Orgenized and edited by avi feld.
A man is a man, is a man. With or without a plan. But not G-d Incarnate. So let me first thank Adenino Otari. Here I freely quote and paraphrase his compilation along with many other sources. We made some corrections from an historic, covenantal, biblical, Jewish perspective.
From the entire sweep of history, the Torah always proclaimed the absolute unity of G-d, the Creator, a G-d of pure Spirit, who revealed to His people on a national level. That revelation at Sinai and other revelations in the wilderness and at the Exodus are always with us. Remember He did not reveal Himself in a physical form. We only heard Him and felt His Presence. The second commandment was and is totally clear that He won’t be incarnated in anything, nothing in the heavens above and the earth below, will He be incarnated in. He could have added a disclaimer. “Excuse me, there are many general rules in the Hebrew Bible which can have exceptions.” Going according to the style of the Hebrew Bible, G-d could have given a rule and He could have proclaimed the exception to the rule. He could have said: “I’m not like anything in the heavens above or the earth below.” He could have said: “There are no other gods before me,” as he said numerous times. And then, could have said: “That’s the rule forever and ever and ever. But my children, there’s an exception to the rule. In the future, I will incarnate (turn) into a flesh and blood man and He will be your Savior.”
Bu that isn’t what the Torah recorded or what G-d said. He told us over and over and over my friends, that He is the only G-d and there is no divinity beside Him. Just think of how much confusion could have been avoided if He had said there is an exception to the rule. For example, do you know that the word for “father” is only two letters in Hebrew, Av. And the word for son is only two letters, Bn (Ben). And the word for spirit, is only 3 letters, Rch (Ruach).” So therefore, He could have said: “Hear O Israel, the Father, Son and Spirit are one. And it even rhymes! However, G-d didn’t communicate anything like that twisted, paganized thought.
The Jews had their theology thousands of years ago, in the time of prophets and sages. They were being murdered for their loyalty to only one G-d, thousands of years ago. They were being murdered for their rejections of any kind, whatsoever of god-men, god-women, god-bugs, god-son or god-moon. You all know that in the ancient world, there were many that thought the sun was god. But the sun was the son of the invisible father god, beyond the sun. Christianity embraces a man-god as merely “copy, paste” of 16 men-god pre-Christian religions. And it’s a vague, non exact, imitation of 23 other pre-Christian gods. In this sense, it’s not biblical. So let’s get biblical. As we were saying above, if G-d had wanted to give us an exception to the rule, He could have done it by saying: “Here O Israel, the father and the son and the spirit are one.” That would have saved so much ink and so much parchment over the years. And guess what? It would have saved rivers of blood. Because then it wouldn’t have been heresy for millions of Jews to kiss the cross instead of the sword.
With that introduction, let me introduce some of the compilation of Mr. Atari.
All four contradictory gospels record the following. “Blessed are the peacemakers. They will be called the sons of God.” The word son cannot be accepted literally. G-d already told us He is not a man. He already told us He is not like anything in the heavens above or the earth below. And that there is nothing else before Him. G-d addresses many of His chosen servants as son or sons. The ancient Hebrews believed that G-d is absolutely one, pure spirit and not in any way physical. He had neither wife nor children in any flesh sense. It is obvious that the expression “son of god” merely meant “servant of god.” One Who because of faithful service, is dear to G-d as a son is to a father. Christians who came from Greek and Roman backgrounds misuse this term. In the Greco-Roman and related worlds, the term “son of god” meant an incarnation of a god or someone born of a physical union between male and female gods. In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas were taught to be god, incarnate. The pagans called Barnabas “the Greek god, Zeus.” The Romans called Zeus “Jupiter.” Paul was called the god “Hermes.” The ancient pagan world often took any exceptional man and turned him into a god. Furthermore, the NT Greek word translated as “son” is pias, in Greek. And also paida, which means servant, or son in the sense of the servant. So listen to this folks, these are translated into son, in reference to Jesus and servant in reference to all other people. So consistent with other lines, the NT was merely saying that he was god’s servant. The apostles were also sons and servants. In the Hebrew Bible, many people were sons, daughters and servants. Jeremiah and Isaiah were called servants, and the messiah. Also the Jewish people were called sons and servants.
For regular Christianity, G-d had to take human form in order to understand temptation and suffering. This is not based on any clear words of the NT. In contrast, G-d does not need to be tempted and suffer, to be able to understand and forgive man’s sins. The G-d of the Hebrew Bible, of Biblical Judaism, is the all-knowing Creator of mankind. He fashions their hearts altogether. He comprehends all their deeds (Psalm 33).
