Rabbi
Steve Weiler |
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Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Why don’t the non-Messianic Rabbi’s believe Jesus is the Messiah?
How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Messianic Jews, along with Christians, believe that there is only one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4) However, in the Hebrew, the word that is used is “echad” which indicates a plural nature of one. If the writer would have wanted it to be singular one, they would have used the word “yachid”. There are other examples of this like Genesis 1:26: Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, or Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
As Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus) we believe that the Bible is our authority. We see in Genesis 1:2 it says, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Here the Bible separates the God the creator from His Spirit which hovered. There are also many places in the Hebrew Scriptures that refers to God’s son. Here is one example from Proverbs 30:4 “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, If you know?”
To summarize, we believe because the Hebrew Scriptures indicate that God is one God and manifests Himself in three ways:
- Father, the Creator
- Son, the Messiah
- Spirit, the Helper
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Why don't the non-Messianic Rabbis believe Jesus is the Messiah?
There have been non-Messianic Rabbi’s that have come to believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Jewish Messiah. However, it is correct that most have not come to that realization. We can look at this from two points of view.
Scripturally, (prophetically), in the New Covenant it talks about blinders that would be put over our Jewish peoples eyes so they would not see. In Romans 11:25-27 it says it this way, “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion (gentiles), that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
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How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
After reading this website, if you still have a question, call or e-mail me.
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I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
For many people, “sin” is viewed as a “moral lapse in judgment” and is “atoned” for with something between a sincere apology and a life sentence. God’s way of forgiving sins is as misunderstood as the problem of sin. When the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 BCE, the place of sacrifice for atonement ceased to exist also. Years of traditional teaching has erroneously taught our Jewish people that we don’t need blood atonement for sins. The Scriptures, however, state only blood sacrifice can atone for sins.“The life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).
Yom Kippur is only a Day of Atonement if God’s way of atonement (Leviticus 16), the blood atonement is observed. Just acknowledging our sins can not remove those sins any more than an “apology” can get rid of a murder charge. Sin is horrific to God.
God provided the final, perfect sacrifice in the Messiah Yeshua. All of the sacrifices in the Tanakh point to the blood atonement provided in the Messiah.
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Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
Many Jewish people believe that Yeshua cannot be the promised Messiah because He did not fulfill the prophecies that say Messiah will bring peace on earth. We still have wars.
The peace that Messiah brings is a peace of heart spoken of in the Scripture . There cannot be real peace on earth until people have had a change of heart so as to make the Kingdom of God on earth possible. Eventually, this will be true when the whole nation of Israel receives a new heart as spoken of by the Prophet Ezekiel (26:36), "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” When Messiah returns to rule on the throne of David, He will establish peace on the earth. Until then, those who have accepted Yeshua as Messiah can have peace of mind and peace with one another.
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How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
How can someone like Hitler kill six million Jews? On the other hand, twelve million were left alive. If Hitler had had his way, there would be no Jewish people today. God has miraculously preserved the Jews through 3800 years of history while many other nations have disappeared off the earth. This included consistent persecution with the intentions of eliminating us as a people.
Suffering is caused by men not by God. Man’s inhumanity to man results in atrocities we hear about every day. God has given man freedom of choice. He has not made us robots. God does not motivate or approve of man’s evil actions. Men can choose to love or to hate. Collectively, men have decided to live apart from God’s righteousness and when that happens, evil can be unleashed in unimaginably ugly ways. The Psalmist said it this way, “The heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked. Who can know it?”
The Holocaust is more a question of why men sinned against men rather than why God kept silent. There is no answer to the question as to why millions of innocent Jews died unjustly.
However, even the Son of God, Yeshua, was allowed to die. God didn’t stop that crucifixion, rather, He used Yeshua’s death to set the world free. What God will do is use the awful things that people do and turn the consequences for good.
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If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
Click on the tab labeled "Heaven" above and then call or e-mail me if you have any questions.
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Rabbi
Jerry Miller |
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Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Why don’t the non-Messianic Rabbi’s believe Jesus is the Messiah?
