Witnessing to Jewish People - Part 1

I am so pleased to present a set of teachings by Marty Zide, Midwest Messianic Center, that can help us in sharing the gospel with the Jewish people. With all the things going on today it seems even more imperative that we understand how we can reach Jewish people for Jesus. Marty has graciously given me permission to post teachings from his blog put together by Bob Drews. It is in total the size of a small book so I have had to separate it into three postings, this being the first. The others will follow in the next two weeks.  Please feel free to donate to Marty's work at the web site below or if you want to reach him his number is also below.

God Bless you,

Carole Mayfield, Eagles Wings

Thank you for your interest in sharing the Gospel with your Jewish acquaintances. Although we proclaim the one and only Gospel in all of our evangelism, there are certain areas in the Word that we would emphasize with our Jewish friends. As you look through the material, you will discover several misconceptions that Jewish people have concerning the claims of Jesus being the promised Messiah. However, I am always quick to point out, all unsaved people have misconceptions about the Lord Jesus. My point is, you will find it helpful to understand what they are. I believe that you will discover several helpful hints to effectively proclaim the truth of Jesus the Messiah to the next Jewish person you talk to as a result of familiarizing yourself with this material.

Serving For His Glory,

Marty Zide

Midwest Messianic Center

midwestmessianiccenter.org

636-519-1885

1. Do Jewish people need to believe in Jesus as the Messiah? Can’t they become righteous by keeping the Law of Moses? No, they cannot become righteous by keeping the Law of Moses. They need to believe in Jesus as Messiah the same way as all other people do throughout the world. There is not a separate way of salvation for the Jewish people and another way of salvation for the Gentile people. Actually, there are some, who call themselves "Evangelicals," of wide influence, who teach this incorrectly. However, there are several verses in Scripture that verify that Jewish people are in need of forgiveness of sin and have the need for personal salvation like the rest of the world.

Rom. 10:1 - "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them (Israel) is for their salvation." Why would Paul pray for their salvation if they didn't need it? It wouldn't make sense to pray for that which is not necessary. Rom. 3:9 - "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) are all under sin." To be the Chosen People, (which we will discuss the meaning of in the future) does not mean that the Jewish people have escaped the need for forgiveness of sin. Acts 4:12 - "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." If the Jewish person does not come to the Messiah Jesus for the salvation of his soul, there simply is no other way for them to be saved. See John 14:6.

Those who teach that Jewish people do not need to come to God through Jesus the Messiah teach that they can be made right with God by keeping the Law of Moses. However, the Bible is clear that this is not possible.

Gal. 2:16 - nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified. Gal. 2:21 - "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Gal. 3:11 - Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith." Rom. 3:20 - because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. Rom. 10:1-4 - Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them (Israel) is for their salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

2. Is it true that it was the Jewish people who killed Jesus Christ? The Word of God is very clear on this point. If one reads the Bible, they cannot conclude that the Jewish people were guiltless and had nothing to do with seeing to it that Jesus was put to death. We know that many of the Jewish people were standing in a crowd yelling, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him." But, we can't stop there. It was not simply the Jewish people who had a part as Scripture states. But, before the Biblical proof is given, something very important needs to be considered. Those who believe and try to prove that it was only the Jewish people who are responsible for the death of Jesus the Messiah, may have some anti-semitic tendencies. They simply do not like Jewish people. I realize that there are some who believe that it was the Jewish people who are responsible simply because that's what they have been taught. But, the vast majority fall into the other category. What does Scripture say about this important subject?

Acts 4:27 - "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel." Certainly Israel had their part in the death of the Lord Jesus. But, so did the rulers of the day and the Gentile world as well. It's wrong to put the blame on one single group of people. To do so, is to possibly be manifesting a prejudice, and God says that's wrong. To be precise, you can say that you and I and every individual had a part in the death of Jesus. The reason being, He died for sin and we are all sinners.

3. What does it mean when the Bible says that the Jewish people are God's chosen people? First of all, it needs to be shown that the Bible does in fact teach that God did choose the Jewish nation.

Deut. 7:7-8 - "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

These verses clearly teach that God has chosen the nation of Israel. However, the question remains, why did He do so? That question will be answered that, but first there is something very important that needs to be understood concerning Israel's being chosen. God's choosing of Israel is a national choosing and does not guarantee salvation. God chose them as a nation to carry out some very important things that pertain to His plan. So, even though the Jewish people are God's chosen people they still are in need of personally receiving Jesus as Messiah and Savior. Now, back to the original question, why did God choose the Jewish nation? There are several points that could be given to answer this question, but three seem to rise to the surface.

A. THE WORD OF GOD God used the nation of Israel to give to the world His inerrant, divine, authoritative Word.

Rom. 3:1-2 - "Then what advantage has the Jews? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God." Psalm 147:19-20 - "He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances they have not known them. Praise the LORD!"

This is a tremendous advantage. It's through His Word that God reveals Himself and what He expects of people. Through the meticulous and careful work of the Scribes and early Jewish followers of the Messiah we have a reliable and trustworthy Bible. God has blessed the world by committing His oracles to Israel.

B. JESUS THE MESSIAH God used the nation of Israel to give to the world the one and only redeemer of mankind.

Rom. 9:3-5 - "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, . and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen."

The Word of God teaches that according to the flesh, the Messiah Jesus came through the Jewish nation. God chose the nation of Israel to be the nation through which the Messiah would come.

C. MISSIONARIES TO THE WORLD God intended for Israel to be a light to the Gentile nations by bringing to them the message of salvation through the Messiah Jesus.

So far, only the first two have been fulfilled. The Bible is complete and the Savior has come. But so far, Israel has not taken the message to the Gentile nations. In the future Israel will be obedient to this call and take the message of salvation around the world. The Word of God clearly teaches this, See Rev. 7:4-10, Isa. 2:2-3, Isa. 60:3, Isa. 11:10. The greatest days lie ahead for Israel when they will fulfill their missionary calling to the Gentile nations.

4. How do Jewish people believe you get to heaven? Before we answer that question, it needs to be said that not all Jewish people believe in heaven. Reformed Jewish people, (the least of the religious) believe that there is no life after death. People only live on in the memories of the living. The Orthodox Jewish people, (the very religious) do believe in a life after death and the Conservative Jewish people, (those in the middle) go both ways. Those who lean towards the Orthodox believe in life after death and those who lean towards the Reformed do not believe in it. For those Jewish people who do believe in a literal heaven the way you get there is by good works. They call them "mitzvahs." A mitzvah is anything that you do that benefits somebody. Mitzvahs come in many shapes and sizes. The thing that is universally believed among Jewish people who believe in heaven is, by doing mitzvahs, and praying, etc. one will enter heaven. It's really not all that different from what your average unsaved Gentile believes. They too believe that heaven is gained by what we do. A good verse to show your Jewish friends that teaches that one cannot get to heaven by good works is in Isaiah.

Isaiah 64:6 - "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."

The problem is, from God's perspective, no one who is unsaved can do good works. They are not able to because of their sin.

Psalm 14:2-3 - "The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

Paul tells us in the book of Galatians that salvation comes by faith in the Messiah Jesus and not by keeping the Law and doing good works. See Galatians 2:16, 2:21 3:11

5. Should I (as a Gentile believer) be afraid to witness to my Jewish friends because they know the Bible so well? This is something for the most part you don't have to worry about. The average Jewish person does not know their Bible all that well. Most know very little. It is true however, that the Orthodox Jewish people know some about the Old Testament, but this is nothing to fear. When you talk to them about the tabernacle and the sacrifices and the necessity for the atoning blood, they are familiar with them. What is said of the Jewish people in Hosea, Isaiah and Amos is for the most part still true. Hosea 4:6 - "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."

Isaiah 5:13 - "Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude is parched with thirst."

Amos 8:11 - "Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD GOD, when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the LORD."

There's no need to be afraid of witnessing to your Jewish friend. If you don't know where to begin, then write us and we'll send you some material that will help you in your endeavor to faithfully minister to them.

6. What do Jewish people believe about the Trinity and how can we help them understand this concept? It's safe to say that unsaved Jewish people across the board reject the teaching of a Triune Godhead. They believe that it is idolatry, because they think we are worshipping three Gods. Monotheism, (the belief in one God) is the hallmark of Judaism. They look to their favorite verse which is found in Deuteronomy.

Deut. 6:4 - "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

In their thinking, this verse does away with any kind of teaching on the Trinity. Well, where do we begin?

FIRST, show them that the New Testament also teaches that there is only one God.

I Tim. 2:5 - "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man the Messiah Jesus."

Gal. 3:20 - "Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one."

I Cor. 8:4- -"Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one."

Most Jewish people will be surprised to see the emphasis in the New Testament concerning God being one. We must emphasis that we do not worship nor do we believe in three Gods.

SECOND, we must show them that the Old Testament also teaches the concept of a Trinity. An excellent verse is found in Isaiah.

Isaiah 48:16 - "Come near to Me, listen to this: from the first (beginning) I have not spoken in secret, from the time that it took place I was there. And now the LORD GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit."

This verse is truly amazing when analyzed. Here we see the three persons of the Triune Godhead mentioned in one verse. We do need to be clear with them concerning the three. We must tell them that the Bible does speak of three persons referred to as God, yet He is one. The "Me" in this verse is said to have been there from the beginning, but now, is being sent by the LORD GOD and the Spirit. The "Me" is a referring to the Son, the second person of the Triune Godhead. THIRD, we need to explain to our Jewish friends that there are different Hebrew words for the word "one." In Deut. 6:4, the Hebrew word for "one" is "echad." By looking at other verses in the O.T. where this same word is used, it is clear the this word "echad" refers to a compound one and not an absolute one. Note Gen. 2:24 where a man and a woman becomes one when they are married. There are two of them, but they are said to be one. Also see Ezek. 37:17 where he takes two sticks and holds them together and they become one stick. Echad could be used to refer to one cluster of grapes, several grapes, but one cluster. "Echad" is the Hebrew word used in referring to the Godhead. A compound oneness, not an absolute oneness. The Hebrew word for absolute oneness is "Yachid." Deuteronomy 6:4 does not use this word for one, but rather the word for compound oneness is used. The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God, but He has revealed Himself in three persons who are equal in Deity. They are all referred to as God. Do we understand all of the ramifications of this teaching? No. But, we believe it because it is clearly taught in the Word of God. It is something we take by faith and thank God for, because it reveals His greatness.

7. Why is it so difficult for Jewish people to believe in Jesus as the Messiah? First, let me say, this is not unique to Jewish people. At the Center, we witness to anyone God brings across our path. Many of these individuals are not Jewish and we find that difficulties exist with them also. But, when thinking about Jewish people, I believe there are two main reasons for the difficulties.

A. Misunderstandings There are several areas of misunderstanding that revolve around the person of the Messiah Jesus. The first major misunderstanding is this: the average Jewish person believes that it is impossible for a Jewish person to believe in Jesus and still be Jewish. Most believe this simply because that's what they've been told. Or, they think that only Gentiles believe in Jesus and if a Jewish person would believe in Jesus, then they have converted and become a Gentile. How can we help to clear up this misunderstanding in the minds of our Jewish friends? I use Paul as an illustration of a Jewish person who became a follower of Jesus as Messiah, but was still Jewish.

Rom. 9:3-4 - "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsman according to the flesh, who are Israelites." Rom. 11:1 - "I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." 2 Cor. 11:22 - "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I."

