How Missionaries Distort the Jewish Bible

So, this Meme is going around on Facebook, with the hashtag “No Need for Jesus,”

What, exactly, does Gd say about human sacrifice in the TaNaKH?

But first, some Christian Circular Reasoning

"So, this Meme is going around on Facebook, with the hashtag “No Need for Jesus,” (and even though that is not his original name), I am outraged by these insinuations!

I am going to respond to all seven of these false accusations against our Messiah one-by-one (as I have the time during my travels).

The first thing that I want to address is this notion that our Messiah was supposedly a “human sacrifice.”

When somebody is willing to die in order to uphold the Mosaic Law (Towrah), they are not offering themselves as a human sacrifice!

Some examples are, the prophet Daniel who refused to bow to another false deity, and he was threatened with death by the Lion's Den. Daniel was willing to die rather than to violate Towrah!

Another example is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they refused to bow to the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar, and they too were threatened with being cast alive into a furnace. They were willing to die rather than violate Towrah!

During the Maccabean Revolt in 164 B.C. all those Jewish martyrs who were slaughtered in the days of Antiochus Ephiphanes (because they refused to violate the Mosaic Law) fall under the category of a law found in the Talmud.

In the Babylonian Talmud, (Makkot 23b-24a), it says:

“Three types of negative commandments fall under the yehareg ve’al ya’avor, meaning ‘One should let himself be killed rather than violate it.’”

These Towrah commands for which the Talmud states that we should be willing to die for rather than to violate are: murder, idolatry, and forbidden sexual relations.

This begs the question: “Which of these commandments did Yahuwshuwa allow himself to be killed for, rather than to violate them?”

To find out, please see this blog entitled:

Was Our Messiah a Human Sacrifice?

https://doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com/…/was-yahuwsh…

Exodus 21:30 says that if the owner of an Ox kills a person, (and it has previously been known to hurt people), the Ox and it's owner must both die. The owner of the Ox may also pay money instead of his life for a RANSOM. Our Messiah did both! He offered up his life, and he also paid the Bride Price!

Exodus 21:30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the RANSOM of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.

The “Ox” (the aleph, or first-born) is symbolic of Yisra'el, and they were known to kill all the prophets who were sent to them! Therefore, our Messiah (being the owner of the Ox) offered his life as a RANSOM!

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a RANSOM for many.

Our Messiah was in fact, portraying the “twin goats” for Yom Kippur, as well as the “one-year old male lamb” for Passover (Exodus 12:5).

Not only that, but he was also portraying the “red heifer” for the cleansing of the altar (see Numbers 19). The red heifer was not killed inside the Temple! The red heifer is the only sacrifice that was done OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS OF JERUSALEM!

To understand fully what our Messiah did for us, we must understand that he was actually fulfilling all the sacrifices in the Abrahamic Covenant seen in Genesis 15:9 (a 3-year old heifer; a 3-year old she-goat; a 3-year old ram; a turtledove and a young pigeon).

Our Messiah came to CONFIRM THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT, see this blog entitled:

Who Confirms the Covenant of Daniel’s 70th Week?

https://doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com/…/who-confirm…

Yes, it is true that the lamb in Leviticus 4:32 for a sin offering is a female (because Eve being female was the first to sin). However our Messiah fulfilled the pattern of the twin goats on Yom Kippur for Both Houses of Yisra'el.

The meme is not taking into account the ordinance for Yom Kippur in Leviticus 16, which uses twin goats.

According to the instructions in Leviticus 16, one goat is killed as a sin offering, and the other is “sent away into the wilderness,” called the scapegoat.

The Hebrew word for the twin goats in Leviticus 16:7 is “sayir,” which literally means “a he-goat.” The Hebrew word for “scapegoat,” is “azazel,” the root-word being “az,” (a she-goat). However, it is obvious that since the priest had to cast lots to determine which goat was killed and which one was sent away, both goats had to be the same gender, which would be male.

Our Messiah, Yahuwshuwa, fulfilled the pattern of the Yom Kippur Twin Goats forty days before he began his ministry on Yom Kippur (see Luke 4). His cousin John (a Levite) was the legitimate High Priest that year in the eyes of the Father, (while Caiaphas was an impostor).

So, yes, as the sin offering, he was indeed brought before the High Priest (his cousin John) according to Deuteronomy 12:13-14!

It is important to understand that there are two altars in Jerusalem:

1.) The one in the Temple.

2.) The one where Abraham offered up his son, Isaac at the base of the Mount of Olives (this is where Messiah was sacrificed at the place of the Skull!)

