Is First Fruits of Zion a danger to Christians? Is the Torah Club Bible study out to pull congregants out of the church and into some kind of cult? There are individuals who believe this to be the case. In this episode, we join the founder of FFOZ, Boaz Michael, and the Education Director, Daniel Lancaster, for a frank discussion about a few of the warnings that are out there and what people who are seeking to know the truth should know about the organization. – Episode Highlights – First Fruits...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Around the world, followers of Yeshua are reconnecting with their Jewish roots, learning the Scriptures from a Jewish perspective and rekindling the church’s ancient relationship with Israel. One expression of this reconnection has been through music, as Jewish songs, psalms, and prayers slowly make their way back into expressions of faith in Yeshua. Our guest today is Joshua Aaron, renowned Messianic Jewish Israeli-American musician and worship leader, and he’s going to tell us his vision of th...
Dec 19, 2023•58 min
Every year around the world, millions of Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah. This year, it’s probably going to feel a little different. As ancient echoes of widespread anti-Semitism, anti-Judaism, and anti-Zionism seem to be resounding again in the present time, the Jewish battle for survival against the Seleucid Empire finds its eerie, parallel expression in yet another conflict between Israel and her neighbors. Our guests today are First Fruits of Zion Senior Educator Aaron Eby and his wife, Rac...
Dec 05, 2023•49 min
The Bible has a lot to say about the end times, and Israel is always at the center of God’s plan. However, Islam has its own apocalyptic narrative. Our guest today, John Harrigan, draws upon his personal experience and theological expertise to help us understand what is fueling the anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic jihad amongst the Arab nations in the Middle East. We’re also joined by First Fruits of Zion’s director of education, D. Thomas Lancaster. You’re listening to Messiah Podcast, where Jesus...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 6 min
The October 7 terrorist attacks in the land of Israel have provoked endless discussion attempting to provide historical context for the current conflict. Whether Israelis or Palestinians ultimately shoulder the blame is the question occupying our minds and television screens right now. Our guest today is Jeremiah Michael from the Bram Center for Messianic Jewish Learning in Jerusalem. He’s here to give us one piece of the puzzle: Christian supersessionism, its connection to European and Islamic ...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 9 min
As the people of Israel find themselves yet again at the center of global attention since the terrorist incursion of October 7, the nations are in an uproar. With pressure on Israel from all sides, those of us who stand with the Jewish people are wondering what we can do to help. Our guest today is Joshua Waller, whose organization, HaYovel, is providing real, tangible aid to Jewish people in Judea and Samaria. We’re also privileged to have Boaz Michael, founder and director of First Fruits of Z...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 2 min
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded Israel, striking soft targets, killing civilians, and sparking a conflict that has left thousands dead. As tensions in the region escalate, the rest of the world is left wondering—what happens next? Our guest today is the founder and director of First Fruits of Zion, Boaz Michael, who is here from Jerusalem to give us the latest. – Episode Highlights – The state of the First Fruits of Zion staff in Israel. The internet is rampant with misinformation that needs t...
Oct 22, 2023•2 hr 7 min
The Old Testament. You’ve heard that it’s irrelevant; you’ve heard that it was superseded by the New Testament; you’ve heard that none of its laws and rituals are relevant today. But what if I told you that the Old Testament, properly understood, is the key to the New Testament and that it reveals God’s plan, his character, and his will to all of his people today? First Fruits of Zion has a small-group Bible study program designed to help you understand the first five books of the Bible on their...
Oct 12, 2023•53 min
Have you ever found a Bible verse confusing or frustrating? Or found two Bible verses that seem to contradict each other? Have you ever felt like something was missing from your toolbox during your Bible study? First Fruits of Zion has just rereleased a ten-week course designed to give you the tools you need to interpret the Bible in its original language, context, culture, time, and place. It’s called HaYesod: The Foundation, and the author, D. Thomas Lancaster, and principal instructor, Aaron ...
Sep 27, 2023•36 min
Rosh HaShanah is a prominent Jewish holiday with many layers of significance. On the agricultural calendar, it represents the planting of cereal grains with the hope and prayer that the spring harvest will be successful. On a spiritual level, it represents the “sowing” of good deeds with the hope of a sweet year to come. Finally, it hints at events to come—the second coming, the final judgment, and the end of the world as we know it. – Episode Highlights – What is the the biblical calendar? Ther...
