Orthodox Jew or Christian

I just came upon an interesting remark in this news article. Beyneynu’s director, Shannon Nuszen, said: “Until a half century ago, it was understood that if a Jew believed in Jesus, he was abandoning his entire Jewish identity. The church has completely changed this old, failed strategy. They dramatically revamped their methods.” [to evangelize.]

It’s not new, but it’s more practiced today, that a christian can be an orthodox Jew and visa-versa. 

However, this is officially not accepted. Both Judaism and Christianity do not accept this behavior. It is not possible to mix these two traditions or religions. They have ruled each other out and they still remain different.

Shannon says: “The church has completely changed this”. Not really true. Hopefully quite some churches abandoned replacement theology, but this will not say that they enclose Judaism into their religion. There’s still a vast distinction between Christianity and Judaism, between a christian and a jew. Messianic Jews, like in this article, are exceptions.

However, it should be possible that an orthodox Jew believes in Jesus. And it is a shame that this is not possible (yet) in official Judaism as well as in Christianity. 

Our Place – my new book

Finally, my new book is ready!

Our Place as Gentiles in the community of Israel

This book is about a key text of the song of Moses, that God went to a no-people (the gentiles, Deut.32:21) what marks the beginning of the time of the gentiles. Paul fixes his view on that since he saw a great gathering of gentiles to the community of Israel. This is described in Romans 9-11.

This book is written for people who are interested in the position of Christians or Messianics related to the Jews. Don’t think it’s a finished study. I hope it will give provoking thoughts and will draw to rethink certain prophecies.

You can purchase this book here on Lulu.com. There you can also download an eBook for free.

And here you can download a pdf-version for free. (I got it for free, you got it for free…)

Update – Now also available at:
Apple iBookstore (Free ebook)
Amazon.com ($9,00 for paperback, 78 pages)
Barnes&Noble (Free ebook)

Please give it a try and let me know what you find of it!

a new book in the making: Our Place

Fine readers,

I didn’t write for a few months on my blog. I’m happy to be here again and to let you know that I wrote a book based on the last post about Our Place. I called the book Our Place and it’s about the place of the Gentiles in the community of Israel.

I picked up Romans 9-11 and the Song of Moses. An important verse of that song (Deut.32:21) speaks about a “no-people” which are the Gentiles. Paul quoted this verse in Romans 10:19. This points us to how to read the Song of Moses, that there would be a “time of the Gentiles”. I all put it down in one book now and I hope it is available within a week or 4.

This is the Table of Contents:

Preface
Our place in God’s calling with respect to the Jews
We as gentiles
Our place distinguished from the Jews
What is righteous before God
The hidden Messiah
Do we need conversion?
Our place in covenantal relationships
Paul’s “grafted in” analogy
Paul’s message to the gentiles about the Jews
Romans 9-11, Opening statement
Romans 9-11, Faith brings righteousness for Jew and Gentile
Romans 9-11, grace for Gentiles
Romans 9-11, The beginning of the Age of the gentiles
Romans 9-11, a no-people: the church emerged
Romans 9-11, the warning
The Song of Moses
The Song of Moses, God chooses a no-people
The Song of Moses, Jealousy
The Song of Moses, Those who are not called by My name
The Song of Moses, The analogy of Hosea
The Song of Moses, The time of the Gentiles
The Song of Moses, A no-people as oppressors of the Jews
The Song of Moses, The return of the Jews and the retaliation of the no-people
Our time
As many as the Lord our God calls
Am I different than a Jew? – a conclusion
Our place in the world-to-come

________

I’ll keep you updated,

Jos

Paul’s grafted in strangers analogy (Our Place – part6)

If there’s a covenantal relationship with Israel, and a divine calling of Jew and Gentile, then Paul comes into picture who merged these two into one, with his “ingrafted branches” analogy in Rom.11.

