"Not Subject to the Law of GOD?"

Part 9. Is This Torah thing Really That Big an Issue?

Sadly, issues such as divorce, teenage pregnancy and illicit drug usage in "the Church" mirror those of secular society. "Church hopping" is common among Christians. How many adults today are still part of the same denomination they grew up in? Many are leaving the ranks of "evangelical Christianity" altogether. The Mormon church is experiencing continued growth at the expense of these traditional churches, the majority of their converts in the United States in recent years being former Baptists. Then there are doctrinal problems such as the issue of homosexuality "still being sin." No longer are homosexuals staying away from Christianity. Rather, they are challenging Christianity's hypocrisy regarding the "Law of God," using the Christian argument that the Law is done away with, and that we are now under a "law of love."

These "symptoms" are recognized and preached about from the pulpit in Christian churches. However, the problem has not been properly diagnosed. All of the above can be attributed to one thing -- the Christian church is not built on the rock of Torah, but on the shifting sands of anti-Torah doctrines. (Matthew 7:24-27 -- the concluding verses of Yeshua's teaching on following the Torah.

Problems with Jewish Evangelism

Let us first return to the Christian view of the Jews previously raised in the first section:

• The Jews "missed Jesus" 2000 Years Ago
• The Jewish leadership (mostly Pharisees) were so "caught up in the Law" that they missed their own Messiah
• The Church was created and given the job of spreading the "Gospel of Jesus"
• The church has an obligation to bring the "Gospel of Jesus" to the Jews
• Christian churches rededicating themselves to "Jewish evangelism"

The typical experience today, of a Jew "saved" by "accepting Jesus," is to become a "Jewish-Christian." This person is welcomed to the world/culture of Christianity, including; Sunday church services, Christmas and Easter. Regarding "the Law," Jewish-Christians are taught that they no longer have to keep doing things like keeping Sabbath and eating kosher, as "Jesus freed them from this bondage," and they now have "Christian liberty" regarding such things. Many new Jewish believers will be offered unkosher food to eat so that they can "show their faith."

Jews who come to Christianity eventually, if not immediately, abandon their Judaism. By the time they have grandchildren (especially if they marry Gentiles), these little ones don't identify themselves as Jews or with Judaism at all. They are now Christians -- fully assimilated. Unfortunately, this new lifestyle offered to Jews is in direct contradiction to the Word of God. Assimilation is a curse promised to the Jews, by Yahuweh (God), should they go against His Torah. Assimilation is a sign to them that they are not following the one true God.

Scripturally, any Jew who abandons the Torah of Yahuweh and identifies with any anti-Torah deity, is an idolater. This applies to any (false) "messiah" who does not teach the Torah remains in place. Conversely, any Jew who rejects an anti-Torah Messiah, is not rejecting the true Messiah of Israel. Thus, a Jew who rejects a "salvation message" which has at its heart an anti-Torah "Jesus," has not rejected the true Messiah of Israel, any more than if they rejected the "Mormon Jesus," which Christianity itself says is a false-messiah.

As mentioned at the beginning of this document, many Christian groups are launching new evangelism campaigns to convert Jews, training their people to use "Jewish terminology" when witnessing. The result of this has been a backlash from the Jewish community, who accuse churches of using deceitful means to lead Jews away from Judaism to Christianity. (68)

They have a valid point. Why put a Jewish veneer on what is truly a Gentile faith? The first group to successfully do this in an organized fashion was Jews for Jesus, which was essentially a Baptist outreach. Jesus was presented in a more "Jewish light," but the goal and result was always the same -- "convert Jews," and get them into a church. Of late, Jews for Jesus has opened up to the idea of pointing Jews to Messianic congregations, as well as churches. This is a step in the right direction, but as long as the group maintains the name of "Jesus" in its title, and continues to offer "the Church" as a valid option for Jews, it stands in opposition to Torah.

Did Yahushua Consider a Relationship to Torah to be Important?