These verses clearly demonstrate that Paul did not lose his being Jewish after he became a believer in Jesus. Most Jewish believers I know learn to appreciate their heritage more after their salvation. The second major misunderstanding is: the average Jewish person believes that all Gentiles are Christians. We know this is not true, but to the Jewish mind, they are one and the same. They use "Gentile" and "Christian" as synonyms. This is devastating, because they conclude that Hitler and all the others who persecuted the Jewish people in the name of Christ were Christians. We need to help them distinguish between the two groups. Actually true believers should have an appreciation for the Jewish people, because they realize God's special plan for them.

B. Fear This is the second major difficulty. Jewish people are afraid of the reactions they will receive from relatives and the Jewish community as a whole if they were to become followers of Jesus as Messiah. Almost every Jewish person goes through this when they seriously consider becoming a believer. This was very common during the ministry of Jesus.

John 19:38 - "And after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus;." John 9:22 - "His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed, that if anyone should confess Him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue."

John 7:12-13 - "And there was much grumbling among the multitudes concerning Him;. Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews."

This is true to this very day. Fear is probably the major hindrance that has to be dealt with when witnessing to a Jewish person who begins to show some interest in becoming a believer in Jesus.

8. What do Jewish people believe about the New Testament? For the most part, it is totally rejected by the Jewish community. They believe that it is totally irrelevant and that it doesn't offer anything for them. It is viewed as a book that only has relevance for the Gentiles. How can we help Jewish people see that the New Testament is important for them and that it has a tremendous amount to offer them?

Help them to see that the New Testament has a strong Jewish flavor to it. How do we go about doing that?

First, let them know that all of the writers of the New Testament were Jewish, (with the possible exception of Luke).

Second, help them to see how often the Jewish people (Israel) and Jewish things are mentioned. We need to be up front and let them know that sometimes the Jewish people are mentioned in a negative light just as they are in the Old Testament. You can mention that 17 of the 27 New Testament books quote the Old Testament. Let them know that the New Testament writers refer to at least 161 Old Testament events and quote from over 246 O. T. passages. To help you be better equipped to minister to a Jewish person and help them see the relevancy of the New Testament, what are some of the events that the New Testament refers to?

a. Creation - Gen. 1:1; Heb. 11:3

b. Man made in God's image - Gen. 1:26; I Cor. 11:7

c. God resting - Gen. 2:2-3; Heb. 4:4

d. Marriage - Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:46

e. The fall - Gen. 3:6-8; Rom. 5:12-19

f. Murder of Able - Gen. 4:8; 1 John 3:12

g. Enoch's translation - Gen. 5::21-24; Heb. 11:5

h. Noah's Ark - Gen 6:14-16; 7:1-12; Luke 17:26-27; 2 Pet. 3:6

i. Call of Abraham - Gen. 12:1; Heb. 11:8

j. Abraham & Melchizedek - Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 7:1-4

k. Destruction of Sodom - Gen. 19; Matt. 11:24

l. Isaac's birth - Gen. 19:26; Gal. 4:23

m. Offering up of Isaac - Gen. 22:10; Heb. 11:17-19

n. Burning bush - Ex. 3:2; Luke 20:37; Acts 7:30

o. Exodus - Ex. 12-14; Acts 7:36; Heb. 11:29

p. Manna - Ex. 16:15; John 6:31

q. Giving of the Law - Ex. 20; Gal. 3:19

r. Serpent of brass - Num. 21:8-9; John 3:14

s. Elijah & the drought - 1 Kings 17; James 5:17

t. Healing of Naaman - 2 Kings 5:14; Luke 4:27

u. Daniel & lion's den- Dan. 6:22; Heb. 11:33

v. Jonah in the fish - Jonah 1:7; Matt. 12:40; 16:4

Ten O.T. verses most frequently cited in N.T.

Psalm 110:1 - Quoted 18 times

Ezekiel 1:26-28 -Quoted 12 times

Daniel 12:1 - Quoted 11 times

Isaiah 6:1 - Quoted 11 times

2 Chron 18:8;

Ps. 47:8 & 1 Kings 22:19 - each quoted 11 times

       Psalm 2:7 - Quoted 10 times

       Isaiah 53:7 - Quoted 10 times

       Amos 3:13 - Quoted 10 times

       Amos 4:13 - Quoted 10 times

       Leviticus 19:8 -Quoted 10 times

9. What do Jewish people believe about Jesus? Who do they think He was? Without hesitation, they accept Him as an historical figure. They will say something like this, "Jesus was a good teacher, a prophet and a good man, but he was not God." They don't deny that He existed, however, they do deny that Jesus was Deity; God in the flesh. This was recently illustrated again as I (Marty) had the opportunity to visit with a Rabbi. For about the first ten minutes of the conversation, he sought to build a case by explaining that nowhere in Judaism, does it teach that the Messiah is going to be divine. He believed that Paul deviated from his Judaism and invented this teaching about the necessity of the divinity of Messiah. After listening to him give reason after reason, I asked if I might interject something. I explained that Paul did not invent the concept of the divinity of the Messiah, but stated that this teaching is taught throughout the Old Testament. I asked him if he would get a copy of the Holy Scriptures, (the Jewish publication of the Old Testament) look up Isaiah 9:6, and please read it. He did and here is what he read.

Isa. 9:6 "For a child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." After reading it in English, the Rabbi got down his Hebrew Bible and read the words "El Gibbor." Which when translated, mean, "Mighty God." He didn't like what he saw, but it can't be denied, it was prophesied that the Messiah was to be divine.

GOD Is. 41:4 “Who has performed and accomplished Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’”

Is. 48:12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.

Is. 45:22 “Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. Is. 45:23 “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear Is. 45:24 “They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’ Men will come to Him, And all who were angry at Him shall be put to shame.

Is. 43:3 “For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.

JESUS Rev. 1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, Rev. 1:18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

Rev. 2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says

Phil. 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, Phil. 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matt. 1:21 “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”

These verses clearly illustrate that Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. He is not simply a good man, a teacher, or a Rabbi, but He is divine, truly God in the flesh. Was this necessary? Yes it was. It's clearly taught in the Word of God that the Messiah was to be divine and the Lord Jesus fulfills this. Denying the divinity of Jesus is not unique to Judaism, all of the cults and other false religions also deny this vital truth. It's true that Jesus was also 100% human, but that does not hinder His being divine.

10. Can a person from a Gentile background witness effectively to a Jewish person? The answer is an emphatic yes. In fact, many within the unsaved Jewish community who have seriously studied why Jewish people become believers in Jesus have concluded, that Gentile believers are one of the most serious threats. However, after traveling as much as I do, and listening to certain comments that are made to me, I have concluded that most Gentile believers feel they would not be very effective when witnessing to the average Jewish person. Most are fearful that the Jewish person knows much more about the Bible than they do. In some cases with Orthodox Jews they do have a knowledge of the Bible, but so do you, if you have been saved for some time. What are some things that will help in your witnessing to Jewish people?

1. Show them true Christian love. This cannot be overestimated. This is not what they get from the average Gentile who is unsaved, anymore than a Gentile would get from an unsaved Jewish person. Remember, the Bible talks about a middle wall of partition that exists between the unsaved Jewish person and Gentile.

Eph. 2:14 - "For He Himself is our Peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall."

2. Express sincere appreciation. According to the Scriptures, Gentile believers are sharing in the spiritual blessing that God promised to Israel. We read of this in Romans 15.

Rom. 15:27 - "Yes, they (Gentile believers) were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them (Jewish people). For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things."

Gentile believers have benefited spiritually as a result of the Jewish people. From your heart you can express this to your Jewish friend. You could perhaps say something like this, " I've never told you this, but I really appreciate your people. So many of the blessings that I have received have come to me through the Jewish people. My Bible (Rom. 3:1-2), my Savior (Rom 9:3-5), my salvation, (Rom. 11:11) and many other things, and I just want you to know that I thank God for the nation of Israel."

3. Use proper terminology. Certain words that are used while witnessing can be unnecessarily offensive and cause walls to go up. Using the right words can make a big difference.

DO SAY:                     DON'T SAY:

Messiah                      Christ

Believer                      Christian

Return to God             Convert

There are others as well, but these are three of the most important. The word "Christ" brings to mind the persecutions that Jewish people have endured in the name of Christ. To the Jewish person, anyone who is not Jewish or a Muslim is a Christian. In their thinking, all Gentiles are Christians. We know this is not so, but they don't. To them, Hitler was a Christian. The word, "convert" puts a false concept in their minds. They already think that it is impossible for a Jewish person to believe in Jesus and still be Jewish. This word only reinforces this mistaken idea. In their thinking, to convert means to give up anything that pertains to their being Jewish. Just these ideas alone will greatly enhance your witnessing. Keep it up for His glory.

11. When we witness to Jewish people, can we expect them to believe in Jesus as the Messiah? This might seem like a strange question to some of you, but, I'm sad to have to say it, there are some who think Jewish people cannot get saved. They believe that they had their chance, but, when they rejected Jesus as the Messiah, God closed the door forever on them. I remember an instance far too well. I was being interviewed on a Christian television program, and before it was over, a person called and said I was wasting my time trying to witness to Jewish people. He said, "Don't you know Jews can't get saved?" Well, I immediately checked myself to see if I (a Jewish man) was saved (just kidding) and I'm glad to say that I was. This caller was wrong. The sad thing is that this man who called was a Pastor of a Church. How do we answer the above question? How do we know that Jewish people can get saved? Are we wasting our time in trying to evangelize them? The answer is no!!

1. Paul prayed for the salvation of Jewish people.

Rom. 11:1-2 - "I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew."

Why would Paul pray for their salvation if it was impossible for them to get saved? This verse wouldn't make any sense at all. The fact that he prays for them is proof that the possibility is there.

2. Paul uses himself as an example that Jewish people can get saved and that God has not given up on the Jewish people.

If Jewish people can't get saved, then Paul was in big trouble. But, the fact is, Paul was saved and he definitely makes it clear that he was from a Jewish background. Just by way of mentioning it, this is a good verse to prove that Jewish people remain Jewish, even after they trust Jesus as Messiah.

3. Paul puts the icing on the cake by stating that there is a remnant of Jewish people that will be saved.

Rom. 11:2-5 - "God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, they have torn down Thine altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life. But what is the divine response to him? I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice."

This clearly answers the above question. We should expect to see Jewish people getting saved. There is a remnant today, just as there was in Elijah's day. We don't know who makes up this remnant, so we go to everyone we can. In God's sovereignty, there will be a positive response by some as the Gospel is faithfully given out. This is what keeps us going. This is what gives us hope. We know that Jewish people can be saved and all who say otherwise are wrong. It's not a waste of time or a waste of the Lord's resources to seek to proclaim the Gospel to God's chosen people.

12. When a Jewish person gets saved, should they continue going to their Temple or Synagogue, or should they begin going to Church? In most cases Jewish believers don't have to worry about this, because the decision is made for them. When they make it known that they are followers of Jesus as Messiah, they are no longer welcomed at their Temple or Synagogue. However, I have known some who do not tell those in their Synagogue of their faith and they continue going there. Is this what they should be doing? Before I answer the question, this can also include those from a Gentile background as well. Should a Catholic continue going to their church? How about a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness? How about someone who was brought up in a very liberal denominational church? It's true there are many ramifications when this question is considered and it really is an important issue. Scripture clearly teaches that when people become true followers of Jesus as Messiah they should begin fellowshipping with other true believers. This is clearly taught and we have examples of this in Scripture.

