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1. If He is the Messiah, why is there not peace on earth?
3. We have our way...why don't you just leave us alone?
4. I cannot turn my back on my people and convert...
5. Who are you to say that I am not going to heaven?
6. Proselytizing is the worst form of antisemitism...
7. Why don't the Rabbis believe in Jesus as the Messiah?
8. Christians have three gods, we worship only one.
MORE FAQ'S (frequently answered questions)!!!
1. If the Messiah has already come, then why isn't there peace on earth?
Because there is not peace on earth does not lead to the conclusion that Jesus is not the Messiah. Although this question seems logical, it is based on incomplete assumptions about the Messiah--assumptions that do not fully take into account what the Hebrew scriptures say about the Messiah. A more complete study of the Hebrew Bible would reveal two aspects of the Messiah that Rabbinic thought is now overlooking. These two aspects of the Messiah are the Messiah as a Suffering Servant, and the Messiah as a Conquering King. The latter aspect, that the Messiah would be a Conquering King, is where the concept comes (which is in part correct) that there will be peace on earth. Still, it would be wrong to ignore what the other scriptures say about the Messiah as a Suffering Servant.
Hebrew scriptures say the Messiah will be a great High priest who would make atonement for sins. Actually, this role is described in such a way that makes it clear that this great High priest would himself be the atonement. The Servant of the Lord would suffer for our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6), be stricken for our transgressions (53:8), offered as a guilt offering (53:10), and bear our iniquities (53:11). Through this atonement, forgiveness is available to us. (This is the pattern God gave to Israel--that without the sacrifice, there could not be forgiveness of sins).
How are the two roles of the Messiah to be fulfilled--that the Messiah is both a Suffering Servant and a Conquering King? Are there supposed to be two Messiahs, as some may propose? Does it occur at the same time? Here we come to a very practical and common sense question--would it make sense that a Conquering King would reign over the earth with complete peace, and THEN would suffer?
God has provided the answer. First, the Messiah must rule in our hearts before He comes to rule the world. The Messiah first came to make peace between God and man, bringing the hope of reconciliation and forgiveness to the world. This aspect of the Messiah as Suffering Servant is fulfilled in the life and work of Jesus. However, there is a delay before the second aspect of the Messiah is realized when we will see peace on earth. A clue to this is the Jewish calender--the six month interval between the Spring festivals and the Fall festivals. The Spring festivals symbolize the Suffering Servant aspect of the Messiah and the Fall Festivals symbolize the Conquering King. The time period between them is the "harvest time", when it is God's time of gathering those who would receive Jesus as Messiah. At the time when He will come again, then He will come as judge and reigning king, and rid the world of wickedness and that which is against peace. Those of whom do not have atonement and have not been reconciled to God will find His judgment severe. Oh, that your heart is right with God. Our hope is that you have invited the Messiah to reign in your heart with His peace.
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
(Return to top)2. What about the Holocaust?
Perhaps this is one question, so full of emotion, to which our finite minds cannot conceive an adequate answer. Before we look for an answer, however, let's examine the question to see what it is really asking. There are several possibilities. For example, is the question asking, "If there is a God, how can He allow such atrocities to occur?"; or "Why would we want to be a Christian--look what they did to my people during the Holocaust?" In either case, there are some insightful considerations to be made.
First of all, while the tragedy of the Holocaust should never be forgotten or taken lightly, lets look at it with frankness and with a view that is much larger than the time period in which it occurred. In doing so, we note that the Jewish people have suffered as a people numerous times before. A brief overview of the Hebrew Bible will detail this. Sometimes such tragedies were because of outside enemies, and sometimes because of fighting within the Israelite community. Sometimes tragedies occurred as a result of judgment from God, and sometimes because everyone, not just Jewish people, were victims. Other times throughout history, besides just the Holocaust, the Jewish people were the subject of violent totalitarianism and antisemitism.