Jeremiah 17:10 says: “I the Lord search the heart; I try the kidneys, even to give each man.” In fact, everything in the historical Jewish Temple was symbolic of parts of the human body. And by the way, the Temple was symbolic of the creation of the universe. In addition, the 613 categories of mitzvoth, divide into 248 positive commandments and 365 prohibitions and encompassed every aspect of our connection to G-d, fellow humans and existence. Commandments are necessary tools with which to connect the human being to G-d and bring all creation to perfection. In addition, the human form has 248 limbs (so to speak, corresponding to 248 positive commandments) and 365 connecting tissues, veins, or sinews corresponding to 365 prohibitions of the Torah. So man was fashioned in the pattern of the Torah. Yes, of course, his soul, but also the body that prevents him from rising above physical limits. The body is in itself a kind of Torah. So humanity can recognize and serve G-d with soul and body. With this power-packed combination, humanity can ascend beyond the material world and make this world more spiritual, a place for godliness. Deuteronomy 33:1 calls Moses “…the man of G-d who blesses the people of Israel.” He is called a man of G-d because he succeeded in transforming the physical body into a godly temple for his spirit (Devarim Rabah 11:4).
Here is another verse that expresses the above. “And the Lord said..I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt. And I have heard their cries. Because of their taskmasters, “For I know their pains.” Exodus 3.
Ezekiel 33:10 says”: Now you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, thus have you spoken, saying “Since our sins and iniquities are upon us and we are wasting away because of them, how can we live? Say to them As I live, the Word of the Lord Hashem, [I swear] that I do not desire the death of the wicked one. But rather, the wicked ones return from his way, that he may live. Repent, repent from your evil ways. Why should you die, oh House of Israel?”
Ezekiel 18:3-9 says: “As I live, the Word of the Lord Hashem, I swear that they will no longer be anyone among you who uses this parable in Israel. Behold, all souls are Mine, like the soul of the Father, so the soul of the son. They are mine. The soul that sins, it shall die. If a man is righteous and practices justice in righteousness, does not partake of idolatrous things…does not lift his eyes towards idols…does not defile his neighbor’s wife…does not oppress any man…gives his bread to the hungry…withholds his hand from corruption…goes according to My decrees and ordinances to practice truth…he is a righteous man; he shall surely live, the Word of the Lord, Hashem.”
Ezekiel 3:20 -21 says: “A son shall not bear the iniquity of his son and a son shall not bear the iniquity of his father. The righteousness of the righteous person shall be upon him and the wickedness of the wicked person shall be upon him. As for the wicked man, if he repents from all the sins he committed, and observes my decrees and practices … justice and righteousness, he shall surely live. He shall not die. All his transgressions that he committed will NOT be remembered against him. He shall live because of the righteousness that he DID.”
The Torah emphasizes deed, not creed. Or actions over thoughts. G-d looked at the actions of the people of Nineveh and forgave them in the Book of Jonah. Ezekiel 18:23 continues: “Do I desire at all, the death of the wicked man? The word of the Lord Hashem. Is it not rather his return from his ways that he might live?” Psalm 145: “G-d is close to ALL who call upon Him to ALL who call upon Him sincerely.” Nothing about in-between entities [ intercessionary].
Biblically, people can receive forgiveness of sins sought directly from G-d. This is true at all times and in all places. There is no truth to the NT claim that someone died for all our sins, past and present, that it is the only way for salvation. Please let’s be honest here. Everybody dies. Period. Game over. Death is part of life. There is life after life. According to the over 23,000 plus verses of the Hebrew Bible, any suffering, affliction and other disturbances serve as atonement. No pain, no gain. We believe in consciousness after passing from this world to the next world. We believe that there will be rewards and punishment.
That the punishments for regular people will serve as rehab and detoxification after which they arrive in heaven. Remember, we Jews are even attacked for being biblically legalistic. So legalistically not apoligetically, according to the Bible, G-d does not judge people guilty if they were coerced into sins. Just as a person can be coerced and raped physically and will not have legal Biblical liability for their being raped, so all of humanity is being raped philosophically and theologically. They also are not judged guilty for that. So let’s please be honest here. Everybody atones for their own sins WITH THEIR OWN DEATH!