Acts 2:41-42 - "So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

This plainly seems to be the pattern after one became a believer in Jesus as Messiah. If you look up Acts 20:7 and I Cor. 16:2, there is also mention of believers meeting on the first day of the week. The important thing to consider is that the Bible was truly taught and true fellowship occurred. This needs to be the same criteria that we take into consideration when seeking a place to worship. So getting back to our original question, should a Jewish believer continue going to their Temple or Synagogue, or should they begin going to a place that teaches the truth. I think the answer is obvious. However, before we leave this, lets consider, why would a person want to stay in the place they went to before they were saved? One major reason is because of family members and the negative impact it would have on them if they left. This is probably the most common response I've heard from those who decide to remain in their existing situation instead of seeking out true believers. They will say something like this, "If I leave my Temple, what will my parents say?" "If I leave my Synagogue, what will my children think?" These are very common concerns that new Jewish believers have. I understand them, because I had similar fears myself. All I know is that, if a Jewish believer chooses to stay in their Temple or Synagogue, they will not grow as they should. They will be disobedient to the clear teaching of Scripture and will not have the testimony that they hoped they would have had. This is also true for those from a Gentile background. They too need to begin worshipping the Lord in a place that is characterized by the truth. Believe me, I know this may be difficult in many circumstances. It was for me. But, it paid off in the long run. We can never go wrong doing what is right even if it is hard and people get upset. I know God's grace will get them through.

13. What makes a person Jewish, or to phrase it in the most popular way, “Who is a Jew?” I’m sure my answer will not solve this question that has been debated for thousands of years and I’m sure there will be some who will disagree with my conclusions. First of all, what do Jewish people believe the answer is to this question? Two notable Jewish people addressed this issue years back. Even though they disagreed on the mater, most Jewish people now hold to one of their two positions. Yitzchak Herzog, a former Chief Rabbi of Israel believed that according to Jewish law only the offspring of a Jewish mother can be considered Jewish. He believed that if the father is Jewish and the mother is was not, a child born to them is not Jewish. David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel believed that anyone who declares that he is Jewish, lives a Jewish life, and is interested in the welfare of the Jewish people is to be considered Jewish, regardless of the faith of the mother. Both of these opinions are widely accepted by Jewish people to this day. Personally, I hold to a different view. To be part of the Jewish nation, one’s lineage has to go back to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. I’m not convinced that being Jewish is passed down only through the mother. Biblically, genealogies are usually traced through men, (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) not women, (Sarah, Rebekkah, and Rachel). It seems possible that one’s being Jewish is passed down through the father, rather than the mother. But, to be even more specific, the Apostle Paul talks about this issue.

Rom. 2:28-29 - For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Being a true Jew, according to the Bible is not proved by outward observations. A true Jew according to Scripture is an issue of the heart. A true Jew from God’s perspective is one who is circumcised in the heart, which is done by Spirit. To simply be circumcised in the flesh does not automatically make a person Jewish. To put it simply, what Paul is saying is, to be a true Jew, you need to be a believer in Jesus as Messiah. Isn’t that interesting? Almost all unsaved Jewish people across the board would say that if a Jewish person becomes a believer in Jesus, he is no longer Jewish. However, the authoritative Word says that the truest Jews are those who are circumcised inwardly by the Spirit and this is only true of believers in Jesus. To be physically Jewish (a physical child of Abraham) will not get a Jewish person to heaven, but those who are Jewish believers in Jesus (spiritual children of Abraham) will go to heaven. To be outwardly Jewish will not do anything for their eternal destiny. But, to be inwardly circumcised of the heart by the Spirit makes them the purest form of Jew from God’s perspective. So to answer the question, a person is physically Jewish as a result of their lineage, but they are not the purest of Jews. Those who are true believers in Jesus as Messiah are the ones who from God’s perspective are the ones who bring praise to Him.

14. What do Jewish people believe about heaven, hell and life after death? First of all, there is no general answer to this question. It really depends upon the back-ground of the Jewish person. Most of the Orthodox (the very religious) do believe in life after death. They take it literally. Most of the Reform Jewish people (the very liberal) do not believe that there is a literal life after death. If they do, they don't give it a whole lot of thought. The Conservative Jews fall somewhere in the middle. How can we most effectively minister this truth to them? Are there some good things that we can say to them that might show them the importance of realizing that there is a literal heaven and hell? Before I try to answer this, what are some Bible verses that would be good for us to show them?

Dan. 12:2 - "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace everlasting contempt." Is. 26:19 - "Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits." Is. 66:24 - "Then they shall go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall not be quenched; And they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind."

Now, what can we say that might get them to thinking? Here lately, a friend and I have had the opportunity to speak to some Jewish people that say they do not believe in heaven or hell. During the course of our conversation I try to bring up somebody like Hitler or some other individual of like character. More often than not they will respond by saying something like this, "I'm glad they're getting what's coming to them." I immediately ask them how that's possible if there is no life after death. If there is no hell, then how are they getting anything? I try to explain to them that since we are forbidden to seek vengeance ourselves, because it belongs to the Lord, hell really is the only way some people will get what is coming to them. Please don't misunderstand, we are not trying to say that we are glad that anyone goes to hell, but simply that it's a matter of God being just and people receiving God's wrath for their own sins. This ministry seeks to help people repent and receive God's forgiveness through the Messiah Jesus so they won't get what they do deserve. We try to emphasize the importance of life after death as a way for God's justice and grace to be manifested. Justice for those who are getting what they deserve, (hell) and grace for those getting what they do not deserve (heaven). Thank God this life isn't all there is.

15. Why is there so little understanding and manifestation of the Jewish roots that the Church had at the beginning, in the present Church? That’s a good question, especially when you think about the fact that the Church was founded by a Jewish person. All of the Apostles were Jewish and the first believers in Jesus wee Jewish as well. If you look around today, there is very little evidence that the Church ever had any Jewish influence at all. What happened? I’ve thought about this a lot and perhaps some of my conclusions will be helpful for you to think about. Before I give some specifics, I’ll give the over all, bottom line reason why I believe it’s this way. I believe we see a major shift from a Jewish influence because, we are in a period called, “The Fullness of the Gentiles.” This is where God in a particular way is primarily working with the Gentile nations and calling out a people from them.

Rom. 11:25 - For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in

That of course does not mean that God is not also saving some from among the Jewish people. But, primarily His work at this time is among the Gentiles. Why is that?

Acts 13:44-46 - And the next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

To get the entire context you would do well to begin reading at Acts 13:14. Here we see that it was God’s intentional plan to go to Israel first with the Gospel. When they rejected it, the doors were opened to the Gentiles and this is where we are today. After the Rapture of the Church, God will once again work in a special way with Israel and perhaps the character of the believers will once again have more of a Jewish flavor to it.

16. Is there any value for a Gentile believer to have an understanding of certain Jewish things? I believe the answer to this question is a resounding yes. In fact if a believer of any background doesn’t have an understanding of certain Jewish things, they will have a difficult time getting a true understanding of several teachings in the New Testament. For example, if you don’t understand that the “Last Supper” was actually a Passover Seder that Jesus was celebrating, you won’t understand the full significance of Communion. Both the Passover and Communion are times of remembrance. One remembers a physical deliverance and the other a spiritual deliverance. Remember, it was at a Passover celebration that Jesus instituted Communion. If you don’t have an understanding of the sacrificial system and the priesthood as taught in the book of Leviticus, it will be difficult for you to understand the book of Hebrews. Every Holy Day that God gave Israel pointed to certain aspects of Messiah Jesus. Not knowing anything about them will leave us wondering why Jesus did and said certain things. By all means, take the time to understand the background out of which Christianity comes.

17. Are Gentile believers indebted in some way to the Jewish people? I realize the mere asking of a question like this has the potential of raising issues of prejudice and bias. Let me emphasize, that's not my purpose in posing this question. I simply want to be Biblical and search out this subject from the Word of God. However, if your initial response left something to be desired, it might be helpful for you to ask God as David did, to search your heart. So, to get back to our question, just what does the Bible say about this?

Rom. 15:26-27 - For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.

What are these verses saying? The churches in Macedonia and Achaia were congregations made up of primarily Gentile believers. They were pleased to take up an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem. These were the Jewish believers in the city of Jerusalem who were in need. Paul then goes on to say that the Gentile believers were indebted to the Jewish people and he gives the reason for their indebtedness. What reason does Paul give for the Gentiles being in debt to the Jewish people? He goes on to explain, that because Gentiles believers have shared in the spiritual blessings of the Jewish people, they are indebted to minister to them (the Jewish people) in material things. What are some of the spiritual things that Paul is referring to here? It would include the Gospel, the Word of God, the Messiah Jesus, and certain aspects of the New Covenant, just to name a few. There is no question that Gentile believers are benefitting from the blessings that will one day be fully experienced by the nation of Israel. Warren Wiersbe in his commentary on Romans hits the nail right on the head when commenting about the offering that was taken up by the Gentile believers. He says, "Paul looked upon this offering as the paying of a debt. The Gentiles had received spiritual wealth from the Jewish people. They now returned material wealth, paying their debt. Paul considered himself a "debtor" to the whole world (Rom. 1:14). He also considered the Gentile Christians debtors to the Jewish people, for it was the Jewish people who gave to the Gentiles the Word of God and the Son of God. We Christians ought to feel an obligation to Israel, and pay that debt by praying for Israel, sharing the Gospel, and helping in a material way. Anti-Semitism has no place in the life of a dedicated Christian." May I ask you a question? Are you fulfilling your debt to the people of Israel? Is the church that you're attending fulfilling it's debt to the Jewish people? How can we accomplish this in our day and age? Some of the ways that it's fulfilled is by praying for the salvation of the Jewish people, personally witnessing to them, and by supporting organizations like the Center. Please do not misunderstand me, this in no way suggests that we should be slack in our efforts, or desires to reach out to any individual. It shouldn't matter what their nationality or religious preference is, if they need the Messiah Jesus as their Savior, we should be prepared and willing to minister to them. Remember, God so loved the world and that includes everyone.

18. Who does the land of Israel really belong to? As I attempt to answer this question, I'm not going to allow emotions, nor am I going to allow the fact that I come from a Jewish background, influence my answer. To do so wouldn't be right. I'm simply going to look to the Bible. Then, those of us who love the Word of God shouldn't have a problem with the answer.

FIRST: It's important to know that the land of Israel belongs to God.

Lev. 25:23 'The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are aliens and sojourners with Me.

The first fact we need to establish is: God owns the land and because of that, He can do whatever He wants to with it. If He wanted to keep it for Himself, He would have been totally justified. If He chooses to give it away, He can also do that.

SECOND: God did chose to give it away and He tells us who He gave it to.

Gen. 12:7 - And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." From this verse, we can clearly see that God is giving the land to the descendants of Abram (later to be named Abraham), see Gen. 17:7-8. The question then needs to be asked, "Which descendants of Abraham?" There were several options. Scripture gives the answer.

THIRD: The land was given to Abraham and passed down through Isaac.

Gen. 26:3 - (God talking to Isaac) - "Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.

One is not being unkind to Ishmael, or our Arab friends by this. We just want to know what the Bible says. Abraham suggested Ishmael as the descendant to receive the land, but God said no.

Gen. 17:18-19 - And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!" But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

FOURTH: After Isaac we see that the land is passed down to Jacob, not Esau.