John was the one who “selected” the Yom Kippur goat when he announced, “Behold the Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29-36)

At his baptism, he was portraying the role of the “Yom Kippur” sacrificial goat who would later die for the sins of Both Houses of Yisra’el. Baptism is a metaphor for death (see Romans 6:3-4). Immediately following his baptism, he was “sent into the wilderness” as the scapegoat for the Lost Sheep of the House of Yisra’el (the exiles).

Not only was he portraying himself as the Yom Kippur twin goats at his baptism, but he was also cleansing himself in preparation to be the High Priest (Melchizedek) after his 40-day fast in the wilderness (see Leviticus 16:4).

When he read the Isaiah 61 scroll in Luke 4, he was announcing himself as “Messiah” (the anointed one) and as the “High Priest” who “declared the acceptable year of YHWH.” Only the High Priest could “declare the acceptable year of YHWH” on Yom Kippur (see Numbers chapter 10).

The role of the High Priest was being transferred from the sons of Aaron, back to the original High Priest, Melchizedek when John the Baptist declared “I am not worthy to unloose his shoe-strap” (this is an allusion to the Levirate Marriage in Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

Our Messiah was the perfect sin offering that had no defect (symbolic of sin) according to Leviticus 22:22-25. His body was broken for us because his body was also symbolic of “Bread from heaven.”

Wheat must be broken, beaten, and finely milled before it can be made into bread. The stripes and the piercings on his body are seen on Unleavened Bread at Passover (Isaiah 53:5; Zechariah 12:10).

Our Messiah was killed as the Passover Lamb, which is not a sin offering! The Passover Lamb is a SUBSTITUTE FOR THE FIRST-BORN SONS!

Our Messiah fulfilled all the sacrifices of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 15:9 in ONE FELL SWOOP!

To understand fully, how our Messiah portrayed the role of the Yom Kippur Twin Goats as well as the High Priest at the beginning of his ministry, see these two blogs below:

Messiah’s Forty Days of Fasting Leading Up to Yom Kippur!

https://doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com/…/messiahs-fo…

The Yom Kippur Twin Goats Fulfilled in Messiah

https://doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com/…/twin-goats-…"

Source: Maria Merola Wold June 22 at 9:53 AM

G-d hates human sacrifices.

The Christian idea of the messiah is that Jesus was the blood sacrifice that saves everyone from his or her sin. But who, exactly, died on that cross? If it was Jesus-the-god, that would mean that Gd can die. But how can Gd die? If it was only Jesus-the-human, then all Christians are left with is a human sacrifice. What, exactly, does Gd say about human sacrifice in the TaNaKH?

In Deuteronomy, Gd calls human sacrifice something that Gd hates; an abomination to Gd.

Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Etrnl thy Gd: for every abomination to the Etrnl, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. [Deuteronomy 12:30-31]

In Jeremiah, Gd tells us that Human sacrifice is so horrible a concept, that it did not even come into Gd's mind.

Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Etrnl, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter. [Jeremiah 19:4-6]

Similarly, in Psalm 106 and in Ezekiel 16:

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. [Psalm 106:37-38]

Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter?  [Ezekiel 16:20]

Some Christians might claim that Gd seemed to want human sacrifices, because Gd appeared to demand one from Abraham, when He commanded the sacrifice of Isaac. This is a misreading of the biblical text in Genesis. When one reads this section carefully, one sees something quite different.

Most Jewish biblical commentators interpret this incident as a test of Abraham's loyalty: Gd wanted to see if he would actually kill Isaac, his own son. However, a number of Jewish commentators from the medieval era, and many in the modern era as well, read the text somewhat differently. The early rabbinic midrash 'Genesis Rabbah' imagines Gd as saying 'I never considered telling Abraham to slaughter Isaac.' Rabbi Yona Ibn Janach (Spain, 11th century) wrote that Gd demanded only a symbolic sacrifice. Rabbi Yosef Ibn Caspi (Spain, early 14th century) wrote that Abraham's imagination led him astray, making him believe that he had been commanded to sacrifice his son. Ibn Caspi writes 'How could Gd command such a revolting thing?'

Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz (Chief Rabbi of the British Empire), writes that child sacrifice was actually 'rife among the Semitic peoples,' and suggests that 'in that age, it was astounding that Abraham's Gd should have interposed to prevent the sacrifice, not that He should have asked for it.' Hertz interprets the Binding of Isaac as demonstrating that human sacrifice is abhorrent. 'Unlike the cruel heathen deities, it was the spiritual surrender alone that Gd required.'

Let's examine the text:

And it came to pass after these things, that Gd did test Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. [Genesis 22:1-2]

The text reads that Abraham should 'offer him there for a burnt offering'. It does not read that Gd told Abraham to kill him for a burnt offering!