Their own life’s sufferings, afflictions, pains, sorrows and wounds atone for their own sins. Each individual’s death is atonement for their own sins. And there is a consciousness, a living soul that has awareness at the passing of this temporal world. The very awareness of the destruction of the body, in and of itself, is anguish, pain, and atonement.
The destruction of the body is torture, horrific and gross to the soul. The body is dead but the soul is still alive, aware of the decomposition of the beloved body. So therefore, our own life’s death, our own sufferings, our own decay, is plenty of atonement for our mistakes. If there is still need for atonement after these ordeals, then we’ll get the extra finishing touches in the detox/rehab program up above. No eye has seen or ear heard of the great rewards that await the purified and thus now, righteous.
The entire Hebrew Bible and all of the accompanying applications and explanations say the following in their own ways: “He the Merciful One, forgiving of iniquity, does not destroy. Frequently He withdraws His anger, not arousing His entire rage.” - Psalms 78. “For you, my G-d, are good and forgiving and abundantly kind to all who call upon you.” - Psalm 86.
In Exodus and elsewhere, we have the Day of Atonement given to a nation, to atone for sins. Historical Hebrews/Jews have sufferings/afflictions to endure on that day, like fasting without food and water for 25 hours, no intimacy, no bathing or lotions, etc.
The written Torah proclaims that the Day of Atonement (Numbers 29:7 – afflicting oneself). (Leviticus 16:29-commandment), (Leviticus 23:26-festival) brings forgiveness for many things. This is a joyous day, as are all the holidays. The joy here is heightened because the holiday brings forgiveness.
Sephardic and Hassidic Jews have a serious, deep, profound confessional they say every day.
Ashkenazim say it at least once a day, in the deep night service (tikkun chazot). Torah Judaism helps us admit our wrongs in many ways. As Rabbi Sachs points out: First is the knowledge that G-d forgives. He knows in advance that freedom of choice, the gift of freedom, is going to be misused sometimes.
G-d asks that we acknowledge our mistakes, confessions (Vidui), regret, some embarrassments, and being resolved not to repeat sins. We also have a clear separation between the sinner and the sin. We condemn the sin without losing faith and hope in the person. Yom Kippur offers a culture of honesty that spreads throughout the whole year. We confess sins between ourselves and G-d. And we confess our shortcomings in dealing with other people, asking people to forgive us, trying to make right the wrongs we did. There is an aura at Yom Kippur that rests over the whole year. You know that the name Judah, by which Jews are called, means to give praise and thanksgiving.
Judah was the first fellow who admitted he made a mistake when he wrongly accused Tamar. Instead, he said: “She is more righteous than I am.” (Genesis 38). It is no coincidence that the name Judah emergences from the same root as Vidui (confessions). The nation of Israel which consists of 12 Tribes, is generically called Judah. This implies that we are the people who can admit our faults and wrongs. Honest self criticism is a healthy mark of spiritual progress.
Moses, on the first Yom Kippur, says an amazing thing. “Now please forgive their sins-but if not, then blot me out from the book you have written.” (Exodus 32:32). Many religions have presented their leader as the Jewish-predicted Messiah, such as the Persian, Zorastrian from 2,700 years ago. Ba’hai believes their founder was a predicted Messiah. Muslim missionaries have 700 proofs that their leader was the Jewish/Hebrew Messiah. Our rabbis hid that from us. And then you have 33,000 contradicting sects of Christianity that misinterpret the Hebrew Bible.
By ripping verses out of context, by changing the tense and meaning of words, by painting in their dogma, and by disregarding original meaning, and ignoring that there is no historical basis whatsoever, their church-sponsored understanding goes completely stray.
So none of these false gods injected into and applied to our Torah measured up to the lowest common denominator for the real Messiah. And none of them said anything like Moses said, “…that he would give up his share, to stay with his people.” Just the opposite. Some of Islam condemns the Jews. The Zorastrians got really nasty to us. But Christianity takes the cake. They imparted a sin never before heard of- theocide - the killing of a god. Woe, wait a second. The Romans were the actual ones who did all the killing of the Jews. They were like Nazis to the Jewish people. So many of the Christians became just like the Romans. And 465 anti-Semitic statements in the NT all go to spill condemnation on G-d’s holy, chosen, treasured people.
A messiah should be a shepherd to their people. And by the way, a prophet “like unto Moses is supposed to arrive.” Moses was a nationally recognized, undisputed leader of the entire nation. That’s just one of the facts that will have to be acknowledged in real time for someone to be a real messiah. Many so-called messiahs have not fit the bill.