Although realizing this does not provide an answer, notice that in all cases the reason for such tragedies boils down to the problem of evil in the world. Evil men do evil deeds. Asking the question, "If there is a God, why..." presupposes that God is good, but also must presuppose that there is evil also. (If there were not a God that is good, there would not be an evil that opposes). For the Jewish people in particular, if they are meant to be God's chosen people, then the evil of this world would do all it could to oppose it. Antisemeitism is a form of evil that is particularly focused against God's plan for the Jewish people and His promise that there would always be a Jewish people. The Holocaust is one such tragic campaign of evil. On a deeper level, the Holocaust was just plain demonic (of the devil). Such evil goes beyond human reasoning. It would be wrong, however, to blame God.
Secondly, what about the reasoning behind the question, "Why would we want to be a Christian..."? Let me emphasize that those claiming to be "Christians" and claiming to do "God's will" while at the same time perpetrating the Holocaust were not true Christians. They are a disgrace to Christianity and everything it is meant to be. The Holocaust itself was anti-Christian in every sense of the word. Just because a person can quote a scripture verse or claim allegiance to Christianity does not make him/her a Christian. (Would you say that just because someone claims to be a Jew, that they are Jewish?) Just because a person uses the Bible or Christianity to do evil does not make Christianity the evil he/she produces. The Messiah, Jesus, said that "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). Hate is not a mark of a true disciple of the Messiah, Jesus. A true Christian will have the heart of God and willingness to have His compassion, especially including a love for the Jewish people. In short, real Christians do not want to be a part of those responsible for the Holocaust who called themselves "Christians" either, nor do they condone those that do.
One more point of consideration: No one is originally destined for heaven. We are originally destined for Hell, but God provides a way to heaven. We should not suppose that people are going to heaven but then cannot, but rather that people are not going to go to heaven but can! God provides a way to heaven instead (and literally so by sending His son, the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, as the Atonement). It is hard to think that Anne Franke and Hitler may be in the same place, but you and I are destined for that place too if we do not have the Jewish Messiah as our Savoir. (And you can!) Going to heaven is not a given, but a gift.
We haven't fully answered the question in a way to address the hurt and pain that the Holocaust has caused. This short answer in no way is adequate to fully address the issue. (Please contact us further for more discussion if you would like). Only God can help us adequately deal with the losses and pain that have resulted from the Holocaust. Only God knows the answers to our doubts and fears. We have to allow Him to heal us.
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
(Return to top)3. We have our way, you have yours--why don't you just leave us alone?
Presumptions that are indicative of this question need to be faced head on. First, this question presumes that there are many ways to God--your way, my way, and perhaps others. Secondly, this question presumes that Jesus is not for the Jewish people. Let's briefly examine these presuppositions one at a time.
Are there really many ways to God? Is it okay for Muslims to come their way, Hindus another, Buddhists another, etc.? Clearly, to think this way would be a gross deviation from the Hebrew scriptures. God has not given several ways to Himself, nor is there another God besides the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God does not allow such pluralism and true adherents to the Scriptures cannot either. God defines Himself as the only God and chose to reveal Himself to the world through the nation of Israel. His intention was always that the Jewish people would point the way to Him (Isaiah 49:6). This is why in ancient times if a person wanted to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they would join themselves to the Jewish people--not invent another way, or invent God in another way. No, the way to the only God was the only way He Himself prescribed through His covenants and promises. God promised a New Covenant in Jeremiah 31, and sent the Messiah to implement it.
Next, to say that Jesus is not for the Jewish people is to say that Jesus is only for the Gentiles--quite an absurd statement (whether said by Jewish people or Gentiles). The life and ministry of Jesus was deeply rooted in a Jewish context and cannot be properly understood outside of this context. He was born Jewish, lived a Jewish lifestyle, adhered to the Law and the Prophets, and is the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. For the first several years after the resurrection, His followers told only the Jewish people of the Messiahship of Jesus. It took quite a bit of rethinking to realize that Jesus was also for the Gentiles. (This is a matter of historical record). It was the Jewish people that first reached out to the Gentiles with the message that Jesus is the Messiah! If Jesus is not the Jewish Messiah, He is not the Messiah of the Gentiles either. If Jesus is not for the Jews, then He is not for anybody. It is Jewish to believe in Jesus.
