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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

ARE JEWS "BROTHERS" OF CHRISTIANS?

National Prayer Network

By Rev. Ted Pike


21 Nov 11


Christian Zionists increasingly claim Jews and Christians are “brethren,” children of the same divine plan for salvation. They say Christians are indebted to Jews for preserving God’s plan and enabling our redemption. Our united heritage and purpose is called “the Judeo-Christian tradition.” The least we Christians can do is bless and defend Israel—especially in this time of unprecedented world criticism. It is even becoming fashionable for Christian Zionist leaders like Beck and Hagee to declare, “I am an Israeli!"

Evangelicals believe their duty includes shielding and obscuring the teachings of Talmud and Kabbalah, the extent of Jewish supremacist control, and the fact of Israel’s many injustices.  This suppression of truth is necessary in their minds to prevent anti-Semitism and even a second holocaust. No religion has as much to hide as Talmudic Judaism. Christian Zionists help whitewash those spiritual descendants of the ones Christ described as “whited sepulchers, full of dead men’s bones.” In this, they believe they are serving God.

But the Bible nowhere teaches this behavior. It does not encourage Christians to support a religious system which first crucified Christ (See Are Jews Today Guilty for the Crucifixion?) and today continues to militate against Him. Israel persecutes, even under threat of prison, effective evangelism of Israelis. (See Christians in Israel: An Endangered Species)

This articles summarizes the New Testament ban on blessing or claiming brotherhood with apostate Judaism.

If first-century Christians could see the way modern evangelicals worship their Jewish persecutors, surely they would think we never loved Jesus at all. We have instead joined the crowd who cried, “Crucify Him!”

Hidden Hatred against Jesus

To even be Orthodox, Jews must accept the authority of those who masterminded the death of Christ: the Pharisees. The Talmud perfectly expresses Pharisaic hatred of Jesus. It boasts that Jewish leaders had Christ crucified (Sanhedrin 43a) and claims He is now in hell. There Jesus faces His punishment
With boiling hot excrement, since a Master has said: Whoever mocks at the words of the Sages is punished with boiling hot excrement. (Gittin 56b, Somcino trans.) 
Orthodox Judaism agrees that crucifixion of Christ by the Pharisees was wise, just, and necessary and that His present torment in hell represents divine justice.

Articles at www.truthtellers.org extensively document Judaism's hatred, not only of our Lord but His mother and disciples. There can be no doubt that Judaism is fundamentally and unalterably opposed to Jesus, His mission, and His followers.

Yet Christian Zionists passionately argue that there are more similarities than divisions between Christians and Jews. They say we are “brothers,” bound by God’s will and a common tradition.
Here's what the Bible really says:

Nowhere does the New Testament even hint that Christians have a duty to a nation of Christ-rejecting Jews--a nation whose existence defies God's oft-repeated command that He will only sanction a Jewish nation in the Holy Land if they are repentant and obedient to Him. (See List of Conditional Occupation Verses)

Christians owe no debt of spiritual gratitude to the Jewish people at large. The entire Bible records a nation usually resisting the message of a tiny minority of saints and prophets. Moses described the Hebrews as an unusually stubborn, rebellious people, repeatedly saved from annihilation only because of his intercession.

Christians owe deep gratitude to a minority of Jews in scripture who carried the torch of true obedience and faith, looking forward to Christ. The roots of Christianity descend to Jewish saints such as Moses, Joshua, Samson, Daniel, and Jeremiah. They were all disobeyed, even vilified and persecuted by the majority of Jews. Christians could not have a stronger affinity with such holy Jewish heroes. With them we do indeed share a "Judeo-Christian tradition!" But Christians should feel the strongest revulsion against wicked Jews such as the rebels of Korah, the priests who persecuted Jeremiah and the Pharisees, founders of modern “rabbinic” Judaism.  No true Christian is "brother" to them, any more than we are to Jewish supremacists today. 
What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness? (II Cor. 6:14)
The apostle John portrays Christ-denying Jews as deceivers and anti-Christs.
many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (2 John 1:7)
Yet today the spiritual children of Christ-reviling Jews are the very ones Christian Zionists call brothers! Jesus describes such “Jews” as the “the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie.” (Rev. 3:9) Judaism is the “church” Satan attends and supports. It is his place of fellowship.
Christians’ Real Duty to Jews

The Christian’s true obligation to Jews is to preach them salvation through Yeshua, Israel’s spiritual husband and redeemer. Christ said evangelism should begin “at Jerusalem” and spread to the whole planet. Christians should have no part of several prevalent extremes regarding evangelism of Jews.
  1. Hagee’s view that Jews (especially at his CUFI meetings) are above evangelism and don’t even need to hear the name of Jesus spoken in public. Hagee may deny it, but his actions affirm the heresy that Jews have a special covenant of salvation apart from the cross. Hagee influences millions of evangelical tourists to Israel who agree to obey Jewish authorities and not evangelize Jews during their trip.

  2. The opposite is the “Two Seedline" Christian Identity heresy which says Jews are below Christian obligation to evangelize. Agreeing with the Kabbalah, it says Eve had sex with Satan, that Jews are his offspring and are unredeemable.

  3. A third error is "displacement theology:" virtually all prophesy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. and God is finished with Jewry in a national sense. He has replaced them with "spiritual" Israel--all who trust and obey God. (Galatians 3)
The Bible says clearly that Jews are not racially or morally better or worse than Gentiles, or more favored by God. Yet God does have unfinished business with the Jewish nation. He did not vainly promise national restoration of a repentant remnant at Christ's return. He will not be frustrated by Jewish apostasy but will receive something no convinced Jew would ever believe He could have: repentance from the Jewish people.

The Bible is absolutely clear that God's favor—to individuals, communities or nations—only comes as a result of faith and obedience. The Christian’s prayer is to see Jews rescued from a darkened religious and cultural tradition that has deeply prejudiced them against Jesus. The Bible never teaches it is the Christian’s duty to defend unbelieving Jews or Israel morally, financially, or militarily. Christians, in the years before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., were told to flee Jerusalem, not flock to its aid. Paul predicted wrath "to the uttermost" (1 Thessalonians 2:16) on unbelieving Jewry--a wrath that will be authorized by God not man, ultimately to bring the remnant to repentance. Thus there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel of Jewish evil. We should no more deny this than deny Israel’s current wickedness. The apostle Paul affirms the hope of the Hebrew prophets for eventual Jewish redemption: “the Deliverer will come from Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” (Rom. 11:26)

But today, after at least three quarters of a century of injustice to the Palestinians, Israel fully deserves world criticism and withdrawal of financial support.

Christians cannot support Israel today because Jesus is not supporting Israel. He said their house was left “desolate” and portrayed apostate Israel as a withered fig tree which He cursed to never again bear fruit. (Matt. 21:19) He said He was leaving those who rejected Him and they would never "see" Him again—never receive His advocacy or blessing—until they repent and say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Lk. 13:35)

Until that day, our duty to Jews is the same as our duty to all men: to love them as much as ourselves and lead them to the love, forgiveness and eternal life of Israel’s truest friend and redeemer, Jesus.
If Christ considers the Jewish people without Him “desolate,” how can Christians consider them blessed?


Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog organization. 

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