Within the coming days, there will be articles up on how the early church was affected by the likes of Justin Martyr, Ireneous, Ignatius, the Epistle of Barnabas and John Chrystotom and ultimately by the councils set up by Constantine. We will examine why this occurred, and why the Jews view the Christians negatively today. This must be recognized by Christians as something that is a stumbling block between the evangelizing of the Jew today. We will seek to bridge a gap that bears a heavy burden to the Jew today.
We will also examine Biblical feasts and how they are to be celebrated. I believe this is important. We will examine how Christian tradition and holidays attempted to supercede Biblical feasts.
Another topic we will cover is why we celebrate the Shabbat on Friday night. This will encompass an understanding of the Jewish calendar.
Finally, we will examine the crucifixion and the resurrection of Yeshua, and how this matches with his prophetic statements regarding Jonah being in the stomach of the whale for three days and three nights. We will examine an alternative example rather than the traditional viewpoint held by Christians/Catholics that he was crucified on Good Friday and rose on Sunday morning. The goal here will be to look through the events through the eyes of a 1st century Jew who would have been recording the information. We will look at Luke and why he was a Jew, and not a Gentile.
I am hopeful that these topics will interest the readers in the days to come in accordance to God's will, for we know it is good.
Baruch Ata Adonai,
hamashaichagape
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Addressing Christianity
First of all , let me make mention that there is absolutely nothing wrong in regards to the salvation of Christians. They have accepted Yeshua, and they are engrafted into the covenant of Israel, as one in the body. I have yet to see a single instance in which the Bible was utilized to state that the Torah was no longer in necessity. However, given the writings of the Pharisees and the Talmud of the time period (as we have seen, there are two, the Babylonian and the Jerusalem, and we will expand upon this later), Rav Shaul (or Paul) was needed to take care of a few misconceptions surrounding the use of the Torah. With this stated it is now time to address the Christians.
What separates the Messianic Jews from the Christians? Well nothing should, and Romans 1:16 states that 16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. This meaning that the Gospel is for both the Jew and the Gentile. The engrafting of the Gentile into the Jewish community is found within the chapters of Romans 9-11. The Christian movement today has separated itself from its earlier Messianic roots and its earlier traditions Of course there are a myriad versions of the Christian church today, and it has rooted division in the forms of Catholicism, movements coming out of the Reformation period, and the Restoration Period. There are so many different forms of Christianity today that it would be impossible for me to list them all here. We shall begin with the beginning of Messianic Judaism, and discuss how it became somewhat (tho not significantly so) opposed by Christians.
First of all a modern day viewpoint of Christianity is that the Torah is no longer needed. However, the question for whether the Torah is for today can easily be answered by a few quotations. Matthew 5:17-20 states plainly by Yeshua, "17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Torah until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (legalism), you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." If the most significant leader states this out of the movement, it should be followed. Additionally, the second most influential party within the movement was Paul. He had a chance in Acts 21 to nullify the Torah. Due to issues that Paul had written to believers in Rome and Galatia, confusion arose as to whether or not Paul followed and approved of the Torah. The elders gave him the option of disproving allegations by paying for four of the elders who had taken the Nazirite vow from Numbers 6. He also was to go through a purificaiton immersion. Paul followed through with this in verse 26. Another area which states Paul's approval of the Torah is in Galations 3:21 where it is stated "Is the Torah then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be." Thus Messianics consider that the Torah is good for today.
In addition, Messianics also consider that the Torah is good for all people. Numbers 15:14-16 states "14 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD : 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.' " The word translated "alien" here is actually the word that means "non-Jew." Thus we consider the Torah to be also true for both Jew and Gentile, both one in the body of Messiah.
The question that must be answered is whether or not we believe the Torah is for salvational purposes? Not only do Messianics not believe that the Torah is for salvational purposes, we believe it never was meant to be for a permanent salvational purpose in the first place. We simply believe that faith without works is dead (that should sound familiar to Christians). Part of the works we believe that are essential are from the Torah or the teaching.
How has Christianity developed, and taken a different approach to the Bible than Messianic Jews over the centuries? This started with the early church fathers. In heavy part, the pagan Constantine is to blame, but it definitely extends beyond him. This anti-semitism began in the Epistle of Barnabas which stated "Take heed to yourselves and be not like some, piling up your sins and saying that the covenant is theirs as well as ours. It is ours, but they lost it completely just after Moses received it..."(Epistle 4:6-7). The covenant is believed to be no longer for the Jewish people, and further expounded upon this by stating that circumcision and the Shabbat were no longer valid. He states "We, too, would observe your circumcision of the flesh, your Sabbath days, and in a word all your festivals, if we were not aware of the reason why they were imposed upon you, namely, because of your sins and hardness of heart." (Dialogue 18,2). Samuele Bacchiocchi states in reference to Martyr, "what better way to evidence the Christians' distinction from the Jews then by adopting a different day of worship?" The rejection of the Torah was replaced by pagan ideas, up to and including worshipping on the same day as the "Sun." Martyr may have been according to Bacchiocchi attempting to "make the Emperor aware that Christians were not Jewish rebels but obedient citizens....the Romans already at that time venerated the day of the Sun....and repeated references to such a day could well represent a calculated effort to draw the Christians closer to the Roman customs than to those of the Jews." (From Sabbath to Sunday, p 230). The early Church's main motive was to make the Gospels approvable by the pagans and to convince the government that they were not Jews. John Chrysostom was a fourth century preacher who has been known as a positive influence on the Christian church, and has received praise from Earle E. Cairns's book "Through the Centuries." However, while this be the case, his viewpoints against his fellow Jewish worshippers was one of staunch hatred. "How can Christians dare "have the slightest converse" with the Jews, "most miserable of all men...men who are rapacious, greedy, perfidious bandits....ravenous murderers, detroyers, men possessed by the devil..." The Synagogue? It is the domicile of the devil, as is also the soul of the Jews. Their religion is 'a disease." (Flannery, The Anguish of the Jews, p 50-52). He continues by making a claim that the Jews are Christ killers whose law should have no part in the life of a Christian. "He who can never love Christ enough will never have done fighting against them [the Jews] who hate Him. Flee, then, their assemblies, flee their houses, and far from venerating the synagogue because of the books it contains, hold it in hatred and aversion for the same reason. I hate the synagogue precisely because it has the law and the Prophets....I hate the Jews because they outrage the law." (Flannery, The Anguish of the Jews, p 50-52.) Over the course of many centuries, this has led to the division within the church today. Instead of embracing the Jews and following the practices of the Torah as we all were supposed to, the Christians ended up rejecting the Jews, and expelling their practices from their churches. This was solely
in order to get the Romans to be more embracing within the first century to their beliefs. The result is the Christians decided to turn against the Torah, and Judaism. They wanted to show the Romans that one can be in opposition to Judaism and follow Yeshua. Funny enough, Yeshua was a Jew, so to be in opposition of Yeshua and his people, wouldn't make a lot of sense in the long run, as according to Romans 10:12. We shall build upon this understanding in later articles.
