TORAH IN THE BALANCE,
VOLUME I

The Messianic movement largely advocates that the Torah or Pentateuch is relevant instruction for Believers today, and that modern Christianity has too often ignored God’s revelation in the Tanach or Old Testament—not benefiting from this dismissal. Yet the subject of “Torah observance” can often be a point of contention, not only between the Messianic and Christian communities, but even internally among Messianics. Why is this the case? Do we have to be negative about this? Is it possible that people claiming to be Torah observant do not often know why the Law of Moses is to instruct and teach today’s Believers? Have some Messianics simply lacked an appropriate perspective on how the work of the Holy Spirit is to guide God’s people into greater holiness and maturity, given the promises of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26-27)? How are we to balance how following the Torah includes outward practices, but also includes a greater manifestation of God’s love and goodness to all we encounter?

Torah In the Balance, Volume I is a well needed resource for our time, as it addresses the main aspects of how to follow God’s Torah. Subjects addressed include: why Believers need the Torah, the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council, the foundational importance of the Ten Commandments, the role of the appointed times, and the dietary laws. While Messianic positions on these aspects of faith can often clash with those of our Christian brothers and sisters, they are considered in a fair and reasonable way that encourages positive solutions between all people who have called out to Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) for salvation. A large amount of scholastic engagement and support is offered for the validity of these aspects of faith on the part of today’s Believers.

This book is an important addition to any Messianic library, and should be read by those desiring not only a comprehensive understanding regarding what the Lord has started in this hour—but the great responsibility we have been endowed by Him. With everything we have been called to do, the transforming power of God’s love is emphasized above all! This resource encourages growth and maturity on the part of all of His people.

© 2003, 2009 TNN Press

Click here to read the Table of Contents and excerpts from Torah In the Balance, Volume I (PDF)

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WHEN WILL THE MESSIAH RETURN?

For almost two millennia, multiplied millions of Believers in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) have eagerly anticipated His return. Many theories, doctrines, and creeds have been produced concerning the Second Coming, as well as an entire score of books. In today’s world, many Christians think that the Messiah can return at any moment in an event called the “pre-tribulation rapture.” Even among those who do not believe in this imminent rapture are those who still think that the final days of humanity are upon us. Are they? Is everything in place for the Messiah to return in the next decade, or even in the next year? Or, is there anything in the Scriptures that might be overlooked, or is not being considered, regarding the Messiah’s return?

Before Yeshua was taken into Heaven, the Apostles asked Him, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the Kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The Apostles were eagerly awaiting the Messiah to restore Israel, and guide the world back to the fullness that had once been experienced in the Garden of Eden. But much work still had to be accomplished, as Yeshua commissioned them to go out and make disciples. That work still has not been completed today, especially with the advent of the modern-day Messianic movement.

A major part of the work that needs to be accomplished is that most Believers in Yeshua do not understand who the Lord is actually returning for. They consider themselves part of a separate “Church,” often with no connection to Israel. Because of this, it is concluded that the Messiah can imminently come for “the Church,” to leave Israel behind to face the Tribulation and the antichrist. Is this a valid teaching? Are Israel and “the Church” separate entities? If they are not, how would this change our perception of the end-times? Furthermore, if a Believer is a part of the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-12), how does it affect what we think will happen in the Last Days and when the beast system will arise?

When Will the Messiah Return? is a unique book addressing the end-times from a distinct Messianic perspective. The Messiah tells us plainly that He will gather the saints “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Matthew 24:29). Discussed are common false understandings as they relate to “the Church” being taken to Heaven for the duration of the Tribulation period, and how instead all Believers in Messiah Yeshua get to participate in the end-time restoration of all Israel.

© 2002, 2009 TNN Press

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INTRODUCTION TO THINGS MESSIANIC

Are you new to the Messianic movement? Do you have questions about what the Messianic movement, lifestyle, and theologies are all about? Do you need answers on a wide variety of issues with some detailed information? If these are the questions you have been asking, then Introduction to Things Messianic is a book that will definitely benefit you.