The original Hebrew is actually even clearer on this issue. The Hebrew reads, 'v’ha-ah-ley-hu sham l’o-lah.' It translates as, 'Raise him up there FOR a sacrifice.' The text does not say that Gd demanded Isaac to BE a sacrifice, but rather only that he should be raised up for one.

Furthermore, a close reading of the text tells us that this was a test, and that Abraham did not pass it. What is the test to which Abraham is being put? Gd wants Abraham to tell Gd, 'NO! I WON’T DO IT!' Abraham had just defended people he did not know in Sodom and Gemorrah. So Gd's test of Abraham is whether or not he would defend his own family as vigorously as he had defended strangers. Like many of us, he did not. He flunked. Many of us, for example, will talk sweetly to a voice on the phone, get off the phone, and then speak disrespectfully to our kids or our spouse, treating others, even strangers, better than we treat those we love.

When the test is first put before Abraham, the day before he actually takes the knife, preparing to kill his own son, Gd speaks to him directly:

And it came to pass after these things, that Gd did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. [Genesis 22:1-2]

Please not that it is Gd speaking directly to Abraham, and not an angel of Gd. However, after he takes hold of the knife, it is only an Angel of Gd who speaks to Abraham:

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the Angel of the Etrnl called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. [Genesis 22:10-11]

And then later it is still only an Angel of Gd who speaks to Abraham:

And the Angel of the Etrnl called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time… [Genesis 22:15]

As a matter of fact, Gd never spoke directly to Abraham again. From the very moment that Abraham demonstrated his willingness to actually kill his son, Gd never again spoke directly to Abraham.

Note also that the promises of the Angel of Gd to Abraham are nothing new, they are only reiterating what Gd, directly, had already promised to him (cf. Gen. 12:2, 12:3, 12:7, 13:15, 13:16, 13:17, 15:1, 15:5, 15:7, 15:14, 15:18, 17:2, 17:4, 17:6, 17:8, 17:16). It is as if Gd was saying to the Angel, 'I am through with him. Pat him on the head because he thinks he did right, remind him of his reward for his previous faith, but I am done with him!'

You see, Gd had already told Abraham His covenant would go through Isaac. Gd wanted Abraham to say, 'Wait a minute, You, Gd, are now going against Your own word!' Gd knows that we are always closer to those we will argue with, than with those we will not.

When person does wrong, who are you more likely to admonish: someone you know, or someone you do not know?

Gd wants us to be that close to Gd. Gd wants us to be like Abraham, who was willing to argue with Gd regarding strangers in Sodom and Gemorrah. Gd wants us to be as close to Gd as Moses was, indicated by the fact that Moses argued with Gd -- repeatedly -- on behalf of the People of Israel. Gd wants us to be like Job, who felt so close to Gd that he could argue with Gd for justice. We can argue with Gd like true close friends can argue with each other, because Gd is truly our Closest Friend. Abraham flunked Gd's test, and so Gd never spoke to Abraham directly again.

Note also the true meaning of the word, 'Israel,' which is 'One who wrestles with Gd.' We are not to be blind followers (the word 'Christian' means 'follower of the Christ’), and we are not to merely submit to Gd ('Islam' means 'voluntary submission to Gd.' A Muslim is one who submits to Gd).

We Jews are to be wrestlers with Gd, like True Friends can do with each other. THAT is how close Gd wants us to be with Him.
Source: http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/explanation4.html

Response to Christians Who Argue that the Church Replaced Israel

Rabbi Tovia Singer Responds to Christians Who Argue that the Church Replaced Israel

Source: https://outreachjudaism.org/  http://www.toviasinger.tv/

Christian, what are you going to say to G-d of Israel when your god Jesus doesn’t return?

Worshiper of Jesus, Christian/Messianic, what are you going to say when you stand before G-d after the false man-god Jesus whom you worship and to whom you pray doesn’t appear? What are you going to say to your Maker when you knew all along (and I am merely reminding you here now) that worshiping anyone or anything other than Him is a grave sin and betrayal? How will you justify your worship of a mortal creature to whom billions bow their knees? Will you deny that you knew that He has warned you that He was neither a man nor a son of man (Numbers 23:19), that He had no visible form and that He can’t be compared to anything He created? Will you try to defend yourself that you only followed your leaders or will you admit to G-d your sin of idolatry? Will you appeal to the polished literary character from the pages of your New Testament? Will you tell G-d that Jesus paid for your sins by his blood when He explicitly warned that He doesn’t approve of human sacrifices (Leviticus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 12:31) and that no man can punished for the sins of another (Ezekiel 18:20)? Will you point to the [Greek] Testament in your defense and claim it to be the “word of G-d”? Will you claim that you have put your faith in Jesus, Paul, apostles, the church scribes, church fathers, pastors and evangelists? Will you attempt to boldly walk into the Holy of Holies as the author of Hebrews exhorts you to do (Hebrews 10:19) and demand to be allowed in since you placed your trust in a “son of man”, despite the fact that G-d has told us in Numbers 23:19 not to do just that? What will come out of your mouth? Do you know?