What separates the Messianic Jews from the Christians? Well nothing should, and Romans 1:16 states that 16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. This meaning that the Gospel is for both the Jew and the Gentile. The engrafting of the Gentile into the Jewish community is found within the chapters of Romans 9-11. The Christian movement today has separated itself from its earlier Messianic roots and its earlier traditions Of course there are a myriad versions of the Christian church today, and it has rooted division in the forms of Catholicism, movements coming out of the Reformation period, and the Restoration Period. There are so many different forms of Christianity today that it would be impossible for me to list them all here. We shall begin with the beginning of Messianic Judaism, and discuss how it became somewhat (tho not significantly so) opposed by Christians.
First of all a modern day viewpoint of Christianity is that the Torah is no longer needed. However, the question for whether the Torah is for today can easily be answered by a few quotations. Matthew 5:17-20 states plainly by Yeshua, "17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Torah until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (legalism), you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." If the most significant leader states this out of the movement, it should be followed. Additionally, the second most influential party within the movement was Paul. He had a chance in Acts 21 to nullify the Torah. Due to issues that Paul had written to believers in Rome and Galatia, confusion arose as to whether or not Paul followed and approved of the Torah. The elders gave him the option of disproving allegations by paying for four of the elders who had taken the Nazirite vow from Numbers 6. He also was to go through a purificaiton immersion. Paul followed through with this in verse 26. Another area which states Paul's approval of the Torah is in Galations 3:21 where it is stated "Is the Torah then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be." Thus Messianics consider that the Torah is good for today.
In addition, Messianics also consider that the Torah is good for all people. Numbers 15:14-16 states "14 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD : 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.' " The word translated "alien" here is actually the word that means "non-Jew." Thus we consider the Torah to be also true for both Jew and Gentile, both one in the body of Messiah.
The question that must be answered is whether or not we believe the Torah is for salvational purposes? Not only do Messianics not believe that the Torah is for salvational purposes, we believe it never was meant to be for a permanent salvational purpose in the first place. We simply believe that faith without works is dead (that should sound familiar to Christians). Part of the works we believe that are essential are from the Torah or the teaching.
How has Christianity developed, and taken a different approach to the Bible than Messianic Jews over the centuries? This started with the early church fathers. In heavy part, the pagan Constantine is to blame, but it definitely extends beyond him. This anti-semitism began in the Epistle of Barnabas which stated "Take heed to yourselves and be not like some, piling up your sins and saying that the covenant is theirs as well as ours. It is ours, but they lost it completely just after Moses received it..."(Epistle 4:6-7). The covenant is believed to be no longer for the Jewish people, and further expounded upon this by stating that circumcision and the Shabbat were no longer valid. He states "We, too, would observe your circumcision of the flesh, your Sabbath days, and in a word all your festivals, if we were not aware of the reason why they were imposed upon you, namely, because of your sins and hardness of heart." (Dialogue 18,2). Samuele Bacchiocchi states in reference to Martyr, "what better way to evidence the Christians' distinction from the Jews then by adopting a different day of worship?" The rejection of the Torah was replaced by pagan ideas, up to and including worshipping on the same day as the "Sun." Martyr may have been according to Bacchiocchi attempting to "make the Emperor aware that Christians were not Jewish rebels but obedient citizens....the Romans already at that time venerated the day of the Sun....and repeated references to such a day could well represent a calculated effort to draw the Christians closer to the Roman customs than to those of the Jews." (From Sabbath to Sunday, p 230). The early Church's main motive was to make the Gospels approvable by the pagans and to convince the government that they were not Jews. John Chrysostom was a fourth century preacher who has been known as a positive influence on the Christian church, and has received praise from Earle E. Cairns's book "Through the Centuries." However, while this be the case, his viewpoints against his fellow Jewish worshippers was one of staunch hatred. "How can Christians dare "have the slightest converse" with the Jews, "most miserable of all men...men who are rapacious, greedy, perfidious bandits....ravenous murderers, detroyers, men possessed by the devil..." The Synagogue? It is the domicile of the devil, as is also the soul of the Jews. Their religion is 'a disease." (Flannery, The Anguish of the Jews, p 50-52). He continues by making a claim that the Jews are Christ killers whose law should have no part in the life of a Christian. "He who can never love Christ enough will never have done fighting against them [the Jews] who hate Him. Flee, then, their assemblies, flee their houses, and far from venerating the synagogue because of the books it contains, hold it in hatred and aversion for the same reason. I hate the synagogue precisely because it has the law and the Prophets....I hate the Jews because they outrage the law." (Flannery, The Anguish of the Jews, p 50-52.) Over the course of many centuries, this has led to the division within the church today. Instead of embracing the Jews and following the practices of the Torah as we all were supposed to, the Christians ended up rejecting the Jews, and expelling their practices from their churches. This was solely
in order to get the Romans to be more embracing within the first century to their beliefs. The result is the Christians decided to turn against the Torah, and Judaism. They wanted to show the Romans that one can be in opposition to Judaism and follow Yeshua. Funny enough, Yeshua was a Jew, so to be in opposition of Yeshua and his people, wouldn't make a lot of sense in the long run, as according to Romans 10:12. We shall build upon this understanding in later articles.
Friday, April 23, 2010
What is Messianic Judaism, and why is Yeshua important to Jews?
When one thinks of Judaism, there are many ideas and concepts that come to mind. The Torah, rabbis, the temple, synagogues, ancient readings and legalism may be some words. However, since the beginning of the 1st century, there has been a form of Judaism (a proper following) that has been overlooked by much of the population of the world, included to both the Jews and the Christians (two of the major parties that came out of the 1st century collapse of Israel ). This other camp is Messianic Judaism. Both Jews and and even moreso Christians of today mistake what Messianic Judaism is, and that’s what this writing will address.
