How the Restoration of Nazarene Judaism Began
By
James Scott Trimm
Twenty years ago a book titled The Purpose Driven Life sold millions of copies. It is so unfortunate that so many millions of people don’t know what their purpose in life is. This is something with which it is difficult for me to to connect. You see, my entire adult life, I have always known my purpose in life. I have not had to question why I am here, Not long after I accepted Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah of Judaism, I received a calling. That calling was the restoration of the ancient Sect of Nazarene Judaism, the original Jewish followers of Yeshua.
My Testimony
I recall when I was eighteen years old back around 1984, when I first left Rabbinic Judaism and became a believer in Yeshua as the Messiah. I was an armature anti-missionary back then, debating with my Christian friends, arguing that “Jesus” could not have been the Messiah. I had all the arguments down pat. Then one day Wendy asked me to go to an evening church youth meeting with her. I agreed, largely because I wanted to go out with her. So there I was, wearing my kippah with my JPS Tanak in hand. I did not know anyone else there.
After the meeting Wendy was off socializing with other friends, and I was sitting there bored. Despite my anti-missionary arguments, I had curiosity about Yeshua, so I prayed, “If Yeshua is really your son, prove it to me.” For the first time in my life a bat kol (voice from Heaven) spoke to me and said “John 1:34”. I did not have a “New Testament” so I borrowed one off the pew and looked up John 1:34 “And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.”. This revelation changed my life. I would have questioned it forever if the voice had answered my question with a direct answer, but instead it was a Scripture verse that I had to look up, that was an answer to my exact question. I knew for sure that Yeshua was Messiah and I found myself thrust into spiritual warfare that very first night, so I had to mature as a believer in Messiah fast. I immediately began studying the Messianic prophecies all over again, only now the scales were off of my eyes, and now I understood them. Of course Yeshua was the Messiah, why could I not see it before?
A Fish out of Water
Not long after I accepted Yeshua I found myself a fish out of water. At first I continued going to my Rabbinic synagogue on Friday nights and Saturdays, and visiting a Christian Church on Sundays. I was a square peg, trying to fit in a round hole. Then one day the pastor of the church came to me and said “James, you might be more comfortable in a ‘Messianic Jewish’ Congregation.” I had no idea what that was, but he gave me contact info, and so I contacted Beth Yeshua Congregation.
In those days (The mid 1980’s) Beth Yeshua Congregation was being led by a nice Jewish man named Stan. As a young man, Stan had married a Catholic girl. The two of them had been searching, even getting involved in the occult at one point. Then one day Stan got a tract from Jews for Jesus and converted to Christianity. Stan became a Southern Baptist and went to a Baptist Seminary. At one point Stan had planned to open the “First Jewish Baptist Church” but then he got involved in Messianic Judaism. He started Beth Yeshua Congregation originally as a Baptist mission to the Jews. In those early days, Beth Yeshua was meeting on Friday nights and Sunday mornings. This was the Messianic Jewish Congregation that I joined as a young man in the mid 1980’s. A few years alter, they did eventually move those Sunday meetings to Saturdays.
Getting Back to the New Testament Church?
I heard a great deal of talk about “getting back to the New Testament Church” but I soon discovered that there were two things the New Testament Church did not have: A New Testament and a Church!
I soon began doing research at the library and discovered the truth, The original followers of Yeshua were not Christians, they were a sect of Jews known as Nazarenes.
I discovered that Yeshua did not come to create a new religion, he came to be the Messiah of the old one, Judaism. I found several references to these “Nazarenes” in the writings of the so-called “Church Fathers”. I realized that I was a Nazarene Jew!
The Original Language of the “New Testament”
As my research of the ancient Nazarenes continued, I learned that the books of the so-called “New Testament: were originally written, like the Tanak, in Hebrew and Aramaic. I found many dusty books at the Seminary library that made the case that parts, or all of the books of the “New Testament” were originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic and were later translated into Greek.
I even found original Hebrew and Aramaic source texts for many of the books of the “New Testament” and began rethinking my understanding of the content of these books, based on these Hebrew and Aramaic sources, rather than the Greek.
Studying With Rabbi Moyal
About this time (1988), I met Rabbi Moyal. Rabbi Armand Daniel (“Danny”) Moyal, was an Orthodox Rabbi from Israel, who had come to the conclusion that Yeshua was the Messiah, by studying the Talmuds, Midrashim and Zohar. Stan had warned me to stay away from Rabbi Moyal, but I wanted to learn everything I could from him.
I began hosting weekly Torah studies in my home, led by Rabbi Moyal, and invited anyone who was interested to come. I also spent every moment I could spare, studying one on one with him.
