The headline question came up in a recent discussion I had with a group of 28 Bible students from Switzerland. I share this experience with you as I can image that some might have thoughts similar to these students, who had already spent two months meeting the people and places across the Land of Israel.
We began by asking them to share something of their impressions of Israel.
Student:
“It was amazing how much diversity you have in Israel, everything from Tel Aviv and the craziest secular culture, to the ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem, who have been living like that for thousands of years.
“We met Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Palestinians, Orthodox Jews, Messianic Jews and Christians.”
Question: How do you think we manage to all live together?
Students:
[Long silence.]
Response: Perhaps this is the greatest challenge of the modern world. The idea of a “Jewish State” is unique in the world as modern democracies insist on separating “state and religion,” but here we insist against all odds and opposition...
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In my view a Jew becomes a Christian when YESHUA is seen and worships him as G-D or as I see God only being a word for the Creator of the Universe…..It is easier to have an Image rather than a concept. David you say Messiah, wasn’t that the Jewish concept of what thename JOSHIA was to mean ? Redeemer? MESSIAH to be Redeemer……..Going back to Joshua and the story, The concept of a god that demands Genocide is not in my view what the Universal Creator of the Universe intended only as Man saw. In my view YESHUA had a deeper INSIGHT. into the INTENTION of the Laws given to Moses rather than the letter of the law. Yes in my view he was MESSIAH. I was born from the tribe of JUDAH that makes me a JEW. ???? ????
All Joy. I do not have Jewish ancestry that I know about but if you meet me you will know that I am a safe person and we can have unconditional acceptance because I also have a belonging with the Jewish world whether or not someone believes in Messiah Yeshua. Understanding more of His Jewishness opens doors for me and I thank all the good teachers. I do believe in Him also,
Margalit
Does a Christian become a Jew when he believes in Jesus?
It’s not well known but the Nazis were anti-Christian because of its Judaic roots.
The early church fathers were so Hellenized that they philosophically re-interpreted the scriptures to the point where they rejected the Judaic root. Allegory became the norm, eventually the church ruled that only its priests could properly interpret scripture. In the UK Catholics weren’t even allowed to own a bible until about the 1950’s. The Roman church killed people like John Wycliffe who challenged their viewpoint, and William Tyndale who translated the bible into English so that even the commoner could read it.
The commoner then read the scriptures and realised God’s Word had been misinterpreted since the 1st century. Evangelical revival broke out, new expressions of church appeared, love abounded as Christians began following Jesus biblically by seeking and saving the lost and meeting the needs of whole civilizations. Prayer and advocacy sought for the re-establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people. Believing Jews appeared and began to sought through the mess the church had made of the scriptures. Christians began embracing the biblical feasts and moving on from Christmas and Easter. The one new man in Christ began to find the common expression of biblical faith the apostles wrote about. Both Judaic and Christian shortcomings were addressed, and a new harmony of Jewish and Gentile believers called messianic appeared.
The work goes on. The salvation of G_D through Yeshua Ha Mashiach, the Lord Jesus Christ for Jews and Gentiles from Israel and the nations continues under divine direction. In time the scripture will be fulfilled that: Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Revelation 11:15
I should have edited my last post on here. It does not flow but I had to come back David and ask you this. Where in Judaism does it say eat of my flesh and drink of my blood. I doubt YESHUA ever said that even if only symbolic. It is Pagan…..How much has been added to the Man MESSIAH YESHUA ? To fit an Agenda through Constentine and the Paganism the NT came from. I don’t mean to offend but Truth is Truth……???? ????
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Greetings Annette,
That seems to be the point intended… the shock to the hearers from the very concept of drinking blood, and human blood no less… to get across the somewhat unexpected reality of the Messiah as atoning sacrifice…
I should have edited my last post on here. It does not flow but I had to come back David and ask you this. Where in Judaism does it say eat of my flesh and drink of my blood. I doubt YESHUA ever said that even if only symbolic. It is Pagan…..How much has been added to the Man MESSIAH YESHUA ? To fit an Agenda through Constentine and the Paganism the NT came from. I don’t mean to offend but Truth is Truth……???? ????
.Where is the duplicate ?