Many people postulate that Messianic Judaism is Judaism with a belief in Jesus Christ and a strict following of Torah law. In many respects they are correct. In most respects this viewpoint is overly simplified and generalized. When actually looking at what the Messianic Jews stand for, it is highly ironic that Messianic Judaism is closer to Christianity than it is to Orthodox Judaism. There are several reasons for why this is so. One of the major reasons is that Orthodox Judaism today is a lot different from what Judaism was in the 1st century. For example it has been stated that Yeshua (I will refer to Jesus as such from here on out) was a rabbinical Jew. Is there something wrong with this? No, neither was there anything wrong with Pharisee Judaism, Sadducee Judaism and the other forms. In the 1st century, the rabbinical Jews followed the Old Testament, or the Tanakh, which consisted of the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim. The Torah is a word that has been defined for many centuries as “the Law” but a better way of defining it would be the “the teaching.” This equivocation can be attributed to the Christian church, which we will touch base on later. It consists of the first five books of the Bible, which has also been called “The Written Torah.” The Nevi’im is a Hebrewic term that means “the Prophets” and has the prophetic writings, and the Ketuvim which is the “the Sacred Writings.” All of these compile the Old Testament. However, Orthodox Judaism today has extended these writings to what they would call “The Oral Torah” which are the writings of the Talmud (consisting of two parts, a Babylonian and Jerusalem part (Gemara and Mishnah), the Midrash, the Kabbalah, and the Zohar. The reason that many Christians get mixed up with the idea that it is somehow bad to be a rabbinical Jew is because of what rabbinical Judaism has BECOME today, not for what it was in the first century. Implementing the word rabbinical into a 21st century environment is not the same as implementing that word in the 1st century. However, if anyone were truly familiar with what being a rabbinical Jew was in the 1st century, it would surprise many a Christian to know that Yeshua was a rabbinical Jew.
We must first acknowledge why Messianic Judaism is in fact a form of Judaism and not Christianity. It has been stated many times that Messianic Judaism is not a form of Judaism, but is actually a form of Christianity that is disguised as Judaism. One of the reasons that this is so is because of the division espoused between Yeshua and the modern day rabbis in that the rabbis did not want to find a heavenly messiah. Despite this matter of differential opinion, Messianic Jews are Jews by birth, and with their following patrilinially in the same way that the Bible does in determining what a Jew is, would qualify them to have more accuracy in determining Jewishness than the Orthodox who following not the seed of Abraham as accorded to the Bible, but rather the matrilineal lineage. Religiously, it is a form of Jewishness because of the following of the Tanakh. In essence, this makes Messianic Judaism more Jewish than Modern day Orthodox and Reformed Judaism are today.
Another reason that Messianic Judaism is more closely linked to an accurate depiction of Biblical Judaism is one of the reasons Christians would be delated about. This is because of the following of the New Testament (Renewed covenant), or as we call it the Brit Chadashah which is prophecied about in Jeremiah 31:31-32 - 31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant (brit chadashah) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to [d] them, [e] " declares the LORD. "
Some further descrepancies will be looked at closer regarding this verse when reviewing Christianity. The point to be made for now is that if one is to be truly Jewish, then this must be taken into account. You must accept the Brit Chadashah as the renewed covenant of God. God does not infer this to mean that a new covenant will be established, but rather a renewed covenant is to be established. What is another reason that the Jews and Messianic Jews defer as to what Judaism is? It is the debate over the Mosaic or Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The written Torah is mentioned within the Bible as the first 5 books of the Old Testament. The Pirkei Avot taught that Oral Law was passed down from Moses to Joshua. Where this errs is in Joshua 8:30-34 "
"Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace-offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote before the children of Israel. And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger as the home-born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law."
The problem if not obvious is that it is stated within Joshua that everything that was passed down from Moses to Joshua was written when communicated to the Jews. This poses a problem to the Orthodox and Reformed Jew when it is stated in Joshua 23:6
"Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left." Of course the problem is that anything that has been written must be maintained and it is not with the adding on of additonal books. Furthermore, anything that is not written down or is added to the Torah should be disregarded as well. Deuteronomy 4:2 states this explicitly
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
Deuteronomy 12:32 also declares, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." This presents a severe problem to the present day Jew when recognizing what true Judaism is. Isaiah 29:10-15 also touches on when Israel will become blind as a nation and turn away from God when it states "
For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Of course this has come to fruition within today's Jew and their denial of Ben Josef, or Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Yeshua also addresses the rabbis in these verses -
"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Matthew 15:3
"And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Mark 7:9
"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Mark 7:13
Now that we've demonstrated how the Jew has misinterpreted the Bible, we must demonstrate how the Bible has proven to be a positive stance for the Messianic Jew. This position looks very similar to the Christian stance. It must first be remembered that in the 1st century, the Jews saw the angel that would bring in the procession of the Messiah. The problem with the Jews, and it is still a problem is something I will address in a future article. It is which Messiah we are looking for. Many people acknowledge that the Jews made a mistake of looking for the Messiah, because they were looking for someone to provide restoration for the people of Israel. The problem with this view is that it is overgeneralized again. There were two citations of the Messiah given. One was for Yehoshua Ben Josef, and one was with Yehoshua Ben David. The first century Jews did not see Yeshua Ha Mashiach because instead of looking for the Messiah that would forgive us of our sins, which was Yehoshua Ben Josef, they were instead looking for Yehoshua Ben David. Which one of these groups was correct? Both of them were. Yehoshua Ben Josef was the first Messiah to come. Later, peace will be restored to Israel when Yeshua comes in the form of Yehoshua Ben David. Yeshua Ben Yosef was the one who would be the suffering servant from Isaiah 53, and would be forsaken by the world, then be victorious over death via his resurrection. Yeshua Ben David is the same Messiah who would come to restore peace to Israel. The rabbis were too attached to the Torah and were leading people through false legalistic teaching to look for Yeshua Ben David instead of Yeshua Ben Yosef. Thus they were looking for a military leader who would overthrow the Romans (and we saw what that got them). Sadly today people look at this through lenses there should not be, as if they are not one Messiah but two separate and different Messiahs. Having a basic Talmudic understanding, demonstrates this to be a falsehood since their understanding of one of the Messiahs is a Messiah who ultimately dies and fails hence not a Messiah. To find the Messiah that was coming back to 1st century Israel we take a look at the prophecies within the Tanakh to review whether or not Yeshua is the true Messiah. Of course as both Christian and Jew realize Yeshua fulfilled 365 prophecies. What we are looking for in the Messiah is someone who is obviously the Son of God, a hypostasis which is to be fulfilled via the Abraham and Isaac Covenant. Through Isaac's seed and one who is both kin to Joseph and David, the Messiah will come. The prophetic accounts may be found and were fulfilled as follows -
Prophecy
Old Testament (Torah & Haphtarah)