The Bible already knows what you are going to say. Indeed, it gives us a glimpse of your very words and it tells us in the Jewish scriptures, the writings that you call “the Old Testament”, the words all of the nations will utter before the G-d of Israel in the end of days:

“To you (Hashem) shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. Do people make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!” (Jeremiah 16:19-20)

Today, however, the choice is still yours. Today, you can still either choose to continue worshiping Jesus as you god, to proclaim him as your “lord and savior” or you can choose to discard your idolatry and turn to the living G-d of Israel and Him alone. Make no mistake – you DO have a choice whom you will serve – if a man Jesus whom Christianity has deified to seat him on G-d’s throne is your ba’al (Hebrew word for “lord”), serve him. But if the G-d of Israel is the L-rd, then you know what you need to do. If you choose idolatry over the Living G-d of Israel, do not think that there is safety in the great numbers among the nations that Christianity and other religions can boast. As G-d said:

“Before Him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by Him as worthless and less than nothing. To whom, then, will you compare G-d? What image will you compare him to?” (Isaiah 40:17-18)

Source: https://dailyminyan.com/2014/12/15/christian-what-are-you-going-to-say-to-g-d-of-israel-when-your-god-jesus-doesnt-return/

A KNOCK-OUT PUNCH:THE "LAST AND FINAL SACRIFICE" TAKES THE TEN-COUNT

A reposting of Uri Yosef’s THE "LAST AND FINAL SACRIFICE" TAKES THE TEN-COUNT after a Christian apologist made this comment recently. May it be a light to anyone seeking the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

“The reason Jews as a whole haven't embraced Jesus Christ as Messiah is partly because of hard hearts, and partly because Jesus came to die for our sins. It was foreseen by God the Father that He would be rejected, per Isaiah 53 - which Jews have NEVER been able to "explain" - which then paved the way for His once-for-all sacrifice for sin.”

A KNOCK-OUT PUNCH:THE "LAST AND FINAL SACRIFICE" TAKES THE TEN-COUNT

Professor Uri Yosef 

I. INTRODUCTION

Christian missionaries claim that those who do not accept Jesus as their lord and

savior, which includes the Jewish people, are doomed to burn in “hell” because

they cannot have their sins forgiven by God. This claim is rationalized with the

allegation that, in Biblical times, the only way to bring about the remission of sins

was via the blood of a certain animal. This animal had to be brought to the priest

to be slaughtered at the altar in the Sanctuary, first while in the portable

Sanctuary and later in the Temple, as a sacrificial offering. According to this

claim, since there has been no Temple standing in Jerusalem since the year 70

C.E., valid sacrificial offerings can no longer be made and, therefore, the only

way for Jews to have their sins forgiven is through the blood shed by Jesus in his

"sacrificial" death on the cross. In other words, the claim is that the blood of

Jesus, who was allegedly sacrificed by God (the "Father") as a demonstration of

his great love for mankind,

has once and for all removed the stain of “Original

Sin" from those who follow Jesus (the "Son"). This act of love by God allegedly

made Jesus the "last and final sacrifice" forever.

There are two main aspects to the claim that Jesus was "the last and final

sacrifice". The first concerns the suitability of Jesus and his death as a sacrificial

offering for the remission of sins. The second aspect, which was investigated in

another essay, concerns the need for blood in the atonement process.

This essay examines the suitability of Jesus and the manner in which he died as

a sacrificial offering for the remission of sins.

II. THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE VERSUS THE SPECIFICATIONS IN THE HEBREW BIBLE

The process for testing this claim by Christian missionaries consists of

contrasting the requirements concerning sacrificial offerings, as specified in the

Hebrew Bible, against the accounts in the New Testament that describe the

death of Jesus on the cross as a sacrificial offering. As part of this analysis, it is

important to bear in mind the following two conditions that existed during the life

of Jesus, at the time of his death, and for several decades following his death:

 The Second Temple was still standing in Jerusalem

 The Hebrew Bible was the Scripture in force

The salient issue to be addressed, and answered, is:

According to the requirements set forth in the Hebrew Bible, was Jesus a valid sacrificial

offering, and was his death by crucifixion an acceptable process, for remission of sins?

The analytical phase of the testing process identifies ten elements for which the

respective accounts in the New Testament are compared with the specifications

provided in the Hebrew Bible, primarily in the Torah.