To be obedient to Scripture, God's intention, and specifically to the words of the Messiah, Jesus, then we are compelled to reach out to the Jewish people (and everyone) with the Messiahship of Jesus. Jesus commanded His disciples to "go into all the world" and preach the message of salvation (Mark 15:16). He was very exclusive as to what that way is, saying in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The message of forgiveness and salvation through the Jewish Messiah is first to the Jew, then to the other peoples (Romans 1:16). This is the mission on which Christians are to base their lives.
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
(Return to top)4. I cannot turn my back on my people and convert, I would be a traitor.
You would not be turning your back on your people, what you would be doing is turning away from the myth that you cannot be Jewish and believe in Jesus. Who says you can't? Becoming a believer in Jesus as the Messiah does not then make you a Gentile. Besides, if there are Jewish people that are atheists and are still Jewish, why can't you be a believer in the Messiah and be Jewish? Logic dictates that you can, because you are Jewish by virtue of being born Jewish, not because of what you believe. However, what makes you a child of God--a person who as an intimate relationship with God, is a different matter.
Being Jewish does not mean that you automatically have a relationship with God. A relationship with God is not something that you are physically born into, though you may have been born into godly traditions and moral upbringing. Rather, it is a matter of choice. Abraham chose to follow God and left family and homeland. Joshua chose to follow God too, saying, "...then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). Now ask yourself and be honest, was Joshua a traitor? No. The heroes (not the traitors) of the Hebrew Bible are those that chose to follow God according to HIS ways, not in the ways of forefathers that did not know or obey God's revelations. The issue now is, what is God's way to have a relationship with God?
God instituted the structure long ago through which man could have a relationship with God: covenants, a priestly system, a mediator between man and God, a sacrificial system, feasts and festivals, etc. Would it be a surprise to learn that all these elements are a part of being a believer in Jesus as the Messiah? Jesus is the High Priest (Hebrews 8:1). Jesus is the Mediator (I Timothy 2:5). Jesus is the Sacrifice--the Passover lamb (I Corinthians 5:7). Jesus is the Firstfruits (I Corinthians 15:20, 22), etc. Belief in Jesus as the Messiah is part of the New Covenant promised through Jeremiah 31:31ff. What could be more Jewish? God's way is the New Covenant, and He is calling all Jewish people (and all Gentiles) into relationship by becoming a believer in Jesus as the Messiah.
Suppose that believing in Jesus as the Messiah meant being disowned by your family. What about loyalty to God? If you truly love your family and your heritage, then the most loyal thing you can do is be faithful to God and the Messiah at any cost. In this way, you will be a shining light so that others too can know the Messiah.
To find out more about how to have an intimate relationship with God, go to:
How can I receive Jesus as the Messiah?
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
(Return to top)5. Who are you to judge and tell me that I am not going to heaven?
We are not the judge to tell you whether or not you are going to heaven, but we can point to the standards by which you will be judged. What standards are those? We will be judged by God's standards as revealed in the authoritative Word of God.
How do we measure up? Unfortunately, we tend to base our "righteousness" in comparison with others. The thief is pretty good in comparison with the murderer. The one-time murderer is pretty good in comparison to the serial killer, etc. But what about the Ten Commandments? How do we score? Can you honestly say that you have never coveted anything? You may not have a carved image to which you bow down, but what about the idolatry of greed and materialism? How can any of us measure up to a holy and righteous God? Maybe God is slack because He knows we are weak, fallible humans. No! What kind of standards would those be? The truth of the matter is, all of us have sinned and don't measure up completely to God's standards. But those standards are what we need to measure up to if we hope to get to heaven.
God's standards are based on His character. God is a merciful, loving God. True, but He is holy, holy, holy (Isaiah 6:3). His character does not change, as it would if He were a mere man (see I Samuel 15:29). He takes the issue of sin very seriously. The Hebrew scriptures are replete with examples of His judgment on Israel for their lack of obedience to the requirements He gave on how to be a people of God. God did know that we are not perfect, and did provide provision for our failings. This is why there are ordinances given for a sin sacrifice. Because sin is such a serious issue, He even provided a special day for those that fell short of His standards, Yom Kippur. Even that was not enough, however, so God in His predetermined plan provided an ultimate sacrifice so that by believing in Him (Jesus), you may have eternal life (John 3:15).
