Messianic Jews and Israel

arutzsheva | 5-14-02 | S. Alfassa Marks

[crystalk]

Arutz Sheva IsraelNationalNews.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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When the High Court Welcomes Messianic Jews by S. Alfassa Marks May 14, 2002

On February 20, 2002, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the Interior Ministry must register as Jews those who were converted by the Reform or Conservative movements in Israel or abroad. This ruling has not only set in motion a wave which will flood Israel with non-Jews who actually think they are Jews, but has opened the flood gates to the proselytizing Christians. The Christian sect deceitfully calling itself ‘messianic Judaism’ is gaining incredible momentum and educating its members as to how to make aliyah.

Certain branches of Evangelical Christianity have spent over one billion dollars in the last decade to convert Jews to Christianity. Under the guise of ‘Jews for Jesus’ and ‘Hebrew Christians,’ a new threat of spiritual terrorism has emerged in the form of ‘messianic congregations,’ whose theological tenets are identical to the Christian fundamentalists who created them. Their ultimate goal is the eradication of the Jewish people through assimilation to Christianity.

Since the late 1950’s Eretz Israel has had a small population of evangelical Christians, as well as its share of Jewish converts to Christianity. Today, the latter call themselves ‘messianic Jews,’ but don’t let the term fool you — they are not Jewish. This is probably the only fact that both Maimonides and the secular Israeli Supreme court agree on. According to the Court, Christian converts from Judaism are no longer Jews under the ‘Law of Return,’ which deals primarily with Jewish immigration. Though the law is in effect, it is not one hundred percent effective. Christians under this ambiguous term ‘messianic Jews’ are in an active campaign to circumvent these regulations, with the end objective of making aliyah.

The ‘messianics’ have the specific intent of being accepted as Jews in Israel. So much so that they have developed a political action group that lobbies the government, even using Holocaust survivors that have converted to Christianity as spokespersons. These people have a highly strategic plan, are well financed by mainstream Christian groups and have a single goal, to remove Jews from following the faith of their ancestors. Calling it a “significant breakthrough,” messianic Judaism has been officially recognized by the Registrar of Non-Profit Societies, which is a department within Israel’s Ministry of Interior. There you will find this Christian group with an official sounding name Vaad Poala Lma’an Yahadut Meshichit (Action Committee for Messianic Judaism).

According to Yad L'achim (an Israeli anti-missionary organization) there are over 5,000 converts from Judaism in over 38 different groups. Just over a month ago, a Christian newspaper wrote an article about how Christians pretending to be Jews are on duty in the IDF and are ‘witnessing’ to Jewish soldiers about Jesus. The same newspaper talks about Jews in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, who have all now adopted Christianity as their religion. These people have congregations in Israel where they worship their god and continually proselytize other Jews — with some measure of success.

Generally speaking, ‘messianics’ are Jews who have converted and worship Jesus (whom they call Yeshua). However, not all of these messianics are Jews from birth. There are many ‘messianic rabbis’ who are ‘converting’ Christians to Judaism, so these Christians can go missionize to ‘other Jews’ about Jesus. The messianics are also cranking out ‘Jewish Rabbis’ and ‘scholars’ with ‘Master of Theology in Rabbinical Studies’ degrees via the Internet. Anyone can get one. Simply pay the required few thousand dollars and they will send you the study from home material. When you are finished, then you too can convert Christians to ‘Judaism.’

By suggesting that messianics make aliyah from the West, their Christian backers are attempting to expand their influence and make further inroads into Israeli society. In Israel, they can integrate into society and, with a stealth approach, encroach on the Jewish populace. In America, these Christians even fill a few seats at many orthodox congregations. A few years ago, there was a notorious case of two Christians who were stopped from making aliyah after having spent at least a year living as orthodox Jews. Just recently, a Chabad House in Florida removed a Christian who had been there for several months deceiving the community into believing that he was a Jew. Why are they in our congregations? Because they want to appear to be Jews so that they can ultimately make aliyah and continue proselytizing inside Israel. Once they are armed with basic Jewish knowledge, they attempt to infiltrate genuine Jewish communities, spreading inaccurate and intentionally deceiving lessons from the Torah.

