Posted on 07/01/2003 10:22:12 AM PDT by ksen
RECOVERING THE TRUTH & A COMING TO A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS
Jesus and all his followers were Jews who were faithful to Biblical Judaism and never intended to separate from or start a new religion; after their deaths the Gentile Christian church will condemn the Jewish Christians as heretics...in time fruit of the Jewish Church (Gentile Christianity) will destroy it's mother
We have a unique paradox in Biblical history; one which touches every follower of Jesus yet today and which reaches to the very core of our own culture and time. It is impossible to understand Jesus or his message until we come to a correct understanding of the events that fashioned such persecution of the Jews by the Gentile believers and which contributed to the alteration of the faith of Jesus as can be found to have existed in the first century of Second Temple Judaism. As stated earlier the first and greatest division in the early church concerned the relationship of the followers of Jesus to Judaism; it shaped everything that was to follow. One of the greatest problems facing Christianity today is how to reconcile what it has become with G-d's intended vision for the Gentile nations of the world whereby they become part of the Israel of G-d and not "replace" it with a religion of their own creation. The answers for such a problem come only when one personally acquaints himself with an unbiased presentation of the facts of the tragic events of this part of Biblical history and traces the repercussions of such events down through the corridors of history and ultimately seeing the shock waves from them that are present in our own religious beliefs systems and cultures of today.
Today many scholars tell us the truth today about the early church and courageously break from "church traditions" and "mind control" to present the facts concerning these "events" and the corruption of the early faith of the historical Jesus by the Gentile "converts" who would later steer the direction of this "faith" throughout recorded history. It is so simple today to find this information, but sadly few look or even know the need to see if "they be in the faith." That being the case, we accept the "spin" of religious leaders down through history and the real message of Jesus is never heard, or at best, is overlooked for more "orthodox teachings" espoused which have taken it's place. Keith Akers, in his The Lost Religion of Jesus, states the case as well as any. Jewish Christianity consisted of those early Christians who followed the teachings of Jesus, as they understood him, and also remained loyal to the Jewish law of Moses as they understood it. Messianic Judaism was not to replace Judaism with a new faith; it was the goal and zenith for which the prophets wrote and hoped. This simple statement is of profound importance, because the Jewish Christians were eventually rejected both by orthodox Judaism and by orthodox Gentile Christianity. The understanding of the Jewish follower of Jesus was not that of orthodox Christianity (as it came to be where Jesus is seen more like the sun-g-dmen of the Gentile nations than a human messiah). Likewise the Jewish follower of Jesus possessed an understanding of the law of Moses that was the same as orthodox Judaism, but yet this view would later be rejected under the influence of Paul and his churches. Jerome's celebrated comment in the fourth century summarizes this dual rejection: "As long as they seek to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither Jews nor Christians" [Letter 112] (Akers, The Lost Religion of Jesus, p. 7).
The Jewish Christians considered Jesus to be the "true prophet" who would lead the people back to the eternal law that commanded simple living and nonviolence. They saw in Jesus their hopes for physical redemption and the fulfillment of the prophets. It was their hope that the Law would go forth from Zion with Jesus at its head as the long awaited Messiah and King of Israel. It was their hope that the enemies of Israel would be vanquished by the word of this anointed one of the LORD as taught in the Psalms of Solomon (no not the psalms you are familiar with but a separate Jewish books that was recognized by Jews as authoritative in the first century). The law, which was cherished by all G-dfearing Jews, had been given to Moses; indeed, it had existed from the beginning of the world, and was intended to be cherished and observed by both Jew and non-Jew alike because in the Commandments one finds the unique Covenant stipulations of his Covenant before G-d. In sharp contrast with the gentile Christian movement, which emerged in the wake of Paul's teaching, Jewish Christianity strove to make the Jewish law stricter than the Jewish tradition seemed to teach ("you have heard it said but I say unto you...'much more'"). Such was the Jesus' love for G-d and His Word. But this cannot be said for the Gentile churches which strove to find ways to lay aside the law for the laxity that was taught under the disguise of "grace." In other words, the non-Jews loved the large "gray areas" that came from the teaching of Paul and others who negated the Law through their own personal "revelations" and their own personal "gospels" (Paul is found saying in Rom 2:16 16: In the day when G-d shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel and again in 2 Tim 2:8 8: Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel). It is a little early in this article to address this concept but if you study continues you will reach a point in your understanding and knowledge where you will see beyond any doubt that the "gospel of Paul" replaced the "gospel of Jesus and Judaism."
Jewish Christianity is the blind spot in virtually all accounts of Jesus. Everyone agrees that Jesus was a Jew and that his initial followers were Jews. Yet of the thousands of books written about Jesus, almost none acknowledge the central importance of Jewish Christianity; at least until the end of the previous century and the beginning of the present one. That was true up until the latter part of the last century when Jewish, as well as European scholars began to reevaluate the Jewish Jesus and contrast the Historical Jesus with the Christ of Faith. There are many who are eager to focus specifically on the Jewishness of Jesus, until they get to the point of examining those of his followers who, like their teacher, were also Jewish, and in doing so see for themselves that actually nothing really changed within this community of the closest followers of Jesus until the early fourth century when Rome would effectively destroy the Jewish "followers of Jesus" by declaring them official heretics. The power of Rome would propagate a Gentile understanding and not a Jewish understanding of Jesus (see Constantine's Easter letter if you have any doubts).
