Muslim vs. Messianic

While reading a recent news article, I thought about how Messianics present themselves as still being part of Judaism despite the fact that Messianic "Judaism" is a branch of Christianity, created by Christianity.

So, let's compare their statements to an item in the news. Sean Stone, famous producer Oliver Stone's son, converted to Islam. He stated to the Agence France Presse: "The conversion to Islam is not abandoning Christianity or Judaism, which I was born with. It means I have accepted Mohammad and other prophets."

Now, does anyone think that he has NOT abandoned Christianity or Judaism now that he has embraced Islam? Of course he has abandoned them for Islam. By that same rationale, Messianics who were born Jewish abandoned Judaism once they embraced the Christian beliefs of Messianic "Judaism."

Genesis 18....and 19.....

I find that many Messianics often get confused by Genesis 18. In the story, Abraham is approached by three unknown men. In Genesis 18:3, he refers to them as "Adonai", which can be translated as "lords" or "L-rd." The first translation implies that he is just using the term to honor his guests, who are angels. However, most Christians, including those in Messianic "Judaism", believe that the correct translation is "L-rd" and that this is an example of G-d coming as a man. So, which one is true? Are these angels or G-d as a man?

Well, first we have to remember that in multiple sections of the Bible, G-d states that G-d is not a man (e.g. Numbers 23:19, Hoshea 11:9, Psalm 146:3-5). Second, we just need to go to the beginning of the next chapter of Genesis for the answer. In chapter 18, one of the "men" tell Abraham that he is going to have a child, then disappears. The other two then go with Abraham to Sodom and Gemorrah. In Genesis 19:1, the remaining two men are identified as angels. In Genesis 19:2, Lot refers to the two angels as "Adonai", which is translated as "lords." Just like Abraham in chapter 18, Lot asks them to stay and offers to wash their feet. In light of Genesis 19, it is clear that the "men" of chapter 18 were angels and the proper translation of Adonai is "lords."

Keeping Judaism Jewish

Just wanted to give a heads up about a new counter-missionary blog, Keeping Judaism Jewish: http://keepingjudaismjewish.wordpress.com/

Delayed-Just For A Bit

Back in September, I wrote that I will be getting back to updating my website and blog....and well, some things have come up that will lead to a bit of a longer delay for major changes. Nothing bad-actually, things are pretty good in my non-internet life but very busy. I will probably not be doing much updating and writing until February. So, until then-stay true to Judaism and check out these sites:

www.jewsforjudaism.org

www.whatjewsbelieve.org

www.outreachjudaism.org

Messianic Finances

I have received numerous e-mails over the years trying to tell me that the Messianic movement is definitely not spending large sums of money to convert Jews. The e-mails present the Messianic movement as a cash-poor movement. However, the facts show that this is clearly not true.

Some of the largest Messianic groups are members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, a Christian organization which monitors the financial honesty of its members. The ECFA makes public the finances of its members.

According to the ECFA website (accessed 11/8/11) "ECFA is committed to helping Christ centered organizations earn the public's trust through developing and maintaining standards of accountability that convey God-honoring ethical practices....ECFA defines Christ-centered organizations as those organizations that subscribe to a written statement of faith clearly

affirming a commitment to the evangelical Christian faith."

As a sidebar, let's contemplate the second part of the quote. Every single Messianic group whose finances I am about to quote have to be committed to evangelical Christianity. Again, further proof that the Messianic movement is a Christian movement and not a Jewish one.

Now, I will list the Messianic groups on the ECFA website that have total expenditures of over $1 million dollars in the most recent year listed by the ECFA. In each case, I have rounded down their latest financial year, so the actual number is higher that what I have listed.:

Organization Expenditures

Jews for Jesus: $19.5 million

Chosen People Ministries $10.9 million

Ariel Ministries $1.7 million

Life in Messiah International $1.1 million

Maoz Israel Ministries $2.7 million

CJF Ministries $3.7 million

Jewish Voice Ministries International $12.4 million

Messianic Jewish Alliance of America $5 million

Messianic Jewish Bible Institute $1 million

Tikkun International $ 3 million

Total

$61 million

In just these ten Messianic groups, $61 million is being spent to evangelize the Jews. Again, each group must be committed to evangelical Christianity to be part of the ECFA despite the fact that they present themselves as Jewish. Considering that there are generally estimated to be less than 15 million Jews in the world, the amount of money being spent by just these ten groups is mind-boggling.

Temple Sacrifice Versus Jesus

One of the great errors of the Messianic movement is claiming that Jesus' death was a sin sacrifice. In truth, there is nothing remotely similar between Jesus' death and the actual sacrifices at the Holy Temple. Biblical law is entirely clear that Jesus' death is not a legal form of sin sacrifice. For a sin sacrifice, the only allowable items were cows, sheep, goats, a few types of birds and flour. Yes, the Bible allows flour as a sacrifice for the poor-the entire idea that a "blood sacrifice" was necessary is simply un-Biblical. Humans were not on the list of sacrifices. The sin sacrifice ceremony was done by the Kohanim, the priests, and the Bible prescribes the details of the ritual with specific laws. The sacrifice was done at the Holy Temple, or prior to the Holy Temple being built, at the Tabernacle. The sacrifice was for past sins. All of the above are the mandatory laws of Biblical sin sacrifice.

Now, let's look at Jesus. He was a man who was killed by the Romans on a cross away from the Holy Temple. If we compare his death to a sacrifice, there are many Biblical legal problems. The sacrificial item is Biblically illegal. The ceremony was incorrect and done by the wrong people at the wrong place. Moreover, Messianics claim that his death removes sin that occurred roughly 2000 years after his death. Biblical law prescribes that sacrifice removes past sins, not future sins.

When I point this out to Messianics, I have gotten the response that I am being too "legalistic." But do you think G-d gave these laws for no good reason? Do you think that G-d gave them to be ignored? I, and the rest of true Judaism, believe that G-d gave laws because G-d wanted them followed.

Let me finish with a comparison. Let us compare the legality of Jesus' death as "sacrifice" to legal driving. To be as off on legal driving as Jesus' death is to a real sacrifice, you would have to have an underaged child driving a non-street legal vehicle backwards down a sidewalk. In the driving analogy, there is clearly the wrong person driving the wrong vehicle, using the wrong method of driving and in the wrong location. All of these were also wrong with Jesus. With Jesus' death we see the wrong sacrificial item (Jesus), wrong people offering sacrifice (Romans), wrong method (cross) and at the wrong place (away from the Temple). Plus, the idea that a sacrifice can be applied to sins centuries after the "sacrifice" was made is Biblically wrong.

Efraim Goldstein-Christian Seminarian

Previously, I documented how Jews for Jesus -Tel Aviv branch founder Efraim Goldstein (real name: Fred) is an ordained Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) minister. I left out that he earned a Doctorate of Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary, a Christian seminary in Kentucky. The seminary is approved by the United Methodist Church.

As for Goldstein, his dissertation was on mentors to Jews who have accepted Jesus, clearly not a Jewish topic. It was titled, "The common characteristics of mentors of new believers in Jesus in Israel." Here is a link to the abstract:

http://gradworks.umi.com/34/28/3428676.html

Again, how can he (or any Jews for Jesus member) say he represents a Jewish group when he has a doctorate of ministry from a Christian seminary? Clearly, Goldstein lies.