How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Messianic Jews also believe in one God, and not three. We affirm the words of the Torah from Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” However, we must note the meaning of the Hebrew translated in this verse as “one.” The Hebrew word is echad, which speaks of a composite unity. It is the same word used in Genesis 2:24, when describing a man and woman coming together to become “one flesh.” They are two distinct people, and yet they are spoken of as becoming one. A different Hebrew word would have been used to indicate an absolute unity. This is a difficult concept to grasp, but we accept the Scriptural presentation of God as being one, and yet somehow plural in nature. There are dozens of references throughout the Hebrew Scriptures to God as manifesting in different forms. Among these, there are specific references to God’s son. So then, God is indeed one, but He has manifested Himself in three different ways.
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Why don't the non-Messianic Rabbis believe Jesus is the Messiah?
The truth is, there have been non-Messianic rabbis as well as Jewish scholars who have come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah. However, because they are still such a small minority, their faith is either minimized or ignored by the larger Jewish community. But there is a larger issue that this question actually exposes. Going all the way back to biblical times, the leaders of the Jewish people often rejected God’s ways and chose to not follow Him. This is indeed part of the tragic history of our people, recounted in the Bible itself. Israel’s kings, prophets and priests were often motivated by self-serving principles, going their own way and leading the people in that way, instead of the ways of God. Israel has even suffered much over the centuries because our leaders turned away from God so many times. This explains why the ancient Hebrew prophets often gave such strong messages of warning and rebuke to Israel and her leaders. The disbelief of many rabbis cannot be the basis for determining whether or not Jesus is truly the Messiah.
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How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
This question makes an inappropriate assumption that if one believes in Jesus, he cannot be Jewish. However, this is a misconception. Historically since the first century, though clearly a minority, there have always been Jews who believed in Jesus. In fact, all of the early followers of Jesus were Jews, who called Him by His Hebrew name, Yeshua.
Rather than asking a question based on a false assumption, the more appropriate question would be this. If Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies from the Hebrew Bible, is there really any inconsistency between being Jewish and believing in Jesus? If Jesus is the Messiah, prophesied by the Hebrew Scriptures, there is nothing more Jewish than to believe in Him.
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I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
No one’s sins are automatically forgiven at Yom Kippur, even if one is Jewish, attends synagogue and asks for God’s forgiveness on Yom Kippur. According to the Bible forgiveness is based on one thing only. God in His mercy is willing to acknowledge the sacrifice of one innocent, who stands in place of the guilty as a substitute. God sees the innocent blood shed to be a basis for forgiveness. The Bible is quite clear that blood sacrifice is the only way our sins can be atoned for. We read in the Scriptures, “for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). At the same time, sacrifice cannot be made at just any location. The Temple in Jerusalem was the location for such sacrifices. Of course, the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, thus doing away with the only authorized place for sacrifice. In the first century before the Temple was destroyed, God provided the perfect sacrifice as Yeshua gave His own life as a substitute for our sins. This alone is the way our sins are forgiven.
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Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
There are indeed Messianic prophecies that speak of peace coming to earth when Messiah comes. However, this is not a complete picture of the work of Messiah.
Peace on earth is to be the final accomplishment of Messiah when He comes to establish His kingdom on earth. However, the Hebrew Scriptures also have much to say about the priestly role of Messiah, who would come to suffer and lay down His life for the sin of humanity (Isaiah 53:4-6; Daniel 9:24-26 & others). Yeshua did indeed accomplish this when He came to this world 2000 years ago. He laid down His own life to remove the barrier of sin that separated man from God. With that barrier removed, it is now possible for real peace to reign in the hearts of people. Of what value would peace on earth be, if man himself is not at peace with God?
Yeshua brings the peace that every human heart longs for. It is only when man himself has experienced this change of heart, that peace on earth can have real meaning. World peace can only be lasting if man himself is changed, and this is what Yeshua came to accomplish. He will come again and when He returns, He will establish peace on earth.
