Albert J. McCarn
December 12, 2023
We don’t know exactly how Messiah’s Kingdom will be fully established on earth, but we do know that process requires reconciliation of Christians and Jews. Both worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and both look in faith toward the time when Messiah Son of David reigns from Jerusalem, governing all nations in a time of peace.
At B’ney Yosef North America, we would say the reconciliation of Christians and Jews is fulfillment of the Two Sticks prophecy, when Ephraim and Judah come together as one in God’s Hand (Ezekiel 37:14-28). Others don’t see it in the same way, but they regard the reconciliation of Christians and Jews as essential to the redemptive plans our Creator has for Israel and the nations. This shared understanding inspired BYNA to partner with Nations’ 9th of Av – a partnership that continues as Nations’ 9th of Av has become Ten from the Nations.
Nations’ 9th of Av was founded in 2018 in a spirit of repentance for the horrific acts committed against the Jewish people in the name of Jesus, including the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust. The organization was named for the 9th day of the month of Av, the Fast of the Fifth month on the Hebrew calendar, which is the day Jews fast and mourn over the destruction of both Temples, and the many other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. Since Christians caused many of those tragedies, it seemed right to join with Jewish friends in this annual time of mourning to humbly acknowledge our past and seek to build a better future together.
It turns out that this initiative from the nations is prophesied by Zechariah:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
Zechariah 8:19-23 (ESV)
This passage inspired the vision of Nations’ 9th of Av, and continues to inspire Ten from The Nations, which seeks to build on the foundation established in the reconciliation and relationship-building work of the past five years. As stated on the new Ten from the Nations website:
Ten from the Nations is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading awareness and promoting reconciliation between the Christian and Jewish communities. Our mission is to turn the hearts of the Nations toward Jerusalem and the Jewish people through prayer, education, inter-community events, strategic networking, and activism.
That mission is reflected in the new TFTN logo, which is also explained on the website:
We are walking out this prophecy [Zechariah 8:23] right now by connecting with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel, and encouraging our Christian brothers and sisters to do the same. We all profess faith in the God of Israel, and we all want to see fulfillment of His promises of redemption for Israel and the nations. We believe that will happen as Jews and Christians learn how to get along with one another in relationships based on trust and mutual respect.
That’s the process our logo illustrates. In the center is an X, which is the Roman numeral 10. The X is superimposed on a depiction of tzitzit, the tassels on the garments worn by observant Jews in obedience to the commandment of Numbers 15:37-40. When people from the nations take hold of the robe of a Jew (also translated garment, hem, skirt, or sleeve), this is what is meant. That’s the inspiration for our symbolic representation of this process.
Ten from the Nations officially launched on November 9, 2023, with Not on My Watch (see it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON_VRvDVOy8). In that video presentation, a panel of Jewish and Christian leaders looked back on Kristallnacht in 1938, which is regarded as the start of the Holocaust, and at the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023. The purpose was to note the connections between the two events, explore the meaning of both for Jews as well as Christians, and provide action points for Christians in support of Israel and of the Jewish people worldwide.
Even before the official launch, Ten from the Nations has been working to bring tangible support to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria through the Israel Emergency Fund (https://www.tenfromthenations.org/israel-emergency-fund). To date, this effort has raised $20,000 to provide much-needed equipment to help these communities secure themselves during the current war as most of the men have left for military service. (This video update shows what help has been provided so far: https://youtu.be/6dj6_gu4abA?si=c-57uiaFtHAOh8Gu.)
This is just the beginning. Ten from the Nations has big plans for the coming year, with educational events, continued support to the communities of Judea and Samaria, and for a tour of Israel in August 2024. To learn more, visit https://www.tenfromthenations.org/.