This analogy has a scriptural base and we can find that in Is.56 among other places. Isaiah speaks about the foreigners who join Israel. It’s the word of God which states:

“Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; 5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.” (Is.56:3-8)

Rashi comments on it that this strangers and eunuchs are converts. These (converted heathens) have surely a place in the house of God and in His covenant, according to this words of God. But this also implicitly states that gentiles are not the same as the people of Israel. Otherwise these converts would not be mentioned as strangers, but were fully regard as Israelites.

What we see here is that there are people who are faithful to the God and the Jews, but they are not regarded Jewish. Probably because they are not fully Torah observant. What they did do however, is keeping the Shabbat and are faithful to the covenant. And here is a very significant remark about them, they choose the things that please me. (v.4) About them is said: Blessed are they who do this. (v.2) To keep the judgement and do justice (v.1)

When the ingathering of the Israelites happens, these ones are also ingathered with them.

This must be the idea of the apostles (Acts15) that the gentiles have a place amongst the people of God. They may dwell in the tents of Jacob (Gen.9:27) and may come to Sion (Ps.87). And especially because the most profound thing ever happened since the giving of the Torah, that gentiles receive the Holy Spirit (before they convert to Judaism), the apostles believe firmly that the Messianic times were started and thought it is not good to obligate gentiles to keep the Torah to become part of the commonwealth of Israel.

In fact they created a new community within Judaism of Geriem we-Toshaviem (strangers and so-journers). This is a status of gentiles described in Leviticus 25:35. Now, since the Messianic age has began, they have spiritually the same share in Sion as the Jews, “as many as are called”. And this is what Paul called “grafted in”. Now they become part of Israel, spiritual. And in this Messianic age there’s no difference between Jew and Gentile, “no difference between Jew and Greek” (Ro.10:12) “They are one in Christ”. (Gal.3:28) It is not that the status of so-journer is of less importance. At a deeper spiritual level such a confession shows a higher devotion to God. David himself claimed this status too, in Psalm 39:13, “For I am a stranger with thee, A sojourner, as all my fathers were”. And compare what Jesus said: “But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves.” (Luke22:26)
On the other side Paul warns the gentiles not to be proud of it and not to think they are now the replaced Israel, because that was certainly not the case. It even doesn’t abolish or change the existing covenant with the Jews.

Now if we see Jews and Gentiles, separate on one plane, together on another plane, we can understand the message Paul gives us much better.

Our Place (part1)

The place of the gentiles within Israel and its God, or the accommodation of the Christians with respect to the Jews.

For many years, lets say two millennia, the church fits in the place which was initially made by Israel at the time they rejected Jesus. For the treasures of Heaven came especially to the gentiles while the Jews commonly entered a stage of dispersion and curses, as said in the Torah, De.31. At that time, what churches stressed to be the beginning of the Christian Church, the apostle Peter said when the Spirit came down on Jew and Gentile alike, that this is the promise for you and your children (Israel) and for “all who are far away”, everyone whom the Lord our God calls him. (Acts 2:39) It looks like he is citing a verse from the Tenach, but that is not so. What he does do is summarizing for who the Torah was meant. For who the covenant relationship was meant. For who the promises were meant.

His saying was commonly known and understood by Jews at that time. And even now it’s easy to understand for a Torah learned Jew, what Peter meant by this. He said the Torah (and its promises) was first and only for the Jews (you and your children) but it was also for those “who are far away”, who joined Israel with prayer and worship. Obviously the gentiles are meant here. And more specifically, those who joined not only the people of Israel as their fellowship, but also the God of Israel with true love, as many as “the Lord our God calls”.

What was commonly known was the relationship between gentile and Jew, but what was totally new was the direct attachment to Israel and God by the gift of God of renewal and rebirth. The very baptism of the spirit was never seen before, not among the Jews but certainly not among the gentiles. This signifies a brand new era of Messianic proportions. But there were still difficulties to overcome where the Jews, I mean the apostles, meet the (not knowledgeable) gentiles. The struggles the apostles faces whether a gentile must be fully converted or not, are clearly presented in the book of Acts and the letter of Paul to the Galatians. How could one be holy and gentile at one time?