New Testament Fulfilled
1. Messiah's pre-existence.
Micah 5:2
John 1:1, 1:14
2. To be from the seed of a woman.
Genesis 3:15
Matthew 1:18
3. To be from the seed of Abraham.
Genesis 12:3
Matthew 1:1-16
4. To be from the seed of David.
Isaiah 11:10
Matthew 1:1
5. Abraham's descendant would bless all nations.
Genesis 12:3; 18:18
Matthew 1:2
6. To be from the tribe of Judah.
Genesis 49:10
Matthew 1:1-3
7. To be a prophet like Moses.
Deuteronomy 18:15,19
John 5:45-47
8. To be the Son of God.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Luke 1:32
9. To be called Lord
Jeremiah 23:5-6
John 13:13
10. To be called Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6
Matthew 1:23
11. To be God within a man
Zechariah 12:10-11
John 10:30
12. To be presented with gifts.
Psalm 72:10
Matthew 2:10
13. To die before the 2nd Temple is destroyed.
Daniel 9:24-27
Temple destroyed in 70 A.D.; Jesus killed between 30-33 A.D.
14. To enter Jerusalem between 30-33 A.D.
Daniel 9:24-27
Jesus enters Jerusalem between 30-33 A.D.
15. To be born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2
Luke 2:4-2:7
16. To perform miracles.
Isaiah 35:5-6
Matthew 11:4-6
17. To enter Jerusalem on a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 21:6-9
18. To enter Jerusalem as a King.
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 21:5
19. To suffer.
Isaiah 53:10-11
Mark 15:34-37
20. To bring salvation.
Isaiah 59:16-20
Luke 19:10
21. When God establishes His renewed covenant, Israel will come to know the Lord; not just His laws.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Matthew 11:29-30
22. To be raised from the dead.
Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:10
Mark 16:9-10
23. To sit at the right hand of God.
Psalm 110:1
Mark 16:19
24. To be a priest forever.
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 5:5-6
25. To be an intercessor between man and God.
Isaiah 59:16
Matthew 10:32
26. To be called wonderful counselor
Isaiah 9:5-6
Luke 4:22
27. To be called everlasting father.
Isaiah 9:5-6
Matthew 1:23
28. To be called prince of peace.
Isaiah 9:5-6
John 16:33
29. To be a guide to Jews and Gentiles.
Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:1-8
Luke 2:32
30. To be accepted by Gentiles.
Isaiah 11:10
Acts 13:47-48
31. To be preceded by a messenger.
Isaiah 40:3
Matthew 11:10-11
32. To bring light to Galilee.
Isaiah 9:1-2
Matthew 4:15
33. Would be rejected.
Isaiah 53:3; Daniel 9:24-26
John 1:11
34. Would be tried and condemned.
Isaiah 53:8
Acts 8:31-35
35. Would be pierced.
Isaiah 53:5
John 20:25
36. Would be wounded.
Isaiah 53:5
John 19:17-18
37. Would be considered a criminal.
Isaiah 53:12
Luke 22:37
38. Would pray for criminals.
Isaiah 53:12
Luke 23:34 (in reference to the soldiers)
39. Would have no broken bones.
Psalm 34:20/21, Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12)
John 19:33
40. Would be silent before His accusers.
Isaiah 53:7
Matthew 27:14
41. Would be buried in a rich man's tomb.
Isaiah 53:9
Matthew 27:57-60
42. Would heal the blind.
Isaiah 61:1-2
John 9:25-38
43. Would preach to the poor.
Isaiah 61:1-2
Matthew 11:5
44. Would die for the sins of Israel & the World.
Isaiah 53:5-6
Matthew 20:28
45. Israel would see, but not see; hear, but not hear.
Isaiah 6:9-10
Matthew 13:13-15
46. His message would spread world-wide.
Isaiah 49:6
Acts 15:15-18
47. Would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 5:10
48. Darkness would fall over Israel at 12:00 P.M. on a day where the Lord would have Israel mourn for an only Son.
Amos 8:9-10
Matthew 27:45
http://www.therefinersfire.org/accurate_messiah_prophecies.htm The full 365 can be found at the same site at this location - http://therefinersfire.org/messianic_prophecies.htm. In the interest of space, only the list of 48 was utilized.
Some Jews draw issue with Isaiah 53 stating that since Isaiah 43 describes Israel as a servant (the word ebed), that the servant described in Isaiah 53 must also be Israel. However, the word tsadiyq which is the Hebrewic word for "righteous and clean" is never stated in describing the Israelites, and rightly so, since as a nation they were committing adultery against God. However, the servant mentioned in Isaiah 53 does utilize this word, and as we know from the New Testament (Brit Chadashah), Yeshua presented himself as a clean sacrifice for mankind. He never sinned.
There were also 4 miracles that the Jews were looking for to find the Messiah. As one should recognize, there were many miracle healers such as Hanina ben Dosa (student of Johanan ben Zakkai (Berakhot 34b) who was notorious for his miracle that brought a hand that brought him a golden table and Rabbi Simon ben Yochai (student of Rabbi Akiva, receiver of Zohar) both healers as well, Rabbi Eliezer and Honi Ham'aGel (the circle drawer) who was famous for drawing circles and bringing rain to the land. Several of these people one might also remember are mentioned in Norman Geisler's book "Why I am a Christian." Also Josephus records a Jew named Elazar who performed exorcisms in his book "Jewish Antiquities." Josephus also mentions "Onias" in Antiquities as well, but this is likely Honi Ham'aGel. Though these men mentioned above are marvelous men, they did not perform a miracle that the Rabbis and Pharisees were looking for to be the Messiah. They were instead looking for someone who would fulfill the following 4 miracles. The first we will describe is the healing of the leper, which hadn't been done since the Torah had been given by Moshe, when he healed his sister Miriam actually prior to the giving of the Torah. The Babylonian Talmud mentions one of the titles of the Messiah as the "leprous" one. It is interesting to note that there had never been anybody in the land of Israel healed of leprosy, yet the Torah mentions procedures for how to heal a leper and what a leper is to do when healed. See Leviticus 14:14 "14 The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." and Leviticus 14:25 " 25 He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." This has stirred up a commotion within the ranks of the Rabbis of today to the degree that they have labelled this in the Orthodox community, a Messianic sign. Luke 17:12-14 confirms his divinity when healing 10 lepers at one time.
