BEWARE THE “COUNTER-MISSIONARIES” (THOSE WHO ACTIVELY ATTEMPT TO GET PEOPLE TO REJECT MESSIAH YESHUA. Check out a sampling of their blaspheming memes, below!)
As many of you know, I used to spend a lot of time challenging the Jewish “counter-missionary” rabbis and their converts – all for the purpose of intercepting their interminable efforts to take people away from Yeshua and the New Testament. Basically, it’s their retaliation tool to fight back against Christian or Hebrew Roots missionaries who are trying to lead Jews to Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)…Headed by counter-missionary rabbis (such as Tovia Singer, Stuart Federow, Michael Skobac, Moshe Shulman, Pinchas Levin and Eli Cohen, etc.), the main goal is to not only to “reintegrate” Jews who have accepted Yeshua as their Messiah; but also, to reach out to the Christian/Messianic/Hebrew Roots population for “conversation to Judaism” and ultimately turn them into “counter-missionary” disciples who will then reach out to YOU by showing you the “error of your ways.”
Unfortunately, many ARE falling for their fast-talking, “ear tickling” verbiage which is peppered with plenty of Hebrew words and concepts designed to impress and deceive “even the elect” (Mark 13:22)…
While I can certainly see why Christians are easily deceived by the amazing “Jewish knowledge” of Scripture, I’m still having a hard time understanding why a Torah observant person, who supposedly knows the Truth of the “echad” of YHWH/Yeshua/Torah (the “whole Bible” concept), would be gullible enough to fall for their wiles!
Regardless, the Bible warns us that this would happen in the end times. (For example: Matthew 24:3-14; Luke 21:10-27; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; Zephaniah 1:18.)
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A COUNTER-MISSIONARY:
To hook you into their beliefs, counter-missionaries will usually approach you with the supposedly “false” teachings of the supposedly “anti-Torah” Paul - which is an absolute LIE, because Paul NEVER spoke against Torah. All he was guilty of was trying hard to explain difficult Hebrew concepts to a pagan populace! Remember, Paul was the one who wrote:
Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the Law (Torah) through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we ESTABLISH the Law....
Still, once they get you to believe that Paul was a fake, they’ll start attacking “Jesus” who is supposedly either a "myth" or "just some man" or an “idol” you are guilty of worshiping (which, of course, is a SIN). They’ll tell you “God doesn’t have a son, nor did He ever demand human sacrifice.” (Never mind that Yeshua wasn’t “sacrificed” – because nobody “sacrificed” this DIVINE Messiah of God, who chose to martyr himself - against which there is NO Torah law!)
As I explain on my website:
Offerings "qurbana" and sacrifices "dabekha" are two different entities. Although there are certain aspects to Mashiyach's death that are utterly unique to him (Zechariah 12:10, etc.), his death nevertheless echoes aspects of offerings and sacrifices that came before. The qurbana is the human life (nefesh) that Y'shua voluntarily offers up on the stake. The result of that offering is his blood put out on the "altar"; hence dabekha.
However, this is certainly not, as some critics suggest, "human sacrifice." Rather, this indicates Y'shua's status as Mashiyach ben Yoseph. Per strict accordance with Isaiah 53 and Genesis 22:8, Mashiyach ben Yoseph was required to suffer and die. After his death, the offering of himself became a sacrifice that was taken up, and he was resurrected three days later. Many of YHWH's prophets also suffered and were martyred at the hands of those who fought against the Kingdom of Elohim. In the case of Mashiyach, his shed blood is counted as the acceptable offering, the Lamb of YHWH, which is most Set Apart unto YHWH.
Another of the favorite teachings of the “counter-missionaries” is that “Yeshua has failed to fulfill ALL the prophecies.” Well, first of all, nothing says he HAD to fulfill ALL of them during his first time on earth. However, he DID fulfill at least 300 prophecies, and there are just a few more to go (including the last three of the seven mo'edim/High Holy Days/Appointed Times), which will be fulfilled after his Second Coming, when EVERY knee will bow! (See Isaiah 45:23-24; Philippians 2:10-11; Romans 14:11 and my article on The Refiner’s Fire: https://therefinersfire.org/prophecies.htm )
THE WARNING: (COUNTER-MISSIONARY RHETORIC IS LIKE THE SERPENT SPEAKING TO EVE IN GENESIS 3: “DID GOD REALLY SAY….?”)