Christianity would say, "No - we are saved by faith only - so all of this 'Torah is for believers' doctrine is not important." As already mentioned however, there is a problem here with the definition of "faith." The modern Christian definition of "faith" is not the same as that of the Jewish Messiah and His first century Jewish contemporaries and Jewish writers of the "New Testament." The Christian definition is concerned with what you believe, whereas in Judaism, the focus is on a relationship grounded in trust and obedience to Torah. (69)

Yahushua Himself clearly upholds the Jewish view. Matthew 5:17-7:28 is a long dissertation by the Messiah on following the Torah correctly. He begins by establishing two facts:

• If you think any of the Torah is done away with, you are mistaken. (Matthew 5:17-18)
• If you teach people that they do not have to regard the Torah, you will answer to Him. (Matthew 5:19-20)

After a number of verses where he explains and expounds upon the Torah, he concludes His teaching (Matthew 7:21-23) by speaking of a future time, when certain people will not be allowed into heaven. Does he rebuke these people for "not believing He is the Messiah?" Or, "not having invited Him into their hearts?" Or, "not having said the 'sinner's prayer?'"

No. Rather, Yahushua clearly states that those who practice lawlessness (Greek: anomia) will not enter into His kingdom. What "law" are these people violating with their "lawlessness?"

The context of Matthew 7:21-23 is that of "religious law," as Yahushua has been talking non-stop about the Torah. His warning concludes His lecture on the principles of Torah that He began by saying that none of the Torah is abolished (Matthew 5:17-21). (70)

Take note that these are not pagans or atheists that He is talking to. These people are shocked when He rebukes them. They claim to be believers, calling Him "Lord."

This raises a serious question:

Is there a religion made up of people who say they are followers of the Messiah, but claim they no longer have a relationship to Torah that meets the description of Matthew 7:23?

Doesn't "the Church" fit this description?

Some may be offended by this statement (and much of the rest of this document.) The idea that "Christ's own Church" could be in such grievous error regarding the Word of God and what true faith in God entails, is simply impossible to believe. However, as mentioned, the very concept of "the Church" is a product of the anti-Torah (anti-God) replacement theology, and willful Bible mistranslation.

Did Paul Consider a Relationship to Torah to be Important?

There is a misconception held by many, including some in modern Jewry, that Yeshua may have supported Torah, but the apostle Paul -- well, he started the Christian religion by taking a stance against Law.

For example, as Christian author Daniel Fuller states in his book, The Unity of the Bible:

But the historian must also explain how a person so involved with Judaism could then act in completely non-Jewish ways, rejecting circumcision as the sign of the covenant for believing Jews and Gentiles (Gal. 2:3-5) and willingly eating nonkosher food as he maintained table fellowship with the Gentiles (vv. 11-14). Nothing in his background as one totally immersed in the traditions of Judaism can explain such a profound reversal of conduct. The only alternative for explaining how Paul came to eat pork is to accept his own explanation: this profound change resulted from his being confronted by the risen Jesus as he journeyed to Damascus to destroy the Christian church there. (71)

Paul's rebuke of Peter, in the second chapter of Galatians, is traditionally viewed by Christianity as a proof that "the Law" had ended for Jews who now followed the Messiah. The problem here is that the text shows that the issue is not one of the food being eaten. Peter was indeed eating with Gentile believers, however this is not "different" in that he was now eating non-kosher food. Rather, it was "different" because Jews generally did not sit and eat with Gentiles at that time. However, Peter was told by God that Gentiles were to be considered "clean." (This was the meaning of of his dream in Acts chapter 10, which had nothing to do with eating unkosher food as seen by Peter's responses in Acts 10:17, 28, 34, 11:3-17; 15:7-10.)