We all need a savior, and Jesus alone is the Savior. Don't play the role of judge and jury in your own life and neglect or ignore God's provision for you.
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
(Return to top)6. Proselytizing is the worst form of antisemitism.
Antisemitism is defined as having or showing prejudice against, or discriminating against, or persecuting Jews (taken from Webster's New World College Dictionary, Third Edition). Antisemitism is not to be tolerated, ignored, or promoted. Discussing a belief in Jesus as the Messiah, or encouraging people to study the Hebrew scriptures and the Messianic prophecies in particular, is hardly the same thing as showing prejudice, discriminating against, or persecuting Jews. Inviting people to believe in the Jewish Messiah is plainly not in any way antisemitism.
Truly, it would be antisemitism to not tell others about Jesus the Messiah. Let's look at an adaptation of an old analogy, but that still works well. Say a person is traveling and he comes to a crossroads where he must decide to take a fork going to the left or to the right. He looks at his map and the map seems to tell him to go left. There happens to be someone else waiting at the crossroads who also has a map--an updated map. This person tries to show the traveler that going to the left would not ever get them to their desired destination, but that he now must go to the right. The traveler thinks, "To the left is the way that everyone else has gone and that's what my map says." The other man looks at the map and shows the traveler that on his map, it points to the new way that was in the process of being constructed all the time. He urges the traveler that now the way to the right is the only way to continue if he is to reach his destination.
What would have been the right thing for the man waiting at the crossroads to have done, point out to the traveler that going to the left would never get him to his destination and show him that going to the right is the only way to reach his goal, or just ignore the traveler and let him go down the wrong path? The correct thing to do is to point him to the right. Telling others about Jesus the Messiah when you are aware of the truth is also the right thing to do.
It becomes clear that telling others about Jesus is not antisemitic when it is seen in the correct perspective. The real crux of the problem in the above analogy is the perspective of the traveler. If he does not think he needs direction, he might perceive the advice as an insult or worse. Consider the perspective of the person with the updated map. He would have a complete perspective. It might not be until the traveler went down the right path that he would perceive the man's efforts to have been the kindest thing to do. A believer in Jesus the Messiah who tells others about the Messiah has the latter perspective--someone who has followed the correct path and is trying to steer others the right way too.
Remember another very important piece of information too. Becoming a believer in Jesus as the Messiah is not the same as becoming a Gentile. Becoming a believer in Jesus as the Messiah does not force or even encourage someone to give up their Jewishness.
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
(Return to top)7. Why don't the Rabbis believe in Jesus as the Messiah?
There are indeed Rabbis that do believe in Jesus as the Messiah. There are also tens of thousands of Jewish people that are believers in Jesus (and its estimated that there are 100,000 in the U.S. alone). The fact is that throughout the last 2000 years there always have been Jewish people that believed in Jesus as the Messiah. Sadly, there are still many Jewish people today that do not believe in Jesus.
Consider briefly some of the following reasons why Jewish people (including Rabbis) do not believe in Jesus.
1. The leadership of the Jewish people today do not promote an accurate view and hope of a Messiah. There is not adequate study done on the Messianic prophecies found in the Hebrew Bible. By Messianic prophecies, we mean those prophecies that Jewish leaders and commentaries in the past have long accepted as referring to a Messiah. What is taught tends to be biased and negative.
2. Jewish people may use the excuse that they are Jewish and refuse to listen to what others say about Jesus being the Messiah. Such an excuse is not an educated reason for a person to not believe. We believe that if a Jewish person honestly and sincerely examines scripture and compares it to the life and work of the Messiah, Jesus, then he/she too will see that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.
3. For the most part, Jewish people have a distorted picture of who Jesus is. Without study of the life and work of Jesus, especially in comparison with the Messianic prophecies, or by only characterizing Jesus through the hurtful actions of those claiming to be Christians, Jewish people are left to make incomplete assumptions. It is easy to end up with a very inaccurate, untrue picture of a person if you rely only on secondhand information.