It was from Rabbi Moyal that I learned how to demonstrate that Yeshua is the Messiah using the Talmuds, Targums, Midrashim and Zohar. It was also Rabbi Moyal that first showed me that the deity of Messiah as the Middle Pillar and the concept Three Pillars of the Godhead, were to be found in the Zohar.
One day Stan and an “elder” from Beth Yeshua Congregation, knocked on my door. They were there to serve as two “witnesses” to me/ Stan said to me that I had to decide what my “covering” would be. That I either had to quit hosting these studies (which were twenty miles from Beth Yeshua, were on a non-conflicting night, and to which none of that congregation attended), or quit attending Beith Yeshua Congregation.
I responded by asking Stan if he knew what the Hebrew word for “covering” is. He responded by looking at me quizzically. I responded “Kippur, it also means ‘atonement’… Stan you are not my atonement and never will be!”
The following day (a Wednesday) it was announced at Beth Yeshua Congregation that I had been “excommunicated” on the charge of “seeking his own way, apart from the congregation.”
Birth of a Blogger
At about this time (the late 80’s) I began writing blogs about what I called “Nazarene Judaism.” These were blogs about the Messiahship of Yeshua, Torah Observance and the Hebrew and Aramaic origin of the New Testament. These blogs began on Fidonet and eventually moved to emails and Usenet posts on the very early, pre-web internet. By 1996 I had started a Nazarene Judaism website and subscription list server.
My Dream
I want to share with you all a dream I had in the 1980’s not long after I had become a believer in Messiah (I was around 18 years old). I recorded it in a journal I was keeping at the time.
In my dream I was rebuilding the ruins of an ancient stone alter. As I finished rebuilding this alter, it shined with a great light so bright that I could not look directly at it, brighter than the sun. I turned around and saw several shafts of blue light shining down out of heaven. It was shear beauty like I had never seen. Behind me was the Messianic Synagogue I was attending at the time. I ran inside to tell all of my friends in the synagogue about what I had seen, but most of them seemed disinterested, and only a few were willing to come outside and see what I had seen.
The ancient stone alter in ruins was Nazarene Judaism, and “rebuilding” it represented the work of restoration of the House of Judah.
A major prophetic event that the Scriptures state will occur before the return of Messiah, is just about ready to occur, in fact it is happening right now!
… but in the land of their captivities they shall remember themselves. And shall know that I am YHWH their Elohim: for I will give them a heart, and ears to hear: And they shall praise me in the land of their captivity, and think upon my name, And return from their stiff neck, and from their wicked deeds: for they shall remember the way of their fathers, which sinned before YHWH. And I will bring them again into the land which I promised with an oath unto their fathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov, and they shall be masters of it: and I will increase them, and they shall not be diminished. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their Elohim, and they shall be my people: and I will no more drive my people of Israel out of the
land that I have given them.
(Barukh (Baruch) 2:30-35)
Up until recent times YHWH has been working toward the restoration of the House of Israel (Ephraim). This is typified in the parable of the olive tree, by the grafting of wild branches (Ephraimites) into the cultivated olive tree (Romans 11:16-19).
Now Romans 11 does discuss this stage of the restoration, but it also tells us that an even more powerful stage of the restoration involves Judah being grafted back into its own olive tree:
And if their stumbling became riches for the world, and their loss, riches to the Goyim: how much more therefore, their fullness?
(Rom. 11:12 NHRV)
For if their reprobation was reconciliation to the world, how much more therefore, their return, but life that is from among the dead?
(Rom. 11:15 NHRV)
23 And those, if they do not remain in their lack of trust, also will be grafted in: for Elohim is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you, who are from the olive [tree] that was wild by your nature, were cut off and were grafted–contrary to your nature–into the good olive [tree], how much more then, those, if they be grafted in their natural olive [tree]?
(Rom. 11:23-24 NHRV)
Paul says here: You think the restoration of Ephraim is great, wait until you see the restoration of Judah!
This restoration of Judah has been my calling, not just the grafting in of Ephraim (although that is part of it) but the restoration of the House of Judah, the restoration of the ancient sect of Nazarene Judaism!
I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Nazarene Judaism moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.
It is you who make this work possible. I realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone (in my quest to teach Torah and Messiah to a lost world with all the vigor and enthusiasm I can muster) who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on this efforts as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business in teaching the Torah and the Messiah to this lost world.
I started out this blog, intending to to write a short blog on the Five Keys to the Restoration. But as a began writing a short biographical preface, I found myself writing a very different blog, so look for The Five Keys to the Restoration coming soon.
We must raise at least $2,000 by the end of the month to cover rent and bills!
Also read this important information I shared recently, if you have not already.
The time is short, and there is much work to be done. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
As you know we have been digging ourselves out of a budget shortfall. As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Now is time to step up to the plate!