Peter was rebuked by Paul because of his hypocrisy, as when he saw Jewish brethren approaching, he walked away from the Gentiles, treating them as if they were spiritual inferiors. When Paul says to Peter that they "live" in the same way, he is not talking about their eating habits. Rather, he is saying they are "saved" in the same way. This is consistent with the theme of the rest of the letter, that Jews and Gentiles are saved ("live") in the same way, by faith, not "works of Law." (72)

For Fuller to arrive at the conclusion that "Paul now eats pork," and is telling Peter he should as well, he has to:

• Assume Paul is anti-Torah and teaches this way
• Assume what Paul is talking about in these verses is "no longer following the kosher laws"
• Ignore the immediate and overall context, which is salvation by faith for both Jew and Gentile

As mentioned, this practice of injecting anti-Torah dogma into the text of Scripture stems from hundreds of years of Scripture twisting, first done willfully by those in power who held anti-Jewish opinions, and perhaps inadvertantly today. This is even done, in the latter fashion, by Jews who are more than happy to distance Judaism from Christianity, especially with the resurgence of Messianic Judaism. (73)

However, this is not the case regarding Paul, who taught that Torah was indeed for Gentiles -- not for salvation, but as the direction they should be encouraged to follow subsequent to coming to faith. This is part of God's plan for the restoration of His unity (through the faith of Israel), as although "God is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4), He is not yet One, as this will occur at the end of days with the coming of Messiah (Zechariah 14:9). (74)

As an Orthodox Rabbi, this was Paul's view of God being "one," (echad) and is at the foundation of all his writings. This belief says that there is one God, here on earth, for the Jew and the Gentile (i.e., Romans 1:16). There is one God in heaven, with but one revelation (Torah) from Him for all mankind (Exodus 12:48-49, Leviticus 24:22, Isaiah 56). There is one God through history (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). The path He has provided for us, is leading to the restoration of the unity of God and His creation, which will be brought together through Messiah, in the Millennium and the ensuing "World to Come" (Olam Haba), a concept that is foundational to Judaism.

The book of Romans has within it a significant teaching (a midrash) regarding the Torah, which is overlooked due to poor translation and anti-Torah theology. Although Paul aggressively condemned the teaching that a Gentile had to take on the Torah in order to be saved (Acts, Galatians), he retained the view that subsequent to salvation, Torah was the desired goal for the lifestyle of all believers, as Torah observance brings closer the unification of the Name of God (shema).

Beginning at verse 6:1 and going through 8:14, Rav Sha'ul the Pharisee (Paul), provides the following teaching, directed primarily (if not exclusively) to the Gentiles in the Roman congregation:

Romans 6:1-16 -- Now that we are following Yahushua, and "of the Spirit," we are not free to break Torah and sin

Romans 6:17-23 -- As believers we are now to follow/serve the righteousness of His Torah as we learn it.

Romans 7:1-6 -- We no longer follow the Torah in the flesh, apart from trusting Yahuweh (and thus condemned by its curse), but are now to follow it in the Spirit.

Romans 7:7-21 -- Although the Torah; a) served the purpose of condemning us, b) stirs up sin in us, and c) cannot be followed in the flesh, the Torah in itself is the holy, just, good and spiritual lamp that is to light the path of lives (Psalm 119:105).

Romans 7:22-8:14 -- The Torah is our delight and duty to follow in faith. A desire to follow the Torah is the real "blessed assurance" a believer has that Yahuweh's Spirit in them.

A key section near the end of this midrash, is Romans 8:5-8, where Paul says people fall into one of two classes before God. They are either; a) of the flesh, or, b) of the Spirit. Paul says if you are "of the flesh," you cannot please God. Why is that? Because, Paul says, those in the flesh are not subject to the Law (Torah) of God.

Conversely, Paul is saying that those of the Spirit ("having been saved") ARE subject to Torah. God has not changed -- it has always been this way.

Part 10. Concluding Thoughts & Footnotes

Christianity teaches that if someone claims to "be saved," but never stops blatantly sinning, then they probably did not truly repent and weren't really born again (i.e., often said of homosexuals). It also teaches that even if you "sincerely" follow incorrect doctrine regarding salvation, you aren't saved (i.e., often said of Mormons).

