Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Putting "counter-missionaries" under a microscope

"Counter-missionaries" are Jews who are engaged in the counter-proselytization of the Jewish people by Christians, Hebrew Roots and Messianic believers known as “missionaries”. That is to say, some Jewish groups have formed counter-missionary organizations to discourage Christian missionizing via what they feel are “deceptive practices” by the missionaries.

On one hand, it’s easy to see why Jews would reject the idea of Y'shua, especially as He is known as the Christian "Jesus", because – according to Christianity, Jesus is “God in the Flesh”; a “man-god” – a completely Torah-less entity who came to bring a new religion called Christianity, and to “nail to the cross” not just our sin, but everything ADONAI ever commanded. (This, of course, includes the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts, from which Christians feel they’re exempt; even though they claim to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose Torah contains mankind’s only true and legitimate rules for holy living and tells us that ALL who accept YHWH are to "do exactly as" His people do - Numbers 15:13-16.)

Be that as it may, as evidenced in the above, Jews have every right to refuse the Christian theology, and they are actually correct in doing so! YHWH commanded His people to stay away from “other gods” and idolatry and false teachings. Let's face it: Christians HAVE changed some very important things:

They refuse to keep the commanded seven Feasts (all of which foreshadow Y'shua!) and the Seventh Day Sabbath (which is a SIGN between God and His people - Exodus 31:16-17, Ezekiel 20:11-12. They've come up with their own, man-made "holy days" - both of which are steeped in paganism; and they've absolutely refused to acknowledge that Jesus came to show God's people how to properly obey the commands and walk in Torah, and do everything His Father commanded and NOT to bring any "new religion". (See Isaiah 11:1, 10; Isaiah 53; Proverbs 30:4; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zecheriah 3:8; 6:12; Luke 4:43; 8:1; Philippians 2:5-11, etc.)

Unfortunately, the Jews (due, in part, to their own prejudices, anger and over-cautiousness; and in part, because of the skewed teachings of Christianity which tends to concentrate more on the hard-to-understand writings of Paul than on the teachings on Y’shua and the actual commands of YHWH) are completely missing out on YHWH’s “rest of the story” called Brit Chadashah, “The New Testament” (which should more aptly be referred to as “Renewed Testament” because it is an unwavering continuation of the “Old Testament).

Genesis 49:18 “I have waited for your yeshua (salvation), O YHWH.”  Well, Y'shua is foreshadowed in the moe'dim, and places like Isaiah 53, and presented in all his glory in the Gospels….

If only the Jewish counter-missionaries could set aside all their prejudices and skewed ideas about Y’shua and the NT, and realize that the God who created the universe and everything in it, is also capable of supernaturally causing His Messiah to be born of a human woman; and grow up to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH and do everything he was told to do, and ultimately martyr himself on our behalf.

But they can’t seem to do that. They’re completely stuck in a rut of blindness. And they INSIST on remaining there!

Rather than to seek the Ruach to help them recognize ALL of God's Truth, they spend a ridiculous amount of time and effort to disprove and ridicule His Messiah. Much of this is due to unchained pride and arrogance over the idea that God belongs to only them and no one else … and, perhaps they feel threatened by a Messiah whose death served to tear down the barrier that allows anyone to “become a Hebrew” once they accept the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob….

So, here we have Christians on one side refusing to accept the idea of Torah; while Jews, on the other, refusing to accept Y’shua as YHWH’s divine Messiah (divine because his Father is ELOHIM; and he was/is the Word (John 1:1, 14) made Flesh, as well as the “arm” of God (Isaiah 53:1). Wouldn't it be great if both sides would simply open their eyes, push aside their limited human mindsets, and allow the Ruach to give them divine guidance? But it appears - as the old adage goes - "Never the twain shall meet." And it's all because both sides cannot and will not let go of their pride.

Because of that pride thing - certain Jewish Rabbis have long tried to counter the onslaught of Christian proselytizing by simply ignoring or arguing with, or talking back to Christians and Messianic/Hebrew Roots proselytizers. But apparently, that wasn’t working very well, so they have come up with a new tactic: They seek out those gullible people who are sick of the fluff of Christianity and convince them that “Jesus” and the New Testament are myth, and then enlist them against us.

Yes, you read correctly! They’ve decided to turn the tables against “believers in Jesus” by reaching out and teaching them (skillfully employing the Christians' lack of knowledge about Torah) that Jesus and the New Testament are myths! They gleefully present the supposed lack of evidence for “Jesus” in Torah – and then they turn loose those very gullible “converts” to go right out and teach it other Christians!

What a concept! It’s brilliant! And it’s working….

Unfortunately, these starry-eyed deluded folks, thrilled that actual Jewish RABBIS are willing to give them attention and guidance, are more than willing to join Christian and Messianic/Hebrew Roots groups for the sole purpose of “sowing counter-missionary seeds.” It works so well that these Christians (and Messianic/Hebrew Roots types) don’t realize that all they have done is to exchange one religion for another. In their hurry to leave behind ALL they once knew, these new counter-missionaries leap so quickly to the “other side of the pendulum,” that they totally overlook the fact that they’ve missed the overall picture!

The bottom line is, the Jewish counter-missionary Rabbis and their converts are busy taking “our” people away with their “ear-tickling” messages. They use any tactic available to them – and it’s working, because the evidence shows many are “rejecting Jesus” because of them. Below are some of the passages counter-missionaries will twist into oblivion … obvious Messianic passages that those with the Ruach within will easily recognize.

If you are among those who is thinking of “rejecting Jesus,” please check out our Countering the Counter-Missionaries page on our website, The Refiner’s Fire.

Proverbs 30:4 - Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!

Hebrews 1: 2 But now, in the acharit-hayamin (these last days) he has spoken to us through his Son, to whom he has given ownershp of everything and through whom he created the universe. 3 This Son is the readiance of the Sh'khinah (Spirit), the very expression God's essence, upholding all that exists by his powerful word; and after he had HaG'dulah BaM'romim (the Majesty on High).

Micah 5:2 - But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.

Jeremiah 23: 5 "The days are coming," says ADONAI when I will raise a righteous Branch for David. He will reign as king and succeed, he will do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Y'hudah will be saved, Isra'el will live in safety, and the name given to him will be ADONAI TZIDKENU [ADONAI our righteousness].

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore ADONAI himself will give you people a sign; the young woman will become pregnant, bear a son and name him 'Immanu El [God is with us]. (The word "Immanu El" is repeated in Isaiah 8:8.) (Jewish anti-missionaries will argue to the death about the word "alma" NOT meaning "virgin".)

Isaiah 9: 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name Pele-Yo'etz El Gibbor Avi'Ad Sar-Shalom [Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace], 7 in order to extend the dominion and perpetuate the peace of the throne and kingdom of David, to secure it and sustain it through justice and righteousness henceforth and forever. The zeal of ADONAI-Tva'ot will accomplish this.

Zechariah 9: 9 Rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Tziyon! Shout out loud, daughter of Yerushalayim! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is victorious. Yet he is humble - he's riding on a donkey, yes, on a lowly donkey's colt.

If both sides would set aside their bias and skewed beliefs and TRY to get along, they would, in all probability, begin to recognize that the Tanakh (Old Testament), and the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) are ONE, and that Messiah Yeshua is not what either side says he is!

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