Gen. 28:3-4 - (Isaac talking to Jacob) - "And may God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. "May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you; that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham." Gen. 28:13-15 - (God talking to Jacob) - And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. "Your descendants shall also be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. "And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

FIFTH: God's promise of the land to Israel still holds true. It belongs to Israel because it was given to them by God. One day they will possess all of it and will dwell there in true peace.

Jer. 30:3 - 'For, behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.' The Lord says, 'I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall possess it.' " Jer. 30:10 - 'And fear not, O Jacob My servant,' declares the Lord, 'And do not be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, And no one shall make him afraid.

We ought to be thankful that God holds true to the promises He made to Israel. Remember, He also made some promises to the Church.

19. What religious literature is found within Judaism? THE HOLY SCRIPTURES The Jewish people have a book that is called "the Holy Scriptures." This would be very comparable to our Old Testament. The reason why they don't call it the Old Testament is because they don't have a New Testament. The Holy Scriptures are very similar to our King James Old Testament. In fact, I will often use a copy of the Holy Scriptures to witness to a Jewish person. The officially accepted list of books in the Hebrew Bible consists of 24 books according to Jewish reckoning and is divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the writings.

The Law (Torah - 5 Books) often called the Pentateuch goes from Genesis through Deuteronomy.

The Prophets (Nevi'im - 8 books) are divided into two parts: the former prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings); and the later prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the 12 Minor Prophets. The Writings (Kethubim - 11 books) include three poetic books (Psalms, Proverbs, and Job); the five scrolls (Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther); and three prophetical-historical books, (Daniel, and Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles.) It's sad to have to say it, but a very small percentage of Jewish people read the Holy Scriptures. Most are almost totally illiterate concerning what they teach. The ones who are familiar with the Holy Scriptures are mainly the Orthodox Jewish people. This is very important for you to know, because most Gentile believers that I run into have a fear about witnessing to Jewish people. They believe that the Jewish people are very familiar with the Scriptures and because of that, they back off from witnessing to them.

THE TALMUD: The Talmud is a body of Rabbinical thought on the Holy Scriptures. It is made up of two parts, the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is basically a commentary by Rabbis on the Holy Scriptures and the Gemara is a commentary on the Mishnah. The Mishnah and the Gemara make up the talmud. What's true concerning the Holy Scriptures is also true concerning the Talmud. Only the religious Jewish people are familiar with the Talmud. Orthodox Jews look at the Holy Scriptures through the Talmud. They interpret Scripture based on the insight that the Talmud (or Rabbis) offer. A major error is made with the Talmud. They actually put it on the same level with the Holy Scriptures. In fact, in some circles having a knowledge of the Talmud is held in higher esteem than that of Scripture itself. To put it in simple terms, the Mishnah is comparable to a commentary that someone would write on one of the books of the bible that we might buy at a Christian bookstore. The Gemara would be like a person who would come along and write a commentary on the commentary. When you witness to a Jewish person, use the Scriptures. Don't worry about what they believe about the Bible. Pray that the Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to convict them of their sin.

20. What do Jewish people believe about the Law of Moses, or the Ten Commandments? And what is the true purpose of the Law? There is no set answer to this question, because it really depends upon the background and how religious the Jewish person is. An Orthodox Jew has a different understanding about the Law than a Reform Jew, even though there may be some similar thinking on the subject. However, it is safe to say that the Law holds a very important place in the mind and hearts of most Jewish people. But, when you listen to what they believe about it, there is one major flaw in their thinking. Bottom line, most Jewish people believe that the way to get to heaven, (if they believe in a literal heaven) is by keeping the Law. Judaism at it's core is really a works oriented belief. You get to heaven by doing good deeds, or Mitzvahs as we call them. If you think about it, unsaved Jewish people and unsaved Gentiles believe you get to heaven the same way, by doing good works. Religious Jewish people go to great lengths to keep the Law. This was also true in Jesus' day. The leaders sought to bind the people with heavy burdens that were not even a part of the Law of God, yet they were very relaxed about keeping them themselves.

Matt. 23:1-4 - Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say and do not do "And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with a finger.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS Before giving some of the specific purposes for the Law, I first want to make some general remarks about it.

A. The Law was not given to save anybody. Hypothetically, the Law could give life if it was kept perfectly, but no one could keep it. Except Jesus.

Gal. 3:10 - For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, " Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them." James 2:10 - For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one he has become guilty of all.

The Law simply doesn't have the ability to save anybody.

Gal. 3:11 - Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith." Gal. 2:21 - "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Gal. 2:16 - nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.

This does not mean that God didn't have a very important function for the Law, or that the Law was evil in some way. Romans 7:12 makes it clear that the Law is Holy.

B. The Law was given to the people of Israel.

Rom. 9:3-4 - For I could wish that I myself were accursed, from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service and the promises

See Deut. 4:7-8, Ps. 147:19-20. It is important to remember this. Binding the Mosaic Law upon the Church has caused a multitude of confusion and false teaching within the Body of Christ.

C. The Nature of the Law. Biblically speaking, the Law was one of the Covenants that God entered into with the people of Israel.

Ex. 34:27-28 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

 

Some covenants are unconditional, some are conditional. In a conditional covenant, that which was covenanted depended on the recipient of the covenant for its fulfillment, not on the one making the covenant. This type of covenant has an "if" attached to it. The Mosaic Covenant made by God to Israel is one such covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional. It will be fulfilled regardless of the behavior of Israel. The Mosaic Covenant is conditional. It is also the only covenant that is not called eternal, it was to continue only until the coming of the seed. There is a very close relationship between the Abrahamic and the Mosaic Covenants. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant, it has conditional blessings attached to it. Those blessings would be obtained by obedience. But obedience to what? Obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. In other words the Mosaic Covenant was added alongside the Abrahamic Covenant in order to define the obedience that was required in order to obtain the blessings promised by the Abrahamic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant provided the blessing, not the Mosaic Covenant. To continue, what are some of the purposes of the Mosaic Law?

 

PURPOSES OF THE LAW

 

A. To reveal the holiness of God - 1Pet. 1:15-16

 

1 Pet. 1:15-16 - but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

 

This is a quote from the Law that is found in Leviticus 19:2 and it's in the Law that we discover the holy character of God. We see what God accepts and doesn't accept as far as behavior is concerned. When one reads the Law, they discover that God is a very Holy God.

 

B. To reveal and expose the sinfulness of man and the sinfulness of sin - Rom. 7:7, Rom 3:20.

 

Rom. 7:7 - What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, " You shall not covet."

 

Rom. 3:20 - because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

 

The Law is like a mirror. It will reveal dirt on someone's face when they look into it, but it doesn't have the ability to cleanse it. As we read the Law, we see our sin and how dreadful it is in the sight of God. But we are left without a means of cleansing except for the fact of what God did through His Son the Messiah.

 

C. To reveal the standards of holiness required of those who desire fellowship with a holy God. The Law sets down the standards and principles for those who desire to walk in fellowship with God. Israel was a nation uniquely called by God. In order for them to walk in fellowship with God they needed to walk in a way that was pleasing to Him. The Law lays down many of the standards that would aid them in this. David, in one of his Psalms realized the importance of this aspect of the Law and reiterates some of its principles and asks some very important questions about walking with God.

 

Ps. 24:3-5 - Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

 

However, it must be realized, that sanctification itself does not come by keeping the Law. Paul speaks of this issue in Galatians.

 

Gal. 3:3-5 - Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain-- if indeed it was in vain? Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

 

The Law does not save, nor does it sanctify. The Law simply sets down some of the standards that are necessary for fellowship with God. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can the requirements of the Law be fulfilled which brings fellowship.  

 

Rom. 8:4 - in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

 

D. To make provision for the covering of sin and to make restoration back to fellowship possible. In Leviticus chapters 1-7 there are five offerings described. They are: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. One of the major things the Law did was to prove to Israel that they sinned and fell short of God's standards. God provided a way for their sins to be covered. It is true, the offerings did not take away sin, but they manifested that the person offering them looked forward by faith to a time when one would come and take away their sin. This of course is what the Messiah Jesus did. All of the offerings pointed to Christ and what He would do on the cross. His offering of Himself didn't simply provide a covering, it provides the way for sin to be totally taken away. When one understands this, it shows how wrong it is to think that the Law could possibly save someone. This is what we need to tell our Jewish friends. Yes, the Law is important, but it cannot save anyone.

 

E. To make a distinction between Israel and all other nations in order that they might become a kingdom of priests.

 

Esth. 3:8 - Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not observe the king's laws, so it is not in the king's interest to let them remain.

 

Haman was exactly right in his conclusions about Israel's laws. They were different. This was really one of the specific reasons for many of their commandments. Their dietary laws, their clothing laws, their laws about worship, just to name a few, were given to keep them distinct and separate from the other nations. This was God's desire for Israel. One of the places that Israel ran into trouble was when they became relaxed in this and they became like the other nations that were around them.

 

F. To help a person understand that they need to be saved. Saul of Tarsus came to understand that he was a sinner by reading the Law.

 

Rom. 7:7-9 - What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. And I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died;

 

It was through his reading of the Law that he discovered his problem with coveting. Before this information, Saul of Tarsus didn't see this major flaw in himself. It's like driving a car in a new town. You are driving down the street and you don't know how fast you should be going. Then all of a sudden you see a speed limit sign and you discover that you are breaking the law. God can still use His Law in this way. When unsaved people read the Word of God, they will come across verses that will manifest their sinfulness. Many people are depending upon their own righteousness to gain approval before God. This is true for Jewish people and Gentiles. However, Paul states that one's own righteousness is not sufficient.

 

Rom. 10:3-4 - For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

 

As we've emphasized over and over, the Law can't save, but it plays a very important role in God's program.

 

G. The Law was to be a unifying principle for the nation of Israel. The Law was designed to bring the people of Israel together under the same umbrella of standards, rules and regulations. When Israel was presented with this, they agreed to do them.

 

Ex. 19:7-8 - "So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. And all the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!" And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.

 

This is not unlike what the Word of God should be for the believer. That which is in the Bible is our standard for belief and behavior. It separates us from the world but, unites us with all other true believers. The Law had that effect upon Israel.

 

H. The Law was given to make provision and give direction for Israel to worship God. In the Law we find all that Israel needed to know to worship God. The Holy Feast Days were laid out for them in Leviticus 23. Directions for the tabernacle, the priesthood, and the sacrifices were clearly given. Israel was not allowed to worship God as they thought best. It was made known to them by God as to how they were to worship Him and much of that information is contained in the Law.

 

I. The Law was designed to lead one to Jesus the Messiah.

 

Gal. 3:24-25 - Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

 

Paul explains that the Law was a "tutor." In ancient cultures a tutor was usually a slave who was responsible for watching over a child. He would take them to and from school and check their behavior. They would seek to teach the child right from wrong. In Paul's analogy, the Law did that. It taught the Jewish people about themselves. When the Law is properly used, it will lead a person to the Messiah Jesus. He will understand that his standing before God is not what it needs to be. He will understand that he needs a Savior and that the Law cannot save. The Law is like a mirror. It will show the dirt on someone's face, but it doesn't have the power to clean it off. It showed the person that they needed to be justified by faith. Once that took place, they were no longer under the "tutor." As believers today, we're not under the Law. We can learn much from it, but it cannot save anyone.