Yahushua warned that we will be judged by the same measure we judge by. Therefore, when a Christian judges a Mormon, or a homosexual, or anyone for that matter, using the unified Word of God (the Torah), he had better be ready to be judged by the same Torah.

Keeping this Biblical principle in mind, The Torah shows that Yahuweh's position on the Sabbath is clear. It is Friday evening to Saturday evening and we are to set it aside for Him as a Holy Day. History shows that man changed this out of disrespect for Judaism and Torah. Christians don't bother to learn this history (or don't care) accepting the lie that God changed this. As a result, they violate Yahuweh's Sabbath every weekend, while carrying His Torah in their Bibles on their way into "Sunday church services" that preach "freedom FROM the Torah."

According to Paul in Romans 8:5-8, if you consider yourself to be "of the Spirit," you ARE subject to the Torah of God.

Are you?

Or are you of the flesh and "not subject to the Law of God?"

FOOTNOTES AND WEB LINKS:

1. Basic Theology - A Popular Systematic Guide To Understanding Biblical Truth, Charles C. Ryrie, 1986, SP Publications Inc., Victor Books, Wheaton IL, pp. 302-303.
2. When Skeptics Ask, Norman L. Geisler and Ronald M. Brooks, 1990, SP Publications Inc., Victor Books, Wheaton IL, p. 129.
3. The Daily Study Bible Series - the Letters of James and Peter, William Barclay, 1976, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, p. 80.
4. New King James version, Nelson Regency Publishers.
5. The Daily Study Bible Series - the Letters of James and Peter, William Barclay, 1976, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, p. 70.
6. Introductions and Reading Guide, King James Bible, 1962, Zondervan Publishing house, p. 9.
7. ibid p. 10.
8. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Galatians, J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1991, p. 23.
9. Another ancient Jewish teaching, regarding respect for the poor, is that material success often comes at the cost of spiritual failure. This is reflected in the saying, "Be careful with the poor, for, from them Torah comes out" (Talmud, Nedarim 81a). This teaching mirrors that of Yeshua in Matthew 19:23-24, where He expresses the difficulties that the wealthy have in finding the kingdom of God.
10. The Shema, Spirituality and Law in Judaism, Norman Lamm, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, 1998, p.16
11. Interestingly, the commentary of the Midrash Rabbah, on the first verse of the Bible (Genesis 1:1) has the Torah referring to itself as a tutor at the time of creation!
12. The Unity of the Bible, Daniel P. Fuller, 1992, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, p. 346-359.
13. In order to retain the parts of the Torah it claims remain valid for believers (i.e., adultery, covetousness, homosexuality) Christianity divides the Torah into separate moral, ceremonial, civil, and/or other "sections." However, no such strict division has existed in Judaism, nor in the minds of the authors of the "New Testament." This can be seen in the epistle of "James" (2:8-11), where he says all the Torah is one, as well as Paul's writings, such as Galatians 5:19, where he lists things like "uncleaness" ("ceremonial law") in the same sentence as adultery ("moral law") and murder ("civil law") and of course Yeshua, in Matthew 5:17-21.
14. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, James, J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1991, p. 68.
15. Basic Theology - A Popular Systematic Guide To Understanding Biblical Truth, Charles C. Ryrie, 1986, SP Publications Inc., Victor Books, Wheaton IL, p. 304.
16. Jewish literature outside of the Bible reflects this, i.e., Midrash Rabbah Genesis LXXXV:1; Midrash Rabbah Exodus V:7; Midrash Rabbah Numbers IV:8; Zohar, Bereshit Section 1, page 176a. (Soncino)
17. The web site www.nazarene.net has several informative articles on the facts concerning the New Covenant and other important topics.
18. Jewish New Testament Commentary, David Stern, (Jewish New Testament Publication, Inc., 4th edition, 1995), commentary on Hebrews 10:8-10.
19. Basic Theology - A Popular Systematic Guide To Understanding Biblical Truth, Charles C. Ryrie, 1986, SP Publications Inc., Victor Books, Wheaton IL,  p. 303.
20. ibid  p. 305.
