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For many of our readers the information in this article will be startling. After reading this article you will see for yourself that if you follow contemporary Christianity and its teachings then you are following Paul and not Jesus/Yeshua, because Yeshua’ message of redemption is entirely opposite to what Paul teaches. I can hear many of you say....”that’s not so” or “he is wrong.” Let me sincerely tell you that in the beginning, even after my seminary training I did not see it as clearly as I do today. But I beg of you to read this article and THINK...THINK....of what I will show you. For in the end, you are directly responsible before God, and HaShem is sending you and many of His children today appeals to repent and return to the true faith once given to the saints. Time is of the essence, and it will be horrible to die and find out that you followed the wrong faith...a faith that does not save.
One last thing; you might wonder what the end-result should be of such a series of studies. It is our hope at Bet Emet ministries that when you complete these articles the reader will be able to understand that Christianity is best understood and practiced from a Jewish viewpoint which restores the Sabbaths and the Seven Biblical Festivals. Such emphasis is almost totally lacking in the Christian church today. Also, a renewed emphasis in proper tithing and righteous giving hopefully will replace the current perversion of giving as seen in most churches and on televisions today. What you will come to see is that all these above things, and more, embody the true salvation experience. Let us begin…shall we?
I think few will take issue with my statement that in the New Testament Yeshua is pictured as a Jew who believed in Judaism and taught others to be faithful to his religion's precepts and laws forever!
In this article I will quote many verses from the New Testament, and it is important to understand from the outset that although much in the New Testament is unreliable, when we find places in it which agrees with Moses and the Prophets we have found a witness to the Word of God as recorded in the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible). Let us not stagger at the comment that “much in the New Testament is unreliable,” because in this article I will show you that many of these New Testament verses oppose Moses and the Prophet, let alone Yeshua’s teachings, and are irreconcilably contradictory to the Gospel Yeshua preached which can be found along side them in the New Testament. Both passages confirming that Yeshua believed and both taught Moses and the Prophets regarding salvation, as well as verses contradicting what Yeshua taught, have remained included in the New Testament through the ages. These verses remain for a purpose today. They remain to show the careful reader and student the truth amidst fiction as written in the New Testament.
Likewise, the purpose could well be to reassure Jews who are in doubt about their Judaism, and are thinking of leaving Judaism for Christianity, that Judaism and Torah has always been and will always be the road to God for the people of God; both Jew and Non-Jew. Those unsure Jews and deceived Christians perhaps can have their belief in God, Torah, and Israel (Judaism) kindled and can be kept on God's pathway by the very same Christian Book through which they have unknowingly deserted their true people and God! Indeed, Jews who already have left their faith as well as Christians who are returning to the Jewish faith once given the saints are daily having their eyes opened to the truths I will reveal in this article. Prayerfully, many will return as baal teshuvah and through repentance turn to the God of Israel, who surely is waiting with fatherly understanding and forgiveness. Believe Yeshua in this matter - Eternal life is obtained through Judaism. Paul teaches otherwise and contradicts Yeshua on this matter.
For devout Jews who were once Christians and Christians who have studied to see the errors of their prior faith and have returned to a more correct and Biblical Sinai faith, the revelations in this article will be very comfortable corroboration of their firm faith in the holiness of the religion of Yeshua; namely Biblical Judaism. Others who read these verses will bring to them their own heritage and will make of them what they will. In other words they will continue to selectively hear what they choose regardless of the facts presented here.
These pages of reverse proof-texts are intended to strengthen the course God set up for Jews as well as Non-Jews and to fortify their faith and devotion to His plan of salvation for all mankind. In effect, here you will discover confirmation of Biblical Judaism's everlasting truth and validity through the words of Yeshua and others in the New Testament. Often this confirmation will conflict with what Paul taught, but more on that later. Now, let's get into it.
