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INTRODUCTION
TO THINGS MESSIANIC
From
the website:
http://www.tribnews.net/bibanswers/messianic/intro.html
WHY DO
CHRISTIANS NEED TO UNDERSTAND
THE
HEBREW ROOTS OF OUR FAITH?
INTRODUCTION
In studying the Bible, many Christians find
themselves only
reading the New Testament. Although these important Scriptures give
us the salvation message, testify to the works of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and speak of issues that the First Century believers had to
experience, the New Testament comprises less than one-third of Holy
Scripture. Those who only "hang out" in this part of the Bible can
have an unbalanced approach and non-realistic view of our Creator and
His plan for the ages.
Although most of the New Testament Scriptures
have a Greek
linguistic origin, their very nature is Hebraic. The man who authored
more than half of these writings was the Apostle Paul, a rabbinical
scholar by his own admission:
Acts 22:3 (NAS) "I am a Jew, born in
Tarsus of Cilicia, but
brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according
to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, just as you all are today.
Philippians 3:5 (NKJV) Circumcised the
eighth day, of the
stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews;
concerning the law, a Pharisee;
Our Messiah Jesus Himself was Hebrew as
are many of His
expressions and sayings:
Matthew 5:29 (KJV) And if thy right
eye offend thee, pluck
it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one
of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be
cast into hell.
Matthew 6:22 (KJV) The light of the
body is the eye: if
therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness! These are just two examples of theHebrew nature of Jesus' teachings.
But what does this have to do
with anything? For
centuries, scholars have debated verses such as those above
concerning "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out" or "the light
of the body is the eye.but if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall
be full of darkness" and have gotten nowhere. These verses do not
demand a literal translation or a physical "plucking out of eyes." Rather,
there is a deeper Hebraic nature behind them. This is where the
Messianic movement steps in and where a Hebrew understanding of the
Scriptures is crucial.
Although the Messianic
movement is composed of many
factions: some having originated in Judaism, some from Protestant
Christianity, and others clearly from other places, the emphasis
concerning the Hebrew roots of our faith in Messiah [Christ] is very
important concerning the times in which we live. Ten years ago, if
you uttered the word "Yeshua," someone might believe you were part of
a cult. However, today many Christians know that this 1 was probably
the original Hebrew name of the Messiah. In fact, many popular
pre-tribulational 2 fiction books such as Paul Meir's Third
Millennium trilogy and Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins' Left Behind series
use the name "Yeshua" in reference to Jesus Christ. Why has this come
about? Because many now realize the fact that understanding the
Hebrew roots of Christianity is important.
Why
is it important to understand the distinctive
Hebraic roots of our New Covenant relationship? Because Christ
[Messiah] is returning to Jerusalem. The gates of the New Jerusalem
are named after the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:12). The Apostle Paul
writes in Ephesians 2:11-12 that if you have come to faith in
Messiah, than you have become part of the "commonwealth of Israel":
Ephesians
2:11 (YLT) Wherefore, remember, that ye
were once the nations in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by
that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands, 12 that ye were
at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the
promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world;
Knowing
about "things Messianic" and distinctively
Hebrew is the first step towards new enrichment of our faith from
Genesis to Revelation. By understanding the Hebrew origins of
Christianity, many of the obscure parts of the New Testament will begin
to make sense.
THE
"CHURCH" (EKKLESIA)
Many
believe that the "church" started at
Pentecost [Shavout] following Christ's ascension into heaven. The
Biblical truth is that the called out body of believers existed
prior to this time.
The word "church" never appears in
the Greek texts of
Scripture. The word commonly translated as such comes from ekklesia -
ejkklhsiva (STRONG'S #1577) - which directly means "the whole body
of Christians [believers in Messiah] scattered throughout the earth"
3 or "an assembly of Christians gathered for worship." 4 Note that it
can also mean "an assembly of Israelites." 5 It was important to know
that the ekklesia has always existed. The Holy Spirit being poured
out at Pentecost was but a fulfillment of prophecy, both recorded in
the Old and New Testaments:
John 14:26 (KJV) But
the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto you.