21. Foundations of the Christian Faith, James Montgomery Boice, 1986, InterVarsity Press, Downsers Grove, IL, p. 234.
22. A book that addresses this subject in detail is From Sabbath to Sunday (Samuele Bacchiocchi, 1977, The Pontifical Gregorian University Press, Rome). Bacchiocchi's research shows how the movement away from the Sabbath and other biblical feasts was prompted by the anti-Semitism of the early "Church fathers." Among other issues, Bacchiocchi specifically refutes the idea that, 1 Corinthians 16;1-2, Acts 20:7-11 and Revelation 1:10, offer any "proof" for the argument that God switched from Saturday Sabbath to the Christian Sunday (pp. 90-131).
23. Jewish literature outside of the Bible gives enormous consideration to a coming Messianic Millennial Sabbath -- the same as the New Testament writers referred to (i.e., Midrash Rabbah Genesis 12:6, Zohar 1:119a, Talmud tractate Sanhedrin 97a, tractate Tamid 33b).
24. Babylonian Talmud, tractate Shabbat 119a
25. Why the Protestant Reformation Failed!, Frank M. Walker. Published in Petah Tikvah Volume 15, No. 1.
26. See the article Equal Weights and Measures at www.yashanet.com/library/equal.htm for more about this and other mistranslations in Christian Bibles.
27. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, James, J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1991, p. 56.
28. Even the term "Christian," as seen in this verse, may be a mistranslation. There is evidence that this was a later entry to the Bible as early manuscripts have the term "almsgiver" (rather than "Christian"). This would make it a Jewish slur as that was a Jewish term and practice. The latter would make sense as it would indicate that Gentiles "had become like Jews" in their new faith. For a Roman Gentile to become like a Jew was considered a disgrace.
29. The Mystery of Romans, Mark Nanos, 1996, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, pp. 64-68. Julius Caesar had respect for ancient religions and granted the Jews legal privileges as collegia, giving them the right to assemble, have common meals and property, govern and tax themselves, and enforce their own discipline. They were the only non-pagan religious group to have this right. This led to much resentment from the rest of the Roman population. This also explains such occurrences as Paul being able to persecute Jewish believers (before his conversion) as mentioned in the book of Acts, and the right of the Synagogue to later discipline Paul, as he mentions in his epistles. The latter also shows that Paul kept himself under the authority of the Synagogue. According to Roman law, he could have used his Roman citizenship to stop this discipline but, according to Jewish law, he then would have forfeited his right to speak and teach in the Synagogue on the Sabbath. Although Paul is commonly known as "the apostle to the Gentiles," even this ministry was for the benefit of Israel (Romans 11:13). See also, Romans - A Shorter Commentary, C.E.B. Cranfield, 1985, William B. Eerdmans publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, pp. 275-276.
30. James the Brother of Jesus, Robert Eisenman, 1997, Penguin Books, New York, NY.
31. Ignatius' Letter to the Magnesians
32. Caesar and Christ, Will Durant, 1944, Simon and Schuster, New York, p. 548.
33. Justin Martyr - Dialogue with Trypho (Circa 138-161 A.D.)
34. Origen of Alexandria (185-254 A.D.) as quoted in Scattered Among the Nations, Documents Affecting Jewish History 49 to 1975, Edited by Alexis P. Rubin, Jason Aronson Inc., London, pp. 22-23.
35. Jew & Gentile in the Ancient World, Louis H. Feldman, 1993, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, pp. 123-176
36. Caesar and Christ, Will Durant, 1944, Simon and Schuster, New York, p. 546.
37. The Mystery of Romans, Mark Nanos, 1996, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, pp. 64-68.
38. Novella III, as instituted by Theodosius II, Roman Emperor in the East, 439 A.D.
39. The last known meeting between the Jewish minority and Gentile majority was in the year 318,  presided over by Sylvester, a representative of Emperor Constantine.
40. Council of Elvira, 304 A.D., Canon 50, Laws Relating to Jews
41. Council of Elvira, 304 A.D., Canon 16, Laws Relating to Jews
42. Epiphanius; Panarion 29; 4th Century -- See Biblical Law by James Trimm at: www.nazarene.net/biblaw.htm.