Written to the new person investigating Messianic things, Introduction to Things Messianic is a compilation of articles that will inform the inquirer on a wide array of Messianic topics relevant to the current state and growth of our movement, including:

• Is “the Church” truly a new group of elect?
• Is the Torah or Law of Moses really relevant for Believers today?
• Who were the ancient Pharisees and what did they believe?
• What is this “Two-House teaching” that I hear so much about?
• Am I required to keep the Sabbath?
• What are the Biblical festivals?
• Am I required to eat kosher?
• Why do many Messianics use the proper name of God?
• What do Messianics think about the end-times?
• How do I properly grow in this new walk of faith?

These questions, and many more, are discussed and detailed in Introduction to Things Messianic. This book builds on the foundational material in Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study in a much more thorough way for those wanting an in-depth view of these basic issues. Introduction to Things Messianic can be used for a single person or a group Bible study, as study questions follow each chapter. It can also be easily used along with the available lecture series companion by author J.K. McKee.

© 2005, 2009 TNN Press

Click here to read the Table of Contents and excerpts from Introduction to Things Messianic (PDF)

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THE TWO HOUSES OF ISRAEL:
THE COMING RESTORATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
© 2008 TNN Press

The Messianic movement originally started in the 1960s as an evangelistic outreach of Jewish Believers in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) to their fellow Jews. As an unforeseen side effect, it has swelled considerably since the late 1990s with significant numbers of non-Jewish Believers embracing their Hebraic Roots. Why is this the case? Are such people just eager to know more about the Bible and experience greater spiritual fulfillment? Or is there more that needs to be considered for the future?

With a Messianic movement, whose majority of people are not Jewish, important questions about Israel have undoubtedly been asked. Are non-Jewish Messianics people who are beginning to reclaim their lost Jewish ancestry? Are they actually members of the scattered Northern Kingdom of Israel or the “Lost Tribes”? Or is it that the prophesied restoration of Israel as testified in the Scriptures is simply more involved and more comprehensive than exclusively including the Jewish people? These are all provocative questions that have been asked over the past decade, and have obviously stimulated a great amount of debate and controversy.

A diverse array of answers has arisen to these questions, with today’s Two-House Messianic movement often in the center of the discussion. Some of the answers offered are Biblically sound, and others are not. Some of the issues that have presented themselves have been conducted in an honest spirit of inquiry, and others have been forced because of sensationalism and opportunism. It is undeniable that a great deal of opposition to the basic Two-House message has come forth from both Messianic Judaism and evangelicalism, but also that various Two-House advocates have added outside teachings to the basic message of Israel’s restoration, perhaps compounding some confusion.

For a Messianic movement preparing to enter into the 2010s, TNN Online editor J.K. McKee takes a fresh and reasonable look at the Two-House teaching of Judah, scattered Ephraim, and the nations being brought together as one people in the Lord. The Two Houses of Israel: The Coming Restoration of the Kingdom of God examines the Biblical basis of the Two-House teaching, various objections that have arisen to it, required refinement and change that must take place among its advocates, and also the mission of what it means to be “Israel” often overlooked by most Messianics (Two-House or not). He offers a new style of looking at the Two-House teaching, especially for a broad Messianic movement that is trying to determine what its long term goals are to be—as we eagerly await the return of Yeshua and the establishment of His reign from Zion!

Click here to read the Table of Contents and excerpts from The Two Houses of Israel: The Coming Restoration of the Kingdom of God (PDF)

THE NEW TESTAMENT VALIDATES TORAH
© 2004, 2008 TNN Press

Does the New Testament Really Do Away With the Law?

The New Testament Validates Torah is a study that we all need. We as Messianic Believers know that we should follow the Torah or the Law of Moses, and that Yeshua the Messiah did not come to abolish or do away with it. Yet, many of us cannot respond to arguments commonly made by Christian theologians and pastors from the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament), which supposedly prove that the Law has been “done away.” The New Testament Validates Torah answers the so-called Scriptural claims against Torah obedience in a fair-minded and scholarly way.

TNN Online editor J.K. McKee addresses many of the claims given as why we should follow God’s Torah. He addresses how the words of Yeshua are final in relation to how we handle other New Testament Scriptures that address the Law of Moses. He addresses claims such as: “we’re not under the Law,” “Christ is the end of the Law,” “all things are lawful,” and “He abolished the Law of commandments contained in ordinances.” These Scriptures are placed into a proper Biblical context, and when necessary translation errors from Greek into English are discussed and analyzed.

