Why can't Jews accept Christianity?
From Sebomenoi
Foundation Laid:
There are two basic principles in Christianity which will always be reasons why Jews can not accept Christianity. These two principles of Christianity are unacceptable because, from a historical Jewish understanding, they contradict the Word of the Almighty that was originally given to the children of Israel. Isaiah 8 verse 20 states, "To the Torah ('Law'), even to the Testimony! If they speak not according to this Word, there is no light-of-dawn to it." The Almighty commands in the Torah that no one should add to or take away from the commands it contains (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32) . Jews historically consider the following three essentials of Christianity to be doing just that, adding to and taking away from the original Revelation of the Torah ('Law of Moses) that was given to the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai. They are:
1) The idea that the Almighty changed and became a man.
2) The idea that the Law of Moses was temporary and is now no longer applicable.
There is another major reason worth mentioning, although it is probably included within number two. This is:
3) That someone needed to sacrifice his own life in order for others to have eternal life; That our Eternal Life depends on our faith-filled knowledge of a particular man. "Thus says the LORD, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who makes flesh his strength [lit: arm] - the heart of whom turns away from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5)
The current page deals with reason #2. Just click on #1 or #3 to view a more elaborated explanation of those particular reasons. If you want to read a page that summarizes the problem with all three of these topics, check out "An E-mail."
KEEP IN MIND - Although I do not claim that this 'man from Galilee' is the 'Christ,' I also do not believe Christianity is an accurate representation of his teachings. I therefore make a distinction between Christianity and this character. Please take time to read the text carefully:
When building a house one first lays the foundation.
Once the foundation is established, only then can the walls be built upon it.
Only after the walls are secure can the roof be set on top.
When the Almighty gave the Law of Moses to the people of Israel, He commanded them saying, "What all that I am commanding you, you shall not add to this Word, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the ALL-TRANSCENDENT your Exceedingly Powerful Authority, which I command you." - Deuteronomy 4:2
If walls are built beyond the perimeters of the foundation, they should not be relied upon, because they contradict the foundation and therefore will not stand.
The Almighty laid foundations in the world. These are the covenants He made with the individuals such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Each foundation He set on top of the previous, building up the foundations without contradicting the ones already laid. He was preparing to build a house. At Mt. Sinai He set the last foundation before continuing to build up the house.
This top foundation, constructed on the previous ones, not contradicting them, is the Torah of the Almighty, the instructions and constitution for the House that rests upon it. This is the "Law of Moses."
In the Law of Moses it is written;
The words of the Almighty:
"...that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he spoke bringing rebellion against the ALL-TRANSCENDENT your Exceedingly Powerful Authority, He Who brought you from the Land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, (this false prophet has come) to seduce you to go away from the path in which the ALL-TRANSCENDENT your Exceedingly Powerful Authority commanded you to walk..." - Deuteronomy 13:5
The path that He commanded them to walk on is this same Torah (Law of Moses), as is clear from the context of this verse,
"...to walk after the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statues with all the heart and all the soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this Book,...according to all the Law of Moses." - II Kings 23:3,25
As is written, to walk contrary to THIS path is "to rebel against the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One." Therefore, ANYONE who teaches others to walk contrary to this Law of Moses is a false prophet worthy of the death penalty according to Deuteronomy 13:5. Such a person is one who builds walls beyond the perimeters of the foundation. Even if this prophet claims to believe in the Almighty, yet he teaches contrary to this Law of Moses, such as not to be trusted.
How do we know to identify such 'unreliable walls?'
"To the Torah [Law of Moses]! Even to the Testimony (Synonym for the Torah, which is the testimony of the Almighty's Will.)! If they do not speak according to this Word, there is no light of dawn in them." - Isaiah 8:20
So it's clear. According to the Law of Moses anyone who teaches contrary to the Law of Moses is a false prophet. Now you might ask: 'But what if he says that the Torah, the Law of Moses, is true. It was supposed to be kept back then, but today it is no longer applicable; But today it is abolished.'?
He also is a false prophet. Why? The Law of Moses says itself that it is an everlasting covenant and commandment; One who says that the Law of Moses is true, but no longer applicable, contradicts his own words and contradicts the teaching in the Law of Moses which states plainly that this Law of Moses is an everlasting commandment, as it is written:
"And the revealed things are to us and to our sons until eternity to carry out/to do all the words of THIS Torah/Law/Instruction." - Deuteronomy 29:29.
The Torah says concerning itself that it is to be kept, observed, done, guarded, carried out forever:
Leviticus 3:17 "It is a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.."
Leviticus 6:18 "it is a permanent law throughout all your generations.."
Leviticus 6:22 "by an eternal ordinance it shall be entirely offered.."
Leviticus 7:36 "it is an eternal law for their generations."
Leviticus 16:34 "Now this is to you an everlasting ordinance.."
Leviticus 16:29 "This is to you a permanent law.."
Leviticus 17:7 "This is to them for an everlasting law in all their generations.."
Leviticus 23:14 "is to you a perpetual ordinance in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.."
Numbers 15:15 "As for the community (of Israel), there shall be one law for you and for the one who converted and joined with you; An eternal Law throughout your generations, as you are, so shall the convert be before the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One."
Numbers 19:21 "So it is a law forever for them.."
