A "Bible Revelations"
Presentation -
Created Dec. 2004 -
Updated April 15,
2008 Proselytizing of Jews ...a Divine Order, or Taboo?
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The Original Messianic Instruction to Paul Christians and Messianics generally feel it their prime spiritual duty and obligation to proselytize and evangelize Jews. In defense, they will claim that Messiah instructed Paul and the apostles to "go to the Jew first with the Good News of Salvation which is obtainable through faith in Him only". The Christian New Testament (NT) records how Paul primarily targeted Jewish congregations on his evangelical missions. The fact that these proselytizing missions normally ended in failure, with Paul and his company being attacked and 'run out of town', did not detract him from ever returning "to the Jew first" with the Message that he himself, at first, so viciously persecuted.. History has proven over the subsequent 2000 years, that the Jews would not accept his Message, while the 'other nations' would run with it, forming vast 'Christian' churches across much of the world. Paul (originally Saul of Tarsus, a Roman citizen by birth and an educated Jewish scholar) has no equal in the annals of Church history for his great influence on Christian theology which is so diametrically contrary to Judaism. Yet, when interrogated by the Jewish leaders, Paul would always profess to be a staunch upholder of the Jewish Faith. The great confusion which this evangelist caused is normally accounted to his 'advanced and deep reasoning'. An in-depth analysis of the NT records though, will reveal that Paul not only acted contrary to his own claims, but also contrary to the orders given him by Messiah Himself, as well as against the directives of those very Prophetic guidelines which he would quote in his own defense. It is often overlooked that Paul was not one of the 12 called apostles of Messiah. In fact, the book of Acts is clear that the apostles were very dubious about receiving Paul amongst their leadership because of his former position of persecutor of Messiah's disciples and the brutal stoning of Stephen. He was also involved in heavy arguments with those who opposed his views and ideas (Acts (9:26-30). Though we only have his own relays of his direct Calling - while he was on one of his persecution trips on the way to Damascus - we do have a NT record quoting Messiah's direct confirmation of Paul's Calling: Acts 9:15 "This man (Paul) is My chosen instrument to bring My Name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel" Bearing in mind that 'the people of Israel' by no stretch of Scriptural definition ever refers to Jews only, we certainly do not have a Messianic Injunction here for Paul being so insistent on approaching "Jews first" rather than 'pagans', as Messiah's directive so clearly specifies. On the contrary, the above ruling pays note to 'pagans' firstly. Enter here another popular misconception, that 'pagans' refer to non-Israelite nations only. Fact is that in NT times the Land of Israel was inhabited mainly by Jews (Tribe of Judah). The Jews of Messiah's time despised even their fellow 'Israelites' from Samaria (the Northern part of the Land, original home of the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel - refer the NT discussion between Messiah and the Samaritan woman). They also despised and regarded as 'pagans' their northern Israel tribal counterparts who refused to subject themselves to Judah's 'Scepter' Rule (Gen. 49:10) - a rebellion for which the entire northern 10-Tribed part of ancient Israel was rejected and exiled by YHVH, the One True God of Israel. NT references to Gentiles/pagans/other nations could therefore also refer to exiled 10-Israel, regarded as "the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel", known to be living "across the Euphrates river" in NT times. In our study The One True Gospel, we conclude from the Scriptures and explicit statements by Messiah Himself i(f read in proper context), that Messiah's Reconciliatory Atonement was for the main Purpose of bringing exiled and rejected 10-Israelites back into Covenant with YHVH - hence the need for proclamation of His Name amongst the pagan assimilated exiles of 10-Israel who were dispersed amongst the nations. It is evident that this distinction was not well-known amongst the overpowering Jewish element of the first Messianic congregations of that time. Hence their preference for 'preaching the Gospel to Jews first' - a strategy which today, more than ever before, requires urgent adaptation to its original Divine Intent, which is the Prophetic re-unification between 10-Israel and Judah. This re-union is greatly hampered by the 'Pauline' inspired urge to proselytize Jews. Divine Intent cannot be undone, and just as Paul's 'Jews firstly' strategy was out of line with his Messianic Mandate, causing more damage than success, so, to this day, Messiah's Reconciliation of the two estranged Houses of Israel is greatly hampered by the ongoing Messianic zeal to 'save Jews' for Messiah. This Message may be totally controversial to you at first consideration. Please acquaint yourself in this regard with the comprehensive Scripturally based studies on this Web Site before persisting in traditions which have been missing the mark ever since Paul persisted in his disregard for his true Messianic Mandate. In this context please refer to miscellaneous studies at: http://www.revelations.org.za/MenuReturn.htm; The One True Gospel.