The second miracle we are to look at is the casting out of a demon that would cause a man to be both blind and mute. Why is this significant? Traditional Talmudic exorcism would require that a Rabbi ask for a demon's name and then command that it come out of the person. So the problem presented when one is blind and mute? The Rabbis can not get the answer out of a man who is demon possessed. Thus the demon is there to stay. Matthew 12:22 mentions a story of the man who was mute and possessed by these demons. The Jews could not heal this man because he was unable to respond. When Yeshua asked the name of the demon, it was responded by the man that he was "Legion" per Luke 8:31 "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss . Matthew 12:23 mentions a time where the crowd is completely amazed by this demonstration of his heavenly authority, and asks at that time if he was Ben David. The third miracle to mention is the restoration of sight to a blind man. John 9:32 states that this miracle had never occurred before. When Yeshua performed this miracle, the Sanhedrin did not have much in the way of an answer as to how to explain this power. John 9:33 has the man who was healed respond "33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." The Sanhedrin threw him out of the Synagogue per verse 34 in anger and disgust. This miracle enraged the Jews who did not wish to seek a heavenly Messiah.
The last miracle was raising Lazarus from the dead per John 11. Elijah and Elisha had raised the dead beforehand, but in consistent structure of what Jewish Mysticism stated, which was that a spirit remained around the body for 3 days afterwards. Yeshua in this instance actually healed the rotted corpse of Lazarus. After this happened, John 11:45-47 states that people were recognizing that Yeshua was the Messiah.
Lastly, the time period bears significance. It is stated that the Messiah would come, according to Daniel 9:25 25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree [a] to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, [b] the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. This time period infers exactly 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. The time period matches Yeshua perfectly.
I believe with this in tact we have enough to state that Yeshua is the Messiah that the Israelites were supposed to be looking for. We will take a look later at some other issues that Jews may have in accepting Yeshua as the Messiah in later articles, but this is a brief overview.
The next article will be directed to Christians.
Baruch ata Adonai,
hamashiachagape
P.S. I tend to browse through information and pick up on it quickly, so I forget where I get my information from sometimes. I'm sorry I have postponed providing this. I also want to expand on some of this information on the healing of the lepers in future articles because there is a lot of prophetic meaning behind this, especially given from the rabbinical tradition.
Some of this information comes from Ariel and D'vorah Berkowitz's book "Torah Rediscovered" and Rabbi Eric Carlson's article on the miracles of Yeshua at http://www.zionsake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63
Those are the two I can recount.
The information is largely a regurgitation of this information, but not all of it.
Many people postulate that Messianic Judaism is Judaism with a belief in Jesus Christ and a strict following of Torah law. In many respects they are correct. In most respects this viewpoint is overly simplified and generalized. When actually looking at what the Messianic Jews stand for, it is highly ironic that Messianic Judaism is closer to Christianity than it is to Orthodox Judaism. There are several reasons for why this is so. One of the major reasons is that Orthodox Judaism today is a lot different from what Judaism was in the 1st century. For example it has been stated that Yeshua (I will refer to Jesus as such from here on out) was a rabbinical Jew. Is there something wrong with this? No, neither was there anything wrong with Pharisee Judaism, Sadducee Judaism and the other forms. In the 1st century, the rabbinical Jews followed the Old Testament, or the Tanakh, which consisted of the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim. The Torah is a word that has been defined for many centuries as “the Law” but a better way of defining it would be the “the teaching.” This equivocation can be attributed to the Christian church, which we will touch base on later. It consists of the first five books of the Bible, which has also been called “The Written Torah.” The Nevi’im is a Hebrewic term that means “the Prophets” and has the prophetic writings, and the Ketuvim which is the “the Sacred Writings.” All of these compile the Old Testament. However, Orthodox Judaism today has extended these writings to what they would call “The Oral Torah” which are the writings of the Talmud (consisting of two parts, a Babylonian and Jerusalem part (Gemara and Mishnah), the Midrash, the Kabbalah, and the Zohar. The reason that many Christians get mixed up with the idea that it is somehow bad to be a rabbinical Jew is because of what rabbinical Judaism has BECOME today, not for what it was in the first century. Implementing the word rabbinical into a 21st century environment is not the same as implementing that word in the 1st century. However, if anyone were truly familiar with what being a rabbinical Jew was in the 1st century, it would surprise many a Christian to know that Yeshua was a rabbinical Jew.
We must first acknowledge why Messianic Judaism is in fact a form of Judaism and not Christianity. It has been stated many times that Messianic Judaism is not a form of Judaism, but is actually a form of Christianity that is disguised as Judaism. One of the reasons that this is so is because of the division espoused between Yeshua and the modern day rabbis in that the rabbis did not want to find a heavenly messiah. Despite this matter of differential opinion, Messianic Jews are Jews by birth, and with their following patrilinially in the same way that the Bible does in determining what a Jew is, would qualify them to have more accuracy in determining Jewishness than the Orthodox who following not the seed of Abraham as accorded to the Bible, but rather the matrilineal lineage. Religiously, it is a form of Jewishness because of the following of the Tanakh. In essence, this makes Messianic Judaism more Jewish than Modern day Orthodox and Reformed Judaism are today.
Another reason that Messianic Judaism is more closely linked to an accurate depiction of Biblical Judaism is one of the reasons Christians would be delated about. This is because of the following of the New Testament (Renewed covenant), or as we call it the Brit Chadashah which is prophecied about in Jeremiah 31:31-32 - 31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant (brit chadashah) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to [d] them, [e] " declares the LORD. "
Some further descrepancies will be looked at closer regarding this verse when reviewing Christianity. The point to be made for now is that if one is to be truly Jewish, then this must be taken into account. You must accept the Brit Chadashah as the renewed covenant of God. God does not infer this to mean that a new covenant will be established, but rather a renewed covenant is to be established. What is another reason that the Jews and Messianic Jews defer as to what Judaism is? It is the debate over the Mosaic or Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The written Torah is mentioned within the Bible as the first 5 books of the Old Testament. The Pirkei Avot taught that Oral Law was passed down from Moses to Joshua. Where this errs is in Joshua 8:30-34 "
"Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace-offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote before the children of Israel. And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger as the home-born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law."