 

21. Is God through with Israel as a nation and has the Church replaced Israel in God's plan? This is a teaching that has been held down through history and it's a belief that is presently growing by leaps and bounds in certain circles. As a result, it will do us well to consider this issue from a Biblical standpoint. Before I seek to answer the question, I do feel it's important to preface what I'm going to say with a couple of things. First, my answers will be coming from a Biblical foundation, rather than one of bias. I'm not going to say what I say, simply because I'm from a Jewish background. Holding true to the Word is much more important an issue to me. Second, I recognize that there are very good Bible teachers that may disagree with my conclusions. I do not believe this is a heaven or hell issue and I'm not saying that those who hold to another view are not true believers. Hoping to be clear on that, lets begin to discuss the subject.

 

GOD CHOSE ISRAEL

First, we need to be clear as to the fact that God did choose Israel in His overall plan. We can't deny this, it's all throughout the Word.

 

Deut. 7:6-8 - "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. "The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deut. 14:2 - "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

 

Amos 3:2 - "You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; ."

Is. 44:1-2 - "But now listen, O Jacob, My servant; And Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, 'Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

 

These verses are just a very small sampling of this truth. Most do not deny this fact, but the questions surface as to the present and future of Israel. Is Israel still God's chosen nation? What about the fact that Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah? Because of this rejection, did it cause God to break His covenant blessings with Israel? Does Israel have a future in God's plan? Has Israel been replaced by the Church? Is the Abrahamic Covenant which God made with Israel still in effect and will it be literally fulfilled by God to them? What about the New Covenant that God made with Israel? Will it be fulfilled by Israel, or is it being fulfilled by the Church? These are just some of the questions that can be asked when considering this important subject.

 

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Although some might dismiss this subject by saying it's not all that important, I believe it really is. One of the great things that I believe is at stake is God's reputation and faithfulness. Once we see that much of what we are talking about revolves around God's covenants and promises that He made with Israel, we see how important it really is. Didn't God make promises to the Church? Yes He did. Then how do we know they really will be fulfilled? If Israel's disobedience is a key factor in all of this, what about the Church's disobedience?

 

GOD'S FAITHFULNESS

I believe all of this revolves around God's attribute of faithfulness. Is God faithful even when we are not? Or, to rephrase it, will God remain faithful to Israel and keep His promises to them even though they have disobeyed? The answer is yes, He will remain faithful to Israel and it is clearly stated in Scripture.

 

Ps. 89:30-35 - "If his sons forsake My law, And do not walk in My judgments, If they violate My statutes, And do not keep My commandments, Then I will visit their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. "But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. "My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. "Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.

 

The Word of God clearly speaks of that which Israel has done. On many occasions, they disobeyed and didn't walk according to God's ways. God clearly states that when that happens, He will discipline them with the rod. This is His chastisement against them as a nation, and it's important to remember that He deals with them as a nation. It clearly says that God will discipline them, but He will not break off His love which He has for them, nor violate the promises that He made with them. He will remain faithful. Those who hold that the Church now replaces Israel have to admit that this is not the case. They have to admit that God is finished with Israel and that there will not be a future fulfillment of the covenant promises that He made with them. Will there be a future fulfillment of these covenant promises that God made with Israel? Does the Bible address this issue? I believe it does.   

 

Rom. 11:11-12 - I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation {has come} to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

 

My question to those who believe that the Church has replaced Israel is: "What fulfillment?" What is Paul talking about? If the Church has replaced Israel, then there will be no future of any kind for Israel as a nation. If that truly is the case, I would be greatly concerned as a member in the Church. Did God make any promises to the Church? Sure He did. Has the Church been disobedient? Sure we have. If that's the case, then how do we know that the promises and blessings He made to us will not be taken away? I like what Paul said to Timothy.

 

2 Tim. 2:13 - If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.

 

We need to remember that many of the covenants God made with Israel were unconditional in nature. The fulfillment of them is not dependent upon Israel's obedience. Instead of looking for things to take away from Israel, the Church should really keep in mind the truth that Paul mentions in Romans, that the Church is indebted to Israel.

 

Rom. 15:26-27 - For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased {to do so,} and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.

 

The fact that God remains faithful to Israel, even though they have not been all that they should be, should give us, the Church, a great sense of assurance concerning the promises God made to us.  We should thank God that He has not replaced Israel with the Church. He is truly a faithful God.

 

22. What is an effective way to witness to a Jewish person? There are many answers to this question, but, of the many techniques that are used to help Jewish people understand that Jesus is the Messiah, Messianic prophecy has to rank near the top.

 

When a Jewish person is open enough for someone to take them through the Old Testament prophesies and show them how they were fulfilled in the New Testament, it often has a great impact on them. It helps them see the close relationship that the Old Testament has with the New. Most Jewish people don't realize how Jewish the New Testament is.  They are told to simply reject it. But after they see how many Old Testament verses are fulfilled and directly quoted in the New Testament, it becomes difficult to simply throw it away.

 

Messianic prophecy establishes a good case for the authenticity of Scripture and the character of God. Anyone can make predictions, that's easy. Having them fulfilled is another story entirely. If the prophecies are truly fulfilled, then the Bible has given information about the future that could only have come from God.

 

John Ankerberg, in his book entitled, The Case For Jesus The Messiah, explains why God gave Messianic prophesies. Mr. Ankerberg says, "God gave a great number of prophecies about the Messiah for at least two reasons. First, it would make identifying the Messiah obvious. And second, it would make an impostor's task impossible." If you think about those two reasons they make great sense.

 

Suppose you were going to meet someone you never met in person and you had no idea what they looked like. It would be necessary for each of you to give some sort of description of yourself to one another. Otherwise, how would you be able to identify your party? This is what God has done for us, via Messianic prophecy.

 

Josh McDowell, in his book, More Than A Carpenter, likens Messianic prophecy to an address. He says, "God wrote an "address" in history to single out His Son, the Messiah, the Savior of mankind, from anyone who has ever lived in history-past, present, and future. Certainly God was writing an "address" in history that only the Messiah could fulfill. There have been approximately forty major claims by men to be the Jewish Messiah. But only one-Jesus Christ-appealed to fulfilled prophecy to substantiate His claims, and only His credentials back up those claims." God desires us to know who the Messiah is. That's why He gave us His "address."

 

As we look at some of these amazing prophecies, our hope is that you will find it personally helpful and useful in helping unsaved people see that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

MESSIAH WAS TO BE BORN IN BETHLEHEM

Micah 5:2 - "But as for you Bethlehem   Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago."

 

Note that the prophecy is specific. It identifies Bethlehem as "Ephrathah" which is the older name for Bethlehem - Gen. 35:19; Ruth 1:2; 4:11 - which distinguishes this Bethlehem from other towns named Bethlehem such as the one in Zebulun - Josh. 19:15.

 

The term "Ephrathah" also identifies Bethlehem as the town in which David was born - I Sam. 17:12. This helps to establish the connection between the Messiah and King David's throne.

 

About seven hundred years later, Messiah Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:1-6 gives the fulfillment of this prophecy. To note something very interesting, look at vs. 4 and 5. Note that the Jews even recognized this as a Messianic prophecy. The common Jewish belief at the time of Christ was that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

 

MESSIAH WAS TO BE BORN OF A VIRGIN

Isa. 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."

 

For centuries, this verse has been debated. The discussion revolves around the word "virgin." Does it mean "young woman" or "virgin"? Here are two things to consider. First, what kind of sign would it be for a young woman to have a child? This obviously happened all the time. Second, when the translators of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the O.T. translated by 70 Jewish scholars) came to Isa. 7:14, they rendered the Hebrew word almah into the Greek text by the Greek word parthenos , the meaning of which cannot be denied. It means "virgin."

 

The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Matt. 1:18 - 25.  In these verses we see a number of details that revolve around Christ's birth. Joseph, being one of the prominent characters in this section is mentioned five times. In order to help Joseph understand what was taking place with Mary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him to explain the legitimacy of her being pregnant. According to the text, all of this took place in order to fulfill the O.T. prophecy (given over 700 year earlier) of Christ's virgin birth. To close, please notice that until Jesus was born, Mary was kept a virgin. There's no denying it, this is unique.

 

MESSIAH WOULD BE PRECEDED BY A FORERUNNER

Malachi 3:1 - "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming says the Lord of hosts."

 

Isa. 40:3 - "A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God."

 

These two prophecies speak of John the Baptist, the forerunner for Jesus Christ. The fact that God sent a forerunner was His way of preparing the people for the Messiah.

 

In Matthew and Luke, the prophecy in Malachi is quoted. As Jesus was teaching the multitudes, John the Baptist, (who was in prison) sent two of his disciples to Jesus to inquire of Him as to His being the "Expected One." With the multitudes around, Jesus began to speak to them about the ministry of John. In the process, Jesus asked them many questions. In Matt. 11:10 and Luke. 7:27, Jesus quoted Malachi 3:1 and specifically said that John the Baptist was the one who fulfilled these verses as the forerunner for the coming Lord.

 

In Mark 1:2-3 he quotes the prophecy that's found in Isa. 40:3 while also alluding to the one in Malachi.  In all three Gospels, John is seen as the one who fulfills these prophecies. This is quite amazing considering the fact that the book of Malachi was written about 350 years before Christ, and Isaiah was written about 700 years before Christ.

 

HIS ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

Zech.9:9 - “.Behold your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

 

Note the specific details that are given concerning the donkey. We find the fulfillment of this prophecy in Matt. 21:1-11.

 

Jesus came to the Mount of Olives and sent out two of His disciples. He told them that they would find a donkey and a colt. They were to untie them and bring them back to Him. If they were questioned, they were to say, “The Lord has need of them.” The text goes on to say that all of this took place as a fulfillment of what the prophet had spoken and Zech. 9:9 is quoted.

 

Why did Jesus need the donkeys? He used them for His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As He approached the city, people were crying out Hosannas, quoting some verses that are found in Psalm 118:25-26.

 

NONE OF HIS BONES WOULD BE BROKEN

Psalm 34:20 - “He keeps all His bones; Not one of them is broken.”

I believe what Matthew Henry said about this verse aptly describes what many people feel when they read this Psalm. “One would not expect to meet with anything of Christ here, and yet this scripture is said to be fulfilled in Him.”

 

In John 19:31-36 we find the fulfillment. The context is the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah. The Jewish people being concerned about breaking the Sabbath asked that the legs of the three men could be broken. This would speed up their death and make it possible for them to be quickly taken down from their crosses. John tells us that the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves, but when they came to Jesus, “they saw that He was already dead.” As a result of His already being dead, they didn’t have to break His legs. Is this a coincidence? Not hardly. John 19:36 plainly says that these things came to pass so that he Scripture in Psalm 34:20 might be fulfilled. The text also says that the soldiers thrust a spear in His side and when they did that, water and blood flowed out. This too is a direct fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy.

 

MESSIAH WOULD BE HIT AND SPIT UPON

Isa. 50:6 - “I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard: I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting.” Again, if you think about what this prophecy is saying, you can see that it deals with small details. Nevertheless, they are very important. The more the details given, the easier it would be to identify the Messiah.

 

We find the fulfillment for this in Matthew 26:67. The context concerns the time when Jesus the Messiah was before Caiaphas, the high priest. False testimonies and false witnesses were sought against Jesus so the chief priests and Council might be able to put Him to death. None could be found, so they accused Him of blasphemy. The verdict is mentioned in verse 66, “He is deserving of death!” After they said that, then they began to spit in His face and beat Him with their fists.

 

Some would say that He staged everything so as to fulfill each of these prophecies. Sorry. These are God’s identification marks, to help us clearly identify the true Messiah.