One

According to the accounts in the New Testament, Jesus was crucified by

Roman soldiers:

John 19:18,23(KJV) – (18) Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either

side one, and Jesus in the midst.

(23) Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made

four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam,

woven from the top throughout. [See also Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33.]

According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, the animal brought as

a sin sacrifice had to be slaughtered by the person who offered it:

Leviticus 4:27-29 - (27) And if any one person from among the common people sins

unwittingly, by performing one of the commandments of the Lord which may not be

done, and incurs guilt; (28) Or if his sin, which he has committed, is made known to

him, then he shall bring his sacrifice, an unblemished female goat, for his sin which he

has sinned. (29) And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and he

shall slaughter the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.

Two

According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, some of the blood of

the (sin) sacrifice had to be rubbed by the priest with his finger on the horns of

the altar in the Temple, and the rest had to be poured out at the base of the

sacrificial altar. The fat of the sacrifice had to be removed and burnt:

Leviticus 4:30-31 - (30) And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and

put [it] upon the horns of the altar [used] for the burnt offering; and [then] he shall

pour out all of [the rest of] its blood at the base of the altar. (31) And he shall remove

all of its fat, as was removed the fat from the sacrificial peace offerings; and the priest

shall burn it upon the altar for a pleasant fragrance to the Lord; and [thus] shall the

priest make an atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

 The New Testament is silent on what was done with the blood of Jesus and

with the fat of his body.

Three

According to the accounts in the New Testament, Jesus was beaten,

whipped, and dragged on the ground before being crucified:

Matthew 26:67(KJV) - Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others

smote him with the palms of their hands, [See also Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63; John 18:22.]

Matthew 27:26,30-31(KJV) – (26)Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he

had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

(30) And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. (31) And

after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own

raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. [See also Mark 15:15-20; John 19:1-3.]

According to the Torah, a sacrificial animal had to be without any physical

defects or blemishes:

Deuteronomy 17:1 - You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that

has in it a blemish or any bad thing, for that is an abomination to the Lord, your God.

Sidebar Note: As a born Jew, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day following

his birth, a ritual that leaves a scar (Genesis 17:10-13; the “sign of the covenant”).

The circumcision of Jesus is mentioned in the New Testament (Luke 2:21), yet Paul

refers to circumcision as being tantamount to mutilation (Galatians 5:11-12;

Philippians 3:2).

Four

 According to the New Testament, Jesus was "the Lamb of God" whose bones

may not be broken [a reference to the Paschal Lamb of Exodus 12:46 and

Numbers 9:12]:

John 1:29(KJV) – The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold

the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John 19:36(KJV) - For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A

bone of him shall not be broken.

 According to the Torah, the Paschal Lamb was not offered for the removal of

sins. Rather, it was a festive, or commemorative, offering. Yom Kippur (the

Day of Atonement) would have been a more appropriate time for a sin

offering:

Numbers 29:11 - One young male goat for a sin offering, beside the sin offering of

atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and their drink

offerings. [Yom Kippur – Individual sin offering]

Leviticus 16:15 - He shall then slaughter the he goat of the people's sin offering and

bring its blood inside the dividing curtain, and he shall do with its blood as he did with

the blood of the bull and sprinkle it upon the cover of the ark, and before the cover of

the ark. [Yom Kippur – Communal sin offering]

Five

 According to the Torah, the Paschal Lamb had to be slaughtered and its

blood used to place markings on the side-posts and lintels of the entrances to

the dwelling. Moreover, the meat had to be roasted and eaten, and whatever

was not consumed by the time the Israelites were to leave their homes, had

to be burnt and destroyed:

Exodus 12:6-10 - (6) And you shall keep it under watch until the fourteenth day of this

month; and the entire congregation of the community of Israel shall slaughter it at

dusk. (7) And they shall take [some] of its blood, and place it on the two doorposts and

on the lintel, on the houses in which they will eat it. (8) And they shall eat the meat in

that night, roasted over fire, and [with] unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall

eat it. (9) You shall not eat from it raw, nor boiled in water; but roasted over fire, its

head with its legs, and with its inner parts. (10) And you shall not leave any of it until

morning; and that which left over until the morning you shall burn in the fire.

 According to the accounts in the New Testament this was not done with

Jesus after his death. In fact, Jesus was buried.

Matthew 27:57-60(KJV) – (57) When the even was come, there came a rich man of

Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: (58) He went to

Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be

delivered. (59) And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen

cloth, (60) And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he

rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. [See also Mark 15:42-46;

Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38-42.]

Six

 According to the New Testament, the death of Jesus was a sacrificial offering

that expiated the sins of mankind for all times:

Hebrews 10:10,18(KJV) – (10) By the which will we are sanctified through the offering

of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(18) Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. [See also

Romans 6:10; Hebrews 9:12.]