The problem if not obvious is that it is stated within Joshua that everything that was passed down from Moses to Joshua was written when communicated to the Jews. This poses a problem to the Orthodox and Reformed Jew when it is stated in Joshua 23:6
"Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left." Of course the problem is that anything that has been written must be maintained and it is not with the adding on of additonal books. Furthermore, anything that is not written down or is added to the Torah should be disregarded as well. Deuteronomy 4:2 states this explicitly
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
Deuteronomy 12:32 also declares, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." This presents a severe problem to the present day Jew when recognizing what true Judaism is. Isaiah 29:10-15 also touches on when Israel will become blind as a nation and turn away from God when it states "
For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Of course this has come to fruition within today's Jew and their denial of Ben Josef, or Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Yeshua also addresses the rabbis in these verses -
"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Matthew 15:3
"And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Mark 7:9
"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Mark 7:13
Now that we've demonstrated how the Jew has misinterpreted the Bible, we must demonstrate how the Bible has proven to be a positive stance for the Messianic Jew. This position looks very similar to the Christian stance. It must first be remembered that in the 1st century, the Jews saw the angel that would bring in the procession of the Messiah. The problem with the Jews, and it is still a problem is something I will address in a future article. It is which Messiah we are looking for. Many people acknowledge that the Jews made a mistake of looking for the Messiah, because they were looking for someone to provide restoration for the people of Israel. The problem with this view is that it is overgeneralized again. There were two citations of the Messiah given. One was for Yehoshua Ben Josef, and one was with Yehoshua Ben David. The first century Jews did not see Yeshua Ha Mashiach because instead of looking for the Messiah that would forgive us of our sins, which was Yehoshua Ben Josef, they were instead looking for Yehoshua Ben David. Which one of these groups was correct? Both of them were. Yehoshua Ben Josef was the first Messiah to come. Later, peace will be restored to Israel when Yeshua comes in the form of Yehoshua Ben David. Yeshua Ben Yosef was the one who would be the suffering servant from Isaiah 53, and would be forsaken by the world, then be victorious over death via his resurrection. Yeshua Ben David is the same Messiah who would come to restore peace to Israel. The rabbis were too attached to the Torah and were leading people through false legalistic teaching to look for Yeshua Ben David instead of Yeshua Ben Yosef. Thus they were looking for a military leader who would overthrow the Romans (and we saw what that got them). Sadly today people look at this through lenses there should not be, as if they are not one Messiah but two separate and different Messiahs. Having a basic Talmudic understanding, demonstrates this to be a falsehood since their understanding of one of the Messiahs is a Messiah who ultimately dies and fails hence not a Messiah. To find the Messiah that was coming back to 1st century Israel we take a look at the prophecies within the Tanakh to review whether or not Yeshua is the true Messiah. Of course as both Christian and Jew realize Yeshua fulfilled 365 prophecies. What we are looking for in the Messiah is someone who is obviously the Son of God, a hypostasis which is to be fulfilled via the Abraham and Isaac Covenant. Through Isaac's seed and one who is both kin to Joseph and David, the Messiah will come. The prophetic accounts may be found and were fulfilled as follows -
Prophecy
Old Testament (Torah & Haphtarah)
New Testament Fulfilled
1. Messiah's pre-existence.
Micah 5:2
John 1:1, 1:14
2. To be from the seed of a woman.
Genesis 3:15
Matthew 1:18
3. To be from the seed of Abraham.
Genesis 12:3
Matthew 1:1-16
4. To be from the seed of David.
Isaiah 11:10
Matthew 1:1
5. Abraham's descendant would bless all nations.
Genesis 12:3; 18:18
Matthew 1:2
6. To be from the tribe of Judah.
Genesis 49:10
Matthew 1:1-3
7. To be a prophet like Moses.
Deuteronomy 18:15,19
John 5:45-47
8. To be the Son of God.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Luke 1:32
9. To be called Lord
Jeremiah 23:5-6
John 13:13
10. To be called Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6
Matthew 1:23
11. To be God within a man
Zechariah 12:10-11
John 10:30
12. To be presented with gifts.
Psalm 72:10
Matthew 2:10
13. To die before the 2nd Temple is destroyed.
Daniel 9:24-27
Temple destroyed in 70 A.D.; Jesus killed between 30-33 A.D.
14. To enter Jerusalem between 30-33 A.D.
Daniel 9:24-27
Jesus enters Jerusalem between 30-33 A.D.
15. To be born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2
Luke 2:4-2:7
16. To perform miracles.
Isaiah 35:5-6
Matthew 11:4-6
17. To enter Jerusalem on a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 21:6-9
18. To enter Jerusalem as a King.
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 21:5
19. To suffer.
Isaiah 53:10-11
Mark 15:34-37
20. To bring salvation.
Isaiah 59:16-20
Luke 19:10
21. When God establishes His renewed covenant, Israel will come to know the Lord; not just His laws.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Matthew 11:29-30