 

THE ROMAN AND JERUSALEM ROAD

For many of us the "Romans Road" is a beautiful thing. It's possible that because somebody took the time to explain it to you, you know the Lord Jesus personally. As precious as it may be to us, most Jewish people are not open to it. What then are we to do? Are we limited in our ability to witness to the Jewish community? What do we give them, if we can't use the "Romans Road?

 

There's no need to get discouraged. We simply give then the "Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, Psalms Road or as some call it, the Jerusalem Road". I think you get the point. The gospel is found in the Old Testament and we can use that. Where can we begin?

 

ALL HAVE SINNED

Rom. 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." What's the Old

 

Old Testament counterpart to this truth?

 

1. Eccl. 7:20- "Indeed, there is not a righteous man on the earth who continually does good and who never sins.

2. Ps. 14:3- "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.

3. Isa. 53:6- "All of us like sheep gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way."

4. Isa. 64:6- "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment."

 

Even though most Jewish people will admit they have sinned, it seems that few really understand the true consequences of sin.

 

SINS’ CONSEQUENCES

Rom. 6:23- "For the wages of sin is death." What does the Old Testament have to say about this?

 

1. Isa. 59:2- "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so He does not hear.

2. Ezek. 18:20- "The person who sins will die."

 

There are definite consequences to sin because God is a Holy God. He doesn't simply ignore the iniquities of people as though they never happened.

The teaching in the Old Testament is clear, all have sinned and there are definite penalties because of it. In next quarters letter we'll take up the fact that God sent His Son to make payment for our sins. We'll also show that one must believe in the Son for the forgiveness of those sins.

 

GOD SENT HIS SON

Rom. 5:10 - "For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." This brings up a very important issue. Does the O.T. have anything to say about the Son? Most Jewish people don't think so.

 

1. Psalm 2:7- "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, Thou art My Son, Today have I begotten Thee."

2. Psalm 2:12- "Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way."

3. Isa. 9:6- "For unto us a child is born, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest upon His shoulders."

4. Pro. 30:4- "Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garments? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name."

 

When I am witnessing, I stop here and ask, "Who is this referring to?" The only answer I've ever received is "God". I then go on and show them the rest of the verse. ".or His son's name? Surely you know?"

 

Surprise is often the result once they see these verses. Most Jewish people wouldn't think for one minute that the O.T. says so much about the Son.

 

NECESSITY OF THE BLOOD

Rom. 5:9- "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." What does the Old Testament have to say about this?

 

1. Lev. 17:11- "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement."

The Old Testament is clear that it was necessary for blood to be shed if there was going to be forgiveness.

 

A question I often bring up to Jewish people is, "Where is your blood sacrifice today?" Obviously there isn't one. So what do they do? They usually say they do "good deeds." After explaining to them that good deeds are not sufficient, sometimes they will ask me, "Where's your blood?" I'm glad they asked. I answer in one word, Jesus.

 

ISAIAH 53

I now want to direct our attention to perhaps the most powerful portion we have. It has been called, "The Fifth Gospel." It's quoted in the first six books of the N.T. as well as in other books. We have specific examples in the N.T. of how it was used to lead people to a saving knowledge of the Messiah. You probably already know that I'm referring to Isa. 53. This is a wonderful passage and has been used to point Jewish people to the Messiah down through the years. The key to this passage is using it. Sometimes when something becomes so familiar to us, we think everybody must know about it, and we fail to use it. That's kind of like John 3:16. But sad to say, most Jewish people are not aware of Isa. 53. One reason is because it's not read in the Synagogues.  Here's one way that I like to use this passage. I'll tell the person that I am talking to that I'm going to read them a portion from the Bible. I don't let them know if it's the Old or New Testament. I read the first seven verses of Isa. 53 and then I ask them, "Who do you think this is referring to?" Every time, the answer has been "Jesus." I agree with them wholeheartedly. I then ask them, "Where do you think I was reading from, the Old or New Testament?" Almost every response has been, "In the New Testament." I show them that I was reading from Isa. 53 in the Old Testament. I also inform them that Isaiah wrote over 700 years before the Messiah was born. In many cases they are truly surprised. This is just one of the many ways this portion can be utilized. Again, the key to this passage is to use it!!!!!

 

23. What are some of the ramifications of God’s choosing Israel to be His special people? Certainly, the Bible does teach that God chose Israel from among the families of the earth. And in doing so, it brings to the surface several important truths. However, something needs to be kept in the forefront of our minds as I answer this question and it’s this; in God’s choosing Israel, He also had the Gentile nations in His mind. If this isn’t remembered, it’s possible that some less than Godly thoughts might creep into one’s mind and cause them to miss a lot of the blessings that potentially could be theirs. With this in mind, what are some of the ramifications that the Bible speaks of?

 

ISRAEL IS UNIQUELY KNOWN BY GOD

Amos 3:2 - "You only have I chosen (known) among all the families of the earth;

The Hebrew word “chosen” is Yada and it means “to know.” It doesn’t carry with it the idea that God doesn’t know about the existence of the other nations. We need to remember that God is all knowing. He knows all of them and all about them. This has reference to the fact that God has entered into a covenantal relationship with Israel. It speaks of a very intimate relationship that God has with them. The same word is used in Gen. 4:1 referring to Adam having relations with his wife that produced a child. Obviously the word rings forth with intimacy. What a blessed and unique privilege this relationship is, that God has with Israel.

Similar language is also used for those who are saved.

 

John 10:27-28 - "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.

 

All true believers are said to be known by Jesus the Messiah. Paul mentions the fact that those who are born again are known by God.

 

Gal. 4:9 - But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God,.

 

What a blessed relationship this is for one who is a believer. On the other hand, to not be known by Christ is to be lost. This is most serious and carries with it eternal consequences. Listen to what our Savior says to those who think they have a relationship with Him, but in reality are not known by Him.   

        

Matt. 7:21-23 - Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'

 

Just as God has a very special relationship with believers as individuals, He has a very special relationship with Israel as a nation. This is not to imply that Israel as a nation is saved. But, rather, it points to the fact that Israel is especially privileged in her position with God. Of all the families of the earth, God only knows Israel in this intimate and unique way. This was God’s doing. Israel really had nothing to do with it. This privilege also brings with it a great responsibility. Whenever Israel disobeys God, He will chasten them, but He will not break off His special relationship with them. See. Psalm 89:30-36

 

YOUR ATTITUDE AND ACTIONS TOWARD ISRAEL HAVE A DIRECT BEARING UPON GOD’S BLESSING YOU

Gen. 12:3 - And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Ps. 122:6 - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.

Ps. 137:6 - May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

 

These are just a sampling of verses which describe the relationship between being blessed by God and having a Biblical viewpoint of God’s chosen people. The Bible clearly spells out that there are several ways for believers to experience the blessings of God. Correctly viewing Israel is simply one among many. This certainly shows the uniqueness of Israel since there is currently no other nation, nor has there ever been one where such a promise has been made. Having a right attitude towards Israel does not mean that everything Israel does is right, nor that we must agree with everything they do. We must remember that the vast majority of the Jewish people who make up Israel are unregenerate. But, what it does mean is this, having anti-semitic feelings about Israel is clearly wrong and anyone who does have them will forfeit blessing from God. Is that really true? Can that be demonstrated from Scripture? Yes it can. Let’s take a look at some examples of those who were cursed by God for their sinful ways towards Israel and some who were blessed by God.

 

Those cursed by God

Haman - Esth. 7:7-10 - .And the king arose in his anger from drinking wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king. Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?" As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, "Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman's house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!" And the king said, "Hang him on it." So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king's anger subsided.

 

Sidon - Ezek. 28:20-24 - And the word of the Lord came to me saying,"Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, prophesy against her, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, And I shall be glorified in your midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I Execute judgments in her, And I shall manifest My holiness in her. "For I shall send pestilence to her And blood to her streets, And the wounded will fall in her midst By the sword upon her on every side; Then they will know that I am the Lord. "And there will be no more for the house of Israel a prickling brier or a painful thorn from any round about them who scorned them; then they will know that I am the Lord God."

 

Mt. Seir- Ezek. 35:1-7 - Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, and say to it, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, And I will stretch out My hand against you, And I will make you a desolation and a waste. "I will lay waste your cities, And you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the Lord. "Because you have had everlasting enmity and have delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of the punishment of the end, therefore, as I live, "declares the Lord God," I will give you over to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you; since you have not hated bloodshed, therefore bloodshed will pursue you. "And I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it the one who passes through and returns.

 

See also:

Tyre - Ezek. 26:2-4

Amalek - I Sam. 15:1-8

 

Those blessed by God:

Rahab - Heb. 11:31 - By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

 

Ruth - The entire book illustrates God’s blessings on one who showed favor to His chosen people.

 

USA - We are one of the only nations left who has a favorable view towards the nation of Israel. I really believe that we as a nation have been blessed because of that. What’s true for a nation can be true for you as an individual. Pray and give so they can be reached.

 

ISRAEL IS CALLED GOD’S FIRSTBORN

Ex. 4:22 - "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord," Israel is My son, My firstborn.

 

This is a very interesting term. Just what does it mean and how is it that Israel is God’s firstborn? It doesn’t have reference to a chronological order of time. Israel was not the first nation created by God. There were dozens of other nations already in existence before Israel came to be. Where does the significance in this title lie? It meant something special to Pharaoh to hear this title. To the Egyptians, the firstborn, (especially a son) was very special, almost to the point of being sacred. For him to hear that the entire

 

nation was a “son” of a deity must have stunned Pharaoh. He actually viewed himself in this manner.

 

If we turn to the New Testament, we see that this word is used for the Messiah Jesus. As we study some verses we will clearly see what the word “firstborn” means.

 

Col. 1:15,18 - And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

 

These two verses speak of Jesus being the firstborn of creation and the firstborn from the dead. The Messiah Jesus was neither the first creation of God, nor was He the first to be raised from the dead. There were those who were raised from the dead in the Old Testament and Jesus raised people from the dead during His earthly ministry. However, when you compare His resurrection with all of the others, you see a difference. His was special and unique. If you read I Cor. 15, you discover how important Jesus’ resurrection was in the entire plan of God. Without it, we who claim to be saved would all still be in our sin. Those who have already died would have no hope of being raised in the future. The resurrection of the Messiah Jesus is so important that it must be believed in, in order for someone to be saved, Rom. 10:9-10. The same stands true for creation. Jesus was not the first creation of God as the cults teach. However, He is supreme over all of creation. That’s what the term firstborn has behind it. That is the true meaning of these verses in Colossians. Taking all of this together, the word “firstborn” means, first in rank, special, unique, supreme. Applying this to Israel as it is used back in Exodus, it means that Israel, in God’s plan and purpose, has been put in a position of being special, unique, first in rank and supreme.

 

How is this so? How has this been manifested? God revealed Himself to Israel through the prophets as He did to no other people. Why did He do that? This was His way of making Himself known. Israel in turn was to take this knowledge of God and spread it to the other nations. They haven’t been as obedient with this as they will in the future. That day is yet to come. That’s just one way that Israel, being the firstborn, has manifested itself. Some might ask, “Is this fair of God to do this for Israel?” We know the answer to that. Israel didn’t ask for it, nor did they deserve it. But, can’t God do as He pleases. Being God’s firstborn, Israel has some tremendous privileges. But, it has also put them in a position of being very responsible and accountable.