Matthew 5:17-19, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one little shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Try and read the above passage over three or four times. Get the intent of Yeshua into your mind and soul. You can read this over and over and never end your astonishment; especially in light of what you have heard preached in your churches. Remember, these are Yeshua' words saying he is here to follow the law of Moses, not end the law. Until the world ends, the law as written will be in effect. Jews and Non-Jews who obey the law and teach it are greatly loved by God, while those who transgress the law and teach its transgression are not. Notice that although the word "fulfill" could mean "to complete or end," in this case and context it clearly means "to obey and do." We know this because the following sentence continues the idea that the law will not change until the world ends, which still has not occurred two thousand years later. Just look outside your window.
Luke 16:16-17, "The law and the prophets were until John (the Baptist): since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one little of the law to fail."
Preaching the kingdom (God’s rule and reign over mankind through submission to the King’s decrees….laws and commandments) is emphasized since John the Baptist, Yeshua said. But the laws of the Torah are still effective and good, to be fulfilled until the world ends. Notice for yourself that in no way does "until John" signify the end of the law, because the very next sentence substantiates the law's validity forever (easier for heaven and earth to pass….notice again that this has not occurred yet).
Luke 16:19-20,22-24,27-31, "There was a certain rich man, . . . And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, . . . the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, . . . And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, . . . I pray thee . . . send him (Lazarus) to my father's house: . . . that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent (Yeshua and not Paul). And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Answer for yourself: Is this a New Testament teaching?
Answer for yourself: Did you notice that Yeshua in the New Testament is teaching that making it to Abraham’s bosom (Heaven) was connected to listening to Moses and the Prophets?
Answer for yourself: What is this parable from Luke really teaching?
Notice first that it is Yeshua and not Paul who is doing the teaching in this story. Yeshua clearly relates in this story that the laws of Moses and the words of the prophets which teach repentance lead the faithful to Abraham's bosom, instead of hell. Moses and the prophets are the pathway to eternal life in heaven according to Yeshua. Yeshua taught this and not Paul. If you will be honest with yourself most of you are typical Christians who read our articles, and the vast majority have been told by their Pastors and Churches that they are not under the Law (Moses and the Prophets), but rather, they are under grace (Paul). They have been told that the Law (Moses and the Prophets) has passed away for Christians and they are no longer under the Law but under grace (Paul’s gospel). In other words you have listened to Paul more than you have to Yeshua.
Answer for yourself: But how can the teaching of Paul in this regard be opposite to what Yeshua said, and since opposite, who are you to trust for your eternal life?
Matthew 19:16-19 (Mark 10:17,19) (Luke 18:18,20), ". . . Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him . . . if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments . . . Which? Yeshua said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself "
Answer for yourself: Did you notice that “having eternal life” is connected by Yeshua with “keeping the commandments” (all of these except one are categories of the law and commandments called The Ten Commandments and under each of these categories are grouped 613 other laws)?
Answer for yourself: Is Yeshua just referring to the Ten Commandments or is there something we as Non-Jews unacquainted with Yeshua’s religion are missing in this teaching?
It may amaze you but upon my study of Biblical Judaism I have discovered that each Tablet of the Law was separated by commandments between man and God and between man and man. In other words, the First Tablet of the Law is dealing with how man relates to God according to God’s commandments, and the Second Tablet of the Law is dealing with how man relates with mankind. But more than that, each of the Ten Commandments is best understood as categories consisting of many commandments within the 613 Commandments grouped under each of the ten headings. So in effect, when Yeshua tells this man “thou salt not steal” he is telling the man to obey all the different facets of the broad commandment, because under such a heading the Bible enumerates the various ways such a commandments can be kept and broken.
Answer for yourself: Is Yeshua teaching that eternal life and salvation in Heaven is connected to keeping and observing the Laws of God? The answer to that question is yes.
There you have it. The way to eternal life for both the Jew and the Non-Jew and salvation in heaven, according to Yeshua, is living like a good Jew and submitting to the laws of the commandments of God. These detailed instructions by Yeshua are plainly presented.
Notice that in the following verses the man asks what more he needed do. And Yeshua replies, to be perfect he should sell everything he owns and give it to the poor and receive treasure in heaven: "and come and follow me." The man, on hearing this, leaves disturbed because he has great wealth and doesn't want to lose it. There is no indication that the "follow me" means anything else but to accompany Yeshua penniless.The message remains intact that observing Torah law gives eternal life. Perfection is another story.