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How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
This is a question over which Jews and Christians alike have agonized. There is no simple answer. However, we must see that the Holocaust speaks more of man’s sin against man, than it does of God’s passivity or indifference. God’s heart breaks over the sin of man, but He has also given man free will. The Holocaust may be one of the most blatant examples we can find, for showing the reality of sin in the human heart, and showing us why man needs a savior to deliver us from sin’s power. The amazing thing about God is that He brings forth good and blessing from situations of evil and destruction. From the ashes of the Holocaust, God brought forth the nation of Israel. We might recall, as well, that God allowed His own son, the Messiah, to die in our place, and from Yeshua’s death came the blessing of eternal life for those who would believe.
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If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
God is the righteous and holy judge of the universe. He alone decides the eternal fate of every human being, based on our personal response to the revelation He has given us. The issue here is not whether one believes the way I, or anyone else, believes. The issue is one of our hearts. God has revealed the way by which we can be certain of our sins being forgiven. What is our heart response to God’s revelation? As Messianic Jews we do not presume to say that one person is going to heaven and another to hell. That is for God alone to determine. What we can say with absolute confidence is that we know Yeshua to be the only way by which one can be certain of being forgiven of our sins.
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Senior Rabbi
Robert Ackerman
Associate Rabbi
David Tokajer
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Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Why don’t the non-Messianic Rabbi’s believe Jesus is the Messiah?
How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
As Messianic Jews we also believe in One G-d. The Shema is an eternal truth. Shema Israel, ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad. ADONAI is one. But because of His love for all mankind, He sent a part of Himself, Yeshua His Son, into the world to complete the mission which He gave to our people as “Cohanim,” “Priests to the Nations.” Yeshua became the perfect sacrifice for our sins which the Temple sacrifices could only cover for a year. As the Son of G-d, Yeshua became Cohen Gadol, High Priest after the order of Malkitzedek, the King-Priest of ADONAI to whom Avraham aveinu gave a tithe (Genesis 14:18-20).
Hebrews 7:11-17: 11 Therefore, if it had been possible to reach the goal through the system of cohanim derived from Levi (since in connection with it, the people were given the Torah), what need would there have been for another, different kind of cohen, the one spoken of as to be compared with Malki-Tzedek and not to be compared with Aharon? 12 For if the system of cohanim is transformed, there must of necessity occur a transformation of Torah. 13 The one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar; 14 for everyone knows that our Lord arose out of Y'hudah, and that Moshe said nothing about this tribe when he spoke about cohanim. 15 It becomes even clearer if a "different kind of cohen," one like Malki-Tzedek, arises, 16 one who became a cohen not by virtue of a rule in the Torah concerning physical descent, but by virtue of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is stated, "You are a cohen FOREVER, to be compared with Malki-Tzedek." (CJB).
Hebrews 8:1-10 then says: 1 Here is the whole point of what we have been saying: we do have just such a cohen gadol as has been described. And he does sit at the right hand of HaG'dulah in heaven.d 2 There he serves in the Holy Place, that is, in the true Tent of Meeting, the one erected not by human beings but by ADONAI. 3 For every cohen gadol is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so this cohen gadol too has to have something he can offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he wouldn't be a cohen at all, since there already are cohanim offering the gifts required by the Torah. 5 But what they are serving is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly original; for when Moshe was about to erect the Tent, God warned him, "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain." 6 But now the work Yeshua has been given to do is far superior to theirs, just as the covenant he mediates is better. For this covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises. 7 Indeed, if the first covenant had not given ground for faultfinding, there would have been no need for a second one. 8 For God does find fault with the people when he says, "'See! The days are coming,' says ADONAI, 'when I will establish over the house of Isra'el and over the house of Y'hudah a new covenant. 9 "'It will not be like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by their hand and led them forth out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, did not remain faithful to my covenant; so I, for my part, stopped concerning myself with them,' says ADONAI. 10 "'For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Isra'el after those days,' says ADONAI: 'I will put my Torah in their minds and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people (CJB).
And then in Hebrews 9:22-28 we read: 22 In fact, according to the Torah, almost everything is purified with blood; indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. 23 Now this is how the copies of the heavenly things had to be purified, but the heavenly things themselves require better sacrifices than these. 24 For the Messiah has entered a Holiest Place which is not man-made and merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God. 25 Further, he did not enter heaven to offer himself over and over again, like the cohen hagadol who enters the Holiest Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer death many times - from the founding of the universe on. But as it is, he has appeared once at the end of the ages in order to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as human beings have to die once, but after this comes judgment, 28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, i will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for him. Also read Hebrews chapter 10.