Christians claim that Jesus was an incarnation of God in the flesh. To say that G-d becomes a human or that a human becomes G-d, is to believe pagan notions, not Hebrew ideas. So many outrageous things emerge from such bad theology. For instance, what happens to the foreskin after a god-man is circumcised (Luke 2:21). Did it decompose as with any human piece of flesh? During the claimed lifetime of this myth, what happened to hair, nails, and blood shed from wounds? Did the cells of the body die as in an ordinary human being? If his body did not function in a truly human way, he could not be truly human. But if his body functioned in exactly a human way, it would nullify any claim to divinity. We know what G-d is not. We know it’s impossible for any part of G-d, incarnated or not, to decompose and still be considered G-d. The true G-d does not die, cannot be broken into parts, disintegrate, or decompose.
“For I the Lord, do not change.” (Malachi 3:6).
If his body underwent decay, he could not be a god. But if it did not undergo decay, he wasn’t human. The Bible says that G-d is not man. “G-d is not a man.” (Numbers 23:19) “For I am G-d and not man.” (Hosea 11:9) If something is physical, it has length, width, and height. It is limited. G-d is unlimited. Anything physical is subject to imperfection. G-d is perfect.
All physicality can be broken down into parts and units. G-d is an absolute unity, beyond our imaginations. A physical entity cannot be in two places at once. “You are to know this day and take to your heart, that Hashem is the only G-d, in heaven above and on the earth below. There is none other!” (Deuteronomy 6:39)
And when people understand that G-d was never a physical being on the earth, they will say “Our parents have inherited lies.” Christian literature calls JC a man on many occasions. A man who has told you the truth…(John 8:40). “Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you…(Acts 2:22). “He will judge the world in righteousness through a man…” (Acts 17:31).
“The man Christ Jesus…” (Timothy 2:5). The Torah says that G-d is not the son of man. G-d is not a man or son of man (Numbers 23:19). We have Aramaic expressions that pre-date Christianity, composed in times of prophets and sages, that say G -d is not a man or a son of a man. I am a servant of the Holy One, blessed is He, and I prostate myself before Him and the glory of His Torah at all times. Not in any manor, son of man, do I put trust, nor on any angel do I rely,only on the G-d of heaven. Who is the G-d of truth, whose Torah is truth and whose prophets/sages are true, and who acts liberally with kindness and truth.”
NT writings were actually and verifiably Roman propaganda. The Romans used the expressions “son of man” numerous times in their NT writings. Please read Atwell’s Ceasar’s Messiah and look up Piso Flavian Invention of Jesus. However, general Christianity believes that the “son of man” expression refers to Jesus. For instance, “So will the son of man be…” (Matthew 12:40) “For the son of man is going to come” (Matthew 16:27). “Until they see the son of man coming in his kingdom…” (Matthew 28). “But so, that you may know, that the son of man has authority.” (Mark 2:10) “Because he is the son of man…(John 5:27)
The Koran, Ba’hai and Christianity attempt to take from and imitate the Hebrew Bible. For example, “the son of man” is used many times in speaking of humans. Job 25:6, Psalm 80:17, Psalm 144:3, Ezekiel 2:1 & 2:3, 2:6-8, and 3:1-3.
Listen dear friends, G-d is not in the habit of contradicting Himself. By first saying He is not man and the son of man, then becoming a human who is called the son of man. Remember, G-d is not the author of confusion. Human beings are called son of man, specifically to distinguish them from G-d, who is not a son of man.
I beg your pardon, but I must remind you, that JC, according to the NT, denied that he is G-d. In Luke 18:19, some guy calls him good. And he answered: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except G-d alone. And he said to him, why are you asking me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you wish eternal life, keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:17) Therefore, the NT is not teaching people that he was a god-man. If the NT had been teaching people that he was a god-man, JC would have complimented the guy. Instead, he rebuked him, denying that he was a god.
The NT says that G-d is greater than JC. “My father is greater than I…” (John 14:28). “My father is greater than all.” (John 10:29) So JC cannot be G-d because G-d is greater than him. The dogmatic belief that the father and son are equal, directly contradicts words from the NT about JC.
Furthermore, JC never instructed his disciples to worship him. (Luke 11:2) “In that day, you shall ask me nothing. Whatsoever you ask, you ask of the father, in my name.” (John 16:23) “The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth; for the father seeketh such to worship him.” So if JC was a god, he would have demanded worship for himself. Instead, he sought worship for G-d in the heavens.