Paul repeatedly admitted to his Divine Mandate to preach to the 'the pagans' rather than to the Jews. Yet he persisted in proselytizing "the Jews first" wherever he traveled. In his defense before a Jewish crowd who had seized him and beaten him in the Temple complex in Jerusalem, Paul testified: Acts 22:17 "Once, when I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance and then I saw Him (Messiah). "Hurry", He said, "Leave Jerusalem at once. They will not accept the Testimony you are giving about Me" ... Then He said to me, "Go! I am sending you to the pagans far away." (Refer also verse 10 & 15). A very clear Instruction which could leave no doubts: He was sent to the non-Jewish nations, far away from Jerusalem, "because the Jews would not accept his testimony" - this by the decision and insight of YAHU'SHUAH Himself. Paul understood this Mandate, as he declares in: Romans 1:5 "Through Him (Messiah) we received Grace and our apostolic Mission to preach the obedience of Faith to all pagan nations in honour of His Name." This clearly defines the recipients at whom the Apostolic Mission should be directed, i.e. "all pagan nations". As we will show shortly here below, Paul was also well informed that this Mandate of the Apostolic Mission, to proclaim YAHU'SHUAH to the non-Jewish nations only, was firmly based on a Divine Instruction proclaimed by the Tanach (O.T.) Galatians 1:2 he refers to himself as "... an apostle ... appointed by God. v.15 Then God, Who had especially chosen me while I was still in my mother's womb, called me and chose me ... so that I might preach the Good News about Him to the pagans." (Also in verse 7 & 9).
In Galatians 2:7 Paul once more recognizes his mandate to preach to 'non-Jews': "I had been commissioned to preach the Good News to the uncircumcised..." and then he makes an astonishing statement in total contradiction of what the NT states about the mission of the apostle Peter. Paul claims "... just as Peter had been commissioned to preach to the circumcised."
Contrary to Paul's statement that Peter was called to evangelize "the circumcised" (the Jews), Acts 10 records a very explicit Divine confirmation to Peter that he should preach to non-Jews, because "what God has made clean, you have no right to call profane." Peter was given a Divine Vision, in preparation for God sending a non-Jewish Messianic convert, Cornelius, to him for further guidance. From this event we also clearly note the exclusively pro-Jewish and Jewish-only attitude of the early Messianic era, which grew out of Judaism in a Jewish Land, amongst Jews primarily at first. To correct this selective attitude, God had to show Peter in a vision, that the Good News should be preached to non-Jews, who should not be regarded as 'profane' by the Jewish Messianics, because God regards them as 'cleansed' also, when they come into the Faith. The Vision used by God for this purpose (Acts 10:10), entails a container of mixed animals, birds and crawling insects, with the Divine Command to Peter to "Eat!" - which he refused, of course, being a Jew. This vision is also often misapplied by Torah rejecting Messianics, who claim it to be a Divine rejection of the 'Kosher' dietary laws of the Jews and a Divine sanction for eating whatever one pleases. The logical counter reasoning would be: "Does God now allow us to eat all those crawling animals, snakes, rats and vultures which no doubt were in that container? Do we really wish to eat these?" Peter got the correct Message after deep contemplation of this strange vision, as he admits to Cornelius: Acts 10:28 "You know that it is forbidden for Jews to mix with people of another race and visit them, but God has made it clear to me that I must not call anyone profane or unclean ..."How clearly it depicts the resistance of those first Jewish Messianics to bring the Gospel to pagans, gentiles, 10-Israelites or anyone non-Jewish? So much for those, who think that the original disciples of Messiah and the early Messianic congregations were Christians and churches! Far from it! They were as exclusively Jewish as the Messiah Himself was an orthodox Jew! Yet, it was the Divine Intention to "bring the Gospel to pagans", in order to conform and acquaint them to the One True original Bible Faith - Judaism. Moreover, it was His Intention to reconcile exiled and rejected 10-Israel with His Covenant once more, like the Bridegroom taking back His Divorced and rejected Bride! Refer The One True Gospel, The Great Return
Notwithstanding these clear Scriptural and Divine injunctions to take the Gospel to non-Jews, notwithstanding Paul's own repeated admissions that his mandate was to the non-Jews, he nevertheless persisted in taking it "to the Jew first" and in so doing, stirring confusion and aggression with his Gospel Message amongst Jewish congregations wherever he went. The following chapters from the NT book of Acts confirm Paul's persistent approach of 'Jews first' on his missionary travels: Acts 13:4; 13:14-38; 14:1; 15:16; 17:1; 17:10; 17:16; 18:1-4; 18:5,19; 19:8; 28:17. Time after time he would fail in his mission, often, in justifying himself afterwards, he would ascribe this failure to Prophetic prescription, thus acknowledging that he was operating in disregard of Divine Prophetic Intent. Acts 13:44-52 describes such an event when the Jews fiercely opposed Paul. In response, Paul scolded them, saying: Acts 13:46 "We had to proclaim the Word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourself worthy of Eternal Life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when He said (and he then quotes Isaiah 49:6) 'I have made you a Light to the nations so that My Salvation (Hebrew: Y'Shuah) may reach the ends of the earth'"
Note carefully, how Paul recognizes that, according to this quoted portion from the book of Isaiah, they were commanded by God to go to 'the pagans'. Nowhere do we find Scriptural backing for his insistence to go "to the Jews first". And when we go to the original Scriptures in Isaiah from which he quotes, we find astounding and explicit confirmation that this Divine Command in fact refers to the restoration of the 12 Tribes of Jacob and the Return from exile of the survivors of 10-Israel! - NOTE the two verses preceding the portion which Paul quotes and which he omits in his quotation of Isaiah!
