Sid: Now I have my good friend Jonathan Bernis on the phone and most of you are familiar with his TV show” Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis.” Jonathan you came out with a concept that frankly I haven’t seen anyone do before. And that is I’ve seen people have scriptures to mediate on God’s word and list them and tell us to mediate rightfully so. But you came out with it on a CD as well as in a book with a special way so that anyone can read Biblical Hebrew instantly. Why the Hebrew, most people don’t understand Hebrew?
Jonathan: Well, Sid I believe that Hebrew has a unique power to it, and I believe it’s connected to Roman’s 11:25. Which I think it’s often misinterpreted; it says “A blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.” And I don’t believe it’s talking about a full number but a fullness coming back to the church; a restoration as Acts talks about; a restoration of all things. Part of this divine restoration and I believe Sid it’s a last days restoration is the revival of the Jewish roots of our faith. And that includes the language of Hebrew which I believe is dynamic and powerful which I believe it began with restoration that began with the 1800’s with Hebrew coming back to a people that had been wandering for almost 2000 years. The Jewish people who are now back in the land and the national language in Israel is the language of Hebrew. I believe that this is a modern day miracle Sid. And I believe that Christians can tap into this amazing restoration.
Sid: Well as far as I’m concerned not only is the language supernatural it was prophesied they’d be speaking it again in the streets of Judah. But it is… there’s something about sound. For instance, I interview Psalmists and some of them literally they have portals to heaven for peace, or for healing, or for various things. There’s something about Hebrew that opens up the heavens. What do you feel about that?
Jonathan: Well I believe that God responds to any language but I believe that there’s a unique anointing on Hebrew and some have suggested Sid, I can’t tell you dogmatically that this is the case, but that when the Lord spoke the world into existence and said “Let there be light” He was speaking this forth in Hebrew as a creative force.” So I believe that Hebrew does have a supernatural dimension to it. There’s frequencies that resonate in the Hebrew how detailed I don’t get into. But I do believe that there is a very unique power to Hebrew; it’s called the language of the prophets the language of the tongue of the prophets. And I believe that it’s part of an end-time restoration.
Sid: Now in Jeremiah 31:23 Jonathan read that verse.
Jonathan: “Thus says the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel, they shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities when I bring back their captivity.”
Sid: Well, how much more specific can you get? I can just tell you the way it affects me. I love to hear the language of Hebrew. And tell me about how this prophesy of God’s word that once again the words of this supernatural language will be restored in Israel. How did it come about?
Jonathan: Modern restoration of Hebrew goes back to the latter part of the 19 century. Actually the middle part; the 1860’s and 70’s thought a man that God called to move back to Israel before it was restored as the nation of Israel. A man called Eleazar Ben Yehudah and he was responsible for the restoration of the Hebrew language. He spent the majority of his life developing ancient Hebrew into a modern spoken language that could be used by a people because he was confident that one day the Jewish people would be restored back to the land. And it came to past Sid in 1948; Israel supernaturally in a day was restored back to the Jewish people; the birth of the modern birth of the state of Israel. And then 1967 with Jerusalem coming back into Jewish hands; I think this was the singular greatest event in the last century to signal the near return of Jesus to this world.
Sid: And you know what’s so amazing about our God is here He said that the Jewish people would be scattered to the four corners of the earth. He prophesied they’d be maintained as a distinct people. He prophesied a land would be born in a day, and He prophesied from the four corners of the earth we would return but when we returned we returned we spoke the language of whatever country we were scattered to. So if Eleazar Ben Yehudah had not restored modern Hebrew how could be communicate with one another?
