Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The New Israel?

The New Israel?
There is the classic Christian idea that they are the "new Israel", God's new chosen people. In fact, Islam has the same thing. "Oh the Jews, ohh the Jews... Once God's people then they [insert: 'changed the Tanakh', if you're Muslim]/[insert: 'rejected the Messiah', if you're Christian/Messianic] and now we ['have the restored religion of old which we now call Islam, as delivered to us by the prophet Muhhammad']/['have the new covenant of God which breaks all barriers between Israel and the nations, making all true believers in Jesus God's new chosen special people'], and the Jews are still going on their own fallen path, never recognizing the truth."

Do you see the pattern?

A popular question going on in some of the Messianic blogs of late has been "are Gentiles considered part of Israel [now that Yeshu apparently changed the Torah's clear distinction between Israel and the goyim]".

This idea comes from various places in the Christian Bible (what they call the "New Testament") which refer to goyim, via Yeshu, becoming "part of the commonwealth of Israel", or becoming "grafted in", and other such terminology. What is funny to me is that lots of these people say they are totally "pro-Torah" and believe that Torah is still valid (contrary to popular Christian thought) because of Yeshu's statement in Matthew 5:17-19, in which he says that he didn't come to abolish the 'Law and Prophets', but rather to fulfill them.

But rest assured that this statement is both contradicted and supported various times throughout their texts, as bipolar as they are.

So let's see what Torah has to say about this.

First, there is the fact that HaShem delivered the Torah to the Israel at Har Sinai. There ARE universal laws of Torah, called the Noahide Laws, which are binding on all goyim. However, there is much, much more given to Israel that is specific to Israel. We have Shabat which is a "sign forever", "between Me and between the sons of Israel", mentioned specifically. The whole system of Torah: written and oral, constantly refers to the separation and difference between Israel and the goyim. In brakha of Havdalla, we say "hammavdil bein qodhash lahhol, bein or lahhoshakh, bein Yisroal lajoyyim, bein yom hashavi`i lasheshath yamei hama`asa" ("[HaShem] who distinguishes between holy and common, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the 7th day and the rest of the days of Creation"). Then to top it off, we have this concept - as if it weren't clear enough already! - mentioned blatantly in Tehillim 147, in the last two verses:
מגיד דבריו ליעקב, חוקיו ומשפטיו לישראל. לא עשה כן לכל גוי, ומשפטים בל ידעום.
He declares His Words to Ya`aqov, His statutes and ordinances to Israel. He hasn't done such for any other nation
(literally "for any goy"), and [His] ordinances they have not known.


Magical Loophole?Seriously, how much more clear do we need to be? If these Messianics believed in Torah, believed in Tanakh like they claim - how do they get over this verse and the whole entire concept of separation between Israel and the nations? It is quite ridiculous. But here is a probable Messianic "answer" to that question:

"Since Yeshu made a way for everyone to come to God through him, and since this new covenant is circumcision of the heart (a claim they make based on Yirmeyah 31:30-31), then all are made holy through him and brought into the commonwealth of God's people."

See, this is their loophole: Yeshu's magical powers. Even though they believe Yeshu said, as I cited earlier, that he didn't come to abolish or annul the Torah, but to "fulfill" it. No one can believe that, and then believe his supposed special powers changed a fundamental and extremely important aspect of Torah like this.

Let's keep in mind, in the days of `Ezra, many Jewish men were called out for having goyot as wives. Now, this was not like in the days of Shimshon, Dowid, etc, whose foreign wives were converted into Israel. In `Ezra's day, clothes were torn over this sin, and repentance was done. As one stated to `Ezra concerning this (`Ezra 10:2): "'We have broken faith with our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing." This shows how serious this concept is to Torah.

God's Truly ChosenWhat goyim may do to actually become God's chosen is convert to Judaism. Then they will be fully Jewish. But how could conversion into `Am Yisrael be promoted by Messianics, when they cannot adhere to or promote Judaism because of their above-stated beliefs. Even among the ethnically Jewish minority of Messianics, and the further minority who seek to adhere, they cannot adhere to halakhic observance completely because they breach a whole aspect of Torah/halakha.

IF Yeshu were truly the Messiah of Judaism, we would see many goyim perhapts of lost or partial Jewish ancestry (or possibly neither) convert to Judaism. This would be in fulfillment of many pasuqim in Tanakh regarding goyim coming to HaShem. But we see, this is NOT the case with Yeshu. In fact, it is much the OPPOSITE. Instead, there are attempts to take Jews away from Judaism, an overall hatred or looking down upon of Judaism. That is directly opposite of what will happen when the real Mashiahh comes into the world.

The ReasonAll of these erroneous concepts and absurd ideas are rooted in one thing. And that is a lack of understanding Judaism/Torah. Anyone who understands isn't fooled by a collection of Roman writings aimed to mix Judaism with Roman 'pagan' concepts. That's why the Yeshu narrative is paralleled to the supposed life, death, and resurrection of the classic universal mythologies of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, etc, etc. And that is why Catholic means universal. What Romans did was mix everyone under their domain into a common belief and culture.

They took some known and common Jewish concepts and mixed them with their religion. Thus Christmas, December 25th, had been known as Saturnalia, the birthday of the god of the sun. Easter maintained the name of the goddess of fertility (known as Isis, Ashtar, etc, by other civilizations). Most Messianics distance themselves from these holidays and from Sunday "sabbath", etc. That is fine and good - but they still maintain the idolatry and most of the totally mixed beliefs of Christianity, but simply put a supposed "Torah" label on it, attempting to make their pig kosher.

4 comments:

  1. What a great blog, and a great subject matter as well. There are many of us out here who applaud you for this. I always say that Messicanic is just anoter form (denomination) of Chistianity. And it really is. Because they only go half way. They want to pretend they are Jewish, but not TOO JEWISH. So they talk a lot about the Torah, but not many really keep it. And they still hold on to Yehu like a life raft just in case..... DUH!

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  2. Messianism is a form of Christianity, for sure. The different strains like to separate from many aspects of Christianity they deem "un-Biblical" or whatever - but yet not form the core of Christian belief which is the most condemned by Torah, that being the belief in Yeshu as god and messiah. Idolatry even if they don't think he's god, but divine and they address requests to him, etc.

    Its a good point about the pretending to be Jewish, but not TOO Jewish. "Let's not get too carried away with Judaism, lest we throw out our lord and savior."

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  3. what a load of crap

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  4. So anonymous.. after I give points totally destroying the trash theology of this anti-Torah religion of Messianism, all you have to say in response is "what a load of crap"?

    You see, this is the kind of response I would get from other Messianics at the time when I was in my late teens, studying Judaism and becoming actually observant. When I would ask them "why are you totally denying [fill in the blank]?" In failure of the ability to give me any sort of reasonable reply, I would just get "its a load of crap" type of responses. That's called not thinking, idiocy, denial, not being honest with yourself. Sheqer!

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