22. To be raised from the dead.
Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:10
Mark 16:9-10
23. To sit at the right hand of God.
Psalm 110:1
Mark 16:19
24. To be a priest forever.
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 5:5-6
25. To be an intercessor between man and God.
Isaiah 59:16
Matthew 10:32
26. To be called wonderful counselor
Isaiah 9:5-6
Luke 4:22
27. To be called everlasting father.
Isaiah 9:5-6
Matthew 1:23
28. To be called prince of peace.
Isaiah 9:5-6
John 16:33
29. To be a guide to Jews and Gentiles.
Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:1-8
Luke 2:32
30. To be accepted by Gentiles.
Isaiah 11:10
Acts 13:47-48
31. To be preceded by a messenger.
Isaiah 40:3
Matthew 11:10-11
32. To bring light to Galilee.
Isaiah 9:1-2
Matthew 4:15
33. Would be rejected.
Isaiah 53:3; Daniel 9:24-26
John 1:11
34. Would be tried and condemned.
Isaiah 53:8
Acts 8:31-35
35. Would be pierced.
Isaiah 53:5
John 20:25
36. Would be wounded.
Isaiah 53:5
John 19:17-18
37. Would be considered a criminal.
Isaiah 53:12
Luke 22:37
38. Would pray for criminals.
Isaiah 53:12
Luke 23:34 (in reference to the soldiers)
39. Would have no broken bones.
Psalm 34:20/21, Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12)
John 19:33
40. Would be silent before His accusers.
Isaiah 53:7
Matthew 27:14
41. Would be buried in a rich man's tomb.
Isaiah 53:9
Matthew 27:57-60
42. Would heal the blind.
Isaiah 61:1-2
John 9:25-38
43. Would preach to the poor.
Isaiah 61:1-2
Matthew 11:5
44. Would die for the sins of Israel & the World.
Isaiah 53:5-6
Matthew 20:28
45. Israel would see, but not see; hear, but not hear.
Isaiah 6:9-10
Matthew 13:13-15
46. His message would spread world-wide.
Isaiah 49:6
Acts 15:15-18
47. Would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 5:10
48. Darkness would fall over Israel at 12:00 P.M. on a day where the Lord would have Israel mourn for an only Son.
Amos 8:9-10
Matthew 27:45
http://www.therefinersfire.org/accurate_messiah_prophecies.htm The full 365 can be found at the same site at this location - http://therefinersfire.org/messianic_prophecies.htm. In the interest of space, only the list of 48 was utilized.
Some Jews draw issue with Isaiah 53 stating that since Isaiah 43 describes Israel as a servant (the word ebed), that the servant described in Isaiah 53 must also be Israel. However, the word tsadiyq which is the Hebrewic word for "righteous and clean" is never stated in describing the Israelites, and rightly so, since as a nation they were committing adultery against God. However, the servant mentioned in Isaiah 53 does utilize this word, and as we know from the New Testament (Brit Chadashah), Yeshua presented himself as a clean sacrifice for mankind. He never sinned.
There were also 4 miracles that the Jews were looking for to find the Messiah. As one should recognize, there were many miracle healers such as Hanina ben Dosa (student of Johanan ben Zakkai (Berakhot 34b) who was notorious for his miracle that brought a hand that brought him a golden table and Rabbi Simon ben Yochai (student of Rabbi Akiva, receiver of Zohar) both healers as well, Rabbi Eliezer and Honi Ham'aGel (the circle drawer) who was famous for drawing circles and bringing rain to the land. Several of these people one might also remember are mentioned in Norman Geisler's book "Why I am a Christian." Also Josephus records a Jew named Elazar who performed exorcisms in his book "Jewish Antiquities." Josephus also mentions "Onias" in Antiquities as well, but this is likely Honi Ham'aGel. Though these men mentioned above are marvelous men, they did not perform a miracle that the Rabbis and Pharisees were looking for to be the Messiah. They were instead looking for someone who would fulfill the following 4 miracles. The first we will describe is the healing of the leper, which hadn't been done since the Torah had been given by Moshe, when he healed his sister Miriam actually prior to the giving of the Torah. The Babylonian Talmud mentions one of the titles of the Messiah as the "leprous" one. It is interesting to note that there had never been anybody in the land of Israel healed of leprosy, yet the Torah mentions procedures for how to heal a leper and what a leper is to do when healed. See Leviticus 14:14 "14 The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." and Leviticus 14:25 " 25 He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." This has stirred up a commotion within the ranks of the Rabbis of today to the degree that they have labelled this in the Orthodox community, a Messianic sign. Luke 17:12-14 confirms his divinity when healing 10 lepers at one time.
The second miracle we are to look at is the casting out of a demon that would cause a man to be both blind and mute. Why is this significant? Traditional Talmudic exorcism would require that a Rabbi ask for a demon's name and then command that it come out of the person. So the problem presented when one is blind and mute? The Rabbis can not get the answer out of a man who is demon possessed. Thus the demon is there to stay. Matthew 12:22 mentions a story of the man who was mute and possessed by these demons. The Jews could not heal this man because he was unable to respond. When Yeshua asked the name of the demon, it was responded by the man that he was "Legion" per Luke 8:31 "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss . Matthew 12:23 mentions a time where the crowd is completely amazed by this demonstration of his heavenly authority, and asks at that time if he was Ben David. The third miracle to mention is the restoration of sight to a blind man. John 9:32 states that this miracle had never occurred before. When Yeshua performed this miracle, the Sanhedrin did not have much in the way of an answer as to how to explain this power. John 9:33 has the man who was healed respond "33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." The Sanhedrin threw him out of the Synagogue per verse 34 in anger and disgust. This miracle enraged the Jews who did not wish to seek a heavenly Messiah.
The last miracle was raising Lazarus from the dead per John 11. Elijah and Elisha had raised the dead beforehand, but in consistent structure of what Jewish Mysticism stated, which was that a spirit remained around the body for 3 days afterwards. Yeshua in this instance actually healed the rotted corpse of Lazarus. After this happened, John 11:45-47 states that people were recognizing that Yeshua was the Messiah.
Lastly, the time period bears significance. It is stated that the Messiah would come, according to Daniel 9:25 25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree [a] to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, [b] the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. This time period infers exactly 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. The time period matches Yeshua perfectly.
I believe with this in tact we have enough to state that Yeshua is the Messiah that the Israelites were supposed to be looking for. We will take a look later at some other issues that Jews may have in accepting Yeshua as the Messiah in later articles, but this is a brief overview.
The next article will be directed to Christians.
Baruch ata Adonai,
hamashiachagape
P.S. I tend to browse through information and pick up on it quickly, so I forget where I get my information from sometimes. I'm sorry I have postponed providing this. I also want to expand on some of this information on the healing of the lepers in future articles because there is a lot of prophetic meaning behind this, especially given from the rabbinical tradition.
Some of this information comes from Ariel and D'vorah Berkowitz's book "Torah Rediscovered" and Rabbi Eric Carlson's article on the miracles of Yeshua at http://www.zionsake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63
Those are the two I can recount.
The information is largely a regurgitation of this information, but not all of it.
Why is this Blog necessary?