Therefore, it would be wrong to consider him a god. The JC of the NT worshipped the god of the Hebrew Bible. “That they might know you, the only true god…(John 17:3) “He continued all night in prayer to god.”(Luke 6:12). “Just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve…(Matthew 20:28) And how does the NT portray JC’s praying to G-d? “He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, my father.” (Matthew 26:39) During the days of JC’s time on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death…(Hebrews 5:7) So who was JC praying to when he fell on his face? Was he crying tears to himself, pleading to be saved from death? No man, sane or insane, prays to himself. The answer is a resounding no! He was not praying to himself but praying to “the only true god.” The NT claims that JC was a servant of the one who sent him. Can there be a clearer proof that JC was not a god-man?
The original Jewish team who created the gospels under Rome, to unite the empire, did not personally believe in god-men. But they had to leave enough wiggle room (space) for the pagans to insert their false dogmas. (See Atwell’s Ceasar’s Messiah and the Flavian invention of Jesus...) For a verse by verse analysis, see Jews for Judaism Canada or Tovia Singer, who discusses Outreach Judaism.
It’s obvious that the disciples did not believe in Jesus as a god. The Acts of the apostles speak of the activities of the disciples over a 30-year time period. They never referred to Jesus as god. For instance, Peter stood up with the 11 disciples and said: “Men of Israel, listen to this, Jesus of Nazareth was a man…(Acts 2:22) For Peter, Jesus was a servant of god, not god, as confirmed in Matthew 12:18. “The god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the god of our fathers, has glorified his servant, JC. (Acts 3:13) “God raised up his servant.” (Acts 3:26) Peter said when facing opposition from the authorities, that “We must obey god rather than men of authority. The god of our father raised Jesus. (Acts 5:29-30). The disciples prayed to god just as they were commanded by Jesus (Luke 11). They considered him to be G-d’s servant and not more.
They raised their voices together in prayer to G-d. “Sovereign Lord, they said, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” (Acts 4:24) “Your holy servant JC, whom you anointed…” (Acts 4:27) I am indeed a servant of god…” (Koran 19:30) The NT clearly says that JC was a servant. “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, in whom my soul is well pleased.” (Matthew 12:18)
Since JC was portrayed as god’s servant, it proves that he was not a god. The NT says that Jesus could not do anything by himself. “The son can do nothing by himself, he can only do what he sees his father doing.” (John 5:19) “I can of my own self do nothing.” (John 5:30) The NT says that JC did not consider himself equal to G-d. And that he was limited in what he could do. “But when the crowd saw this, they were very awestruck and glorified G-d who had given such authority to man.” (John 9:8) “A man attested to you by God (Acts 2:22) “He went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed by the devil.” (Acts 10:38) If he was any kind of a god, he would do miracles by himself. The fact that he needed God to supply power for miracles shows that G-d was greater than Jesus. Also, JC was limited in performing miracles. For instance he tried to heal the blind man but the man was not healed and he had to try again (Mark 8:22).
A woman came up behind him, the story goes, and touched his cloak and was healed. But he had no idea. A god would be aware of everything. (Mark 5:30) “He could not do any miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people…(Mark 6:5)
Such limitations and the need for outside power demonstrate that we are not talking about a divine being. “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him,” (Luke 22:43) “The devil left him and behold, angels came and began to minister to him (Mark 1:13). “And he was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by satan and he was with the wild beasts and angels were ministering to him (Mark 1:13).
The NT says that JC wanted the will of G-d to be done. “Not my will but yours be done…(Luke 22:42) “I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:30) “For I came…not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38) We see that some members of the so-called equal trinity are subservient, less than equal to other members. They have different wills, admitting to subordinating his own distinct will, yet according to the trinity, they should all have the same will. The NT says that JC regarded himself and god and two different entities. “I am the one who testifies for myself. My other witness is my father.” (John 8:17) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me.” (John 14:1) The NT says that Jesus is subordinate to G-d and that the head of Christ is God (I Corinthians 11:3)
The NT says that JC grew in wisdom and learning. But the real G-d is all wise and is all knowing. “Great is our God and abundant in strength. His understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5) Whereas JC had to increase in wisdom (Luke 2:52) “For though he was a son, he learned obedience.” (Hebrews 5:8) And JC had limited knowledge, was not all knowing and he could not be called any kind of a god whose knowledge is all encompassing. “No one knows about that day or hour. Not the angels or the son but only the father (Mark 13:32). The NT says that Jesus was tempted but G-d cannot be tempted. “Tempted in every way, just as we are.” (Hebrews 4:15) But James 1:13 says: “For God cannot be tempted by evil.” So therefore, no God and not himself.” (John 7:16) “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me.” JC could not have said this if he were a god. The NT says that Jesus died but G-d cannot die (Romans 1:23) And other verses say: “G-d is immortal.” Immortal means not subjective to death. “I live because of the
Father.” (John 6:57) If someone is dependent on God for his existence, that proves he is not a god. The NT says that JC’s powers were given to him (Matthew 28:18). G-d is all powerful. No one gives G-d his powers.