The New Testament Validates Torah is an apologetic study that all Messianic Believers need. It emphasizes the need for us to know what we believe, and above all be the testimony of a positive spiritual change to Christians who do not understand our convictions. It encourages a return to holy living and an appreciation for the tapestry of all of God’s Word.

212 pages
spiral bound

Click here to read the Table of Contents and excerpts from The New Testament Validates Torah (PDF)

THE DANGERS OF PRE-TRIBULATIONISM
© 2003 TNN Press

The pre-tribulation rapture is an extremely popular doctrine that advocates that Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will one day come, unexpectedly, for the saints, and gather them into Heaven prior to the Tribulation period. This teaching has sold many books and created a large financial market for prophecy materials. But in spite of its popularity, few Believers question it. When presented with alternative points of view such as post-tribulationism, those of the popular pre-tribulational position oftentimes vehemently criticize or call such people heretics.

This report is an expanded edition of one of TNN Online’s most controversial articles. It answers the top reasons why people believe in the pre-tribulation rapture from a Messianic post-trib perspective. It exposes the manipulation of Scripture on the part of pre-tribulationists and why the pre-trib rapture cannot be ideologically supported. It refutes the fifty reasons given in support of the pre-trib rapture by former Dallas Theological Seminary chancellor John F. Walvoord. This book supplements When Will the Messiah Return? by responding to the arguments of the escapist pre-tribulation rapture doctrine, but with the fairness that is often not given to post-tribulationists.

92 pages
spiral bound

Click here to read the Table of Contents and excerpts from The Dangers of Pre-Tribulationism (PDF)

TORAH IN THE BALANCE,
VOLUME II
Coming 2010-2011

The Set-Apart Life in Action--The Outward Expressions of Faith

excerpted from the end of Torah In the Balance, Volume I:

This present publication would not be called Torah In the Balance, Volume I if there were no intention to produce a Volume II. I realize that not all of the major issues of Torah observance can be summarized in a single work, and since Volume I was originally released in 2003 I have always had the intention to produce a Volume II. I actually thought that Volume II would be released much sooner, yet due to a variety of circumstances, largely because of trends inside of our Messianic faith community, I have been prevented from doing so. Let me briefly summarize here what needs to be achieved in Volume II, which is presently being compiled together, hopefully for completion by the first half of 2011.

My previous book The New Testament Validates Torah and this work, both lay out a case for the continued relevance of God’s Torah for today’s Believers, and the basic elements of what compose “Torah observance” beyond just the Old Testament moral law. Torah In the Balance, Volume I discusses things like the importance of the Ten Commandments, and introduces basic areas of the Messianic lifestyle like Shabbat, the appointed times, and dietary laws. Yet somewhat different than these two previous works, which deal more with how these aspects of God’s Word can very much benefit His people today, Torah In the Balance, Volume II needs to consider how these things can, or should, be followed today, weighing in a number of opinions about their application.

Anyone who has surveyed the current state of the broad Messianic movement knows that there is a great deal of internal debate over Torah observance. Many of us might all believe, in principle, that God’s Torah is relevant instruction for His people. But how do we practice it? Can we follow every single one of the commandments in the Twenty-First Century? What changes to Torah application have truly been enacted as a result of Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice? What role, if any, should Jewish tradition and protocol play in us applying the Torah’s commandments? Can Torah observant people actually be anti-Jewish?

How do we bridge the polarization of Torah observant people who care very little for mainline Jewish tradition, versus those who embrace all of the extremities of either the ultra Orthodox or Chassidic movements? Torah In the Balance, Volume II will present a case for a philo-traditional style of Torah observance, representing a third way which has largely not been given a hearing. There is an entire array of Torah related issues that is deserving of analysis, but we do not have to think that we are stuck having to choose between those who abhor a traditionally Jewish way of following God’s commandments, and those who add so many dogmas to God’s commandments that we may forget their original purpose. Torah In the Balance, Volume II will largely present a Messianic style of Torah observance consistent with the Centrist branches of modern-day Judaism, respecting both Jewish tradition and considering proposals made in contemporary Biblical Studies, a style that is often represented by today’s Messianic Judaism.

The wide array of issues, currently planned to be considered in Volume II, include:

· How do we keep Shabbat?

· How do we keep kosher?

· How do we observe the appointed times?

· Is circumcision to be practiced today?

· What about the controversy of the calendar: Karaite or Rabbinic?

· Are we allowed to wear any religious symbols?