43. Paul and the Jewish Law - Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles, Peter J. Tomson, 1990, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, p. 3.
44. Martin Luther called for persecution of Jews, including; burning their synagogues to the ground, destroying their homes, confiscating their Talmuds and prayer books, killing their rabbis who refused to stop teaching, revoking their right to travel, and putting them in concentration camps. Hitler followed Luther's recommendations quite well. See Anti-Semitism of the "Church Fathers," at www.yashanet.com/library/fathers.htm.and, Why the Protestant Reformation Failed!, at: www.yashanet.com/library/reformf.htm.
45. See Anti-Semitism of the "Church Fathers," at www.yashanet.com/library/fathers.htm.
46. The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1985.
47. The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, J. Dwight Pentecost, 1981, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, MI, p.188-189.
48. The Way of the Boundary Crosser, Gershon Winkler, 1998, Jason Aronson Inc., Jerusalem, pp. 221-251. The examples shown in this table and the next, are only a portion of those given by Winkler, who shows Yeshua's teachings to be very much in line with Talmud, Midrash Rabbah, and other ancient Jewish writings. It is rather ironic that a liberal Reformed Jewish author (Winkler) has done such a thorough job of revealing the truth of what Yeshua taught.
49. Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sotah 22b.
50. Babylonian Talmud, tractate Yevamot, footnote #14 to 16a: "Literally 'the first-born of Satan.'"
51. The Way of the Boundary Crosser, Gershon Winkler, 1998, Jason Aronson Inc., Jerusalem, pp. 221-251.
52. The Daily Study bible Series - the Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, William Barclay, 1976, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, p. 29.
53. ibid. p. 29.
54. ibid. p. 27.
55. Caesar and Christ, Will Durant, 1944, Simon and Schuster, New York, p. 616.
56. Jew & Gentile in the Ancient World, Louis H. Feldman, 1993, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, -- The Mystery of Romans, Mark Nanos, 1996, Fortress Press, Minneapolis.
57. See The Mystery of Romans, Mark Nanos, 1996, Fortress Press, Minneapolis. Nanos' award winning book (National Jewish Book Award for Jewish-Christian Relations), offers historical insight into the background of Paul's letter not found in any previous work. In it he reveals Paul's concern over the conduct of the Gentiles within the Roman congregation, with respect to them modifying their behavior in order not to offend unsaved Jews who were amidst them in their fellowship, which was still conducted under Synagogue authority.
58. It may be hard for the western mind to comprehend how Paul could be accused by other Jews, of teaching against the Torah, when he was preaching a pro-Torah message. However, this was not the only time in Jewish history that a great teacher was thus misrepresented. Moses Maimonides (1135-1204 CE), one of the most famous Jewish thinkers and Torah scholar of all time, was accused by his Jewish contemporaries as denying bodily resurrection. They made this claim even though Maimonides had written in his commentary on the Mishnah, Sanhedrin 10:1, that, "Bodily resurrection is one of the fundamentals of the Law of Moses; one who does not accept [resurrection] has no part in the religion, nor any connection to the Jewish people." Maimonides admits he didn't think anyone would take the source of such false teaching and accusation seriously, stating, "...we paid no attention thereto, saying that this individual's (opinion) is of no consequence, because no one can be so foolish as to find it so difficult to understand what we wrote (clearly in our composition). Moses Maimonides' Treatise on Resurrection, translated and annotated by Fred Rosner, 1997, Jason Aronson Inc., Northval, NJ, foreward to the Second Edition, p. ix, 29-31. Paul too, was shocked to hear that he was being accused of preaching against the truth of Torah, as seen by his comments in Romans 3:8. Peter, in his epistle, also warned, that people were twisting Paul's words around. One has to wonder what Paul will one day have to say of churches who teach that he thought Torah was not to be followed by believers in Yeshua!