Acts 2:16 (NAS)
but this is what was spoken of through
the prophet Joel: 17 `AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God
says, `THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT UPON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR
SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE
VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; 18 EVEN
UPON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR
FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy. 19 `AND I WILL GRANT
WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE, AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BENEATH, BLOOD,
AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. 20 `THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO
DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT
AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME. 21 `AND IT SHALL BE, THAT
EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE
SAVED.'
This events at Pentecost were foretold in
Joel 2:28-31:
Yo'el [Joel] 3:1 (CJB) "After this,
I will pour out my
Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and your daughters will
prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see
visions; 2 and also on male and female slaves in those days I will
pour out my Spirit. 3 I will show wonders in the sky and on the earth
- blood, fire and columns of smoke. 4 The sun will be turned into
darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and
terrible day of ADONAI [the Lord]."6
So did the ekklesia or
"called out ones" begin at
Pentecost? All the Scripture records is that the prophesies in Joel
were fulfilled and will be completed in the prophesied Last Days.
Consider this commentary from Eddie Chumney, author of Restoring the
Two Houses of Israel, who holds to a slightly different view as to
the origins of the ekklesia:
THE
CHURCH WAS BORN AT MOUNT SINAI
"I was taught within Christianity.that the "church" was
born in Acts 2 with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh)
upon those who were gathered in Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) for the
Biblical feast of Pentecost (Shavout).however; as I began to study
the Hebraic/Jewish roots of Christianity, I discovered that the birth
of the "church" actually happened 2,000 years earlier at mount Sinai.
In Stephen's sermon in Acts
7, he makes mention of Moses
(Moshe) and the event that happened at mount Sinai in Acts 7:37-38 as
it is written:
"This is that Moses,
which said unto the children of
Israel, A prophet shall the LORD your God raise up unto you of your
brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the
CHURCH
in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount
Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles [the
Torah] to give unto us." 7
Now that we have
established that the "church," or more
accurately the ekklesia has existed since the Mt. Sinai encounter with
God, we can more fully understand that the First Century body of
believers or church was indeed very Hebraic. The so-called "Church
Age" did not begin in circa 30 C.E.
Chumney
also makes a point in describing the Hebrew
equivalent word for ekklesia, lhq or kahal (STRONG'S #6951):
THE
HEBREW WORD FOR CHURCH IS KAHAL
The Thayer's
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
will define the Greek word, "ekklesia" to mean "an assembly" and will
explain that the corresponding equivalent word in the Septuagint as
being the Hebrew word, "kahal." The Hebrew word "kahal" is the
Strong's word 6951.and is defined to mean, "an assembly,
congregation, company multitude." 8
It is
important to note that the word kahal, just like
ekklesia, can be in direct reference to Israel.
In
reference to the Hebrew roots of our faith, it is
important to note that the Apostles and the early believers in Messiah
were not foreign to the Tanakh [Old Testament]. Numerous references
to "the scriptures" (in the New Testament) are referring to Genesis -
Malachi. The gospels, epistles, and many of the other New Testament
writings had yet to be written or canonized when "the scriptures" are
being referred to.
Acts
17:2 (KJV) And Paul, as his manner was, went in
unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the
scriptures, (emphasis ours)
As we
have mentioned earlier, Paul was a rabbinical
scholar fluent in the Tanakh and when witnessing to fellow Jews in
the synagogue he would have tried to show them how Jesus or Yeshua
fulfilled the prophesies of the Messiah from the messianic
Scripture [Tanakh] passages.
It
is also important to note that prior to 70 C.E.,
the year the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, "Christianity" was
a legal religion in the Roman Empire as Rome considered it to be a
sect of Judaism (which was exempt from worshipping Caesar).
Following 70 C.E., Judaism was banned as was preaching "the Christ"
[Anointed/Chosen One or Messiah/Mashiach]. Spiros Zodhiates,
editor of the Hebrew-Greek Key Bible series, explains:
".Jewish
Christians (Messianic believers) were
considered to be a sect (Acts 24:5) of Judaism. But, after A.D. 70,
all Christians were on their own; they were recognized as separate from
Judaism." 9
Christianity originated
from First Century Judaism. The
Christian faith at its very core is Hebraic. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, is
Hebrew and is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is coming to reign
from Jerusalem, not any other city on Planet Earth. So why should we
study the roots of our faith?
