Humans can only be loudspeakers, repeaters of the Truth, nothing else. Therefore we should never make decisions leading to suppress those parts of the Truth which we find conflictive, offensive or even dangerous. If others final decision is to end up "rejecting everything even the Elohim of the Tanakh, Scriptures" we are to accept it, just as the Father in Heavens does despite of loving them immensely more than us. Believe me, I have also "experienced it FIRST hand more than once".
You say that you are trying to persuade Jewish people. Well as a Jew — not only by conversion, but by my mother's lineage — I can tell you that if you go to the Jewish people without Paul, you are automatically on first base. You will never be able to convince any Jew who knows Torah that Paul did not contradict Torah. Remember, what you want to demonstrate to them is that Yashua is the Messiah of Israel, not that Paul was a "prophet" or something like that. If you leave Paul out of the picture, you are in. This is so because most Jews do not have a great argument against the man Yeshua being a Jew or a great Rabbi. This is a good start. But Jews know that the Yeshua of Paul is not at all the Yeshua of history — not even the Yeshua of the Gospels!!! We do have more than a problem with the polytheistic Trinitarian postulation of Yeshua being equal (Gr, homoousious = same nature) to the Almighty, as the Catholics postulated and imposed upon Christendom around 300 BCE with the "convincing argument" of Roman force and the sure threat of continuing Imperial persecution and death upon any dissident. Of course, the equality — of any kind — between Yeshua and the Almighty is a blasphemy that Yeshua himself flatly rejected. One example is found in,
Mark 10:18
18 And Yeshua said to him, "Why do you call me Good? No one is Good except Elohim alone!"
If you realize, and then tell Jews, that the valid books of the NT are historical documents instead of "inspired books like Torah," you may have their ears. The Jewish people have never looked at any books even — in Tanakh! — comparable to Torah, not even Psalms or the Nevi'im, much less Proverbs, Ruth or Esther. What is left then for those invalid books sanctioned by the highly politicized Catholic curia at the end of the 4th century? Christians wrongly think that the Jewish people are totally ignorant in matters where they are the Teachers. Normally, religious Jews are much more educated than Christian/Paulinist pastors in matters of both history and Tanakh. And when it comes to the NT, you might be surprised at how much they know about it — as well as how much they know of Christianity in general. Assimilated Jews are another thing, though. Meanwhile regular Christians and Paulinists pastors have no idea of what Judaism is.
I am glad to see that you have realized that "christianity was not the originall Faith of the Apostles, there is no Covenant in Scripture made with the Church only Yisrael. So you are on your way, just as I was several years ago when I was where you are know. What is next then is to find out what happened that caused the deviation from the original Faith of the original Ebionim, or Netzarim, into the Christian/Paulinist monster of these days.
By your first message I realized that you belong to the neo-Nazarenes. (Here in America there are two very different kinds. I am glad that you belong to the Messianic kind.) But, with all respect, I still believe that you are a Christian. Why? Again, because your belief in Paul and your acceptance if the Catholic-endorsed, and imposed, New Testament.
You see, we live in this world and no matter how hard we may try we cannot pretend we live outside of it sociologically speaking. If you claim the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as your do, there is no other alternative for you but to be whether a Jew or a Christian. There is no such thing as a self-apportioned new category, because you live in this world and not in another created by your own imagination, or the imagination of another neo-Nazarene.
The neo-Nazarenes have by far a much more distant theological and philosophical separation from the Judaism, than from Christianity. Therefore, if the socio-religious slide tilts toward Christianity, you guys are Christians — whether you like it or not. Why? Because as the sun still lights the earth from East to West, history does not change direction with a mere change of name of a certain Christian sect. Now, I know that you guys are not of the flavor of Lutherans or Catholics, nor Baptists or Pentecostals. But you most certainly stand close to the maverick flavor of the Worldwide Church of Elohim, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seven Day Adventists and Jews for Yeshua. This is because neo-Nazarenism is not a new Abrahamic religion. It is, as the last ones mentioned, a branch out of Christian Evangelicalism. For example the Jews for Yeshua, whose almost-half membership is composed by Jews are Christians nonetheless. Why? Because, as it is in your case, their theology is Christian/Paulinist on account of the three most distinctive traits of Christianity:
- The heretic teachings of Paul
- The polytheistic belief in the Trinity, and
- The contrived "inspiration" of the New Testament
Now, I do not mean that you are a Christian as an offense. Including the Jewish people no one enters the Kingdom of Heaven by his religion, but by his faithful obedience to Torah, as found in the Message of Yeshua. But without a doubt, in this world there are only Jews and Gentiles, nothing else. There is no third category or definition. Of course, you have the right to fabricate your own "
assumption" and "
presupposition" and then call yourself whatever you please; but you cannot expect people to go along with you on that. After all, the designation you give yourself is not what is truly important; the wrong sense of identity that you may extract from it is what can be detrimental for you and for the Cause of the Kingdom of Heaven. Remember, people not only expect that you be a real man, but also a man of Reality.