David,
Arthur Mc George, touches on the Hellenism of the New Testiment. I cannot seem to reply to him with your new format and you have not replied to me either……The Question I asked of you about what I see as Paganism in the flesh and blood supposedly spoken by YESHUA…. Where in Judaism would this have been evoked,….?….. Seems somewhat of sensorship without these debates.???? ????
Annette, the only connection I can think of that connects Yeshua’s teaching on this are the sacrifices that had to be consumed, and in particular the Passover sacrifice. But his teaching on this is certainly difficult, as is was for his closest disciples.
David,
For sure the sacrifice was meant to be consumed. I assume the blood from the ( lamb ) smeared on the doors of Passover was also consumed, or was it? Maybe it was a warning not to consume meat. It being comprised by one of the other plagues…..Killing the first born of the Egyptians. A first born does not have to be a baby to be a first born. I don’t believe YESHUA would have invoked Paganism. Maybe something he may have said at Passover had a Hellenistic slant on it. I have also read the egg used at Passover in Judaism is a Roman hand me down. I have much reason to question at this time in my life, searching for hidden truths.???? ???? maybe but needing answers
The word should have been compromised? I still don’t see him saying that as a Jew. Yet it seems he did break a rule, picking of wheat on the Sabbath. The law as it was Intended as he eat it? ???? ????
Behold, the days come,’ says the Everpresent Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 9not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not take care of them,’ says the Everpresent Lord. 10‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says the Everpresent Lord: ‘I will put My laws into their mind. I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be My people.
11They will not teach every man his fellow-citizen, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Everpresent Lord,’ for all will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12For I will be merciful concerning their unrighteousness, and I will no longer remember their sins and lawless deeds.’” 13By saying “a new covenant,” He has made the first old. Now what is becoming old and grows aged is close to disappearing.
The ‘Christian’ terminology which is so popular on earth is simply a universal label. It has been used and misused for many centuries by man’s invented and organized religions; and it has nothing to do with God’s kingdom or His righteousness.
“Jerusalem boasts more than 50 Christian churches, 33 Muslim mosques, and 300 Jewish synagogues in the city. Each of the religions now coexists, and you can find religious sites spanning across all three religions, such as Temple Mount.”
So, which one of these is right? God has said very clearly in the Bible that NONE of these religions and their religious leaders are right in his sight.
God said to Moses: “I will be what I will be.” The true and only God of heaven and earth doesn’t need buildings built by man based on man’s ideologies and theologies to gain some form of worship.
God desires to dwell directly inside the tabernacle of men and women, who are repentant and obedient to him in everything.
God said our ceremonies and incense burnings make him weary and it is iniquity. He wants man to be obedient to his word and commands.
Isaiah 1:16 Wash, cleanse yourselves, remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes, cease to do evil.
People reduce God’s order to human interpretation and their philosophy of what they have determined pleases God; and it is all false doctrine and of great deception according to the Bible.
Religions are the greatest deception of mankind, they HAVE BEEN used by satan himself to achieve his objectives. Satan is the prince of the air on earth, and loves to use the church system on earth to worship himself.
People are puppets, moved by satan’s sleight of hand.
Satan knows the word [scripture] more accurately than humans do, because he was a fallen angel, directly from heaven’s tabernacle of the true God.
Matthew 15:9 KJV
Jesus said:
“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Here’s what Jesus told us pertaining to even the [titles] used in worldly organized religions:
Matthew 23:8-12 KJV
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN IS NOT TO INVENT RELIGIOUS PRACTICES, RITUALS, CEREMONIES, AND ORNATE IMAGES THAT WE THINK GOD ACCEPTS AND IS PLEASED WITH.
Our Vain Tradition:
Mark 7:13 KJV
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
The TRUTH is:
Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
If people are [truly] loving God and keeping his commandments, then the people are doing unto their neighbors and spouses as they desire for themselves.
Matthew 22:36-40 KJV
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
God is not the God of religions. He is, the one and only, almighty God. Who commands men and women everywhere to “worship him in Spirit and in Truth.”
John 4:24 KJV
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Obedience is better than sacrifice.
1 Samuel 15:22
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”