and stories of her encounters with the afterlife. – Episode Highlights – 00:00 A Near Death Experience (NDE). 12:11 Jewish Herit...
Jul 18, 2024•57 min
Messianic Judaism is a prophetic movement of the Holy Spirit. Jews and Gentiles are recovering a Jewish reading of the New Testament and a body of Messiah that has room for both Jews and Gentiles to live out their respective roles and callings. The Hebrew Roots movement is something different. On this episode of Messiah Podcast, Daniel Thomas Lancaster (Education Director for First Fruits of Zion) and Jeremiah Michael (Education Director of the Bram Center for Messianic Jewish Learning in Jerusa...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Civil rights leaders in the black community have long been divided on their stance toward the existence of Israel. Some see the black struggle for civil rights as analogous to the Palestinian cause, while others, including Dr. King, were staunch allies of Israel, seeing the plight and eventual victory of the Jewish people as a model for the black community. Our guest today is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, Pastor Dumisani Washington. In his book, Zionism a...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 17 min
From before the beginning of time, God planned to call out a people from among the nations and to bring a redeemer from among them. For centuries, the followers of Yeshua forgot that the unfolding of this history of redemption centers on the people of Israel. Our guest today, Dr. Gerald McDermott, has written A New History of Redemption, a book that puts Israel back at the center of God’s plan to save the world from sin and death. – Episode Timeline – 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Gerald R. McDermot...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 3 min
The reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in Israel was a significant milestone in the unfolding of God’s end-times prophetic plan—a sign that the end is near. The recurring conflict in the Middle East is a harbinger of an apocalyptic battle yet to come—the war of Gog and Magog. Our guest today, Doctor Jeffrey Seif, has written a timely book about the role of Iran in this coming war and how this role was foretold thousands of years ago by the prophets of Israel. – Episode Timecode – 0:00 Introdu...
May 21, 2024•53 min
As the Nazis attempted to eradicate the Jewish people from every corner of Europe, one country’s Jewish population actually grew, thanks to the tireless efforts of Metropolitan Stefan of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Messianic Jewish Rabbi Daniel Zion. Avi Mizrachi and his daughter Devorah share the harrowing story of the heroes who courageously and repeatedly put their lives on the line to save the Jewish population of Bulgaria from Hitler’s death camps. – Episode Timecode – 00:00 Introduct...
May 05, 2024•1 hr 7 min
The Epistle to the Hebrews constitutes one of the most difficult sections of the Bible for those of us who have embraced a Messianic Jewish perspective. Thankfully, D. Thomas Lancaster, First Fruits of Zion’s Director of Education, has spent years penning a commentary that will enrich and enlighten you. He joins Messiah Podcast to provide a sneak peek into the premise that unlocked the historical understanding of this important book of the Apostolic Scriptures. – Episode Highlights – * The Epist...
Apr 22, 2024•44 min
Every year, hundreds of disciples gather for Malchut, a summit for First Fruits of Zion Friends. We spend three days getting reacquainted, taking meals together, and recentering our vision for the kingdom. Today’s guests are some of the many Malchut 2024 attendees. You’ll hear about their heart for Messiah and his kingdom, how they came to embrace a Messianic Jewish perspective, and their joy at knowing they’re not alone on their journey of faith. – Episode Takeaways – 600+ disciples of Yeshua g...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Early Jewish believers in Yeshua created a catechism for new disciples from among the nations. Lost for hundreds of years, this document, the Didache, reveals the expectations and standards the early Yeshua-believing community put in place for Gentile disciples of Yeshua. Our guest today, Dr. Daniel Nessim, has spent his academic career demonstrating that the first disciples of Yeshua considered the Torah to be the moral compass of all those who joined the community of disciples, whether Jewish ...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer discusses the Catholic Church's embrace of distinction theology and its impact on Jewish-Christian dialogue and the Messianic Jewish movement. He highlights the significance of the Second Vatican Council and the documents Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate in redefining the church's understanding of itself and its relationship with the Jewish people. The Catholic Church's rejection of deicide and recognition of the ongoing special relationship with the Jewish people have had a...
Mar 12, 2024•58 min
First Fruits of Zion teaches that the whole Bible, including the Law of Moses, that is, the Torah given to the Jewish people, has relevance and practical application for Gentile Christians. Some Messianic Jews disagree; they argue that the Torah is for Jews only. Today’s guests, FFOZ Senior Educator Aaron Eby and Director of Torah Club Damian Eisner are here to challenge the idea that the Torah has nothing to say to Gentiles. – Episode Highlights – Terms are confusing if they are not well-define...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 32 min
A talmudic adage says that before God inflicts a wound, he prepares the remedy. The tragedy of October 7 has left a spiritual scar on Israel and the Jewish people, but not without remedy. Messianic Israeli cellist Leat Sabbah, inspired by God’s call to repentance through Yeshua and the prophets, has been sounding the alarm through her brilliant composition, “Wake Up, My Beloved.” She joins us to talk about her faith, her music, and the spiritual battle Israel is waging behind the scenes. Our co-...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 1 min