 According to the Torah, the Passover (sin) sacrifice, a male-goat, had to be

offered on an individual (per household) basis, not as a communal offering:

Numbers 28:22 - And one young male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for

you.

Seven

 According to the New Testament, the death and blood of Jesus took care of

(almost) all sins:

Hebrews 9:22(KJV) – And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and

without shedding of blood is no remission.

 According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, the sacrificial sin

offering brought atonement only for unintentional sins, except as noted in

Leviticus 5:1-6, 20-26[Leviticus 5:1-6, 6:1-7 in Christian Bibles]:

Numbers 15:27-31 - (27) And if a person sins inadvertently, then he shall offer a female

goat in its first year as a sin offering. (28) And the priest shall atone for the erring

person who sinned inadvertently before the Lord in order to make atonement on his

behalf; and it shall be forgiven him. (29) For the native born of the children of Israel

and the stranger who resides among them, one law shall apply to him who sins

inadvertently. (30) And the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is a

native born or a stranger, that person blasphemes the Lord; and that person shall be

cut off from among his people. (31) Because he has scorned the word of the Lord, and

has violated his commandment; that person shall surely be cut off, for his iniquity is

upon him.

Eight

 According to the New Testament, the death of Jesus brought about the

remission of sins yet uncommitted, and of sins of those yet to be born:

Hebrews 10:18(KJV) – Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for

sin.

 According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, sacrifices could bring

atonement only for sins committed prior to the offering of the sacrifice. No

sacrifice was provided for the atonement of sins committed after the sacrifice

was offered and, thus, no sacrifice can bring atonement for sins of people

born after it was offered. This includes both טּאתָחַ (haTAT)], a sin offering,

described in Leviticus 4:1-5:13, and שׁםָאָ (aSHAM), a guilt offering,

described in Leviticus 5:14-26. Had there been, among the listed sacrifices,

even one kind of sin or guilt offering that could bring atonement for future

sins, the person who would have offered that particular sacrifice would not

have had to do so again for the rest of his life. Moreover, Yom Kippur (the

Day of Atonement), which is ordained by the Torah as an annual Holy Day

(Leviticus 16:29-34), would have had to be celebrated by the Israelites only

the very first time after the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, had they used one

of those "super" sacrificial offerings that could atone for sins of the future.

The claim by the author of Hebrews, that there are no more sin offerings

required following the death of Jesus, is false for other reasons as well:

 The Second Temple stood in Jerusalem for nearly 40 years following the death of

Jesus, during which time literally thousands of animals were offered as sacrifices

of all sorts, including sin and guilt offerings, as prescribed by the Torah.

 The Hebrew Bible contains prophecies about the building of the Third Temple in

the messianic era, and of the resumption of the sacrificial system at that time. All

the types of sacrificial offerings described in the Hebrew Bible will be made on the

sacrificial altar [חַ בֵּזְמִ (mizBE'ah)] in the Temple, including both the טּאתָחַ and

שׁםָאָ sacrificial offerings. In other words, the sacrificial system, which has been

in a state of suspension since the year 70 C.E., when the Romans destroyed the

Second Temple, will be completely restored in the messianic era:

Ezekiel 43:21-22 - And you shall take the bull of the sin offering, and he [the priest]

shall burn it at the edge of the Temple, outside the Sanctuary. (22) And on the

second day you shall offer an unblemished he-goat for a sin offering, and they [the

priests] shall purify the altar as they purified it with the bull. [See also: Isaiah 56:7;

Jeremiah 33:17-18; Ezekiel 40:39,46-47, 41:42, 42:13, 43:13,15,18-19,22,25-27,

44:27,29, 45:17,19,22-23,25, 46:20, 47:1; Zechariah 14:21.]

Nine

 According to the New Testament, God's "only begotten son" died on the cross

for the sins of mankind, and all who accept this belief are "saved" (i.e., get

salvation) and will go to heaven:

Romans 5:8-11(KJV) – (8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we

were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, being now justified by his

blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (10) For if, when we were enemies,

we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we

shall be saved by his life.(11) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord

Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. [See also Acts 10:43;

1Corinthians 15:3; 1Peter 3:18.]

 The Hebrew Bible strictly prohibits (human) vicarious atonement, and

mandates that everyone is responsible for his or her own sins:

Deuteronomy 24:16 - Fathers shall not be put to death because of children, nor shall

children be put to death for fathers; each person shall be put to death for his own sin.

[See also Exodus 32:31-33; Numbers 35:33.]

Ten

 According to the New Testament, Jesus was "God manifest in the flesh" (this

would make it a human sacrifice):

Romans 8:3(KJV) - For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,

God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in

the flesh: [See also 1Timothy 3:16; 1John 4:2.]