Stephen, if you are a righteous Gentile you may have access to the Sacred City, just as any righteous Jew. This is so because you could become a Jew too — if so you wanted. But as of this moment you are a Gentile, not a half-Jew and half-Christian (a spiritual mulatto), nor a Paulinist "
grafted in Israel," as Christians/Paulinists believe. Let me explain this part.
I am sure you know what 'grafting' is. I use to do it when I was in Cuba. When you graft a small shoot from one tree (generally a good one) into the trunk of another tree (normally worse than the first one) what you do is mixing both of their characteristic DNA (their distinctive qualities). Most people think that the traits of only one tree is affected, but that is not so. You always obtain a blend of the traits of both. The important part is that both DNAs affect each other to the point in which both quit being what they used to be. It is so how both become something genetically new. In grafting both, the old tree and the new sprout, which was grafted into it, are not any more what they used to be. But the old bad tree presents the appearance of having suffered the most genetical changes.
If the Torahless "
grafting" doctrine of Paul, the unparallel charlatan of Tarsus, was true at all, then Israel would have to be considered as a bad nation in complete opposition to Tanakh. Of course, Christians/Paulinists would agree wholeheartedly with that characterization of the Chosen Nation of the Almighty. They all too quickly think that, after all, the Jewish people have made so many bad mistakes and rebelled so many times that the whole nation has to be bad. But what they seem not to understand is that the Election, Calling and Standing of Israel is never retractable because it was/is never based on our people being good, or else. Reality is that Israel was Chosen, and is everlastingly kept, by the Infinite Grace of the King of Heaven Who bestowed upon the descendants of His dear friends, our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And should it be necessary to remember that He never makes bad Choices? Nothing surprises Him since He knows and understands everything much ahead of time. Despite of the fact that there has always been, and will be, bad leaves and even unfruitful branches in our nation, the fact remains that our trunk is Holy, Sacred and Pure on account of the Graceful Election, Mercy and Plan that HaShem has always had for his True and Only Bride, Israel. The book Song of Songs is not about any adulterous love affair between Elohim and a Gentile girlfriend — as Paul would have us at times believe. It is about the Eternal Love He has always had for his One and Only Bride — His Jewish Bride.
On the other hand, if the Torahless grafting doctrine of Paul was true at all, Israel would not be Israel any more. If such a case was true, as Paul says, the spiritual DNA of billions of Christians "
grafted" into Israel's trunk would have completely altered Israel's essential spiritual characteristics, thus rendering anything but the Israel that was eternally Chosen by Adonai. Have you realized that Paul talks about what happens to Gentiles "
grafted" into Israel, while he totally — and conveniently — ignores what happens to Israel with that "grafting"? Of course, by using that figure of speech he was just trying to sweeten and seduce his Gentile readers by any means.
Directly contradicting the way that HaShem had explicitly ordered in Torah for all Gentiles who want to unite themselves to Israel, Paul, the Great Con Artist from Tarsus, implied that you can easily become part of Israel (an invented "Jew" of sorts) through his make-believe "
grafting." But, again, if that was true, then Israel would have become partly Gentile, and that would be the end of Israel. Ah, and is that not the very big dream of Satan?