Mark 12: 28-31 (Matthew 22:36-40), ". . . Which is the first (great commandment in the law) commandment of all? And Yeshua answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets)."
So, Yeshua selected Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18 as the greatest two laws. This was very Jewish of him, as most rabbis would completely agree, especially Rabbi Hillel. He chose the Shema prayer, the Jew's affirmation of God's oneness and dedication to love of Him together with Judaism's great moral teaching of loving people with the love you have for yourself. What could be more indicative of the essence of Judaism?
Luke 10:25-28, ". . . Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him. Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."
Answer for yourself: Did you make the connection between “inherit eternal life” and “thou shalt live” as also referring to eternal life? I hope you did because this is typical of Hebrew parallelism.
Answer for yourself: Have you noticed that in Luke 10:25-28, Matthew 19:16-19, Mark 10:17-19, and Luke 18:18-20 something very important is repeated?
Answer for yourself: What is it?
Namely, that possessing and inheriting eternal life is always connected with doing something……not with believing something!
Answer for yourself: How does Luke 10:25-28 teach us more than we learn from Mark 12:28-31?
The writer of the Gospel of Luke goes one step further than the just given, Mark 12:28-31. Here we have the New Testament teaching us of the indisputable link between the “doing” of the commandments of God and eternal life, which is the reward for obeying them.
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that Yeshua is teaching in the New Testament that eternal life is to be taught from the Law……the same Law that tells us “what to do” and what you most likely have been told has passed away or which you are no longer under?
It is evident that Yeshua said, in the New Testament no less, that the law of Moses, as epitomized in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, is the pathway to personal salvation and eternal life. Yes, Yeshua said this as found in the New Testament. Let us continue.
Mark 12:32-34, "And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart (alone as the one God), and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. ... Yeshua . . . said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God . . ."
Answer for yourself: Did you notice that acknowledging the oneness of God, and not the Trinity or triuneness of God, is connected with the reward of God’s kingdom and eternal life?
Answer for yourself: Did you likewise notice that loving God and one’s neighbor who is created in the likeness of God is connected with inheriting God’s eternal life?
I John 5:3, “For this is the love of [for] God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous
Answer for yourself: Since we are told that loving God is connected to eternal life, did you notice the New Testament teaches “how” the love for God is to be manifested?
Answer for yourself: Does the New Testament teach us that loving God is manifested through the keeping of the 613 commandments? It sure does!
This is a straight follow-through of Mark 12:28-31, which connects the acknowledgment of the oneness of God, loving Him, and loving ones neighbor as written in the law, with the reward of God's kingdom. Burnt offerings and sacrifices are secondary to the commandments in Judaism and always have been. With no Temple, there is no doubt about this low degree of importance. This passage demonstrates Yeshua' Judaism through and through. Notice likewise that the term "Master" means good teacher, not anything more.
Matthew 7:12 (Luke 6:31), "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
If you thought that "do unto others" is not Judaic or that it is different from "love your neighbor as yourself" you see here that it is totally of Jewish origin. Yeshua declared that it is the law and the prophets. It is Judaic.
Luke 11:28, ". . . blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it."
Notice also with me that when the writer of Luke penned this verse, that there was not a New Testament in existence and that the only possible identity we can give to “the word of God” is the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings….the Jewish Bible.
Matthew 7:21, "Not every one . . . shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
Again we find the expressed will of the Father in the Law, Prophets, and Writings…the Jewish Bible.
Matthew 3:15, ". . . it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness . . ."
These powerful statements are tucked in between verses which emphasize other ideas. But they can stand alone. And, standing alone they are Judaism's own. Yeshua believed that the will of God is revealed in the word of God, the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew Scriptures we learn the law of Moses (Torah) and the Prophets. Thereby, we can perform righteousness as God desires by adhering to what they teach. This Yeshua believed.
Luke 19:8-9, ". . . half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Yeshua said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham."