 

ISRAEL IS ESPECIALLY DEAR TO GOD

Zech. 2:8 - For thus says the Lord of hosts, After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

 

How is Israel’s being special to God seen in this verse? It is seen by the fact that here is a solemn warning and promise, pronounced by God, that says, He will punish those who oppress Israel. To touch Israel is to poke one’s finger in God’s eye. This of course is an anthro-pomorhism. It is speaking as though God has bodily parts. The reference is to the pupil, the most tender and most sensitive part of the eye. The pupil is the most tender piece of the most tender part of the entire body -- the eye. It’s been said that one can better tolerate blows to the back, than a touch on the eye. This word picture helps us understand the tender affection God has for His chosen people. These words express how acutely sensitive the Lord is concerning their mistreatment. The word “touch” means to come in contact with something to harm it. It’s not when somebody accidentally brushes up against something. There is a purposeful desire to harm that which is being touched by the one doing the touching. The same tender concern of the Lord for His people is found in other parts of the Bible. Moses in summing up their high privileges and God’s great lovingkindness to them as a nation said this in Deut. 32:10.

 

Deut. 32:10 - He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.

 

King David realized the blessing of being cared for by God in this special way and thus prayed for himself in Psalm 17:6-9.

 

Ps. 17:6-9 - I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me, O God; Incline Thine ear to me, hear my speech. Wondrously show Thy lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Thy right hand From those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of your eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings, From the wicked who despoil me, My deadly enemies, who surround me.

 

What can we learn from this fact? We learn that Israel has a very special place in God’s heart. He chose them in a special way to accomplish His plan and purpose and as such, they are dear to God. This means that we better check or attitude, thoughts, and feelings about this special people. I know I don’t want to be on the receiving end of God’s discipline because of wrong thoughts and actions against Israel. May our thoughts line up with God’s in this matter.

 

24. What are some of the mistaken concepts that Jewish people have about Jesus and other Biblical truths? Before I begin, I want to point out that Jewish people do not have the corner on the market as far as mistaken concepts. All unsaved people have wrong ideas that do not match up with the Scriptures. And the Scriptures are the standard for truth. Also, it is helpful to realize that when witnessing to anyone unsaved, it’s helpful to learn what some of their mistaken concepts are. It will help us to know what truths need to be emphasized.

 

A. Jesus never claimed that He was the Messiah or God. This is a very common belief among Jewish people and most of them believe this simply because this is what they have been told. However, Scripture is very clear on this point. Jesus did claim to be the Messiah and He did teach that He was God.

 

John 4:19-26 - The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming He who is called Christ; when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

These verses of course are talking about the time when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well. Notice where she said that she perceived that Jesus was a prophet. Even today, this is very common. Jewish people will say of Jesus that he was a good man, a teacher and a prophet, but not the promised Messiah of God. Note very carefully at the end of the passage that Jesus clearly tells the Samaritan woman that He is the Messiah. The very one who was speaking to her was the one promised in the Old Testament. Not only did Jesus declare that He was the promised Messiah, But He also clearly taught that He was God. As you could well imagine, this got several of His listeners irate.

 

John 10:22-33 - At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."

 

Notice the end of the passage. Without question, Jesus clearly taught that He was God. Was He wrong? Was he mistaken? We know that He wasn’t. So, when someone says that Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah, or God, we have some clear teaching that says differently. Because this is such a common misconception, these verses will be handy for you to know.

 

B. Nobody who is really deep into their Judaism, would ever become a believer in Jesus. In other words, those people from a Jewish background who do become followers of Jesus, were never very Jewish to begin with. Had they been, they never would have become believers. Is this true? Are there examples of people from a very committed Jewish background that became believers in Jesus? Yes, most definitely. One prime example is Saul of Tarsus, or better known as the Apostle Paul.

 

Gal. 1:13-14 - For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

 

Acts 26:5 - since they have known about me for a long time previously, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.

 

Acts 22:3 - "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.

 

Phil. 3:4-6 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

 

As you can clearly see, Saul of Tarsus was very committed in his lifestyle as a Jewish person, and he became one of the premiere Apostles of Jesus the Messiah. Not only did Saul of Tarsus become a follower of Jesus, but there were other Pharisees who became believers in Jesus as well.

 

Acts 15:4-6 - And when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses." And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.

 

Notice, at this early church council, it is mentioned that some of the ones of the sect of the Pharisees believed. Who were the Pharisees? They were a sect of the Jews who were known for their rigid adherence to the law. The name “Pharisee” means “separated ones.” They were very zealous for their beliefs and were very dedicated to what they believed. You will remember that Nicodemus who visited Jesus by night was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin which was the main ruling body of the Jews. Most believe that Nicodemus did become a follower of Jesus as Messiah. Yes, there are examples of very religious Jewish people who became followers of Jesus. So the argument that those who do become believers in Jesus were not very Jewish to begin with just doesn’t hold up.

 

C. You can’t be Jewish and be a believer in Jesus at the same time .This is pretty much believed across the board among Jewish people. For the most part, Jewish people believe this simply because that’s what they have been told by their Rabbi. Some might conclude that it shouldn’t really be a difficult thing for a Jewish person to become a follower of Jesus since He Himself is Jewish. However, because of the multitude of mistaken concepts and hurdles that Jewish people face concerning believing in Jesus, it’s not as easy or natural as some might assume. What can we say to a Jewish person who believes this? One place to start, is by showing them that there are examples in the Bible of Jewish people who believed in Jesus and still considered themselves Jewish. One prime example is the Apostle Paul. The verses that were given in last months letter would be excellent to show them about Paul’s life as a Jewish person, but these verses describe Paul after he was a believer in Jesus.

 

Rom. 9:3-4 - For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites,

Rom. 11:1 - I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 Cor. 11:22 - are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

 

Notice carefully that these verses refer to Paul after he was a believer in Jesus. If they argue that they are in the New Testament and that they don’t believe in it. We need to point out that there is no other way to prove that one can be Jewish and believe in Jesus except by using the New Testament. While discussing these verses, it is also helpful the continue to point out that Jesus was Jewish and on what basis does a Jewish person who becomes a follower of Jesus become non-Jewish. Ask them, Does a Gentile become Jewish if they become a believer in Jesus? Of course the answer is no. Then why would a Jewish person loose their being Jewish if they become a follower of Jesus?

 

D. Jesus can’t be the Messiah, because there is no real peace through out the world. This is one of the most common arguments that Jewish people use to try to prove that Jesus is not the Messiah. In fact, for the average Jewish person, the concept of the Messiah bringing peace is about all they know about the subject. They do believe that when the Messiah comes, there will be peace. And as a matter of fact they are right. I should point out, that many Jewish people have moved away from the concept of a personal Messiah and are simply waiting for a Messianic era, a time of peace, instead of a person who will bring peace. The Bible does say that the Messiah is going to bring peace. However, the peace that Jesus brought is not the peace that the Jewish people expected. They were looking for someone to deliver them from the Roman oppression. This, however, was not the peace that Jesus made possible at His first coming. The Scriptures clearly state that Jesus brought peace and in fact this peace is vitally important for everyone to experience.

 

Luke 2:14 - “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

John 14:27 - “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

 

Jesus said that at His first coming, He did not come to bring peace on earth.

Luke 12:51 - “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;

 

He came to provide an even more important peace. A peace between man and God. This is what salvation is all about. There is a battle going on between unsaved man and Holy God. This battle comes to an end and peace is established.

 

Rom. 5:1 - Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Col. 1:20 - and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

 

This is the primary peace that Jesus came to establish at His first coming, peace with God. When He comes again, He will establish peace on earth. We need to tell our Jewish friends that the Messiah has come and that He brought peace with Him. A peace that ends the war between themselves and God. Do you have this peace? It is needed by all.

 

E. I’m a pretty good person. I do a lot of mitzvahs (good deeds). This is one of the most common beliefs among Jewish people.  First of all, for some who may not know what a “mitzvah” is, it’s a good deed. This is how Jewish people believe one gets to heaven, not unlike Gentiles. There are of course several problems with this belief. One who believes you can get to heaven by mitzvahs or good deeds doesn’t understand God’s standard of holiness.

 

Lev. 20:26 - 'Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.

Deut. 18:13 - "You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.

 

God’s standard is simply too high. Even though one may say of themselves, “I’m really not all that bad. When I compare myself to some who are on the news, I really am pretty good.” That’s their perspective, God has another.  

 

Ps. 14:2-3 - The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.

Eccl. 7:20 - Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

Is. 64:6 - For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;

 

One who doesn’t see himself as God does, always passes the test. But, neither we, nor other humans are the ones from whom we are to seek approval. There are 2 crucial verses in Romans that speak to this issue. Notice, Paul uses 3 very important words in vs. 20, “in His sight.”

 

Rom. 3:19-20 - Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Approval or justification in man’s eyes means nothing at all. It is what God thinks about us that matters. To think that we are pretty good and even if others think the same, is totally immaterial.  The question is, “What does God think?” The Bible teaches that no one will get to heaven by doing mitzvahs. We simply can’t be good enough to be accepted by God as a result of our own achievements. Thank God, He did provide a way whereby sinful man can be accepted by Him. It’s by the work of His Son Jesus, not by our works.

 

F. I don’t need to believe in Jesus. I go straight to God. For the most part, Jewish people don’t think that they need a mediator. They believe that they can just believe in God and go to Him, without going through anyone else. However, as one reads the Old Testament, it should be clear that the Jewish people always had a go- between. Moses was a mediator for the people of Israel. This is illustrated for us in the book of Numbers.

 

Num. 21:4-7 - Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. And the people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food." And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.

 

Notice, that after the people realized they sinned, they asked Moses to intercede for them. They didn’t go straight to God themselves. We also see this was true during the days of Samuel.

 

1 Sam. 12:19 - Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king."

 

Israel of old lived under the truth that there must be a mediator between man and God. That was one of the major functions of the priesthood. For a Jewish person to go straight to God, without going through a priest was unthinkable. Today, Jesus is the one mediator between man and God.

 

1 Tim. 2:5 - For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

 

And since all true believers are priests, we are able to enter into the very presence of God. The high priest was only able to enter into the Holy of Holies once a year and that with his life at stake. Believers, on the other hand have the privilege to enter God’s presence at anytime. But, we must enter by way of Jesus the Messiah. Not going to God through Jesus has tremendous negative ramifications. To bypass the Son is to bypass God. We must go through Jesus and Him alone.

1 John 2:23 - Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

1 John 4:15 - Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1 John 5:12 - He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

 

G. All Gentiles are Christians and Christians are the ones who persecuted the Jewish people. This is a very common mistake that Jewish people make. They believe for the most part that if you are not Jewish or a Muslim, then you are a Christian. It is very important that we help them understand that this is not so. Because they believe this, they lump people like Hitler in the same boat as those who are true believers. In one of the Jewish newspapers that we receive at the Center, I came across an article that points out this error. The writer was describing the community she lives in. "Big Bear is a predominantly Christian-oriented community. There are 20 Christian churches: Catholic, Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Mormon, Seventh-Day Adventist, Assembly of God, Four Square Gospel, Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witness, First Church of Christ-Scientist, Christian Evangelical of America, Church of Religious Science, Believer's Chapel, Calvary Chapel, two Community Churches and Y Not for Jesus Ministry."  As you can see from this article, everybody is mixed in together. As far as she is concerned they are all "Christians." We need to help Jewish people distinguish Jesus Ministry."  As you can see from this article, everybody is mixed in together. As far as she is concerned they are all "Christians." We need to help Jewish people distinguish between Gentiles and true Christians. You could very well understand the hesitancy of a Jewish person wanting to get saved when they think people like Hitler and the Nazis were "Christians." The Scripture that I show them is found in I Corinthians 10:32.