Sep 12, 2023•55 min
Can Jewish people keep the Old Testament law and their ancient traditions while following Jesus as their rabbi and Messiah? This phenomenon has been happening all over the world, and it’s called Messianic Judaism. Jacob Fronczak is joined by Stephanie Hamman and Aaron Eby, two Messianic Jews, to explore the origin, purpose, and destiny of Messianic Judaism and explain why it’s a foretaste of the kingdom of heaven. – Episode Timecode – What is Messianic Judaism? Steph and Aaron provide definition...
Aug 31, 2023•52 min
What did Paul mean when he talked about election? What can first-century Jewish ecclesiology, eschatology, and soteriology teach us about how the apostles handled these critical concepts? The hosts of the Apocalyptic Gospel Podcast are back for the second half of our conversation about how a first-century Jewish apocalyptic worldview is key to understanding the theology of the New Testament. – Episode Highlights – • What was the key that unlocked the understanding of the Jewish Jesus and the Jew...
Jul 25, 2023•47 min
As more and more people discover the Jewish identity of Jesus, voices from across the spectrum of Christian faith are beginning to chime in. In 2020 a pastor, a missionary, and a campus minister launched a podcast where they dive deep into the text of the Scriptures and explore the gospel as a first-century Jew would have understood it. In this episode of Messiah Podcast, we will begin a two-part discussion with them to hear about their own journey of discovery, where traditional Christian escha...
Jul 13, 2023•50 min
Jewish Israelis are religiously diverse; some practice Judaism, others are Christian, and still others are secular. Yet very few embrace traditional Judaism while also following Jesus. However, in the heart of the Holy City, the Bram Center for Messianic Jewish Learning stands as a witness for Messianic Judaism and a resource to hundreds of interested locals. In this episode of Messiah Podcast, we talk with Judi Abrams and Jeremiah Michael about the Bram Center and the impact it’s having in Jeru...
Jun 27, 2023•53 min
Interpreters of the Epistle to the Hebrews have long taught that its author took the view that Jesus canceled the Torah, the Law of Moses, along with all its sacrifices and rituals. However, our guest today, Dr. David Moffit, has taken a different perspective. He walks us through his intensive study of the concepts of atonement and reconciliation in the Old and New Testaments. He concludes that Hebrews can find its place among other Jewish works of the Second Temple Era, as its author had nothin...
Jun 12, 2023•58 min
We’re in the middle of a new Artificial Intelligence boom. AI large language models communicate freely in natural language. AI image generation and editing tools make it possible to do in minutes what used to take hours—and the tech is only getting better. In this episode of Messiah Podcast, our very own Aaron Eby walks us through how the technology works and gives us an idea of how followers of Yeshua can use it to enhance their Bible study. He also answers the question weighing on all our mind...
May 30, 2023•45 min
The Bible is jam-packed with God’s promises to Israel. However, traditional Christian theology appropriates these promises for the church, thereby denying that the Jewish people have the glorious future the prophets foretold for them. The mission of First Fruits of Zion is to reconcile the disciples of Jesus to these prophetic promises. Our guest is Boaz Michael, the founder of FFOZ. Our conversation centers on understanding the intentions and impetus behind our new mission statement, how to und...
May 14, 2023•46 min
One can’t help but notice that anti-Semitic attacks and sentiments are on the rise throughout the United States and around the world. A new survey from the Anti-Defamation League shows the number of people who espouse anti-Jewish stereotypes and conspiracy theories has DOUBLED since 2019. On this episode of Messiah Podcast, we interview Joshua Turnil, the Director of Jews for Jesus in Paris. He has seen firsthand what anti-Semitism can do in a country like France and has worked with Jewish and C...
May 02, 2023•47 min
Most people are looking to find their other half—their soulmates. This is a very Jewish concept called “bashert,” the one meant for you. Of course, it’s easier said than done! Today, anyone looking for his or her partner has countless resources available, including thousands of apps and websites designed with algorithms to drop that special person directly into someone’s inbox. However, many people find this process exhausting and inauthentic. Messianic Jews are no exception, particularly as the...
Apr 16, 2023•46 min
Springtime brings new beginnings, including the launch of a new season of Messiah Podcast! The season three debut introduces our new co-host and producer, Stephanie Hamman, to our podcast audience. This episode also says farewell to departing co-host, Damian Eisner, director of Torah Club. Damian and Jacob interview Stephanie to introduce her to the audience, and Stephanie interviews Damian about his work with the growing Torah Club Bible study network. – Episode Timecode – 0:00 – Introducing St...