ADONAI also put His Ruach, His Spirit, into various of our people. In Numbers 11:16-17 it says: 16 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Bring me seventy of the leaders of Isra'el, people you recognize as leaders of the people and officers of theirs. Bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit which rests on you and put it on them. Then they will carry the burden of the people along with you, so that you won't carry it yourself alone (CJB). ADONAI is One, but He placed His Ruach upon whom He would in the Tanach; Moshe, the seventy elders, His anointed Kings, and His Prophets, and others.
ADONAI’s Son Yeshua is begotten, not created, yet as His Son, is ADONAI Himself. Yochanan (John) 3:16-17 says: 16 "For G-d so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. 17 For G-d did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved (CJB). ADONAI is One, yet He expresses Himself as Yeshua, the Son, and Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. This is evident in Jeremiah 31:31-33 where ADONAI explains through the prophet that he will make a New Covenant with Israel: 31 "Here, the days are coming," says ADONAI, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Isra'el and with the house of Y'hudah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by their hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, violated my covenant, even though I, for my part, was a husband to them," says ADONAI. 33 "For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Isra'el after those days," says ADONAI: "I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their G-d, and they will be my people (CJB). Yeshua, the Son, is the Mediator of this New Covenant and His sacrificial death is the one-time sacrifice for sins forever as shown above in Hebrews. Those of Israel (and sojourners from the Nations) who place their trust in Yeshua as HaMashiach are given the Ruach HaKodesh to desire to follow ADONAI’s Torah. Isaiah 44:1-3 expresses this also: 1 "Now listen, Ya'akov my servant, Isra'el whom I have chosen: 2 Thus says ADONAI, who made you, formed you in the womb, and will help you: Don't be afraid, Ya'akov my servant, Yeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your offspring (CJB).
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Why don't the non-Messianic Rabbis believe Jesus is the Messiah?
Throughout the existence of the Jewish people we have been very good at ignoring the work of G-d right before our eyes, for example look at the prophetic revelation of the coming Babylonian captivity prophesied by Jeremiah and the swiftness of the Jewish people to ignore him. Look at how many times the Nation of Israel turned their back on G-d in the wilderness while, right in front of their eyes, G-d was performing miracle after miracle at the hand of Moshe. Consider the warning of the destruction of the second Temple as prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 9. The Jewish people never truly changed their ways and the temple was destroyed by Rome just as prophesied. So, there is no evidential proof that just because the majority of the traditional Jewish rabbinate does not accept Yeshua as the promised Messiah of Israel that he is not in fact exactly that.
In order to fully grasp why non-Messianic rabbis do not accept Yeshua we have to look at a vast amount of history in which the Jewish people proclaimed many individuals as being the Messiah only to find out in the end that they were wrong. Numerous catastrophic occurrences (the Crusades, the Inquisition, and to some degree the Pogroms and Holocaust) have happened to the Jewish people “in the name of Jesus,” but, the actions of humans do not negate the reality of Avinu Bashamayim (Our Father in Heaven) and His redemptive plan for all of mankind. The Arab nations surrounding Israel today do not recognize Israel as a Jewish nation. Does this action of man in any way lessen the reality that G-d has provided the Jewish people with a Jewish homeland again as promised by the Tanach? How then, can the lack of faith in Yeshua as Messiah by non-Messianic Rabbis or the traditional Jewish world itself lessen the reality of the work of G-d through Yeshua HaMashiach?