The lines are indeed blurring on who is a Jew, and who is not. ---------------------------------- S. Alfassa Marks is the Founder of the Judaic Alert News Service, which tracks the progress and activities of groups posing as authentic Jews. He is also a columnist for the Heritage, the Jewish newspaper of central Florida.

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[crystalk]

There are also members of the Bahai faith, Mandaeans, Alawites, and other splinter religions who have fled to Israel for refuge, from all over the Islamic world. Surely these too would serve in the IDF, and what about the Armenian Christians, who fled there over a thousand years ago and can still be found there.

Yes, you are surely right in saying that over 200,000 Russian and other FSU nationals are there, who are non-Jews and descended from Christians...my 60M figure meant active believers, not just non-religionists. Also, there have at times been as many as 70,000 Rumanians and other east European non-Jews there as guest-workers, besides a fair number of Filipinos, Thais, and Chinese all of which are fertile ground for the saving of souls, these people all need the Lord Jesus very badly, and they are living in his own land...

But as far as WE are concerned, we are told not to try to live there till those Islamic abominations come down and are leveled, atop the Temple Mount.

THAT is when Western Christians will come in in droves...

[crystalk]

Actually I have been told that, both off the cuff and professionally. One thing I know, Israel and her ways and her language have fascinated me since I was 3 feet tall.

And that was by NO means recently, let me tell you.

[ET(end tyranny)]

I was commenting on Revelation 2:9. But you knew that!

[onedoug]

Very interesting thread. Thanks for posting.

[crystalk]

bttt. Messianic Jews rock. Not those just calling themselves that while being the same as Southern Baptists, though. Real ones.

So much so, that if 20 of such form a congregation (ten being required for a minyan)...immediately 200 Gentile Christians will want to join, and there is danger that the Judaic/Hebraic/Davidian character of worship and joy be lost...

[remaininlight]

Thanks for that. Many Jewish mystics/Kabbalists went along with the idea of reincarnation.

[onedoug]

I've a library book at home written by an Australian rabbi in 1969. Though I can't recall his name, he writes that religion is like a lighthouse along a storm-tossed coast. It can provide the beacon, but all ships must still make port on their own.

I like that way of looking at, and thinking about it.

Everything Good....

[Saundra Duffy]

BUMP for a Messianic Jew FReeper! Adam, is that really you? For victory & freedom!!!

[2sheep]

>I was commenting on Revelation 2:9. But you knew that!

You live by the letter, you die by the letter.

2 Corinthians 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Revelation and the whole Bible is fully of symbols and double meanings only the Holy Spirit reveals.  Yeshua continually pointed to what was meant, not what the Pharisees said they thought it meant:  Mt 5:22,28,32,34,39,44; 11:22,24; 12:6,36; 17:12; 26:29; Mr 9:13; Lu 6:27; 10:12.

[PaulKersey]

Bump to Lost Tribe.

[onedoug]

I thought you might find this link interesting, as I'd been thinking of this a little, since.

Some reservation might ride on the Jewish expectation that the messianic era would usher a spirit of unfettered goodwill and unity into humankind, which certainly does not seem to have followed The Christ. Most of jewery would seem to argue that the "job description" of mesheach is not fulfilled by Yeshua. Though probably as many would agree that he certainly seemed a talented rabbi.

Given that much of Jewish theology discusses the continued work of humanity toward these ends of its perfection, even in a post-messianic era...I frankly become a little confused.

...Which is why I've flagged you, RP2. You helped me with some really perceptive interpretations in a thread of Jesus and the Gerasene Swine that I'd posted about a year or so ago. I'd sure be interested in your take on some of this stuff.

Thanks, and Best Always to You, both.

[onedoug]

Any of y'all for a stab at #71?

Thanks again, crystalk for the swell thread.

[MissAmericanPie]

I use to have chats with Rabbi's, not actually with the Rabbi, I don't think they speak to Christians, but I would comment, one of the students would ask him, and he would answer the student.