 

1 Cor. 10:32 - Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;

 

It clearly divides up the human race into three categories: Jews, Gentiles, and the Church. I explain that everyone is either a Jewish person or a Gentile, but not everyone is a member of the Church, the body of the Messiah Jesus. Only those who have placed faith in Jesus are members of His body. I explain to them that true believers should have favorable feelings towards God’s special people, Israel. After all, everything that we as believers have came through them. As I stated earlier, this is such an important point to keep in mind when dealing with a Jewish person. It is helpful for them to know that they need to distinguish between a person who is a Gentile from one who has been born again into the family of God.

 

H. I don’t worry about the hereafter, I worry about the here and now. When you die you die. Who knows what happens on the other side? Because Judaism is a works-oriented religion, they can’t have absolute assurance about being in heaven when they die. That often leads to an “I really don’t care or think about it too much” attitude. They don’t sense the need to be prepared for the inevitable. Most Jewish people feel it will all be taken care of at that time. They believe that if they try to be a good person and are sincere in what they believe, then they are ok. In Judaism, there really isn’t a unified belief about the hereafter. For the Reformed Jewish person, (the least of the religious) death ends it all. One only lives on in the memories of those still alive. For the Orthodox and Conservative there are several different beliefs. But, there still is not any kind of emphasis or pressing need to be prepared for death and what follows. Here are some really good verses that you might use to show them that the Holy Scriptures clearly speak about the subject of an existing life after one physically passes away.

 

Job 19:26 - "Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

 Is. 26:19 - Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

 Is. 66:24 - "Then they shall go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall not be quenched; And they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind."

 Dan. 12:2 - "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

 

Pretty clear, aren’t they? I think most Jewish people would be surprised to read these verses and to see that they are in the Jewish Bible. We need to realize that death is something that most Jewish people try to keep in the back of their minds. What we need to lovingly do is try to bring it to the surface so they will realize that death is something for which they need to be prepared. The hope and assurance that a true believer should have is totally foreign to a Jewish person. Let them know that it is possible to know for sure that when death comes, we can know that we will be going to heaven instead of hell.  

 

25. Does God have a specific plan for the people of Israel which is found in Scripture? As one reads through the Word of God it becomes apparent that God does have a specific plan for the people of Israel. This is also true for the Gentile nations and the Church. You are able to see Israel’s past, present and their future. However, it does need to be pointed out that one needs to interpret the Bible literally for this to be seen. What is the plan as spelled out in Scripture?

 

GOD’S PLAN FOR THE JEWISH NATION

Never has the world been more conscious of the Jewish nation as it is in our day. Hardly a day goes by, that the people of Israel are not mentioned in the news of the world. Why is this little nation so significant? The answer to that question revolves around the special plan and program that God has for them.

 

ISRAEL'S PAST

1. Four Hundred Year Captivity

Gen. 15:13-14 - "And God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions."

  

In these verses it states that Israel would be strangers in a strange land for four hundred years. It also says that when the time comes for their deliverance, they would leave with many possessions. This is a remarkable prophecy when you consider that the nation of whom it speaks was not even a nation when it was first given. Nevertheless, God prophesies about the Egyptian bondage of Israel. To find the fulfillment of what happened after the four hundred years came to an end look in Exodus 12:35-36. Here you will find, that what God said, came to pass. When the Jewish people were leaving, they requested from the Egyptians articles of gold, silver and clothing. "Thus they plundered the Egyptians."

2. Scattered Among The Nations

 

Deut. 28:64-65 - "Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. And among those nations you shall find no rest, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul."

 

In this section of Deuteronomy, Israel was told if they were obedient to God and His commandments, they wouldn't be scattered to the four corners of the globe. The fact that they are scattered shows that they disobeyed. The Bible speaks of several dispersions of the Jews. In A.D. 70, Titus the Roman general ordered Jerusalem and its temple destroyed, and a quarter of a million Jewish people perished. The remaining Jews continued to revolt and finally in A.D. 135 the desolation of Judea was ordered. Almost a thousand towns and villages were left in ashes. The people of Israel, except for a few scattered families who remained, were dispersed to the four winds. From A.D. 135 to present times, the nation of Israel makes her home all over the world. It wasn't until 1948 that the Jewish people were given a homeland and the choice to return to it. These are just two prophecies that speak of Israel's past.

 

PROPHECIES OF THE JEWISH NATION

From A.D. 135 to present times, the nation of Israel has made her home all over the world. Beginning in the late 1800's and early 1900's, something began to happen. Jewish people began to return to their ancient homeland. Does this have any significance or did this happen by chance?

 

ISRAEL'S PRESENT

 

1. The Restoration of the Land and the Return of the People

 

In order for this to take place, many things needed to happen. Foremost among them was the establishment of the state of Israel. Before looking at some specific verses that prophesied the return, it will be helpful to get a brief history of Israel.

 

A A.D. 135 - Major scattering of the Jewish people.

A 8th. Century - Arabs took possession of the land.

A 1517 - The Turks took control of the land.

A 1917 - WWI, General Allenby conquered the Turks.

 

The British occupation of Palestine proved to be a dramatic turning point in the history of Israel. John Walvoord, in his book, "Israel In Prophecy" gives some very helpful insights.

 

"The Zionist movement was given impetus during World War I when the British Foreign Secretary Arthur J. Balfour instituted the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917, in which he stated: "His Majesty's Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish People." This declaration though welcomed by the Jews, was opposed by the Arabs and little came of it.

 

During World War II, however, due to the world-wide sympathy aroused for the people of Israel because of the slaughter of six million Jews under Nazi domination, the feeling became wide-spread that Israel should have a homeland to which its refugees could come and establish themselves. An Arab league was formed in 1945 to oppose further Jewish expansion. After World War II the British government turned Palestine over to the United Nations and under the direction of this body a partition of Palestine was recommended with the division into a Jewish and an Arab state.

 

On May 14, 1948, as the British withdrew control, Israel proclaimed itself an independent state within the boundaries set up by the United Nations. Before the day passed however, Israel was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, and open warfare broke out. Both sides suffered heavily, and a series of truces began. On January 7, 1949, a general armistice was arranged in which Israel was allowed to retain the additional land secured during the hostilities. Israel itself was admitted to the United Nations." Even today there has not been an adequate long lasting solution to the Middle East Problem. There still is no peace. This is where we are today.

 

2. God said that He was going to call back the Jewish people from all around the world

Ezek. 36:24 - 28 - "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people and I will be your God."

 

Ezek. 11:16 - 20 - "Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God, Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone. Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God, I shall gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I shall give you the land of Israel. When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. "Lord God, Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone. Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God, I shall gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I shall give you the land of Israel. When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."

 

Although there are many other verses that could be mentioned, we will stop with these. There are some things however, that need to be pointed out that these verses clearly teach.

 

God is the one who is in control. He is the one who scattered them among the nations, and it is He who is in the process of gathering  them back to the land of Israel, which He gave to them. The fact that God says that He gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish people should settle the question of, "Who owns the land?" What we see happening in our day concerning the return of Jewish people in great numbers is a move of God. That's not to say, that in the future there's not going to be a return of even greater proportion.  

 

The Jewish people are returning back to the land in unbelief. After the Jewish people are gathered back in the land, then God is going to cleanse them and give them a new heart. That's not to say that Jews today can't get saved that are not in the land of Israel. But, God is preparing the way for the time when "all Israel will be saved," when Israel as a people will obey the ordinances and statutes of God.

 

These verses make reference to the literal nation of Israel. We see the return happening in a literal way, so why should anyone try to say that God is finished with Israel as a nation?

 

ISRAEL'S FUTURE

Only God knows for sure what's going to happen in the future, and He has been pleased to reveal a tremendous amount of the future to us. As we will see, Israel has a specific plan that has been ordained from God Himself. We know it will come to pass, because it is God who promised it.  

 

1. Israel in the Tribulation Period

 

Jeremiah 30:7 - "Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it: And it is the time of Jacob's distress, But he will be saved from it."

 Matthew 24:21 - "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall."

 

What is this tribulation period? It is a seven year period that will take place after Jesus the Messiah returns for the believers in the air (1 Thes. 4:13-17). As you can see, there is a uniqueness that will characterize this time. No days before or after will be able to be compared to them. What are some of the things that will happen during this time?

 

A peace pact will be made with Israel for seven years, but after 31/2 years, the covenant will be broken.

 

Daniel 9:27 - "And he (Antichrist) will make a firm covenant with the many for one week (week of years), but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifices and grain offering."

 

Peace is what Israel has been looking for, but they will be fooled into thinking that this is going to be the real thing.

 

During the tribulation period, all nations are going to go against Israel.

Zechariah 14:2 - "For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city."

 

If you stop and think about it, almost all nations are against Israel now. Even the United States, will go against Israel if our nation is around at this time. In particular, this will occur during the campaign of Armageddon. One would think that if the world would go against Israel, they would be wiped out in no time. not so. Remember, God is on their side.

God is going to save 144,000 Jewish people to do world wide evangelism.

 

Revelation 7:4 - "And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

 

There will be 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel that will be saved and given a special protective seal. They will travel all the world over and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period. The results of their evangelization can be seen from Rev. 7:9.

 

Rev. 7:9 - "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands."

 

This is quite a harvest of souls, and Rev. 7:14 proves that they were saved during this time of tribulation. It's wonderful to see that even though this is going to be the worst time in Israel's history, it's also going to be one of the most fruitful.

 

As we continue on with this theme, we will now see that some of the brightest days lie ahead for Israel. This will be the time when all of the promises that God made to Israel will literally come to pass.

 

2. Israel in the Millennium

 

Jeremiah 32:42 - "For thus says the Lord, Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them."

 

During the millennium, things will go for Israel as they have never gone before. All of the covenants and the promises that God entered into with Israel will be fulfilled at this time. What is the Millennium?  When the Word of God is interpreted literally, the millennial kingdom is the 1000 year reign of Jesus the Messiah upon the earth. This kingdom will be set up by Christ Himself when He returns to the earth. It needs to be said however, that before the establishment of the millennium, there will be a judgment on all of the people of Israel. The purpose of this judgment is to separate those Jewish people who were saved during the tribulation period from those who continued to reject Jesus as the Messiah (Ezekiel 20:33-38). Those who were saved during the tribulation period will enter the millennium with their physical bodies.  What are some of the things that will happen during this time?   

 

A. Jerusalem will be the capital of the world.

 

Isaiah 2:3 - "And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

Jerusalem will truly be the "City of Peace," because the "Prince of Peace" will be ruling and reigning as King.

 

B. Israel as a nation will be the center of attention

 

Zeph. 3:20 - "At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD."

 Zech. 8:23 - "Thus says the LORD of hosts, in those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." ' "

 

What a change this is going to be. In our day, when almost the whole world is against Israel, this is going to be quite remarkable. At this time during the millennium, Israel will be the nation she was created to be and do that for which she was created to do: bring glory to God and lead the Gentiles to true worship. This time will be characterized by holiness, joy, righteousness, gladness, peace, security and much more. One of the great things that will be manifested during the millennium is God's faithfulness. All that He promised to Israel will be realized. The Church should rejoice in all of this. The fact that God didn't break His promises with Israel should cause us to be thankful.

End of Part 1 of 3