Email Chayim B'Yeshua Messianic MinistriesBy Rabbi Paul
Chayim B'Yeshua Messianic Ministries
Rev 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are
rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a
synagogue of Satan.
The above verse opens up a host of questions. If there are people claiming to be
Jews but are not, then the logical questions to ask are: EXACTLY WHO OR WHAT IS
A JEW? and WHAT MAKES ONE A MEMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL?
I know there are many answers out there which attempt to answer these questions.
Most of which have been motivated by trying to get across a certain point of
doctrine. This means that Biblical proofs from the Word of Adonai Eloheynu (The
Lord our God) are often ignored to promote various agendas. I have no agenda
except to promote and teach the undiluted truth of Adonai's Word in Yeshua ha-Mashiach's
(Jesus Christ's) Name as it appears in the pages of the Tanakh and B'rit
Chadasha (Hebrew Bible & New Testaments). Simple as that. I myself come from
a Jewish background as my ancestral family were among the first Sephardic Jews
to come to America.
The conclusions of this study will probably offend some, but the Word of Adonai
has done that for many centuries and for that I am unapologetic. I ask that you
carefully and prayerfully consider the word of Adonai that is presented in this
study and seek His perfect will and He will guide you in all wisdom and
knowledge. This is my first installment on this subject. Much can be written on
it, but what is presented here today will suffice in proving the point from the
Word of Adonai regarding the questions being considered.
Now, let's look at the following questions:
EXACTLY WHO OR WHAT IS A JEW?
WHAT MAKES ONE A MEMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL?
In a nutshell, a Jew (Yehudi) is a member of the Tribe of Judah (Yehudah) which
is a part of the people of Israel (Am Yisra'el). Later, after the Babylonian
captivity, the term Jew pretty much referred to anyone who was a member of the
House of Israel. These questions above lead to another important question:
WHEN DID ADONAI CREATE THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL?
This we can answer in Adonai's Word. In Genesis chapter 12 we read:
12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your
father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2" I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make
your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
This is the story of how Abram of Ur (in Mesopotamia) became Avraham (Abraham).
As we see, ethnically, Avraham belonged to an ethnic group. There were no Jews
or members of the House of Israel at that time. Adonai tells Avraham to leave
his country and people and that He will make him into a great nation. This
nation was to become the House/People of Israel. The ethnic group that Avraham
belonged to was Mesopotamian which was derived from Noach's (Noah) son, Shem.
(see Genesis 11). The most wide spread of the descendants of Shem today are the
Arabs. We get the term "Semite" and "Semitic" from Shem.
In Genesis 15:6, we read: "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to
him as righteousness." So we see that Avraham's faith in what Adonai said,
his belief in Adonai's word, is what made him righteous. What Adonai told him
was that he and his descendants would take possession of the land of Canaan as
an everlasting possession.
Now we get to the crux of the matter in Genesis 17:
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many
nations.
5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made
you a father of many nations.
6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come
from you.
7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and
your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the
God of your descendants after you.
8 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an
everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be
their God."
9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and
your descendants after you for the generations to come.
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you
are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant
between me and you.
12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must
be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from
a foreigner--those who are not your offspring.
13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be
circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be
cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."
We see that Abram's name was changed to Avraham by Adonai because he was to be a
father of MANY nations. The covenant and nationhood that was placed on Avraham
was because of his FAITH and BELIEF in Adonai's word. The first command that
Adonai gave Avraham to confirm this covenant was circumcision. This was to be a
physical sign to confirm the covenant through males. Notice that this
circumcision was to be an EVERLASTING COVENANT. According to Adonai's word, one
becomes a member of the House of Israel through belief, faith and circumcision
(8 day old males).
Abraham became a member of what would be referred to as the House of Israel
because of a faith-based decision he made. His wife, Sarah became a member by
believing as well, as did Abraham's sons. Ismael, who was Avraham's son by the
maid Hagar, wasn't to be part of this covenant, even though he was circumcised.
He was to become a great nation (the father of the Arabs).
When Adonai tested Avraham and asked him to sacrifice his son, Yitzhak (Isaac),
Adonai provided a substitute in the ram. This was a forerunner of the redemption
we have in Yeshua ha-Mashiach. Adonai spared Yitzhak, but wouldn't spare His son
Yeshua, who is the Lamb of Adonai who takes away the sin of the world. In
Genesis 22, we read:
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time
16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have
done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in
the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession
of the cities of their enemies,
18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you
have obeyed me."
The point that needs to be noted here is that The House of Israel was NOT
dependent on an ethnic group. For example, you have to be born an Italian. You
are either Italian or you are not. You cannot be born Chinese unless you are
ethnically Chinese. Being Jewish or a member of the House of Israel is not based
on birth. It is based on a decision of entering a covenant with Adonai to serve
Him. From the time of Avraham, his sons and grandchildren had to accept the
covenant by BELIEVING and OBEYING Adonai's word. Through time, and as the
children of Israel grew, because of customs and folklore, being a member of the
House of Israel or "Jewish" started to be conferred as if being Jewish
were a racial ethnic group like being Chinese, Greek or Spanish. This, however,
is purely a man-made doctrine and something simply taken for granted as being a
member of the House of Israel is not conferred by birthright alone.