No, Stephen, the Paul's "
assumption" of Gentiles being "
grafted" into Israel does not fly in the face of Torah or reason. Do you find any support for Paul's "
grafting"
supposition in Torah, the rest of Tanakh, or the words of Yeshua at all? Like I always say:
Isaiah 8:20
20 To Torah and to the Testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no Dawn [ i.e. beginning of light ].
You may well be a descendant of the semi-lost 10 northern Tribes, like neo-Nazarenes claim, but if that is true your ancestors — like mine at one time — made a major booboo when they, in the midst of their faithless rebellion, converted to Christianity, assimilated with the Gentiles, and in that way they became Gentiles themselves — so passing down their shame on to you and me. Actually, that was true grafting for you. I say so because they exchanged spiritual characteristics with the Goyim and the Goyim with them. So, in that way both were affected by such grafting. Obviously, that resulted in the detriment of the 10 Tribes — not Israel, because part of Israel did not accept such a "
grafting" assimilation. As expected, in Judah, in the times of the 2nd Temple, you could find members from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Levi. But you could also find the descendants of the righteous members from all the other 10 tribes, i.e. those whose ancestors had emigrated to the Southern Kingdom before the destruction of Samaria, because they could not stand the phenomenal idolatry of their own Northern Tribes.
As for me, I surely expect that one Day Messiah will come and rescue the descendants of the Northern Kingdom, and then "all Israel shall be saved." But, of course, we are not there yet. Some ignorant people are very foolishly trying to do this Salvation/Reunification by themselves — as if Messiah was already here, or as if they were Messiah! And they try to do it by means of imagining that they are descendants of the 10 Tribes, and such. Well, I think that righteous people should use their imagination for the Glory of YHWH, but not to find a supposed or self-given identity. The fact is that no one can, and should not even try, to accelerate the work of Messiah.
I know of a crass fool Gentile — one of your neo-Nazarenes, by the way — who went to Israel, and having descended from the airplane told the Israeli officers at customs that he was an "Israelite" — meaning, a descendant from the 10 Tribes — and that he was returning to live there since it was his "rightful" land. Well, imagine, right there the Israeli police grabbed him by the arm, and put him on the first airplane right back to New York — and rightly so, if would have done it myself. Israel has too many real troubles with too many people wanting to take control of her territory and to kill every Israeli, as to have to deal too with a new invasion of mental "Israelites." Evidently, this imaginative man forgot — or did not care — about the fact that the Jews in Israel are in a mortal battle for their survival against 22 Muslim nations who have sworn their total destruction by any means. He did not have into account that, of these 2½ billion ruthless psychopaths, there are three million already inside Israel doing everything they can, again, to exterminate Israel and every Jew with the same demonic thirst as the Nazis had in Western Europe during WWII. He ignored the fact that all the countries of the world look with disdain toward Israel wishing her eradication from the Middle East, while Muslims and Catholics claim Jerusalem for themselves. And at a time like this, when Jews are cornered by their innumerable enemies and every evil person in the worlds wants the Holy Land, these unthinking doofus goes to Israel to idiotically claim the Land for himself and countless Gentile people who want to imagine themselves descendants of Israel! Who needs more Land-claiming people inside their already fiercely disputed territory demanding another piece of the pie? As a Jewish man I find that highly offensive and dangerous. And as a follower of Messiah it bothers me beyond description because by that thoughtless action he only gave more support to the historically well-founded Jewish suspicion that "Christians" mean harm to them. In other words, he damaged even more the way in which Rabbinic Jews look at the followers of Messiah, and therefore Messiah himself. That is the reason why using our minds is so important, because if we do not, we can damage the Kingdom of Heaven while foolishly thinking that we are cooperating with it in a great way.
Stephen, you say "ALL belief systems are based upon particular assumptions (presuppositions)-certain things are taken for granted." What you are saying with it is that false assertion is that every person has the self-given right to analyze things from his own personal approach to reality. Well, I completely disagree with that. Your philosophy cannot be more dishonest and self-serving. Reality, sir, is not contingent upon no one's assumed or presupposed points of view. That is precisely the very philosophical basis for all empty dogmatism in every false religion or philosophy in the world. No wonder you are a Paulinist!
Diametrically opposed to you, I have an evidential foundation for everything that I believe. From the very existence of the Creator, the unique Election of Israel, the inspiration of Torah, the historicity of Yeshua, etc, etc, everything that I believe is rigorously based upon an evidentiary basis, not blind belief.