Jonathan: Yeah it was a miracle. Sid there was 3 restorations just to continue on this that are absolutely supernatural. One is the restoration of the Jewish people scattered to the nations of the world back to their land after almost 2000 years. There was only a remnant of Jewish people living in Israel after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. We were scattered to the remote parts of the earth. But since 1948 God has gathered us back as a people and there’s more Jewish people living in Israel today. That little sliver of land the size of New Jersey than any other place in the world including America. Secondly He’s restoring our faith. Jewish people are coming to faith in the God of Israel through the Messiah. Eyes are being opened; there’s more Jewish people that believe in Jesus today than any time since the first century, then third restoration of the modern language. They’re all tied together; their all supernatural and we’re experiencing this before our very eyes Bible prophesy being fulfilled.
Sid: Now tell me about this beautiful book and CD that’s included titled “Confessing the Hebrew Scriptures.”
Jonathan: Okay Sid I have to give credit where credit is due and you played a role in this believe it or not. A number of years ago you confessed healing scriptures and put them to music. And I listened to those tapes and I never knew if they ever came out in CD’s it was a while ago. They were on cassette tapes and I sent those to friends and it was soothing for the soul; faith came alive for healing and health through the confession of God’s Word. I’m a big believer in confessing the word of God; faith is built as we confess the word of God. But then I coupled that with a method that I had learned growing up in synagogue and that is the idea of transliteration. Most Jewish people can’t read the Hebrew and so our prayer books transliterate the Hebrew into English phonetic English to sound out the Hebrew so then we can follow along using the phonetics. Now I learned to read Hebrew the transliteration was kind of a cheat sheet that we could use to speak out the prayers in synagogue. What I’ve done is I’ve taken that method that transliteration…
Sid: Now that was done because so many Jews relocated to the four corners of the earth as God prophesied and they did not know how to speak Hebrew after several generations. So it had to be started a system like this and it’s actually a supernatural way for any one that never went to Bible School of any sort, or a language school of any sort to be speaking the Biblical language.
Jonathan: That’s right Sid in 5 minutes you can sit down put the CD on and you can be speaking in Hebrew without any Hebrew background or training or education whatsoever. You can actually speak these scriptures out following along in the Hebrew and using the transliteration. And you can be speaking forth confessing the Hebrew scriptures related to the Name of God Jehovah Shalom; or Adonai Shalom the Lord our peace; the Lord our completion.
Sid: Now you have scriptures about the word shalom peace but most people think of that’s what it means peace. But it means so much more explain.
Jonathan: Well, shalom is one of the greatest words in the Hebrew language; it means much more than just peace. Although it does bring with it a supernatural peace. But it also means wellbeing; it means wholeness. And the greatest translation I think of shalom is completion; to bring to completion. When we’re exhorted in Psalm 122:6 “To pray for the peace, the shalom, of Jerusalem.” In fact God is asking us to pray for His plan and purpose to be brought to completion, fulness.
Sid: So that’s why you know many people say now “Why did God pick only one city in the whole world that we’re admonished to pray for?” And that’s Psalm 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Then He makes a promise connected with it. “They shall prosper” and the word prosper in the Hebrew (talk about peace) means heart peace. You shall have heart peace; because you’re praying for the completion of everything that God has prophesied so Jesus can come back and rule this earth. We certainly need something better than Democrats or Republicans. (Laughing)
Jonathan: (Laughing) We sure do Sid; and something really exciting is that first pray for the shalom of peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee. Which means there’s a promise of property connected to that is also the word shalom. Pray for the shalom of Jerusalem of Israel and God will shalom you.” He’ll prosper you back; He’ll give you peace, He’ll give you wholeness. He’ll complete the work He began in you. It’s just amazing as you sow that prayer into Israel He pours it back into us. That word is shalom.
Sid: Now this brand new but we’ve already field tested this and people are listening to this in the Hebrew because the CD has beautiful relaxing music and then you hear the promise in Hebrew; then you hear the promise in English. And you can also because it’s transliterated and the most beautiful pictures in this book. And it’s really a book that you’d be proud to put on a coffee table; what a conversation piece you’re going to have in your home. So as people do this at night they get totally relaxed and I believe as you’ve just pointed out the word shalom is completeness and all the promises of God… it’s called “The Lord Is Peace.