4. Fear is used to motivate Jewish people not to believe in Jesus. False claims, such as that if a Jewish person becomes a believer in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah then he/she is a traitor, are used to promote ignorance and unbelief. The cost may seem too high and prevent a sincere search to find out if the claims about Jesus being the Messiah are true or not.
5. A general apathy toward spiritual things prevents a deeper commitment to the truth. Apathy promotes an attitude whereby a relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is less of a priority than materialism, social structure, and even the promulgation of tradition. It takes overcoming apathy to go deeper than the superficial.
The real question is, why don't you believe that Jesus is the Messiah?
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
(Return to top)8. Christians have three gods, we worship only one God.
It is inaccurate to say that Christians have three gods because Christianity, like Judaism, is monotheistic. However, Christianity describes God as a Godhead of three persons, or personalities--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Notice that Mary is not part of the Trinity and we do not ascribe to her any such divinity). While this may seem confusing and perhaps never able to be completely understood, it is foundational in Christianity that there is only one God, not three, and that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Christians can look to the Hebrew scriptures to support their view of the triune nature of God.
One hint that God is one, yet somehow not of just one element, is the number of times plural forms of names and words are used in reference to God. The common Hebrew word, Elohim, is a plural form. The plural form of this word is used many more times than its singular form, Eloah. Plural pronouns are used by God in describing Himself, such as in Genesis 1.26, "Let us make man in our own image."
The Jewish prayer, the Shema, gives us another clue. God is affirmed as being the only God: Adonai Echad--the Lord is One. The Hebrew word for one, echad, is not the same as the Hebrew word used to describe indivisible unity, namely yachid. Echad refers to a oneness unity. For example, if one is speaking of a single grape, the word for one would be different than if one is to speak of a cluster of grapes. Echad carries the same meaning as the latter, a oneness as in a cluster of grapes. Passages that illustrate this are Genesis 1:5, 2:24, Ezra 2:64 and Ezekiel 37:17, where the oneness is result of combining evening and morning, man and wife, the individual members of an assembly, and two sticks, respectively.
Another personality in the Hebrew scriptures that is portrayed as distinct from, yet somehow the same as God, is the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). It is easy to see how God is referred to in terms of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon Gideon and empowered him (Judges 6:24). The Holy Spirit touched Saul and Saul then prophesied (I Samuel 10:10). King David prayed in Psalm 51:13, that the Lord not take His Holy Spirit from him. In Genesis 1:2, God's Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. It is not easy to dispute these passages.
We also note that God revealed Himself to people throughout the Hebrew scriptures in another form--the Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord is mentioned a number of times where it is also identified as God Himself. For instance, in Genesis 16:7, 16:13, and Judges 6:14 He is called respectively the angel of the Lord and then the Lord. Another example would be Genesis 22:11 and 22:12. God did not condemn the men that gave worship to the Angel of the Lord. David built an alter where he saw the Angel of the Lord on the threshing floor (2 Samuel 24). Balaam was confronted by the Angel of the Lord and bowed down (Numbers 22:31). If just a mere angel, surely God would not have allowed worship or an alter to be built.
What about prophecies concerning the Messiah that are termed in such a way to show that the Messiah would be divine? Proverbs 30:4 asks us "What is his name, and the name of my son? Tell me if you know!" Read also Psalm 2:7, "...'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'" The part of the trinity, the Son, is recognized to be the Messiah. The Messiah showed Himself to be more than just a man through His miracles, claims, and resurrection. It is wrong to think of the Messiah as a man that became God, He was God that became man. Isaiah 9:6 portrays the coming of the Messiah in such terms. Who was the Angel or the Lord? Is it so hard then to grasp that the Messiah is a part of the Godhead?
The trinity of God is characterized as existing in three persons at the same time. This is a hard concept even for the most scholarly to grasp. Yet, the concept of a triune Godhead does not function outside of the foundational truth that there is but just one God--as Judaism also asserts.
(For further discussion on this topic or recommended readings, please contact us via e-mail.)
By Paul R. Deutsch
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