“As my father has taught me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28). “The father who sent me, he gave me a commandment.” (John 12:49) “I have kept my father commandments.” (John 15:10) The teacher and the student, the commander and the commanded, are not literally one. “God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)
The word “Lord” was used many times for many people throughout the NT. Property owners are called lords (Matthew 20:8). Heads of households are called lords. (Mark 13:35) Slave owners (Matthew 10:24) Husbands (I Peter 3:6) A son called his father lord (Matthew 21:30) The Roman emperor was called lord (Acts 25:26) Roman authorities were called lord (Matthew 27:63) The Greek word lord is kurios. It is a respected title of nobility. If Jesus was a god, then the NT saying that he was made a lord, makes no sense. In present day royal families, the king or queen regularly designate knighthood to important people. Afterwards, the person is called “lord,” such as Lord Ringo Starr, Lord Elton John, etc.
The NT says that Jesus was lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9). God, the creator of angels, cannot be lower than his own creation. The NT says that JC called the Father “My god.” “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). “I ascend to my father and your father and to my god and your god.” (John 20:17) “The temple of my god, the name of my god, the city of my god, comes down out of heaven, from my god.” (Revelations 3:12). JC did not think of himself as god.
The Torah says that G-d can’t be seen in this world. But JC was seen by others, according to the NT. (John 1:18) “No man has seen God at any time.” The NT says twice that JC was accused of pretending to be G-d but he denied it. If he had thought of himself as god, there would be numerous instances of Jews opposing him. When charged with making himself into god, in one case, making himself equal to god in another case, he denied the charges. (John 5:19, 30)
“I can of my own self do nothing.”(John 5: 19, 30) In answer to the charge of making himself god, he appeals to the Jewish people’s knowledge of these things. “Your own scriptures call Moses a god. And your magistrates (rabbis) gods…Yet I did not call myself god…(John 10:34) Let us add to that list..Moses and the elders (rabbis), the princes of the Tribes, were called god. The city of Jerusalem and the Altar are referred to as representing G-d. When the Torah is speaking of an angel, that angel could be called G-d. The common denominator of all the above is simple. Whenever something represents G-d, it is called G-d.
All of the above symbolically, not literally, represent God’s presence. But does not turn them into God Incarnate.
There is so much in the NT that was fabricated hundreds of years after the alleged stories in the NT. For instance, Hastings in the dictionary of the Bible, says..”Whether Jesus used it of himself is doubtful.” Groliers Encyclopedia, under the heading Jesus Christ says: “It is uncertain whether the father-son language goes back to Jesus himself.” (Mark 18:32, Matthew 11:25) Professor Dr. Robert Alley, after considerable research into newly found ancient documents that conclude..”The passages that Jesus talks about the son of god, are later additions. It’s what the church said about him. Such a claim of deity for himself would not have been consistent with his entire lifestyle, as can be re-constructed.” Although the Romans kicked off this religion to control the empire, there would have been no Jewish followers had it required god-men or men-gods. That would have been beyond the belief of any Jewish followers. It would be the pagans who boldly claimed the deity of a man.
Even assuming that JC would use such words as “the son of god,” what would it have meant in the culture, language and history of the Jews? It would have merely been symbolic, not literal. The Hebrew Bible has many sons mentioned. Exodus 4:22: “Jacob is G-d’s son and firstborn. Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” Jeremiah 31:9 calls…”Ephraim, for I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my first born.” (Deuteronomy 14:1) “Ye are the children of the Lord your G-d.” G-d’s first born, common people, are called the sons of G-d numerous times. But the Christian NT called Adam “…a son of G-d.” (Luke 3:38) That’s all for now, folks!
We can apply the entire section of the false prophet to the above. The definition of a false prophet is not that he can perform a bunch of tricks. The acid test is in his message. If he gives us a message that contradicts our collective heritage, he is a false prophet. The Hebrew nation from time immemorial has always had a remnant covenantal, faith community. The Torah that was commanded to Moses is a heritage for the congregation of Jacob (Deuteronomy 33).