The "Jewishness" of these early Christians does not refer to their ethnic group or nationality, but rather to their beliefs. Paul was a convert to Judaism (H. Maccoby, The Mythmaker, Paul And The Invention Of Christianity) and only later converted to Judaism; first a Sadducee, and after rejection by the Chief Priest he turned to the Pharisees, again only to be rejected by them for his prior cruelty to them as an agent of the Temple police who routed them out and killed them (the Messianic believing strict branch of the Pharisees called Nazarenes/Essenes). Paul also preaches freedom from the law and therefore explicitly rejects Jewish beliefs. Paul, and some of the other Jews who became Christians, renounced the law of Moses and, therefore, were not part of Jewish Christianity. The churches of Paul today (vast majority of Christianity as it exists today) lay outside the true faith of Jesus and will continue to do so unless they encounter the truth about this man of Galilee and the truth about their own religious history.
Without understanding Jewish Messianic Judaism or "intended Christianity", we cannot understand the historical Jesus let alone the earliest church nor the corruption of it within the New Testament correctly. Lacking this knowledge we are doomed to misinterpret most of what we read in the New Testament and our worship let alone our conduct will be in error...much of which is defined as sin in the Torah.
Thomas Nelson.... ;^)
Some also feel God telling them to fly airliners into civilian buildings...and, yeah, I am sure the Catholic priest feels that burning feeling right before he molests a little boy...or maybe the mormon who feels it is okay to have a 13 year old 4th wife... I don't think it is the same.
Hey Steve. How would I know. I lived in Dallas for 7 years and never heard of you or your church. Go figure.
Where did he get his MDiv? Who else espouses his views or is he a just guy with a PC and a dialup modem who trolls for folks looking for a new twist to make them unique.
Go to his website and ask him. If you'd been following the thread you would know that I don't espouse to his views.
He calls himself pastor. Does he have a church? Where does it meet, are there more than ten who show up on Sunday or is it a Grant Swank house church?
You call yourself a pastor and that's pretty humorous to me. What's the name of your congregation? "the Worship man/God Mystery Babylong anti-Messiah Center"? His links all lead to articles by him. Hmmmm....
Good for him.
Give us a history of the movement and the key players.
Wouldn't know about his history. But at yours I would say the key player is Satan. For his history see Scripture.
Truth? You want truth? You can't handle the truth. Lol.
No. I've contended all along these were cut and paste. I'm glad you're checkin' out that website tho. Nice try.
So you agree that our own personal feelings about something is a poor judge of its goodness or inspiration. That's the first step.
SD
"Paul tells you that Yeshua is/was a man."
Yes. Yeshua was "a flesh and blood man." He also "WAS GOD."
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made
that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it
not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men
through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into
the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world
knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I
spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before
me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ.
It says, HERE, that Yeshua was WITH God, and WAS God, and CREATED EVERYTHING, and was MADE FLESH. He was not merely "a man."
DG
p.s. Do you use the Hebraic Roots Version of the New Testament?
This verse in Matthew hearkens back to the prophetic 22nd Psalm - a Psalm that is clearly Messianic. I will quote from only a portion of this Psalm which, when read using common sense, clearly shows that Yahshua (the prophetic focus of this Psalm) refers to God (Elohim and El) as HIS God (Elohim). I will include in parenthesis the Hebrew word translated as "God." I also mention this point in the article that discusses the particular word games played by desperate Traditional Christian and counterfeit Messianic leaders with the Hebrew words Elohim and Echad. Jesus is invoking the Psalm in the minds of His followers. He is not testifying that He is not God, rather He is pointing out to all who can understand that He is fulfilling the prophecy.
Jesus, and the Psalimist, know that God has not forsaken Him, but that this is how the events look to an outside observer. It looks exactly like He has been forsaken, but instead He will rise from the dead.
You are truly displaying a breathtaking ignorance of orthodox Christian belief. What were you doing for the last 20 years?
SD
The very focus of our entire presentation on this site is to warn all that the very "Christ" they follow is, indeed, the one defined by those empowered with a spirit of "antichrist" as they present a "Christ" that is BOTH a replacement of and adversary to the TRUE MESSIAH, who was a Torah observant servant of his God (Elohim) and ours!
So ... once again ... why did the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' time turn him over the the Romans for execution ?
Luk 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
Dave I am well aware that the section about the ox is Paul quoting the OT ..That is not the point.
Paul quotes Luke in that a laborer is worthy of his hire
So Paul quotes both the OT and Jesus through Luke
More of your buddies?
You keep asking this question as if its some profound stumblingblock to my viewpoint. The answer is because the jews interpreted his words as blashphemy and by interpreting wrongly that Yeshua said he was God. Big deal, earlier in his ministry they also said he was possessed by Belial. Are you being selective in determining when to believe certain jews or not?
Indeed. They have it exactly right. But go ahead and finsish viewing the slides.
OK, sorry.
Paul quotes Luke in that a laborer is worthy of his hire
Not necessarily. I could see if he picked out a whole verse or passage. But there is no proof that one is "quoting" the other. "The laborer being worthy of reward" is simply a restatement of the proverb about the ox.
Besides, if Paul attests to Luke, using luke to sttest to Paul is circular.
SD
I'll take this as a compliment.
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