The reality is that many, many non-Messianic rabbis, as well as many Jewish people in general, have come to faith in Messiah, even against the behest of the non-Messianic Jewish world. This too is promised by Scripture. The rabbis try their hardest to, as they see it, protect their people from this Jesus figure and the detrimental repercussions on the Jewish people out of what they believe to be a right heart. However, when studying the Tanach many Jewish people have come to the realization that they have questions regarding Messianic prophecies for which their rabbis cannot give a satisfying answer. Daniel 9 is one such, prophesying that Messiah must come before the destruction of the second Temple. This fits perfectly with Yeshua’s time on earth, with his sacrificial death occurring approximately 40 years before the destruction of the second Temple. The truth of the matter is that this passage is true and has been fulfilled in the person of Yeshua HaMashiach. He came as the promised Messiah of Israel to fulfill the prophecies of Mashiach ben Yosef (the suffering servant of Isaiah 52 and 53 and many other passages), and will return again at the right time to fulfill the prophecies of Mashiach ben David (the victorious King who will usher in an eternal peace). Yeshua has come, his blood was poured out for the transgressions of the world, he was resurrected from the grave, and he has ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father interceding for mankind.
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How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
We believe that the ultimate expression of Judaism is one that believes in and accepts the promised Jewish Messiah prophesied of by so many prophets of the Tanach. We believe that this promised Messiah of Israel is Yeshua B’Natzeret (Jesus of Nazereth) and that he has fulfilled all of the prophecies of the Messiah pertaining to His first coming and we are awaiting the second coming of Messiah in which He will return to usher in a time of Shalom (peace) that all of Judaism is awaiting in the coming of the Messiah.
Much persecution of our Jewish people has been done in the name of Jesus, but certainly not condoned by him as evidenced by his sayings in the Gospels. Many present-day Christians have been grieved by what was done in his name through the ages and a number of church leaders have asked forgiveness for those that came before them. The Book of Acts records Yeshua’s followers this way: Acts 21:18-20: 18 The next day Sha'ul and the rest of us went in to Ya'akov, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, Sha'ul described in detail each of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his efforts. 20 On hearing it, they praised God; but they also said to him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah (CJB).
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I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
Well, simply put… NO… In 70 CE the Temple was destroyed. This means that no sacrifices have been made for atonement of any sort since then. The Scriptures make it very clear that the only thing that can atone for sin is a blood sacrifice, and since the Temple was destroyed the rabbis have substituted a replacement for the blood sacrifice for atonement. Their replacement is three things; Torah study, prayer, and Gemilut Hasidim (Acts of Lovingkindness.) But, Scripture makes it very clear that this is not the case: For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life.' (Leviticus 17:11, CJB).
This doesn’t even take into consideration that the Yom Kippur sacrifice merely rolled the sin forward one more year. It never truly, fully atoned for the sin, nor did it ever wipe it away completely. The Yom Kippur sacrifice was man making atonement for man, and was meant to be a foreshadowing of the final and perfect atonement sacrifice of Yeshua HaMashiach from which came atonement made by G-d for man. This final and perfect atonement sacrifice not only fully atones for the sins of those who accept it and call upon the name of Yeshua, but also completely wipes it away.
Today, on Yom Kippur we merely recognize and denounce our sins, bringing what has been at the attention of G-d all this time to our own attention. There is nothing in the traditional, modern-day Yom Kippur service that ever does anything to atone for our sins, since there is no sacrificial blood poured out for our sins as prescribed by the Torah. However, if we trust in Yeshua as Messiah, call upon his name, accept his sacrifice for our sins and the intercession he makes for our sins, then our sins are truly, once and for all, completely atoned for. Jewish tradition has merely gone from one human attempt at atonement to another, lesser method, which has no effect on atonement what-so-ever.
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Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
This is a common misunderstanding of the Jewish world, which has predominantly developed out of our experience and history as a people. Almost since the very beginning of our existence as a people we have suffered, more or less, non-stop and as the prophets of the Tanach point out over and over again most of this suffering is at the fault of our own actions. As such, when reading where the Tanach speaks of the coming of two Messiahs (Jewish tradition calls them Mashiach ben David, who is to be a victorious king and usher in an eternal peace, and Mashiach ben Yosef, who is to be a suffering servant who will bear the transgressions of the world and die for our atonement) it is easy to see why the Jewish people would long for a victorious king ushering in peace to come first. But when we truly consider the promised Messiahs of Israel, it makes absolutely no since at all to expect Mashiach ben David first, if he comes and ushers in an eternal peace, then what is the role of Mashiach be Yosef?