We can sing “…that there will always be an England.” Such a song could also be appropriate for the eternal, covenantal, faith community (congregation of Jacob). There always has been, is and will be a surviving Jewish Torah-living heritage community. In fact, we can tell you the identities of our super stars who passed on the Torah of Moses. We can list for you the names of the main players in the transmission of our Torah and its understandings and explanations since Moses. And there always has been an always will be a faithful sage-led remnant (Deuteronomy 17).
Now we will introduce the dynamic of the false prophet test.
Deuteronomy 13: In brief, if someone comes to us with signs and wonders but tells us to follow gods of others that we did not know, and that we should worship them, well, we’re not to hearken to the words of that prophet or dreamer of a dream. G-d is merely testing us to show that we love G-d with all of our heart and soul. Hashem your G-d you should follow and Him shall you fear. His commandments shall you observe and to His voice shall you harken; Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave. Theoretically, this false prophet deserves the death penalty for he had spoken perversion against G-d. “Who takes you out of the land of Egypt and Who redeems you out of the house of slavery. To make you stray from the path on which Hashem your G-d has commanded you to go; and you shall destroy the evil from their midst.” The very definition of a false prophet, according to written Torah, is that he is telling you a different interpretation, explanation, and point. He is telling you to follow G-d in a way that your ancestors, part of the covenantal, faith community, never accepted. So listen, even if you believe your message is a proper interpretation, as have numerous pagan religious leaders, as have Christian, Muslim and Ba’hai spokesmen tried to convince us, the written Torah that was given to us by G-d, does not argue with your interpretation. But it does clearly demand that we reject your interpretation.
The Protestants protested the Catholic church on many issues. However, they failed to protest enough. They swallowed hook, line and sinker, the core semi-pagan dogma of the Catholic church. If they were to do their homework, just a few people created their man-god trinity dogma. What many Protestants don’t realize is that their theology is literally based on Catholic perversions of history, based on Greek and Roman dogma.
Sure, Mr. missionary for Buddah, Krishna, Jesus, Ba’hai, Sufi-Islam, New Age: you can interpret the Torah any way you want. No one is going to stop you. But the G-d of Israel Who revealed the Torah to the Hebrew nation, is telling you that trying to give His people an interpretation that was not received by their ancestors, is a perversion and you are guilty of a death penalty.
These verses are telling you, Mr missionary, that even though you teach what you believe about the NT, and you believe that your rule is absolute, the Hebrew nation is the exception to your rule. The Jews are the apple of G-d’s eye. They have a Biblical system. They have their Biblically-mandated (Deuteronomy 17) interpretations and explanations. They have been directly instructed by G-d not to accept your interpretation of anything in the Torah. The Jewish people, the Hebrew nation, have a wealth of G-dsanctioned, historic explanations and interpretations.
Your ideas and presentations, no matter how much you believe in them, are categorically rejected when they contradict what the Jewish people have received from their tradition, going back to Moses at Sinai. It is irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial how much you, Mr missionary, believes in what you are saying. The Torah only respects and recognizes the traditions, opinions and understanding transmitted by the Jewish historic transmission process (Genesis 49).
The reason for a false prophet is merely to test our loyalty to the Torah commanded to Moses as a heritage for the congregation of Jacob (Deuteronomy 33).
It’s the same old story, the fight for love and glory, a case of do or die, on this you can rely, as time goes by (Herman Hepfeld). We’ve become accustomed to the thousands who come to us selling their misinterpretation of Torah. Refuting their false messiahs, false prophets, and false religious and secular ideology, God has inserted an anti-virus mechanism within the very fabric of the Torah, to save us from these con men and wise guys.
In other words, if someone comes along and tells us something that we should believe in, which our covenantal, faith community did and does not believe in, then his missionary outreach should be outright rejected. It’s real simple: We like simple, right? Let’s translate the word simple. It stands for straightforward. I like the acrostic of kiss. Keep it simple, smarty.
Ok, here’s the test of these would-be missionaries. Did our great, great grandparents believe what a pseudo prophet is pushing? If not, he’s a false prophet, joining the ranks of thousands who have come against us with delusional misinterpretations of our Torah heritage!