Let us therefore look at the Scripture from which Paul quotes, in its full context: Isaiah 49:6 "Is it not enough for you to be My servant, to restore the (12) Tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel (10 Tribes exiled amongst the nations)?" This Divine Intent is repeated in the foregoing verse 5: "And now YHVH has spoken; He Who formed Me (prophetical reference to Messiah's Manifestation) in the womb of His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him; to gather Israel to Him." And then follows Paul's restricted half-quote which he uses as his mandate to the pagans: I will make you the light of the nations, so that My Salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
This once more confirms the conclusions as defined in this Web Site of BIBLE REVELATIONS regarding the True Purpose of Messiah's Reconciliatory Atonement, i.e. to reconcile the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel with the Covenant of YHVH and to 're-erect the fallen down Tabernacle of David', by re-uniting the estranged 2 Houses of Israel. This confirms also our teaching, that it was not the Divine Intent to "bring the Good News of Messiah YAHU'SHUAH to the Jews first" as Christians insist on doing. The Divine Intent was, to bring the Gospel of the re-united and restored Kingdom ("the restoration of the fallen Tabernacle of David"), to the exiled and Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, exiled amongst the nations. After centuries of exile and assimilation with the non-Jewish ('pagan') nations, they even regarded themselves as part of these nations - which indeed, they had become.
Yet, Paul would continue to take his missionary Message "to the Jews first", as the several recorded instances mentioned above, prove.
The last paragraphs of the book of Acts record one more such failed attempt of proselytizing of Jews by Paul. Once again, he scolds them; once again he bases his rejection on Prophetic Scripture. But this time, he does so in what NT readers have accepted as a derogating, anti-Jewish accusation. He even misquotes (probably deliberately) the Prophetic Word, thereby laying down for posterity, an accusative condemnation of the Jews. To this day, anti-Zionist and anti-Rabbinic Messianics follow Paul in accordingly referring to Jews as "those stubborn Christ rejecters."
Let us compare a quote of his statement in the NT with the original text of Isaiah which Paul used as confirmation of his slanderous indictment. He made this hard-hitting judgment when he failed once more, to persuade the Roman Jews about the Messiah. (Acts 28:23-28). Verse 25 "... as they went away, Paul had one last thing to say to them: 'How aptly the Holy Spirit spoke, when He told your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah:
Note the underlined emphasis - Paul turns it into a condemning accusation, blaming their stubbornness - a stance often used against the 'Christ rejecting Jews' by Messianics. Whereas the Prophetic Scriptures render it as a Divine Decree to the Messenger: "Make them blind and deaf ... so that they will not hear and see." Which is the reasoning of this Web Site: What God has decreed, no man (not even Paul) should dare to challenge. By persisting in his attempts to remove the Divinely imposed 'blindness' of Jews, Paul reflected his disregard for his Divine Mandate, which he never hesitated to emphasize as having been sent 'to the pagans'. Had he obeyed his mandate, these derogating statements would probably never have been covering the pages of the NT, leaving a legacy of anti-Judaism for Messianic followers. The fruits of that same disregard for the true Apostolic Mandate of not evangelizing Jews, given by Messiah YAHU'SHUAH Himself, presents the greatest obstacle today, against the fulfillment of achieving Peace between the House of Judah (Jews) and the House of Yosef (re-awakening and returning 10 Lost Tribes of Israel, mainly Messianic). Refer http://www.revelations.org.za/Obstacle.htm Following in the footsteps of Paul, to this day, most Messianics persist in this challenge of the Divine Decree, by persisting in wanting to make the Jews 'see' that which Divine Intent has blinded them for!
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