It’s all about the calling of the gentiles by way of rebirth through the gift of the Holy Spirit. They enter the special covenantal relationship of grace, the same as the true Israel, but remain gentile. In the Torah they are called a Ger. Here the distinction line is the real calling and rebirth.

Messianic communities a save haven?

Are the Messianic communities a save haven for people who run out their Christian Church?

I often saw many frustration by people who feel themselves decived by their church on facebook profiles and personal websites etc. Most of their arrows are directed at feasts with pagan roots as Christmas and anti-Israel/Judaism doctrines as replacement theology. FFOZ understands this problem and Boaz Michael wrote a good article about Pagan Roots of Christianity.

The many gentiles who came to be “Messianics” caused serious problems of a community which was born out of Messianic or Jesus-believing Jews. Those Jews were drawing more and more to Judaism since I guess it started in the 19th century. At that time they were converted to the church, but now they are an own community and especially in Israel they didn’t want to go to a church related community, but rather would keep Judaism as their own religion. But a denial of Jesus in the synagogue caused a new religion: Messianic Judaism. Originally it’s from etnic Jews.

Gentiles caused difficulties in it and a shift is going on. I wouldn’t say it’s wrong, but it is difficult. Some very good articles are spent on this topic by Derek Leman.

What is more important I think is that the Messianic movement addressed the church to rethink about many of their doctrines and customs whether they can sustain since there is a state of Israel and a visible hand of God drawing the etnic Jewish people to a certain destiny. More specific: the church has to learn from the Jews.

Symposium on Jewish followers of Jesus

Yesterday I attended an interesting symposium organized by Centrum for Israel Studies about Jewish followers on Jesus. The subtitle was: Bridge between synagogue and church?

Speakers:

Richard Harvey PhD, teacher at AllNations – Messianic Jewish theological Identity. Strength and weakness of the position of Messianic Jews.

Evert van der Poll, Professor at Leuven University – Messianic Jews, an enrichment for the Christian congregation?

Kees Jan Rodenburg – a challenge for defining a border between church and Jewish people.

Richard Harvey gave a very interesting lecture about the Messianic Jews. Are they the missing link? A Jewish form of Christianity and a Christian form of Judaism he said.

He was arguing that we all have a chair in which we sit down. We can sit together, we can sit at the opposite, or with quite a distance between, but in fact it is the same chair. Whether you are a “lawless” Christian or an orthodox Jew, you have something in common: a chair.

So I asked him a question: I see a chair of a Christian community and a chair of a Messianic community. Which should I choose? His answer was that I don’t have to choose, it’s the same chair. If you are on a specific side you’re doing good. In fact it’s a great pallet with many colors. The most important is to have your own authentic witness.

About the MJ he says they have a responsibility to the gentiles in church. And I agree on that. I would like to say that the MJ are an important voice to the church. They let the church see what they have and what they are missing. I think the Messianic Jews could show the church their roots. And the church might listen to that voice. Because this are the first signs of a great awakening. If the church doesn’t listen, than the same thing happens as with the Reformation: a parting of the ways. But the Messianic Movement has something special: They include both Protestants and Catholics, Jew and Gentile etc.

He also said he strongly belief in the election of Israel and the land. But in the covenant blessing Israel and the nations come together.

When hearing his lecture I guess he saw rather gentiles in the church with love to Israel then gentiles taking part of a Messianic Jewish community. I like his view of unity in diversity.

Evert van der Poll was arguing that the relationship of the church with the Jewish people must run via MJ. The church can support Messianic Jews, but be aware with money! Israeli orthodox Jews are very concerned about Western sponsored missionaries. On the question from one of the attendees (a fund raiser) that we have to help them, van der Poll responded: “Did you ever ask them to help you?” He answered “It’s not fair for asking the poor to help the rich.” Van der Poll: “But who is rich?” Wow, very good question!