Judaism was born of converts to a faith. Being a Jew or an Israelite wasn't
reckoned at the tower of Babel. There have always been significant numbers of
converts to Judaism who have come into the faith and added to the multi-ethnic
gene pool. After a period of time, as I said above, traditions and folklore have
blurred the line as far as what a Jew actually is. Most people born today of
Jewish heritage, and even those born as far back as the time of Yeshua, were
pretty much considered Jewish as they were circumcised. Even today in Israel,
the question of "Who or what is a Jew?" is a hotly debated topic with
no universal answer. Truth is, though, the early Biblical standard from the
Torah is still in effect today even though it isn't recognized by a majority as
illustrated by the writings of Rav Sha'ul (Paul) in his letter to the Romans:
Romans 2:28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision
merely outward and physical.
29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of
the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not
from men, but from God.
So simply being born to Jewish parents and being physcially circumcised, coming
from a Jewish background, speaking Hebrew, carring Torah scrolls, bowing at the
Wailing Wall or whatever, doesn't make a person a Jew in Adonai's eyes. Having
one's heart circumcised by inviting Yeshua ha-Mashiach into one's life makes one
a Jew in Adonai's eyes.
Does that mean that Christians are the new House of Israel and are Jewish? No it
does not. Christianity, as a whole, is a religion that is quite different from
the Messianic Jewish truth as found in the Tanakh and B'rit Chadasha. Yeshua
ha-Mashiach did NOT come to start another religion. He came as a fulfillment of
the promised made to Avraham, confirmed by Moshe (Moses) and the prophets and
the Talmidim (disciples) of Yeshua. Fulfillment doesn't mean a cancellation of
the truths as has been taught by most of Christianity, but rather it means that
Yeshua is the completion and perfection of what Adonai Eloheynu put into motion
(see Matthew 5:17-20). Mainline Christianity with its destruction of the law and
the prophets, adoption of heathen religious festivals and the replacing of
Adonai's Shabbat and holy feasts is certainly another religion. Unfortunately,
the Jesus worshipped by most professing "christians" bears little
resemblance to Yeshua ha-Mashiach of the Tanakh & the B'rit Chadasha.
Stripping the Messianic faith of its Judaic and Hebraic roots leaves the tree
dead. Much of this was done officially in 325 AD at the Council of Nicea by the
Roman Catholic Churcheven though the Roman Catholic and Papal system was exposed
in the Book of Acts. I will save that for another installment.
To illustrate the point further of who or what is a Jew, Rav Sha'ul says:
Romans 9: 6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are
descended from Israel are Israel.
7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the
contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it
is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.
So, in a purely Biblical sense (the only one that matters), those descended from
a Jewish background are not Jewish simply because of traditional heritage and
lineage. Rom 9:6-8 illustrates the point that being a member of the House of
Israel is based on a covenant that one makes with Adonai which is confirmed and
fulfilled in Mashiach Yeshua. Anyone rejecting Yeshua, whether he or she is from
a Jewish background or not, are not considered members of the House of Israel in
Adonai's eyes and are those who are referred to in Rev 2:9.
Rev 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the
slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of
Satan.
Even though this is the case, these physical descendants of Israel are still
within the love and umbrella of Adonai's reach, and should be reached out to and
we should attempt to reach these separated brothers and sisters with the good
news of Yeshua ha-Mashiach so that they can be grafted back into the olive tree
since they come from the original tree.
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After posting this original article above, I heard back from many people. The overall response was positive and many people thanked me for sheding a Biblical light on this long ignored, covered-up, and unanswered question. Still a few others, mainly those from a physical Jewish background, did not agree with the evidence from the Bible because they insist that the House of Israel and Jewishness is conferred through a physical sense equating being a Jew or an Israelite in the same sense as being born into it like being an Italian, German, Mexican, Irish, etc... After receiving such a letter basically saying that very premise, I responded with the following:
RE: WHAT IS A JEW IN THE EYES OF ADONAI ELOHEYNU? (March 11, 2008)
Shalom *****,
I am not endorsing any of these three theories you mentioned in your post. I was
simply addressing the question of who and what is a Jew. Upfront, I am of a
Sephardic Jewish background so I have no agenda here other than to honestly and
Biblically address the question. Rabbinic Judaism has had a monopoly way too
long on Judaism and some of that has influenced how Messianic Jews view
Jewishness and how it is conferred as well and that is not Biblical.