I know from past experiences with counter-missionaries, once people make up their mind to swallow the Jewish Rabbis’ ear-tickling, anti-Yeshua rhetoric, they don’t ever come back; and all attempts to try to get them to see YHWH’s Truth (as outlined, not just in the Torah, but in the “whole” of the Bible), are futile.
The thing is, we ARE commanded to warn our brethren when they are about to walk off a proverbial cliff, or else their blood will be on our hands (Ezekiel 3:18 and 33:8). Public rejection of Yeshua is the biggest mistake of one's life!
John 14:6 Yeshua said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life! No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 Because you have known me, you will also know my Father. From now on, you do know Him. In fact, you have seen Him. (CJB)
Hebrews 6: 4. But they who have once descended to immersion and have tasted the gift from heaven and have received the Ruach haKodesh 5. and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the power of the world to come, 6. cannot again sin and a second time be renewed to repentance; or a second time execute him on a stake and insult the Son of Elohim. (AENT)
Hebrews 10:26. For if a man sin voluntarily after he has received a knowledge of the truth, there is no longer a sacrifice which may be offered for sins: 27. but the fearful judgment impends, and the zeal of fire that consumes the adversaries. 28. For if he who transgressed the Torah of Moshe, died without mercies at the mouth of two or three witnesses; 29. how much more, do you think, will he receive capital punishment who has trodden upon the Son of Elohim and has accounted the blood of his covenant by which he is sanctified, as the blood of all men and has treated the Spirit of grace in an insulting manner?[1] 30. For we know him who has said, Retribution is mine and I will repay: and again, Master YHWH will judge his people. 31. It is very terrible to fall into the hands of the living Elohim. (AENT)
NOTE: [1] This admonition is perhaps a midrash about “blaspheming against the Ruach haKodesh” as mentioned by Y’shua in Matthew 12:32.
HaSatan is very busy deceiving everyone he can, because he knows how “the Book” ends! (Job:1:7; Revelation 12:9; 1 Peter5:8; Ephesians 6:10-11.)
Don’t let him deceive YOU! Yeshua is your determining factor as to whether you will spend eternity in the “smoking” or “non-smoking” section! (https://blog.therefinersfire.org/2023/02/what-does-yeshua-mean-when-he-said-i-am.html)
(The memes below are just a few examples of the kind of blasphemy that goes on, on the "counter-missionary" walls and in their groups. I pray that everyone who has read the above, will think twice before allowing themselves to be deceived by those who have rejected Yeshua and are devoted to spending their lives getting the gullible to do the same.)
The main goal of counter-missionaries being converting others to Judaism truly shows how little you know about Judaism. Judaism does not encourage conversion and does not go out of the way to seek others' conversion (conversion to Judaism is actually very difficult). Christianity has a very bloody history of forced conversion, so maybe you are just confused. Counter-missionaries are not people you come across often (at all!!), but rather, Jews are forced to encounter counter missionaries weekly--some missionaries even living secretly in our communities. Acting as if counter missionary work is a "problem" is absolutely ignorant. Missionaries have targeted people and wreaked havoc on communities for hundreds of years!
ReplyDeleteI find your reference to Rabbis' "Ear tickling verbage peppered with plenty of Hebrew words" to be even further proof of how little you know about Jews. We speak Hebrew. We read the Bible and pray in Hebrew. Hebrew is a part of our vocabulary--we aren't using it to trick you or tickle your ears! It's literally the foundation of our faith and lives. If this is tricking the "elect", perhaps they're not as A-list as you make them sound. You continue by calling our knowledge of our God and Bible "our wiles". It really sounds like you are just steeped in hate and Anti-Jewish rhetoric. Which is so ironic because you call yourself a "Netzarim" professor. Where would you be without Judaism's preservation of the Torah and the Hebrew Language?