You cannot have a
house without a foundation. The foundations
of the ekklesia pre-Pentecost
are Hebrew. It is crucial to understand the world view that Yeshua
[Jesus], the Apostles, and the early believers in the Messiah had so
we can more fully understand Scripture as it was originally written:
God-inspired from an Hebraic world view. 10
THE
JERUSALEM COUNCIL
What does all
this kahal/ekklesia business have to do
with the First Century believers?
In the very
early days of the Messianic/Christian ekklesia
following Pentecost, the vast majority of the believers were Jewish, or
claimed ancestry from the Southern Kingdom of Israel [Judah] (which
had returned to the land promised Abraham [Eretz Yisrael or the Land of
Israel] in approximately 500 B.C.E.) However, we know that later
God-fearing non-Jews came to faith in Messiah and that it radically
changed things. The debate among the Jewish believers was: did
they have to convert to Judaism, be circumcised, and then receive
Messiah (Acts 15:4)? Or could they receive Him directly? Acts 15
records the decisions made by the Jerusalem Council as the ethnos -
e[qno� (STRONG'S #1485)11 - were coming to faith in Messiah:
Acts 15:6 (NIV) The apostles
and elders met to consider this
question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them:
"Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the
gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he
accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did
to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified
their hearts by faith. 10 How then, why do you try to test God by
putting on their necks a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have
been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our
Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (emphasis ours)
Before the council's
ruling, Peter rehashes what has
occurred. In Acts 10:9-16, the apostle is shown the vision of the
sheet with animals on it considered unclean by Mosaic standards.
Peter is told three times to "kill, and eat" (Acts 10:13) and he responds
"Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or
unclean (Acts 10:14)." This passage is erroneously interpreted as
meaning that God annulled the dietary requirements of the Torah
[Pentateuch]. Although this article is not intended to reevaluate
Peter's vision, note that Peter himself did give us the appropriate
interpretation of his vision (and it has nothing to do with food):
Acts 10:28 (KJV)
And he said unto them, Ye know how that
it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or
come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should
not call any man common or unclean. (emphasis ours)
In Acts 15:6-11,
Peter tells us that the ethnos
[nations] have been made clean by the blood of Messiah, can receive
the same Holy Spirit, and must come to faith the same way as Jewish
believers. He also emphasizes that "a yoke.which.our fathers nor we
were able to bear" should not be put upon them, implying that
legalistic or mandatory observance of Mosaic commands was not
necessary for salvation. This is what the Jerusalem council ruled:
Acts 15:19 (CJB)
"Therefore, my opinion is that we
should not put obstacles in the way of the Goyim [ethnos/nations]
who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write them a letter
telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from
fornication, from what is strangled and from blood. 21 For from
the earliest times Moshe [Moses] has had in every city those who
proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every
Shabbat [Sabbath]."
Four requirements
were given to the new non-Jewish believers in
order for them to congregate with Jewish believers in Messiah:
1. Abstinence
from pollutions of idols
2. Abstinence
from fornication
3. Abstinence
from things strangled
4. Abstinence
from blood
Briefly
summarized, believers from the ethnos were to
avoid idols, fornication [sexual immorality], meats that were not
killed in a clean method (non-strangled - see Deut 14:2-20), and from
blood (see Deut. 12:23-25).12
Why were [those from]
the ethnos coming to faith told to
observe these four things? The answer might startle you:
Acts 15:21 (YLT) for
Moses from former generations in
every city hath those preaching him -- in the synagogues every
sabbath being read."
The inference is that
born-again non-Jews were to observe
these things so that they could enter the synagogues to be taught torah
- the instruction of God as delivered through [the five books of]
Moses or Pentateuch [the Torah].
In Ephesians 2:11-16,
the Apostle Paul writes that
non-Jews who come to faith have been made part of Israel:
Ephesians 2:11 (NAS)
Therefore remember, that formerly
you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision"
by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by
human hands -- 12 remember that you were at that time separate from
Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the
world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have
been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our
peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of
the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is
the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself
He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16
and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross,
by it having put to death the enmity. (emphasis ours)
He tells us that those
who were "separate from Christ"
were "excluded from the commonwealth of Israel" but that through the
sacrifice of Messiah, He will "make the two one new man." Please note
that the abolishment of the "Law of commandments contained in
ordinances" is not the instruction [Torah] of God. Ephesians 2:15
tells us that "God through the cross.put to death the enmity," or sin
[transgression of the law (1 John 3:4)] which has been atoned
for through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ [Yeshua HaMashiach] which
separated YHVH13 from humanity. The ordinances spoken of are
the Mosaic animal sacrifices, which are no longer necessary for the
atonement of sin.