This blog is necessary for several reasons. I have mentioned one of them; the division between Christian and Jew, and a goal for unity. In Romans 10:12, it is stated "12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him." The purpose this site has for the Jew it is to help them find the Messiah, and help reunite G-d's people with YHWH himself. One is inclined to ask, why is this site directed to the Christian? Well, its due to the fact that Yeshua was a Jew, and he practiced and promoted Jewish tradition that is not being practiced by today's Christian. It will be important for the Christian to understand these traditions and be sensitive to them while witnessing to the Jew. Beyond the traditions, its sad that the Christian today is not well equipped to follow, much less understand the 613 mitzvahs or rules in the Old Testament. Much of my writing will be devoted to helping the Christian understand the Old Testament and the importance it shared with the Jewish people, so that the Christian will be able to properly witness to the Jew without offending. The ultimate goal is for all to follow the Tanakh and Brit Chadashah (The Old and New Testament to the Christian) according to the way it was written.
I have a writing that will be up that addresses some crucial points for the Jew to understand. Later we will explore some crucial points for the Christian to understand within the upcoming days. Much of the writings to the Jew might seem a bit redundant to Christians, so I would ask for that party to bare with me.
Shabbat Shalom,
hamashiachagape
I have a writing that will be up that addresses some crucial points for the Jew to understand. Later we will explore some crucial points for the Christian to understand within the upcoming days. Much of the writings to the Jew might seem a bit redundant to Christians, so I would ask for that party to bare with me.
Shabbat Shalom,
hamashiachagape
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The Purpose of this Ministry
I want to first start out by stating that this blog will be temporal until I am able to afford money to purchase my own domain. This will happen in the near future.
I would like to begin by introducing myself to the readers. I am a Messianic Jew, named hamashiachagape. This name is highly important and signficant to me as it means several things to me. One is that it demonstrates where I want to move in the ministry, and it sums up my goal in one phrase. This phrase is one Hebrewic word - hamashiach- and one Greek word - agape. It can be translated to mean "the love of the Messiah" which is Yeshua Ha Mashiach, or Jesus Christ. Our focus should always be on him as we engage in any ministry, no matter how big or small. The other significance to the name will be the mission statement and core values to this ministry. I will also mention this through a secondary significance to my title, bestowed upon me by Adonai. The Bible is written in both Greek and Hebrew. For this reason, the mission statement for this ministry will be simply this - Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, much like the mission statement should be at any synagogue or church. I wish to minister in reuniting God's people together, in the form of both Jew and Gentile, so that Jews may understand Gentiles and Gentiles may understand Jews. I also wish to help people from both Judaism and Christian faiths understand where there is a division between God's peopele where there should not be. We will cover elements regarding the Christian church and its development, as well as the Jewish synagogue and how its developed. The goal will be the Restoration, the return to the true following of the Messiah, through Messianic theology. As one in the body of Christ per Romans 1:16, I would strongly encourage Christians to participate and follow in this example as well as Messianic Jews. Its long over due that followers of Yeshua, one in the covenant of God, come together as one in the body of the Messiah, through the Brit Chadashah and minister to those who have ears to listen, and will embrace the word of God with hungry hearts. It grieves my heart and the Spirit's to hear Christians attempting to minister to Jews who have no comprehension of what it means to be a Jew. Also, it equally grieves my heart and the Spirit's to hear Jews denying the Brit Chadashah because of the ill treatment that has been received by people coming in the name of Christ and promoting anti-semitism (whether intentionally or unintentionally) and the eradication of the Jewish people and culture. This ministry has been called to put an end to this, so we may be one step closer in having Israel turn back to their Messiah Yeshua, and in so doing, the great arrival of our Lord Yeshua's return to Jerusalem that we are all eagerly awaiting as one in the body of Messiah, where he will take his bride, and we will celebrate Pesach that one awesome final time with our Lord.
We will delve into Apologetics to find our answers, and have discussion of the material. We will also discuss this through hermeneutical principle and establish a proper exegetical study of the Bible via the understanding of Jewish customs and culture (and as needed, other cultures). This material will be for the body of Messiah...but its equally available, accessible and extended to the nonbeliever. I primarily would welcome most of this discussion via my e-mail at hamashiachagape@yahoo.com. Thanks, and shalom to you all.
hamashiachagape
I would like to begin by introducing myself to the readers. I am a Messianic Jew, named hamashiachagape. This name is highly important and signficant to me as it means several things to me. One is that it demonstrates where I want to move in the ministry, and it sums up my goal in one phrase. This phrase is one Hebrewic word - hamashiach- and one Greek word - agape. It can be translated to mean "the love of the Messiah" which is Yeshua Ha Mashiach, or Jesus Christ. Our focus should always be on him as we engage in any ministry, no matter how big or small. The other significance to the name will be the mission statement and core values to this ministry. I will also mention this through a secondary significance to my title, bestowed upon me by Adonai. The Bible is written in both Greek and Hebrew. For this reason, the mission statement for this ministry will be simply this - Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, much like the mission statement should be at any synagogue or church. I wish to minister in reuniting God's people together, in the form of both Jew and Gentile, so that Jews may understand Gentiles and Gentiles may understand Jews. I also wish to help people from both Judaism and Christian faiths understand where there is a division between God's peopele where there should not be. We will cover elements regarding the Christian church and its development, as well as the Jewish synagogue and how its developed. The goal will be the Restoration, the return to the true following of the Messiah, through Messianic theology. As one in the body of Christ per Romans 1:16, I would strongly encourage Christians to participate and follow in this example as well as Messianic Jews. Its long over due that followers of Yeshua, one in the covenant of God, come together as one in the body of the Messiah, through the Brit Chadashah and minister to those who have ears to listen, and will embrace the word of God with hungry hearts. It grieves my heart and the Spirit's to hear Christians attempting to minister to Jews who have no comprehension of what it means to be a Jew. Also, it equally grieves my heart and the Spirit's to hear Jews denying the Brit Chadashah because of the ill treatment that has been received by people coming in the name of Christ and promoting anti-semitism (whether intentionally or unintentionally) and the eradication of the Jewish people and culture. This ministry has been called to put an end to this, so we may be one step closer in having Israel turn back to their Messiah Yeshua, and in so doing, the great arrival of our Lord Yeshua's return to Jerusalem that we are all eagerly awaiting as one in the body of Messiah, where he will take his bride, and we will celebrate Pesach that one awesome final time with our Lord.
We will delve into Apologetics to find our answers, and have discussion of the material. We will also discuss this through hermeneutical principle and establish a proper exegetical study of the Bible via the understanding of Jewish customs and culture (and as needed, other cultures). This material will be for the body of Messiah...but its equally available, accessible and extended to the nonbeliever. I primarily would welcome most of this discussion via my e-mail at hamashiachagape@yahoo.com. Thanks, and shalom to you all.
hamashiachagape
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