When you study journalism, you learn about the five W's - who, what, when, where and why. The article wasn't made according to these rules but rather, twisted for the purpose of missionary outreach to the Jewish people. The Jewish people are accustomed to over 1,700 years of misrepresentation. Facts being disregarded. Fictions being held as G-d-given truths. Ripped out of context quotations. Sneaky and sinister agendas.
A crucial, historical fact to remember when dealing with interfaith debates is the following: If the Jews were to argue religion with Muslims, we would get our hands chopped off. In dealing with Christians, we would get our heads chopped off. In all of our debates across the centuries, we were severely restricted in what our responses could be. We had to debate with our hands tied behind our back. For example, we were not allowed to question the completely unheard of miracles of the NT, stories that have zero historical background. We were allowed to attribute the fake miracles to the use of magic. And we were allowed to argue the practical application of biblical verses. We were not allowed to point out the terrible, horrific contradictions throughout the NT.
We were not allowed to point out the convoluted mess that the gospels were created from. Do you know what I am talking about? Just open up the Catholic encyclopedia under canonization of the NT. Or go to advanced writings of Protestant theologians on the same topic. You will see so much confusion. The church bravely documented the truth of the corrupt canonization process. For example, the church admits it doesn't know the authors of the gospels. They merely attached the names we have to give it credibility and honor in the eyes of the populace. The church admits that the original writers were probably the team assembled by the Flavians. The church openly admits that numerous statements were taken from pagan sources and other stories of that period that pre-dated Christianity. They openly admit that many times monks added their own perspectives to gospel texts.
The Paulinian writings that the church used in the official NT were taken from Marcion. He was excommunicated from the early church for crazy heresies. And his monetary contributions were returned to him. Marcion coined the phrase "New Testament." Marcion believed that the G-d of the Old Testament was something like a satanic, demonic source of pure evil. Tutelion and Marcion created the basis of the entire "trinity" thinking. And they were rejected by the early church. Their insane theories and rabid nazi-like hatred of the Jews were taken out of the dust heap of history and turned into dogma by the church.
Jews could not use the following in their debates:
"It thus appears that the present titles of the Gospels are not traceable to the evangelists themselves...they [the New Testament collection] are supplied with titles which, however ancient, do not go back to the respective authors of those writings." (Catholic Encyclopedia, Farley ed., vol. vi, pp.655-6). The church maintains that "the titles of our Gospels were not intended to indicate authorship," adding that "the headings...were affixed to them." (Catholic Encyclopedia, Farley ed., vol vi, pp. 655, 656). Therefore they are not Gospels written "according to Matthew, Mark, Luke or John," as publicly stated, The full force of this confession reveals that there are no genuine apostolic gospels, and that the church's shadowy writings today embody the very ground and pillar of Christian foundations and faith.
"We must frankly admit that we have no source of information with respect to the life of Jesus Christ other than the ecclesiastical writings assembled during the fourth century." (Codex Sinaiticus, Dr. Constantin von Tischendorf, British Library, London)
"How well we know what a profitable superstition this fable of Christ has been for us." -Pope Leo X (1513-1521)
Often Jews and even rabbis have as their job, interfaith activities. Their livelihood is dependent on appeasement. Their sponsors want them to blur the differences and accentuate anything that could be found in common. They were forced by their jobs to make statements which they knows in their hearts, are not valid. Jews have a long history of appeasement. The appeasing of dangerous forces is a crucial survival skill. Abraham and Isaac had to blur the truth to survive their encounters with dangerous tribes.
Jacob bowed seven times in front of his dangerous, evil brother Esau and showered him with gifts/bribes. Isaiah preached that we must pay off the Assyrian royalty and avoid fighting. Jeremiah went a step further and told us to serve the Babylonian king and live. He also instructed that the law of the land is your law (unless it is immoral).
Throughout history, we needed to be deceptive, elusive and tricky to survive our cruel, lying, murderous oppressors. Excuse me, we just lost 1/3 of our people who were slaughtered by a combination of Catholics and Protestants. And it was a combination of Catholic and Protestant countries that would not allow us refuge with them. As the Canadians said when asked how many refugees of Jewish origins they would take: "No Jews are too many."
Today there are numerous, national Christian organizations that side with the Arab/Muslim narration against Israel. So we do have a few examples of some Jewish people who are willing to bend over backwards to appease the raging hatred of others. On the other hand, you have other Jewish people who were bought off by Christian organizations.
The bible says that a bribe confuses the mind of the wise and blinds the eyes of the righteous.
Enjoy the study!
With love and respect.
Orgenized & Edited by Avi Feld.