They loved me because I loved them so much, and they wanted to find some way to convert me. They wanted to help me. I understand their view, for thousands of years they have done one thing perfectly, kept the Torah word for word. To them it is their history, and their revelation of the view God allowed them to have of Himself. Now as far as they can see, we Christians are not only messing with their history, we have a different view of God. We know we have a more complete view, they see it as a false view. Everything they are tells them to flee what they see as apostesy. Imagine that your view of God was limited to the first five books of the bible.

To them we are a terrible problem. That didn't make me love them less, and their attitude towards my Christianity will never effect my attitude towards them, they are my babies, my lambs.

I never preached or tried to convert, we discussed the written word and came to an understanding of the difference between Christians and Jews. Jews see the Torah as their history and the laws given to them by God. When a Christian reads the Torah, it is with Spiritual eyes that have been opened by the Spirit of God, which opens a whole panorama of prophecy, insights into God's plan, and where we will be eons from now.

To the Rabbi, intrusted with such a holy commandment to keep the Torah pure, we are a very big, confusing, irritating, foolish, problem, dangerous in their mind, to the future of the Torah, we are nothing more than spiritualists, not a good thing as spiritualism to them is idolatry.

Jesus said, I came to my own, and they did not know me. They will not know us either until God allows, He says they are blinded for our sakes, that makes me very tender hearted towards them. I say, how about a little understanding and forgiveness for where they are coming from.

[cookcounty]

". Most of jewery would seem to argue that the "job description" of mesheach is not fulfilled by Yeshua. Though probably as many would agree that he certainly seemed a talented rabbi."

Of course, from the christian side, the rabbis in one sense are correct. But that is because they see a single appearance of Messiah, while the christians posit 2 "comings." The prophets paint 2 different pictures of Messiah, one as "suffering servant," the other as "conquering King." To solve this, The rabbis, post Targum, increasingly interpreted the "suffering servant" as not referring to Messiah, but rather to the people of Israel. For example, Isaiah 52-53 is interpreted as speaking of the sufferings of the Jewish people.

In the christian view, Messiah, in his first coming, was the "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" by his self-sacrifice. The "second coming"--the coming in triumph to judge and rule, still lies in the (hopefully near) future.

[PaulKersey]

Isaiah 52-53 is interpreted as speaking of the sufferings of the Jewish people.

It reads more like it was speaking of the Israelites than the Jews.  I don't think there were any Jews in Egypt, and the Assyrians oppressed the northern kingdom, not the south.

excerpt from Isaiah 52-53
             "My people went down at first
             Into Egypt to dwell there;
             Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
             Now therefore, what have I here," says the LORD,
             "That My people are taken away for nothing?
             Those who rule over them
             Make them wail," says the LORD,
             "And My name is blasphemed continually every day.
             Therefore My people shall know My name;
             Therefore they shall know in that day
             That I am He who speaks:
             "Behold, it is I."'

[onedoug]

Everything would seem "two-fold", in the sense of origination and fulfilment. Though I can personally see it in the Hebrew view of original sin to the messianic anticipation yet unrealized, than I can in the Christian aspect, itself originating in The Garden, leading to the fulfillment of Christ, though with now the anticipation of even a third sense of getting it right.

Hmmm. There's a single, double...and then a triple meaning in that. Constant tweaking?

[BlackVeil]

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. [ 7:14 [ Immanuel ] means [ God with us ] .

Sorry if this is a simplistic question - but - wasn't His Name Jesus? Also known as the Christ? How is that verse interpreted?

[onedoug]

Care to comment on #50?

Thanks.

[FreedomSurge]

A great many Jews think of this process of conversion as "A SECOND HOLOCAUST".

Christians should think about what the Jews really think of them.

[onedoug]

Judaism's core of the good regardless of any expectation of reward has stood well across the centuries, despite, among other things, the need(?) for salvation of "everlasting life". Whereas leading a decent life merely for God's sake is not even enough, as the true tragedy in dying, is in not being able to continue doing good.