Messianic Judaism believes that Yeshua came as the suffering servant of Isaiah 52 and 53, “2 For before him he grew up like a young plant, like a root out of dry ground. He was not well-formed or especially handsome; we saw him, but his appearance did not attract us. 3 People despised and avoided him, a man of pains, well acquainted with illness. Like someone from whom people turn their faces, he was despised; we did not value him. 4 In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered; yet we regarded him as punished, stricken and afflicted by God. 5 But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way; yet ADONAI laid on him the guilt of all of us. Or: and in fellowship with him 7 Though mistreated, he was submissive - he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to be slaughtered, like a sheep silent before its shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 After forcible arrest and sentencing, he was taken away; and none of his generation protested his being cut off from the land of the living for the crimes of my people, who deserved the punishment themselves. 9 He was given a grave among the wicked; in his death he was with a rich man. Although he had done no violence and had said nothing deceptive, 10 yet it pleased ADONAI to crush him with illness, to see if he would present himself as a guilt offering. If he does, he will see his offspring; and he will prolong his days; and at his hand ADONAI's desire will be accomplished.” (Isaiah 53:2-10) We believe that his blood was poured out for atonement for our sins and that he will return again at the right time to fulfill the prophecies of Mashiach ben David, the victorious king through whom a time of peace will be ushered in.
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How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
Ad-nai has given man free will to choose their own actions, whether to follow righteous ways or not. Ad-nai has given us guidelines by which to live righteous lives, He has also given us the choice to follow those guidelines or not. He does not wish that the Jewish people, or any other people on the face of the Earth, would suffer the likes of the Holocaust or any of the numerous atrocities that man has suffered at the hand of other men. However, even in the most evil of events, Ad-nai uses the actions of man to His own Glory. Consider the fact that the Holocaust is perhaps, single-handedly, the most active catalyst in the resurrection of Eretz Yisrael (The Land of Israel) as a Jewish nation (an event which was prophesied of in Isaiah 11).
Keep in mind, as well, that even though 6 million Jews were killed there were still numerous Jews worldwide (some estimates are upwards of 11 million) that He protected as a remnant. The same story is true with every atrocity that has occurred to the Jewish people in the history of our people, Ad-nai has always kept a remnant of our Jewish people for the Glory of His Name. We will never understand why atrocities such as the Holocaust, the Pogroms, or the Inquisition (just to name a few) have occurred, but we can assume that Ad-nai never wants His creation (Jew or non-Jew) to suffer. When an atrocity such as these occur it is not at the hands of Ad-nai, but instead it is the actions of fallen man making choices through their own free will that cause these events to occur.
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If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
Hell is a term coined by man to represent a place of punishment, and the concept has been taken to extremes. The Scriptures tell us that the punishment for the fall of mankind in Gan Eden (the Garden) was separation from Ad-nai. From that moment on, Ad-nai’s plan of redemption was put into place to restore that loss of relationship between Himself and mankind.
The sacrificial system and the Torah itself were both a part of that plan. When the Temple was destroyed, the sacrificial system was no longer possible. Leviticus 17:11 says: 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life.(CJB). The sacrificial system was and is a foreshadowing of the work of salvation brought by the blood of Yeshua our Messiah.
We believe that the Scriptures make it clear that an acceptance of and faith in Yeshua as Messiah are the only things necessary for a restoration of that relationship. But, likewise, the Scriptures say that the consequences for not accepting Yeshua are an eternal separation from Ad-nai. As to what that looks like…, frankly, I don’t want to find out. However, we believe that it is important for each and every one of us to call upon the name of Yeshua HaMashiach for salvation and atonement for our sins, accepting his perfect sacrifice, so that we may have a restored and perfect relationship with our Abba, again walking in the very presence of Ad-nai just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden.
As for those that do not accept Yeshua as Messiah, all we can do is pray for Ad-nai to have mercy upon their souls, because in the end He is G-d and we are not, and judgment is His alone.
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Glenn Blank |
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Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Why don’t the non-Messianic Rabbi’s believe Jesus is the Messiah?