Apr 01, 2023•45 min
One of the largest churches in America is mainstreaming Christianity’s Jewish roots. Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, holds Sabbath services, devotes a significant amount of finances to present Yeshua to the Jewish people, and strives to educate their church body about their Jewish roots. Pastor Robert Morris believes the success of the church he leads is due to their priority of taking the gospel “to the Jew first.” Messiah Podcast welcomes Dr. Greg Stone, the pastor of Jewish ministries at ...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 18 min
“Once upon a time, I was a supersessionist,” admits today’s guest, Dr. Gerald R. McDermott. But then his eyes were opened to a whole new perspective on the Bible. The missing piece was the centrality of Israel and the Jewish people. He now calls this the key to understanding Jesus, the gospel, and the whole Bible. His newfound perspective shaped his teaching as a seminary professor and can be found throughout the hundreds of articles and dozens of books he has authored since then, including Isra...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 24 min
The key to unlocking the context of the book of Ephesians has eluded Bible interpreters since the advent of replacement theology. Did Jesus abolish the “law of commandments expressed in ordinances“? How are Gentile believers “fellow heirs“? Who are the spiritual forces being battled with the famed “armor of God“? D. Thomas Lancaster believes he has discovered the missing key and has completed a new commentary on the book of Ephesians that answers these and other pressing questions about some of ...
Oct 23, 2022•1 hr 14 min
We have new worship songs coming out every week, but what if we could go back to the original worship experience: what David heard and felt when he wrote his psalms, what Moses and the Israelites sang when they stood before the Tabernacle. What does worship sound like in God's own language? Our guest today is Messianic music artist Troy Mitchell, who has dedicated his career to setting God’s Word to music and helping us all sing it back to him. Tzion is Troy's fourth album release and features t...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 7 min
The New Testament was written in Greek, but were its authors working from Hebrew originals? Our guest today, Dr. Brad Young, has written numerous works exploring the possibility that Hebrew ideas and Hebrew vocabulary lie behind the Greek text and that this Hebrew undertext is the key to understanding Jesus and the apostles. – Episode Timecode – 0:00 – Welcome to the Messiah Podcast with hosts Damian Eisner and Jacob Fronczak. 4:49 – Introduction to Dr. Brad Young. 6:50 – The Jerusalem School of...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 42 min
Yeshua came with a message of salvation and redemption for the world. This salvation was offered first to the Jewish people. However, Jewish evangelism over the past two thousand years only seems to have distanced Yeshua from his people. “Missionary” is a dirty word in Judaism, and there are some good historical reasons for that. So what should we do, or what can we do to bridge the gap? This Messiah Podcast episode features Boaz Michael’s lecture on the “Seven Steps of Jewish Reconciliation,” f...
Aug 03, 2022•1 hr 4 min
It doesn’t take a particularly observant person to see that the world is broken and in desperate need of redemption. Why does this state of brokenness and exile persist? The sages of Judaism say that the Second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred. Yeshua the Messiah came with the antidote and the key to redemption: baseless love. This Messiah Podcast Selects episode features a lecture presented by Aaron Eby at the First Fruits of Zion Friends and Torah Club Leader’s summit: Malchut 2...
Jul 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min
The eruption of war in Ukraine has left millions of civilians displaced and lacking basic necessities. Many humanitarian organizations have tried to help. Our guest is Dr. Michael Schiffman, the executive director of Chevra, an organization that has spent the last twenty-nine years feeding the hungry in Ukraine and the rest of the former Soviet Union. Learn what it means to be the hands and feet of the Messiah to those in need. – Episode Timecode – 0:00 – Welcome to Messiah Podcast! 4:40 – Intro...
Jul 06, 2022•54 min
An Orthodox rabbi fought Nazis in his own government to secure the preservation of the Jewish community in Bulgaria during World War II. After the war, he led them to Israel. He also had a vision of the risen Yeshua and was an outspoken believer without abandoning Judaism. His name is Daniel Zion. Our guest is Brian Reed, the author of an extensive biography on this great Jewish hero. – Episode Timecode – 0:00 – Welcome to Messiah Podcast! 1:00 – Introducing Brian Reed, the collector and Messian...
Jun 21, 2022•53 min
Everyone wants to go to heaven when they die. But that’s not the end of the story. Reading the New Testament through Jewish eyes paints a far more detailed picture of our final destiny. After a short sojourn in Paradise, we will experience resurrection from the dead, the Messianic Kingdom, and an even greater epoch to follow: the World to Come. – Episode Timecode – 0:00 – Welcome to Messiah Podcast with your hosts, Damian Eisner and Jacob Fronczak. 3:50 – Article reading: Afterlife, Kingdom, and...
Jun 02, 2022•48 min