Kees Jan Rodenburg was talking about the difficulties of defining the Messianic Movement. He believed that the subtitle (the bridge) was not a good one. Many agreed on it.

He shared his concerns about the naming of the Messianics. He rather speaks about Jewish believers of Jesus. In fact some orthodox Jews also bear the name Messianic.

I was asking: Does the church carrying things over the bridge to Judaism or do we accept things brought by Judaism to the church? I stressed that we have to look to the Jews and see what they have. That’s what Messianics do also. We surely can learn a lot from them. Yes we can learn a lot from the Jews.

Recent publications of the speakers:

Evert W. van de Poll, Sacred Times For Chosen People. Development, Analysis and Missiological Significance of Messianic Jewish Holiday Practice, Zoetermeer 2008

Richard Harvey, Mapping Messianic Jewish theology. A Constructive Approach, Milton Keynes, Colorado Springs 2009

Kees Jan Rodenburg, Joodse volgelingen van Jezus. Een overzicht in 40 vragen en antwoorden, Artios 2010

The Messianic Movement part I

This is a first part of a series to describe the history of the Messianic Movement. I would like to tell something about the Dutch messianics like Isaac Da Costa and Abraham Capadose.

If one would describe history of the Messianic Movement then the first question is where to begin. An easy manner is to put Yeshua at the beginning and from then drawing the line and highlight what fits for your purpose. Along that line there are a few marking points, main points which are necessary to mention.

One of these points in this two millennia of history is the international Reveil in the beginning of the 19^th century. Some very interesting developments occurs in that period. It was the first time since the apostles that many Jews converted. It was a worldwide awakening and a new beginning of a worldwide missionary. This came as an answer on the world-changing Revolution along with the Enlightenment which mostly ungodly fruits bore and spread around the world until today. The Enlightenment and the French Revolution are quite remarkable in two millenniums of history. Not only it changed the world, but it also was the beginning of a new development which made up ultimately the re-establishment of the land Israel and the return of the Jewish people. At the same time a new branch of Messianic Jews evolved and grew up first within the church and later it became more independent and self employed outside the church.

This event stood not on its own but is to see in the broader perspective. I would tell something about the church. The Protestants tradition sees the Roman Catholic church as (the vessel of) the antichrist. It is seen that it has a time of a rise and a time of a downfall. The period between is 1260 years according to the prophecy of Daniel and the book Revelation. The beginning of the rise is about the year 337, after the dead of Constantine. According to that the downfall began with the time of the dead of the king Philip II of Spain and the Edict of Nantes in 1598. One point in its rise of several hundred years is the establishment of papacy in the remarkable year of 606[1] and became full with the reign of the Pope when he received its power both political and spiritual. According to this view many Puritans[2] and also some theologians of the Netherlands foresaw a further fall of the antichrist in about the year 1795. This happened with the French Revolution and it came to pass that the Pope lost his (political) power in the year 1870 when he lost his Italian state. Another important person, the great sir Isaac Newton expected a definite fall and end of the period of antichrist “not before” the year 2060. For me he is one with the best hermeneutics of the book of Revelation.[3]

Church history is dominated by the Roman Catholic church. It fits in two millenniums with a typical 1260 years of highest power. With the Enlightenment the religious power was fallen down. Along this development the Protestants came out of the church with new glory, but not completely clean of Roman practices as e.g. Sunday observance and Christmas. On the other side the Enlightenment brought an unclean liberal spirit which developed in evil powers as it is today. The church was injured by this spirit of unbelief especially since the French Revolution. However I believe (with Newton and many other Puritans) the power of the antichrist is downfallen more and more and the final end is near where after the Messiah appears in His mighty power as the King of the world.

In the 19^th century when the Enlightenment effected the church, a new revival happened worldwide. And especially in Holland a remarkable thing happened. Here began this revival which is called the Reveil with two Jews: Isaac Da Costa and Abraham Capadose. Although the spiritual father was Willem Bilderdijk,  a very important poet of the Netherlands, Da Costa especially was the person who came out into the light of the Reveil. And this was typical for the international Reveil: many Jews came to believe that Yeshua was the Messiah.