 The Hebrew Bible strictly prohibits human sacrifices. The concept of human

sacrifices to a deity is foreign to Judaism. Human sacrifice is a pagan rite:

Leviticus 18:21 – And you shall not give any of your offspring to pass through the fire

for Molech, and shall not profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. [See also

Deuteronomy 18:10; Jeremiah 7:31, 19:32; Ezekiel 23:37-39.]

Source: http://thejewishhome.org/counter-index.html

Rabbi Tovia Singer explains why Christian theologians misinterpret Isaiah 53

250 Israeli Rabbis to Trump: ‘You are Fulfilling Biblical Prophecies’

 Invoking Biblical blessings, leading Israeli rabbis thanked Trump for acting to fulfill  prophecies about Israel’s redemption.

Some 250 Israeli rabbis, including Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, sent a letter to President Donald Trump thanking him and praising him for his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The letter, initiated by the Safed’s Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and delivered by Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, told the American president, “You have the rare privilege to be the first president to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the State of Israel,” Ynet news reported.

“We are confident that you will be remembered in the history of the Jewish people forever as one who stood at the fore and was not afraid. May God’s promise to Joshua be fulfilled upon you: ‘Did I not command you, be strong and have courage, do not fear and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’”

Ynet reported that the letter was signed by rabbis of a wide range of communities, including rabbinical judges and yeshiva heads. Among the prominent signatories are: Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, national religious leader Rabbi Haim Drukman, the Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu and Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of the Samaria region.

“We merit living in a generation in which prophecies are being fulfilled, one after the other,” the letter continued, emphasizing that Trump is playing his role in that process.

“The presidents of America merited standing by Israel in actualizing the prophecy of the return to Zion and the building of the State of Israel. “

“With this recognition, we see the fulfillment of another step in the completion of the prophecy of Isaiah that the nations of the world will recognize the centrality of Jerusalem,” said Rabbi Eliyahu. “‘For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your vindication’ (Isaiah 62:1). We hope that other enlightened and believing nations will follow in the footsteps of the United States.”

By: United with Israel Staff

Does Paul’s teachings conform with the teachings of Jesus?

Christianity reached the non-Jewish world through the person of Paul. Paul traveled the length and breadth of the Mediterranean, teaching the gentile world about Jesus. Paul founded many churches throughout the Roman Empire. The churches which Paul established were predominantly gentile.  The Christian scriptures end their narrative at this point. They leave the reader at the historical point where there are two churches; the Jewish church of James, and the gentile church of Paul.

History tells us that the Jewish church of James did not survive as a separate entity. By the time Christianity became the established religion of the Roman Empire, there were almost no Jewish Christians left. The few Jewish Christians which still existed, were persecuted as heretics by the gentile church. All of Christianity as it exists today, was transmitted through the body of the gentile church. The books of Christian scripture were products of the gentile church. They may have included in these books, material which came from the Jewish Christians. But the gentile church was the editor of this material. It was the gentile church who determined the contents of the Christian scriptures, and who transmitted these texts to the future generations.

In order to be convinced that the gentile church is truly transmitting the original message of Jesus, one must determine that Paul’s teachings conformed with the teachings of Jesus. The gentile church only learned of Jesus through the teachings of Paul. If Paul’s teachings were not synonymous with the teachings of Jesus, then the gentile church does not possess the original message of Jesus. 

To determine Paul’s connection to Jesus, we will turn to the books of Christian scripture. It is clear that the editors of these books were strongly motivated to present Paul as one who is faithfully transmitting the original message of Jesus. Yet even these biased writers, were not able to do so.

The Christian scriptures describe the basis of Paul’s mission in the following manner. Paul never saw Jesus in real life. Neither did Paul learn of Jesus’s teachings through the disciples of Jesus. Paul emphatically states (in the 1st and 2nd chapters of Galatians) that no living person was involved in transmitting Jesus’s message to him. Paul only learned of the teachings of Jesus through a series of visions. In these visions, Jesus appeared to him and imparted his teachings. Paul’s entire message was the product of these visions.

The only way we can verify the truth of Paul’s claim, is by determining the reaction of Jesus’s disciples to Paul’s message. These men who lived with Jesus and heard him teach, could compare the teachings that they heard, to the prophecy of Paul. How did the Jewish following of James react to Paul’s claim to prophecy?

Paul makes the claim (Galatians 2:9) that the leaders of the Jerusalem Church acknowledged the fact that he was appointed (by the dead Jesus) as a messenger to the gentiles. But Paul was lying. James and the Jerusalem Church never acknowledged the validity of Paul’s visions. It is the Christian scriptures themselves who contradict Paul’s claim.