Meanwhile, what Christians taught you concerning "
faith" is a complete Paulinist fallacy which has nothing to do with the true Faith which the Almighty, blessed be His Name, taught to his Chosen People in Tanakh. The Christian/Paulinist tradition that "
faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" cannot be more wrong and divorced from Torah's, Tanakh's and Yeshua's teachings.
Allow me to put it clear, "
the assurance of things hoped for" is not Faith — it is just
wishful thinking. But observe that wishful thinking does not release the Promises of the Almighty — it is a well-founded real Faith that does it. What wishful thinking does is to create false expectations and bitter frustrations in the long run. For example, how many times have we heard Christian people who, having been abandoned by their spouses, say "
in all faith": "I have 'faith', and so I am sure, that YHWH will bring him/her back to me." And 40 years after that, they die alone and frustrated because the spouse never came back to them despite the false "
assurance of things hoped for." Did Faith fail to work its good results? No! What happened is that that person had a "
false expectation," based upon a baseless "wishful thinking," instead of the real Faith which is based upon an evident and therefore solid foundation. When our Faith is solidly founded upon real evidences then we have real expectations of things not yet happened because True Faith always woks.
Then, what is "
the conviction of things not seen"? If it is not based upon sure witness or evidences it is called "dogmatism"!!
So, as you can see, you are telling me not to "
confuse" you with the FACTS because you mind is already made up! And you dare to use the word "
ludicrous" and "
ridiculous" on other people, Stephen?! Fantastic!
True Faith, my deceived friend, is never capricious. Rather its attainment is the result of a responsibly thoughtful spiritual process in which humans consider the many evidences given by HaShem to help us make our minds in a realistic manner. This is evidenced all over the Jewish Scriptures, where we can easily see that whenever that Adonai wanted to instill Faith into any of His friends, He always gave them some authentic piece of evidence to grasp and at which they could factually anchor their Faith, an so later on validly live and claim upon.
Leviticus (Wayikra) 18:4-5
4 My Judgments you shall do; and you shall observe
My Ordinances to walk in them. I am YHWH your Elohim.
5 So, you shall observe
My Ordinances and
My Judgments because
the man who accom-
plishes them
will live by them. I am YHWH!
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 4:1-2
1 Now, Israel, listen to the Ordinances and the Judgments which I am teaching you
to perform, in order
that you may live and come and possess the Land which YHWH, the Elohim of your ancestors, is giving you.
2 You shall not add upon the Word which I am commanding you; and
you shall not take away from it, regarding the
Commandments of YHWH your Elohim, with which I am charging you.
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 4:5-6
5 Look, I have taught you the Ordinances and the Judgments
just as YHWH my Elohim did to me, so that
you do them in the midst of the Land which you come to possess over there.
6 So, you shall observe them and do them, because it is Wisdom and Understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all the Ordinances, these Ones, and will say: "Surely these great people are a wise and understanding people."
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 5:1
1 Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: "Hear, Israel, the Statutes and the Ordinances, which I am speaking today in your ears, so that you may learn them and
observe them carefully.
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 6:1
1 Now, this is the Command-
ment, the Ordinances and the Judgments which YHWH your Elohim has commanded me to teach you, so that
you may do them in the Land where you are going over to possess it,
2 in order that you and your son and your grandson might fear YHWH your Elohim; to keep
all His Ordinances and His Com-
mandments, which I command you, all the days of your life and
so that your days may be prolonged.
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 8:1
1 All the Commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do,
so that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the Land which YHWH swore to give to your forefathers.
Psalm (Tehillim) 119:4
4 You have ordained Your Precepts that
we should keep them diligently.
Psalm (Tehillim) 119:34
1 Give me understanding, so that I may observe Your Torah
[Heb. Instruction] and keep it with all my heart.
Do you believe in Yeshua? Then, look what he said:
Matthew (Mattithyahu) 5:17-19
17 Do not think that I came to abolish Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
18 Because I tell you for sure that
until Heaven and earth have passed away, not one Yud
[the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet], nor the least stroke
[of a Hebrew letter] — shall pass away from the Torah, until
everything has
[passed away].
19 So, whoever annuls ONE of the least of these Comman-
dments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called "least" in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called "great" in the Kingdom of Heaven.
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