What comes next is very important to keep your ears open. It appears that Yeshua believed that even a partial fulfillment of the commandments of the Torah is sufficient to be accepted by God. In the above verse it is recorded for us that Zaccheus repented by observing 2 commandments. In fact, as taught by Yeshua, even by rectifying transgression of the Torah's laws and doing good deeds a person is deserving of salvation. As Jews trust, it is the trying to please God, it is the effort, not the success in total compliance with God's ordinances which is required of us to be righteous and gains us salvation.
Answer for yourself: How confident should we feel about our salvation if we have followed teachings that state that obedience of the law or the striving to observe the laws and commandments of God don't matter any longer because we are saved by “grace” or that this same law that Yeshua connects with eternal life has been taught to us as if it has passed away and of little importance in our lives any longer?
Answer for yourself: Are we absolved by God to not try to choose those things to please Him by keeping His commandments? Is this conduct really connected to eternal life as Yeshua taught, or is he wrong and Paul right?
All the more reason to study to learn how to acquire mitzvoth and commandments, thereby taking upon yourself the yoke of the Kingdom of God. Such obedience to commandments is both pleasing to God as well as our demonstration of our love for Him and our fellow man. To do otherwise is not to love God, but rather, show our ambivalence toward Him and our neighbor.
Luke 13:28, "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out."
Keep your ears open for this as well. Here Yeshua said that the fathers of Judaism and the goodly Hebrew prophets are all accepted into the kingdom of God. Evidently, good Jews need nothing more than the Hebrew religion for life eternal in Yeshua' own belief.
Now for the hard part. Notice that Yeshua also said that many of his followers (the “ye” in the above verse) will not get into God's kingdom and inherit eternal life and salvation because of their sinfulness.
Answer for yourself: Does this same New Testament teach that “transgression of the law is sin”? Yes.
Answer for yourself: Did you notice what is missing from the above words of Yeshua?
There is no Pauline religious belief system mentioned as a means of salvation for the followers of Yeshua!
There is no Christological "belief" presented here as an antidote for spiritual wickedness for mankind.
There is no “easy believeism” taught by Yeshua or his Apostles as a way to eternal life; on the contrary, every time he and the other Apostles emphasize the same thing; namely an earnest attempt to live by the commandments and laws of God for eternal life!
If you have paid attention so far in this article I have shown you repeatedly that Yeshua repeatedly connects eternal life with keeping and observing the Law and Commandments of God.
Nowhere does Yeshua teach that a belief “in him” brings for its adherents eternal life! In fact he teaches just the opposite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John 4:22, "(to Samaritan) Ye worship ye know not what: we (the Jewish people) know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."
Yeshua "worships" what Jews worship, namely God.
Answer for yourself: Salvation is of whom…the Jews (Jewish theology) or the Christians (Christian theology)?
This passage from John 4:22 is even more startling when one realizes that the Samaritan woman who is part Non-Jew mixed with Jewish heritage and ancestry. In other words, she is a mixture; not only of blood line but religious teaching as well. She is a perfect example of the Christian today who follows Paul instead of Yeshua. He has part right and part wrong.
Lets look at Paul where he get some things correct.
I Corinthians 6:9-10, (Paul) "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
Answer for yourself: In this passage are you aware that Paul is in full agreement with Yeshua and his teachings on eternal life?
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that there are commandments in the Torah forbidding each of the above conducts?
Although Paul adds some of his own ideas, the listing of "thou shalt nots" is derived from the commandments. He stresses what he considers unrighteousness and Paul says that transgression of the Law prevents people from earning reward of heaven. Paul, here, reveals his faith in the teachings of the Torah and its stance on eternal life. Paul is in agreement with Yeshua and the other Apostles and their teachings on inheriting eternal life. So far so good.
But I wish I could end here but I cannot. In the next article we will look intently to where Paul deviates from and teaches against Yeshua’s teachings concerning eternal life. This exercise will be difficult for many, but as I have tried to show you, such an exercise to recover truth is very necessary because your eternal life is dependent upon whom you believe and follow….Yeshua or Paul. More to follow in the conclusion to this article. Let us now look at Paul's Salvation Message and see if it agrees with what you just read.
Shalom.