· What do we do about outward signs like tzit-tzits, tefillin, beards, and headcoverings?

· What does the Torah really say about things like tattoos, earrings, and body piercings?

· What is the significance of the mikveh?

· Why do we too often avoid the Torah’s instruction about sexuality?

· What are we to do with the tithe today?

· How has the Sacred Name agenda caused an unbelievable amount of problems for the credibility of the Messianic movement?

· Is there a difference between the Torah’s moral and ceremonial laws?

· How do we learn to make following God’s Torah no longer a point of disagreement and contention among us?

The time is quickly upon us to discuss these issues in a very frank and open manner, considering where at times, leaders and teachers have not been considering the whole picture. The Messianic movement is to be a force of God’s holiness and righteousness, not a house so internally divided that it cannot make a difference. If the Father’s goal is to see all Israel restored—particularly among Jews and Christians—then not only are we to consider the value of those Christian theological schools that have always upheld the moral law of the Old Testament, but also the value of mainline Jewish traditions that have kept the Synagogue bound together as a coherent community. How do we need to have more establishment among us, so we can make a positive impact for the Lord in the wider world?

Concentrated work on Torah In the Balance, Volume II will begin when the paperback printing of Torah In the Balance, Volume I has been completed.

John Kimball McKee is the founder and principal writer for TNN Online, an Internet website that specializes in a wide variety of Biblical topics. As a young man who has grown up in a family that has been in constant pursuit of God’s truth, he has been exposed to things of the Lord since infancy. Since 1995 he has come to the realization of the post-tribulational return of the Messiah for His own and the Hebraic origins of our faith. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma (Class of 2003) with a B.A. in political science, and holds an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary (Class of 2009). He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical Languages Award for Greek. John holds memberships in the Evangelical Theological Society and Christians for Biblical Equality.

John is an apologist for the Creator God and in helping people understand their faith heritage in Ancient Israel and Second Temple Judaism. Much of his ministry has been campus based to the multitudes in evangelical Christianity who are associated with a wide variety of Protestant denominations and persuasions. John has introduced college students to things that are Messianic such as the original Hebrew name of our Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah), a name that he has known since 1983.

John’s testimony before his Christian friends at college challenged much of their previous thinking about the whole of the Holy Scriptures and the need to follow the commandments of the Most High. His college peers asked him many questions: Why do you not believe in the pre-trib rapture? What do you think of the Left Behind books? Why do you observe the seventh-day Sabbath? Why do you eat kosher? Why do you wear a beard? Why do you celebrate the feasts of Israel? Why do you wear tzit-tzits (fringes/tassels)? Why do you use a tallit (prayer shawl) and wrap tefillin/phylacteries? Why do you consult original language texts of the Bible? Why don’t you come to church with us on Sunday? This led John into Messianic apologetics and the defense of our faith. John strives to be a man after God’s own heart, who has a testimony of being born again and who diligently strives to obey the Holy One of Israel.

As the editor of TNN Online, John’s ministry has capitalized on the Internet’s ability to reach people all over this planet. TNN speaks with challenging, provocative, and apologetic articles to a wide Messianic audience, and those Christians who are interested in Messianic beliefs. In the past decade, TNN Online has emerged as a moderate and Centrist voice in a Messianic movement that is trying to determine its purpose, relevance, and mission to modern society. John feels a strong calling to assist in the development and maturation of our emerging Messianic theology.

John has had the profound opportunity since 1997 to engage many in dialogue so that they will consider the questions he postulates, as his only agenda is to be as Scripturally sound as possible. Through John’s writings and the outreach of TNN Online, many have been exposed to the truths of the post-tribulational return of the Messiah, the validity of the Torah, and the reality of all Israel being restored.

J.K. McKee is author of several books, including: The New Testament Validates Torah, Torah In the Balance, Volume I, When Will the Messiah Return?, and The Dangers of Pre-Tribulationism. He is co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study with Mark Huey. He has also written many articles on the Two Houses of Israel and Biblical theology, is presently focusing on Messianic commentaries on various books of the Bible, and is also continuing to add Messianic FAQ entries to an ever-expanding database.

J.K. McKee is a native of the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati, OH area. He has also lived in Dallas, TX, Norman, OK, Kissimmee-St. Cloud, FL, and Roatán, Honduras, Central America.