The 15th chapter of the book of Acts, describes how the leadership of the Jerusalem Church disregarded Paul’s claim to prophecy. Paul had come to Jerusalem. He had been preaching to the gentiles that they are not required to practice the law of Moses. Some members of the Jerusalem Church disagreed with Paul. They felt that in order for a gentile to join their following, he should be required to observe the law of Moses. This question was brought before the leadership of the Jerusalem Church. The elders of the church discussed the question, and James handed down his decision. His judgment was that the gentiles were not obligated to observe the entirety of the law of Moses as a prerequisite to joining the Christian community. But he stipulated that the gentiles were obligated to observe certain dietary laws, and to avoid immorality.

If Paul was telling us the truth when he claimed that the leadership of the Jerusalem Church acknowledged him as a true prophet, then this story makes no sense. Here we have Paul, who was personally appointed by the dead Jesus as his emissary to the gentile world. Whatever Paul taught was personally revealed to him in these prophetic visions. One of the central teachings of Paul was that the gentile world is not bound by the law of Moses. Yet when the leaders of the Jerusalem Church are in doubt as to what Jesus would have said concerning the gentiles, they discuss the question, and look to James for guidance. If there was any truth to Paul’s claim, that these leaders acknowledged the truth of his prophecy, then they should have simply asked him “what did Jesus tell you?” The fact that they considered the question, and the method that they used to resolve the question, clearly tells us that these men did not believe that Jesus had ever spoken to Paul. The author of the book of Acts, his bias notwithstanding, could not hide this simple fact.

The difference between the gentile church founded by Paul, and the Jerusalem Church founded by Jesus, was not limited to the question of the authenticity of Paul’s prophecy. These two institutions espoused two totally different philosophies. The central teaching of Pauline Christianity is, that faith in the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, is the only valid method through which atonement for sin can be achieved. The entire philosophy of Paul, revolves around this one teaching. 

Evangelical Christianity is founded upon this basic teaching of Paul. If you were to ask an Evangelical Christian to sum up his belief system in one sentence, he would respond with this point. That faith in Jesus is the only redemption from sin. In fact the entire concept of the messiah-ship of Jesus is basically limited to this one point. Jesus is the messiah of Evangelical Christians, only because they believe that his death provided atonement for sin.

But the Jerusalem Church which was established by Jesus, and which was guided by his disciples, did not believe in this teaching of Paul. They did not believe that faith in Jesus could effectively atone for their sins. This is demonstrated by the testimony of the Christian scriptures. The 21st chapter in the book of Acts reports that the normal activities of the members of the Jerusalem Church included the offering of animals for the explicit purpose of the expiation of sin. The book of Acts describes how four members of the Jerusalem Church had taken a Nazirite vow. This means that they had voluntarily brought themselves into a situation where they would be required (by the law of Moses) to bring an animal as a sin offering. It is clear that these people saw in the temple offerings a valid method for the expiation of sin. If they believed as Paul did, that Jesus died for their sins once and for all, then there would be no point in bringing a sin offering in the temple. The fact that the Jerusalem Church still participated in the temple offerings after Jesus had died, tells us that they did not see in Jesus’s death an all atoning sacrifice. These people were not Evangelical Christians.

The Christian scripture provides both the theological and the historical justification to the accusation that Christianity has failed in the transmission of its own message. The Christian scriptures tell us that the disciples of Jesus never believed the fundamental teaching of Evangelical Christianity.

These people who lived with Jesus and heard him preach did not believe, that with the death of Jesus, the world is redeemed of its sins. The Christian scriptures also tell us, at which historical point the break in the transmission occurred. These books tell us that Paul, the father of modern Christianity, had no connection to Jesus. Christianity is an edifice erected upon the testimony of one man. All of Christianity stands upon Paul’s word that Jesus appeared to him. The only people that were qualified to verify Paul’s claim, contradicted him to his face. This emerges from the pages of the very books which Christianity regards as true witnesses to its claims. 

By Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Did The Original Followers of Jesus Vanish Just As Rabb Gamliel Predicted

 

The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates Gamaliel as a saint, and he is commemorated on August 2

Gamaliel

Teacher

Gamaliel the Elder or Rabban Gamaliel I, was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the early 1st century AD. He was the son of Simeon ben Hillel, and grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder. Gamaliel is thought to have died in 52 AC. Wikipedia

Born: Gamla

Died: 52 AD, Jerusalem, Israel

Parents: Simeon ben Hillel

Children: Simeon ben Gamliel

Grandchildren: Gamaliel II, Ima Shalom

Grandparent: Hillel the Elder

SOURCE: You are my witnesses - SimpleToRemember.com https://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/youaremywitnesses.pdf