True believers in Yeshua [Jesus],
whatever their physical
ancestry, are part of the Commonwealth of Israel (whether they like it
or not).
In our article "The
Dangers of Pre-Tribulationism" we
comment that believers from the ethnos were not to boast against
Israel. Even if these new believers had ancient dispersed ["lost
tribes"] Israelite ancestry, the inference was not to have a
"superiority complex" against Jewish bretheren in Messiah (as such
genealogies would have been lost due to the Northern Kingdom's
rebellion against God):
Romans 3:22 (KJV)
Even the righteousness of God which is
by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:
for there is no difference: (emphasis ours)
Romans 10:12 (KJV) For
there is no difference between the
Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon him. (emphasis ours)
1 Timothy 1:1 (NAS -
modified) Paul, an apostle of Christ
Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ
Jesus, who is our hope; 2 to Timothy, my true child in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at
Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach
strange doctrines, 4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless
genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than
furthering the administration of God which is by faith. 5 But the
goal of our instruction is ajgavph [agape/love14] from a pure heart
and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (emphasis ours)
The root of our faith
is Israel. Believers who were
either estranged [lost] from Israel or originally not part of Israel
have nothing to boast (Rom. 11:17-22) about in regard to their pagan
ancestries or the rebellion which allowed them to be estranged:
Ephesians 2:11 (CJB)
Therefore, remember your former
state: you Gentiles by birth - called the Uncircumcised by those who,
merely because of an operation on their flesh, are called the
Circumcised - 12 at that time had no Messiah. You were estranged from
the national life of Isra'el. You were foreigners to the covenants
embodying God's promise. You were in this world without hope and
without God. (emphasis ours)
The Jerusalem Council ruled
that there is no difference
between believers of different ethnic backgrounds as all are part of
Israel. Our true identity must first be in the Messiah, King of the
root [Israel]!
ROMAN
CATHOLICISM TAKES ITS TOLL
What we have described
concerning the Jerusalem Council
is somewhat different than what is standardly taught in the mainstream
church. True born-again believers are part of Israel. It is important
to note that there is no reference in Scripture that the First
Century believers dispensed with the [Old Testament] commands of the
Scripture, the holidays specified in the Torah (i.e., Passover),
dietary requirements, etc., but rather these were not made legalistic
salvation requirements.
But if the First
Century ekklesia was very Hebrew, how
did we get to where we are today? Presumably, mainstream Christian
practices such as the holidays Christmas and Easter as we now know
them today were not celebrated by these believers15.
History records that
the First Council of Nicea in 325
C.E., although establishing the critical beliefs for the Christian Church,
severed the organized church from its Hebrew roots. Later in the
Third Century C.E., "Christianity" was made the official religion
of the Roman Empire by Constantine and pagan traditions merged with
Biblical faith. The ultimate result of both Nicea and this
proclamation was the establishment of what we now know as the
Catholic or "universal" Church. Later the Church was split between
the bishop of Rome and the bishop of Constantinople creating the
Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern/Greek Orthodox Church.
Following the fall of Rome in
476 C.E. to the Visigoths, the
Middle
Ages began. During this period, Europe experienced the darkest time
in human history which the Roman Catholic Church dominated. One
risked death by simply possessing a written copy of the Holy
Scriptures and disease and plague were rampant. Europeans
were also some of the most uneducated people in the known world
(especially when compared to Jews and Muslims) as the Roman Catholics
held most historical and Biblical documents solely in their
possession for their own benefit [extortion]. Most dangerous was that
the Catholic Church taught that eternal life or salvation only came
through participation in the Church's sacraments.
THE
REFORMATION
We truly believe that the
Reformation, started by German
monk Martin Luther in the early 1500's, was an Act of God. Luther could
not reconcile the New Testament concept of "the just shall live by
faith" with Roman Catholic teaching. History records his Ninety-Five
Theses or protests against the Catholic Church began the phenomenon
we now call the Protestant Reformation.