59. "Memra" is an Aramaic term for "the Word" and is found in the Aramaic Targums read in the Synagogues each Sabbath at the time of Yeshua. "Memra" appears in the Targums whenever a verse contains a double reference to YHVH, i.e. Psalm 110:1, where the "second YHVH" is called the Memra of God. Also in Genesis where Abraham prayed to YHVH in the name of the Memra of YHVH.
60. Vine's Expository Dictionary, a classic Protestant reference work, agrees that telos should not be translated as "end" in Romans 10:4, but rather as "the result of a state or process" (a goal). See also the, Jewish New Testament Commentary, David Stern, (Jewish New Testament Publication, Inc., 4th edition, 1995), commentary on Romans 10:4. Interstingly, the Christian work quoted in this document, The Unity of the Bible, (Daniel P. Fuller, 1992, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI), also agrees with translating "telos" as "goal," but still arrives at typically Christian conclusions.
61. Jewish New Testament Commentary, David Stern, Jewish New Testament Publication, Inc., 4th edition, 1995, commentary on Romans 10:6-8.
62. See Equal Weights and Measures at www.yashanet.com/library/equal.htm.
63. The word "church" was entered into the "New Testament" text in the middle ages and may itself be pagan in origin. See The Translation Conspiracy, by Rabbi David M. Hargis, at http://messianic.com/articles/translation.htm
64. The Unknown Paul - Essays on Luke-Acts and Early Christian History, Jacob Jervell, 1984, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, p. 41.
65. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, First John, J. Vernon McGee, 1991, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, pp. 41-42
66. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, James, J. Vernon McGee, 1991, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, p. 61.
67. See also Mishna Yoma 7:5.
68. In August, 1999, a controversy arose over the Internet Search engine Lycos, refusing to run advertisements from Jews for Jesus, due to the expressed outrage of the Jewish community. News articles with the details of this story may still be found on the Web, by searching keywords "Jews for Jesus" and "Lycos."
69. The Gospel of "James" stresses this point throughout, but particularly in 2:19, where he says that "believing" in God is meaningless if void of a trusting relationship grounded in the works of the Torah.
70. The same Greek term for lawlessness, anomia, is used in 1 John 3:4, to describe those who commit sin, as well as 2 Thessalonians 2:7, to describe the anti-Messiah who is opposed to God's truth.
71. The Unity of the Bible, Daniel P. Fuller, 1992, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, p. 53. As another example of out-of-context interpretation, Fuller also states (p. 357) that Mark 7:19 shows Yeshua declaring all meats to be clean, ignoring the context of the discussion (established in 7:2-5) which is entirely about the non-Biblical command some Pharisees had added of eating (clean) meats with unwashed hands, a practice which has its origins in the Zohar, the more mystical part of Judaism. See also; Introduction to the Talmud, by Harris Brody, Section 10, at www.yashanet.com/library/talmud.htm.
72. See The Mystery of Romans, Mark Nanos, 1996, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, pp. 337-371, for a comprehensive discussion of these verses.
73. Rabbi Tovia Singer (Jews for Judaism, Outreach Judaism) has made the comment that more Jews have come to believe Jesus is the Messiah in the past 19 years than in the past 1900 years. The origins of the modern Messianic movement can be shown to coincide with the return of Jerusalem to Jewish hands in 1967. The number of Messianic congregations has increased exponentially in the past three decades (a true "end time revival" of God that Christianity is generally unaware of, or unconcerned with.) The later 1990's have seen a trend toward greater Torah observance among both Jewish and gentile Messianic believers. A global listing of Messianic congregations is kept at www.yashanet.com.
74. A recently published book that deals with some of the essentials of the Shema and offers a well-rounded view of Jewish thought in this matter is; The Shema, Spirituality and Law in Judaism, by Orthodox scholar and Yeshiva University president, Norman Lamm (The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, 1998.)