Serving in the IDF, 'for the sake of God and Jesus'

Since you took a poke at Gentiles, then I think it is only fair to investigate what happens to a Jew who decides to follow Yeshua.

I'm quite aware. I'm also aware that this comes after over sixteen centuries of persecution and forced assimilation by Christians. The fear that drives persecution from the Jewish side is that the Messianics are just Christians in wolf's clothing trying to pull a bait-and-switch. Given how many Messianic groups came out of Jews For Jesus and similar organizations that "target" Jews, it's easy to understand why that perception lingers. Time and love will win out, and it will win out faster if the Evangelical community continues to show unconditional love to Israel and Messianic Jews refuse to be pushed out of normal Jewish life.

The fact is that Messianics are already starting to receive tacit acceptance in many quarters. My synagogue has had friendly discussion with a member of the Sanhedrin who is favorable towards accepting Messianics as Jews and within the bounds of traditional Judaism without endorsing our views. We are also on friendly terms with a prominant anti-missionary in Jerusalem who, though he teaches classes on countering Christian apologetics, sees the sea-change in Christian attitudes towards Jews in the last 20 years. In his words, "Christians have stopped telling Jews what we believe and what we should believe and have started asking what we believe."

There will always be those in both the Jewish and the Christian communities who reject Messianic Jews. (I get the word "heretic" thrown at me a fair amount.) If I seem unduly critical of Christianity in its relations with the Jews, understand that it is because I see how few realize how the centuries-long mischaracterization of Yeshua is causing the persecution of their Jewish brothers and sisters in Messiah today.

It's not that I'm defending the current persecution of Jews on Jews--I'm just more interested in diagnosing and treating the root cause rather than seeing people get upset at the symptoms.

Shalom.

Since you took a poke at Gentiles, then I think it is only fair to investigate what happens to a Jew who decides to follow Yeshua.

I'm quite aware. I'm also aware that this comes after over sixteen centuries of persecution and forced assimilation by Christians. The fear that drives persecution from the Jewish side is that the Messianics are just Christians in wolf's clothing trying to pull a bait-and-switch. Given how many Messianic groups came out of Jews For Jesus and similar organizations that "target" Jews, it's easy to understand why that perception lingers. Time and love will win out, and it will win out faster if the Evangelical community continues to show unconditional love to Israel and Messianic Jews refuse to be pushed out of normal Jewish life.

The fact is that Messianics are already starting to receive tacit acceptance in many quarters. My synagogue has had friendly discussion with a member of the Sanhedrin who is favorable towards accepting Messianics as Jews and within the bounds of traditional Judaism without endorsing our views. We are also on friendly terms with a prominant anti-missionary in Jerusalem who, though he teaches classes on countering Christian apologetics, sees the sea-change in Christian attitudes towards Jews in the last 20 years. In his words, "Christians have stopped telling Jews what we believe and what we should believe and have started asking what we believe."

There will always be those in both the Jewish and the Christian communities who reject Messianic Jews. (I get the word "heretic" thrown at me a fair amount.) If I seem unduly critical of Christianity in its relations with the Jews, understand that it is because I see how few realize how the centuries-long mischaracterization of Yeshua is causing the persecution of their Jewish brothers and sisters in Messiah today.

It's not that I'm defending the current persecution of Jews on Jews--I'm just more interested in diagnosing and treating the root cause rather than seeing people get upset at the symptoms.

Shalom.

Great post. (twice lol) Thanks!

Shalom

I will have to respectfully disagree. I see the "newly discovered approach to the Bible" as a returning to the original approach to understanding the Scriptures.

There is little evidence of that. The apostolic emphasis was to build Christ's Church, Jews and gentiles together without regard to ethnic/cultural distinctions. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:28,29)

Christ broke down the middle wall of partition (Eph. 2:14) which some messianics seem to desirous to rebuild by a return to those portions of the old covenant law that have passed away (Heb. 8:13).

A question for the "Christian Zionists":

I hear speculation in dispensationalist circles of a coming war, sometime soon, between Israel and Iran. Speculative figures I've hears show a great disparity of deaths -- a couple hundred thousand Israelis, 20 million Iranians.

Should something like this scenario come to pass, would you still support Israel?