The two primary goals of the
reformers were (1) to purge the
church [ekklesia] of non-Biblical Roman Catholic practices and (2) to
present the general populous a copy of Scriptures in their native
languages. (During this time famous English translations such as the
1560 Geneva Bible and 1611 King James Bible were produced.) The
Biblical realization that salvation came by grace through faith and
not by works of the church was also reestablished.
When we review the current
Messianic movement today, one
must realize that the Reformation accomplished much, although there
are still areas of Christian theology that need to be reformed. The
Reformation showed us that the practices of Roman Catholic ritual
confession, praying to the saints, Mary worship, incense, a belief in
purgatory, etc., were non-Biblical. Some believe the Protestant
Reformation was a [complete] failure because Protestants still observe
some Roman Catholic practices; but as we view it: the ekklesia needs
further reformation.
WHAT HAS THE MESSIANIC MOVEMENT (Overall) TODAY ACHIEVED?
The Messianic movement today was
started by believing Jews
(primarily in the Protestant Church) as an evangelistic [Christian]
outreach to fellow Jews. Many of today's Messianic congregations have
a mixed group of constituents, including Jews which [claim to]
have received Yeshua as the Messiah, and others from Christian
backgrounds wanting to enrich their faith. It should be noted that
many Protestant churches today also participate in Passover sedars as
it was the Passover meal that Jesus celebrated as the Last Supper,
prior to His crucifixion. Overall, the Messianic movement has been
responsible for awakening many Christians to the truly Hebraic
origins of our faith.
There are, however, distinctive
differences between your average
Messianic congregation and your standard Protestant church setting.
Just as there are many types of Christian churches, there are a
wide variety of Messianic congregations.
One of the most obvious differences
between a Messianic
congregation and your average church is that Messianics typically
assemble or hold services on a Friday night or Saturday in observance
of the Biblical [seventh-day] Sabbath or Shabbat16. Depending
on what region of the world you are in, a congregation can be very
much like an Orthodox Jewish synagogue or like a standard
church setting. One observer noted that many Messianic congregations
are like "Baptist churches with tallits (men's prayer shawls)." Use
of traditional Hebrew blessings/liturgy is also not uncommon in
Messianic settings.
Some are more charismatic than others and some
are highly
reserved. Again, depending on where you attend can affect the degree of
"Jewishness" or "synagogueness" (some of which we cannot endorse). Do
we not find diversity amongst Protestant Christian denominations as well?
We, of course, do have concerns about the
Messianic movement
overall which we plan on detailing in the future. However, the
Messianic movement has been responsible for awakening many believers
to the Hebrew roots of Christianity. But, like any sect of our faith,
it has its pros and cons. Most important, the Messianic movement has
established itself as a legitimate branch of the Christian faith.
JEWISH
OR HEBREW ROOTS?
As we are sure you have noticed, we
have refrained from
using the term "Jewish roots" and have instead used "Hebrew roots"
which we believe is more accurate. "Why?," you may ask. Consider this
quote from Eddie Chumney's Restoring the Two Houses of Israel:
".all Jews (those from the Southern
Kingdom) are Israelites
(a subset of all twelve tribes). However, not all Israelites (those
from the Northern Kingdom) are Jews (those form the
Southern Kingdom)."16
Israel is the root of our faith.
The King of Israel is the
Lord Yeshua HaMashiach [Jesus Christ]. Those descended from Judah
[the Jewish people] and who are born again are part of Israel.
Equally so, we know from Scripture that the Northern Kingdom of
Israel, namely the ten "lost tribes" (also known as Ephraim), have
been assimilated throughout the world [nations/goyim/ethnos].
Abraham was promised that "in thy seed shall all the families of the
earth be blessed (Gen. 28:14)" or that the world would be
blessed by Abraham's descendants [Israel from whence the prophesied
Messiah would originate]. So do you see our situation? Israel is much
broader than Judah.
Using the term "Jewish roots"
is not entirely accurate as Israel
(the
beloved of God) is the kahal/ekklesia whose King is the Lord Yeshua
and whose members are born again (saved or spiritually regenerated),
whether they are from Judah [the Jewish people], the Northern Kingdom
[Ephraim] that was assimilated into the nations [goyim/ethnos], or
the "families of the earth" that would be blessed by the seed
of Abraham [Yeshua the Messiah].
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