This is only a small sample of the numerous places that these statements are found within the Law of Moses.
Many people love to read the Book of Psalms. What does it say?
Psalm 105:10 "Then He confirmed this to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an covenant everlasting"
Psalm 111:5 "He will remember His covenant forever."
Psalm 111:8 "All His precepts are certain. They are upheld forever and ever."
Psalm 111:9 "He has ordained His covenant forever.."
Psalm 119:160 "The head of your word is truth, and every one of the laws is forever, of your righteousness."
Psalm 103:18, etc...
In fact, all of Psalm 119 is talking specifically about the Law of Moses. Keep in mind that when the Book of Psalms was written, the Christian books did not yet exist; Moreover, neither did most of the books of the Hebrew Bible (a.k.a 'old testament') yet exist. King David wasn't talking about the Christian Bible or even the whole of the "old testament" when he wrote of 'commandments, statutes, decrees, laws, etc..' He was referring to the Law of Moses given to the Jewish people as their everlasting instruction.
The last book of the prophets, the Book of Malachi, ends with an admonition to remember the Torah (Law of Moses) before the "great and awesome day of the L-RD." Malachi 3:22 says,
"Remember the Law of Moses My servant, which I commanded him at Horeb, for all Israel - its decrees and statutes."
The Book of Isaiah begins to end in chapter 66:23 with the words,
"'..at every New Moon and on every Sabbath all mankind will come to bow down flat to Me,' says the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One."
The Book of Zechariah begins to end in chapter 14:16, 18-21 that in the future, after all Israel's enemies are destroyed, that even the nations of the world will keep the Feast of Tabernacles (see Leviticus 23), and that the Temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices resumed:
Verse 16 "Then it will come about that any who remain of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from every year to worship the King, the ALL-TRANSCENDENT of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 18 If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will descend on them; it will be the plague with which ALL-TRANSCENDENT One strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "(HOLY TO THE ALL-TRANSCENDENT One." And the cooking pots in Temple of the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the ALL-TRANSCENDENT of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the ALL-TRANSCENDENT of hosts in that day." - Zechariah 14:16 and verses 18-21
See also Micah 3:12 - 4:2.
The Book of Ezekiel says concerning when all Israel will return to the Promised Land, that:
"I will make it so that you will follow My decrees and guard My ordinances to carry them out," (Ezekiel 36:27)
and
"My servant David will be king over them, there will be one shepherd for them, and they will follow My ordinances and keep my laws and carry them out... ....I will seal a covenant of peace with them, the eternal covenant with them, and I will emplace and increase them, and I will put My Temple in their midst forever..." (Ezekiel 37:24,26)
This covenant mentioned here is the renewed covenant to which Jeremiah 31:31 refers. All of this is in accordance with what Deuteronomy 30:1-8 says,
"...and you will return to the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One your Exceedingly Powerful Authority and hearken to His voice with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One your Exceedingly Powerful Authority will restore you from your captive exile and gather you again from all the nations where the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One your Exceedingly Powerful Authority has dispersed you.. and you shall obey again the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One and keep ALL His commandments which I command you TODAY."
Which commandments did He command them that day, that Deuteronomy 30:8 says they will 'AGAIN' keep in the future when they turn back to the Almighty?
Which same commandments Ezekiel 36 and 37 also say Israel will AGAIN keep in the days when Messiah will have come?
The commandments which they will keep are defined in the following verses after Deuteronomy 30:8. Just one verse later, in verse 10 it says,
"..His commandments and His statutes which are written in THIS TORAH - this Law..." - Deuteronomy 30:10
It is clear from all these prophecies and from the Torah, the Law of Moses, that when the whole of Israel repents in the days Messiah, they will repent by RETURNING to keeping the Law of Moses. It does NOT say that they will repent by accepting any kind of "new law" - that would contradict everything.
Now, read Hebrews chapter 8:13 in light of all the verses you have read here. Especially have in mind Deuteronomy 13:5 when reading Hebrews 8:13:
Deuteronomy 13:5 says,
"..that prophet or that dreamer of dreams...(who) leads you to go away from the path which the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One your Exceedingly Powerful Authority commanded you to walk (in the Law of Moses).."
Now Hebrews 8:13 says,
"When he said 'a new,' he made the first obsolete. Whatever is becoming obsolete is grown old, ready to disappear..."
[The above verse in Hebrews is the key reason why Christianity calls the Hebrew Bible the "OLD testament" and the Christian holy books the "NEW testament."]
Now, ask yourself, does this verse, along with many other more well known Christian teachings, fulfill Deuteronomy 13:5 or not?
Regardless of your answer, end this article by rereading the following verse with what you now know in mind:
"What all that I am commanding you, you shall not add to this Word, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the ALL-TRANSCENDENT One your Exceedingly Powerful Authority, which I command you." - Deuteronomy 4:2
TO COME: "New Testament" Passages Contrary to the Law of Moses (according to the traditional Christian understanding of these verses.)
RETURN
P.S.
The Law of Moses does not teach, and Jews do not believe, that non-Jews must keep all the commandments in the Law of Moses. Rather, it is our understanding that all nations in the world must keep the '7 laws of Noah,' which Abraham himself kept. This will be another article at a coming time. In the mean time, one can search the internet for more information on the Seven Laws of Noah.