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[1] When Boniface III got himself declared universal bishop and head of the church and assumed the title of Pope. Quote from: French Revolution and the downfall of the antichrist, John Willison, p.29

[2] Based on this view several people expected the fall of papacy around the year 1795 which coincides the French Revolution. See: Prophetic Conjectures on the French Revolution, Philadelphia, 1794. With extractions from: Brown, Knox, Goodwin, Love, Usher, More, Jurieu, Fleming, Willison, Gill. Is to find on Google Books.

[3] A very interesting collection of many of his manuscripts, many not published until 2008, are to find here:  http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk Also the Jewish National Library in Jerusalem has very interesting documents, free accessible, even never published writings under the name Newton’s Secrets: http://jnul.huji.ac.il/dl/mss/newton/about_exhibition_eng.html Isaac Newton wrote far more on theology then on physics.

About the Messianic Movement

I am finishing a brief history of the Messianic movement. It was very interesting to do.

There was one thing I recognized more and more. The 20^th century is one of the greatest events in history. Obviously G-d is enrolling his master plan, his master purpose: redemption and eternal righteousness in the world with restored mankind. This is what the prophets spoke about: the restoration of Israel and the Gentiles.

From the ashes of the world, through such a terrible times never was before, through the loss of millions of the chosen people, through two world wars following the advances of the Western Roman/Christian world, through a deceiving of the good, a State of Israel raised up with a Control of  Yerushalayim by the remnants of the chosen ones.

Right through this century believing Jews in Yeshua took more and more distance not only from the synagogue but also from the church. Along with the establishment of the State of Israel a more independent movement was born, the Messianics. Nowadays they hang over to the synagogue. A lot of problems arise like who is a Jew, how far would we embrace Judaism etc.

But the 20^th century shows that it is not about Christianity and not about Judaism. Even not about Messianic achievements.  Its all about Israel and the Gentiles. That’s what we are facing. The great restoration has yet begun and now, what would it bring us? Now when we hear His voice… (He.3:7, Ps.95:7-8)

I would put this little study, a “messianic voice”, to my local church this Friday. I wonder how they will receive it. I’m sorry, its written in Dutch.

Nothing to do with Judaism?

Past weekend I read an interview with our Dutch chief rabbi Benyamin Jacobs. (www.terdege.nl 18feb2009,pag17 in Dutch) It was interesting to read that there’s an increasing group of Christians who connect their traditions to Jewish customs. However, Jacobs said: “This has nothing to do with Judaism.” Quickly he gave his expectations and diminished it with saying: “Often, after a while it will cease.” That’s what you see, he said, when you study Judaism you see that at a certain time a division appears, it ceased after a while. Only traditional Judaism based on Torah and Talmud will remain, he said. What he didn’t remember was his ancestor, the great rabban Gamliël I (died about 80CE) had said exactly the same about such groups. (Acts5:38-39) And what he said about the group of Yeshua, the Way, certainly didn’t disappear but was becoming the greatest religion of the world, the Christians.

Now I’ll leave the name of rabbi Jacobs because I don’t know him to speak about him, and I will turn to the Jews in general. Especially Jews who observe the Torah in classical/rabbinical Judaism. When I consider this people there comes a question to me: Are they scared about this group of believers who are connecting to Judaism? Why are they saying those group of Christians who call themselves Messianics, has nothing to do with Judaism? Many Jews can have many opinions however they all are called Jews, including converts gone trough the ritual process. But why not this group? This group faces a perfect fit, much better then the reformed Jews. The only thing is they believe Yeshua is the Messiah. So what? Jews have also believed or expected different Messiahs. What in fact then is the main problem of Yeshua? And why doesn’t that fit in Judaism? Why can they say anything but Yeshua?