Finally, in your bit about Jesus. No one refers to him as a "myth or idol". He doesn't come up--not in our lives, not in conversations--because we have God. God is enough and only He can save. Where did God say that you needed a man in order to have a relationship with Him? The 300 prophesies that Jesus supposedly fulfilled--you should look into those. And if you were able to look at them in the original text, it would be even more clear. The sources of these prophesies are not referring to Mashiach, but of the Messianic prophesies--Jesus didn't fulfill them! There was no third temple, no peace and worldwide knowledge of God (really the opposite), he wasn't born of human parents (seriously, where do we get God fathering a child?! An idea steeped in paganism), he wasn't a great political leader or judge....He didn't fit the bill plain and simple. Regardless, I think it's revealing that you'd rather slander Rabbeim, and counter-missionaries who have had to put up with Christians' anti-Jewish rhetoric for hundreds of years than acknowledge that maybe you just aren't willing to dig deeper and learn uncomfortable truths.
Thank you for your comments. While you do make some great points, your comments very much reflect your personal beliefs, opinions and experiences. Please know that I truly do hear and understand, and feel for you! None of us have the market cornered on Truth; we are all simply trying to live our faith to the best of our abilities.
ReplyDeleteHere are my responses to some of your allegations:
You wrote: Christianity has a very bloody history of forced conversion, so maybe you are just confused.
My response: No, I’m not confused at all, but you’re absolutely correct about Christianity, as a whole! And I’m here to admit that their methods were wrong. However, you need to remember that the entire Tanach reveals a bloody history of all types of peoples being killed, for various reasons, by “the Jews” who were often engaged in battles and wars. Nobody on this earth has exemplified perfection in the human body except for Yeshua.
You wrote: “The main goal of counter-missionaries being converting others to Judaism truly shows how little you know about Judaism. Judaism does not encourage conversion and does not go out of the way to seek others' conversion (conversion to Judaism is actually very difficult).”
My response: Please check out all the videos and Facebook posts from Jewish Rabbis such as Singer, Skobac and Federman, along with their sidekicks such as William Hall (who I personally witnessed on Facebook, “transitioning” from Christianity, to Hebrew Roots, to Judaism, where he apparently finally found his niche among the Jewish counter-missionary rabbis mentioned above). Hall (and others) readily admits he is just one of many followers who were converted to Judaism by Rabbi Singer and his ilk!
Every one of the above-mentioned “big-wigs” in Judaism, spend much (if not most) of their time bashing and trashing “Jesus” AND drawing the gullible to into the abyss of “coming to the realization” that Jesus and the entire New Testament and its writers are MYTHS!
TO CONTINUE WITH MY RESPONSE:
ReplyDeleteYou wrote: Finally, in your bit about Jesus. No one refers to him as a "myth or idol". He doesn't come up--not in our lives, not in conversations--because we have God.
My response: Wow! I don’t know where you’ve been looking, because that has been going on for decades! If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have started my “Countering the Counter-Missionaries” page back in 2001! If he “doesn’t come up in your lives,” then I suggest you ask Rabbi Singer and others why they spend ALL their time talking about, and trying to debunk him! If he doesn’t/didn’t exist or mean anything to you, why even bother wasting any time on him?
You wrote: “You continue by calling our knowledge of our God and Bible "our wiles". It really sounds like you are just steeped in hate and Anti-Jewish rhetoric.
My response: I was born a Jew in post-war Germany, to a mother who was scarred for life by the Holocaust – so, needless to say, you have no right to accuse me of being “anti-Jewish!” You don’t know me from Adam, and you don’t know my heart! You’re simply spewing forth vitriol because you are able to remain totally anonymous behind your keyboard.
Furthermore, you’ve obviously not read very many of my articles because if you had, you would see that the ONLY thing I refer to as their (the anti-missionary) “wiles” is the deviousness with which they deceive those who believe in ADONAI’s Messiah, Yeshua.
Like I said, check out the videos and Facebook posts of just the above-mentioned teachers and you’ll see what I mean. (You’ll see only if you are able to set aside your own hatred and prejudices that is amply strewn throughout your comments to me.)
As for your observations about “Jesus” not fulfilling the prophecies, the only response I will provide is that you are being willfully blind. I don’t intend to engage in endless arguments with you about something that is evident in various places throughout the Tanach, and handed to the world point blank in the Brit Chadashah. If you are the least bit curious about knowing who he is, you are free to read the articles on my website as this page: https://therefinersfire.org/ca.htm