I understand that over the years that "Jewish" has become a
quasi-ethnic group but to deny that Adonai created it as a faith-based covenant
that he entered into with Avraham is counterproductive. The covenants, physical
and spritual, still remain and are without cancellation...no disputing that. But
getting back to the question of Who is Jew, this is something that people do not
want to answer honestly.
For example, ponder these points:
* Rabbis still convert people to Judaism and these folks are cosidered Jewish if
converted according to Orthodox rites...this being the case, if an Italian goy
converts to this rabbinic Judaism, is the Italian heritage magically evaporated
away and the ger (convert) is now of "Jewish Blood?"
* What ethnic group did Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov belong to? Once they made
this covenant, did their ethnicity disappear? Did their appearance change?
* Was Ruth of the Tanakh a Jew?
* Most of the "Jews" who have made Aliyah from Russian (up to 60%) are
gentiles who are looking for a better life. Israel has recognized these as Jews
eventhough the rabbinic authority protests. Wouldn't this dilute any Jewish
bloodline. The same can be said of the Falashas (Black Ethiopian Jews) who came
from Africa. rabbis say they need to be converted but the government of Israel
recognizes them under the Law of Return.
* How come Hitler needed a yellow Jewish star of David to be worn by Jews?
Because you could not physically tell them apart from the Germans, Polish,
Dutch, or Slavics that they lived among
* How come Jews in Cuba look Cuban, Jews in France look French, Jews in India
look Indian, Jews in Yemen look Arab, Jews in Ethiopia are black, etc etc...??
All these examples, cross-referenced with the proofs in the Tanakh and B'rit
Chadasha, point to the fact that joining oneself to the House of Israel is a
matter of entering a faith-based covenant with Adonai in Yeshua ha-Mashiach.
There are people physically descended from a Jewish background and Adonai always
has His Hand extended to them to be grafted back in, but to deny that Israel
cannot be conferred upon those who join themselves to God's covenant contradicts
the word of Adonai. [Adonai Eloheynu makes this clear
as crystal in Isaiah 56. he distinguishes between joining oneself to Israel and
being physically descended from those who had previously entered into the
covenant, covering all aspects of foreigners and eunuch joining themselves to
Israel (Isa 56:3-8) and ending up showing the fate of rabbinic Jews and secular
Jews who have turned their backs on the covenant (Isa 56:9-12)] The
Bible is quite clear on these matters even though most people, for a myriad of
reasons, will not accept it.
Take care, brother, and many blessings in Yeshua ha-Mashiach,
Paul
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Note: I never received a response to the above email...I don't understand why some Messianics who are descended from a physical Jewish background are offended at Adonai's word other than they feel like they would be giving up some exclusiveness and, if this is the case, this is a form of ethno-centrism that Adonai Eloheynu frowns upon with great disgust. It is totally unfounded as membership in Adonai's covenant and entering into the House of Israel has always been acceptance of God's covenant with Avraham and now, since the B'rit Chadasha, confirmed in Yeshua ha-Mashiach.
For a clearer understanding of the proper context, let me quote Isaiah 56 from the Complete Jewish Bible as it leaves no doubt:
Isa 56:1 Here is what ADONAI says: "Observe justice, do what is right, for my salvation is close to coming, my righteousness to being revealed."
Isa 56:2 Happy is the person who does this, anyone who grasps it firmly, who keeps Shabbat and does not profane it, and keeps himself from doing any evil.
Isa 56:3 A foreigner joining ADONAI should not say, "ADONAI will separate me from his people"; likewise the eunuch should not say, "I am only a dried-up tree."
Isa 56:4 For here is what ADONAI says: "As for the eunuchs who keep my Shabbats, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant:
Isa 56:5 in my house, within my walls, I will give them power and a name greater than sons and daughters; I will give him an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
Isa 56:6 "And the foreigners who join themselves to ADONAI to serve him, to love the name of ADONAI, and to be his workers, all who keep Shabbat and do not profane it, and hold fast to my covenant,
Isa 56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
Isa 56:8 Adonai ELOHIM says, he who gathers Isra'el's exiles: "There are yet others I will gather, besides those gathered already."
Isa 56:9 All you wild animals, come and devour, yes, all you animals in the forest!
Isa 56:10 [Isra'el's] watchmen are, all of them, blind; they don't know anything. They are all dumb dogs, unable to bark, lying there dreaming, loving to sleep.
Isa 56:11 Greedy dogs, never satisfied - such are the shepherds, unable to understand; they all turn to their own way, each one intent on his own gain:
Isa 56:12 "Come, I'll get some wine, we'll fill up on good, strong liquor! Tomorrow will be like today; in fact, it will be even better!"
After all this evidence from Adonai Eloheynu in the Tanakh and B'rit Chadasha, it is clear that joining oneself to God's people and covenant is something He extends to everyone just as he extended it to Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov and their descendants. I pray that this has been helpful to those who read it. Many blessings in Yeshua Meshichenu!
Rabbi Paul