How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Messianic believers, and all Bible-believers are monothestic. That's why we recite the Shema every Shabbat (and every day). But monotheism means that there the God who revealed himself at Sinai, and through the prophets and the Messiah, is the only God. It does not rule out God revealing himself to us in many different ways. So he revealed himself to Moses as an angel in a burning bush, to Jacob at the top of a stairway to heaven, to Abraham in human form along with two angels that he sent on down to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). The Hebrew Bible makes it clear that God is our Father, that the Spirit of God (Ruach Elohim) is God, and that the Messiah is divine (for only God can save us, not a mere human) and to be worshipped in the presence of the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13-14). These are three important way God reveals Himself to us. Yet there is just one God.
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Why don't the non-Messianic Rabbis believe Jesus is the Messiah?
Many Rabbis and Jewish authorities have believed in Yeshua, for example Daniel Zion, the Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria through World War II who worked to save thousands of our people from the holocaust and went on to become the Chief Rabbi of Jaffa, among many others). As for those who don't, in some cases, it's because they haven't seroiusly studied the Messianic claims of Yeshua; in other cases, they are afraid of rejection from their peers (many Rabbis who have believed who been cast out of the ministries); and in some cases, they are too proud to admit that they and other Rabbis might have missed the truth. Each one is responsible for the light of truth he has received.
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How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
Yeshua (his Hebrew name) was a Jew and all his disciples were Jews. The idea that of Messiah (Mashiach) is Jewish, based on the writings of the Jewish prophets. Yeshua fulfilled scores of prophecies about the Messiah arriving at just the right place (born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), appearing in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1) and time (Daniel 9:24-26 specifies his appearance around 30 CE, before the second destruction of the Temple sanctuary), healing the sick, blind and crippled, and giving hope to the outcasts, teaching the moral intent of Scripture with great wisdom and authority, and finally suffering and dying to take away the transgressions of our people, then rising again from the dead (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53). All these things are profoundly Jewish and go to the core of the purpose of the Jewish people, to be a light to the nations. Yeshua is the light; that's why hundreds of millions from the nations have put their trust in him. Why shouldn't Jews put their trust in one of their own?
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I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
No, Leviticus 16 spells out the sacrifices required for atonement on Yom Kippur. Those sacrifices have not possible without the Temple. God requires both full repentance and something of great value--innocent blood--to make atonement for our sins. Orthodox Jews sometimes swing a chicken over their heads and pray, but God's requirements have not changed. According to Isaiah 53, the Messiah would come as a suffering servant to make atonement for all our sins; all our transgressions have been laid upon him, for all who truly repent and put their trust in him.
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Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
First of all, Yeshua promised he would return, and then he will fulfill the remaining prophecies, including peace among nations.
But before Messiah can establish his kingdom on earth, he must full have citizens. No one can be a citizen of the Messianic kingdom if he is unwilling to follow Messiah, because of pride and sin. So first Messiah came to make atonement for our sins, and to demonstrate the humility and sacrifice that we all need if we are going to truly love God with all our heart, soul and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. For those who have put their trust in Messiah Yeshua, he has given shalom in our hearts and grace to forgive and love others as He does.
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How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
God has given all humanity and Israel in particular a choice. He urges us to choose life, and experience his blessings. But if we instead choose to go our own ways, the result is death and cursings. Through Moses, God warned our people what would happen if we kept choosing to go our own way rather than the life-giving way He revealed to us in Scripture and through Messiah. Because our ancestors kept disobeying and going after other gods and transgressing his commandments, God allowed Israel to be thrown out of the land with great destruction and death. Once we were no longer in the land, we were at the mercy of the nations, and the nations have also made plenty of bad choices. The blame for the holocaust does not belong to God; it belongs to Nazis who hated our people and to all those who abetted them.
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If I don’t believe in Jesus, am I going to hell?
Ultimately, God is the judge. But don't kid yourself, God will judge every one of us (see Daniel 12:1-2), and none of us can stand on our own merits, since all of us have broken His commandments. We all need the atonement that Messiah has provided to reconcile us to God.
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