Messianic-Jews or Jews-for-Jesus?
After I was invited to attend services at a congregation of Messianic-Jews I came about with the following thread which I would like to share here with you:
There is no such a thing as "Messianic-Jews" or "Jews-for-Jesus". The hyphenate Jew does not exist. A Jew is a Jew and a Christian is a Christian. There is no such a thing as a Christian-Jew or a Jewish-Christian.
I am reminded of the time of Elijah and the "Jews-for-Baal." Elijah got 850 of their prophets and charged at them by asking, how long will you straddle the issue between HaShem and Baal? If HaShem is God, follow Him but, if it is Baal, follow him! (I Kings 18:18-21) But no, they wanted to keep their Jewish identity while serving Baal. He invited them down to brook of Kishon and slew them all there.
The same phenomenon is happening today. People want to keep their Jewish identity while living as Christians. Exactly straddling the issue between the gospel of Jesus and that of Paul. Just as Paul used to do, straddling the issue between the Law according to his mind and sin according to his flesh. (Rom. 7:25)
Jews for Jesus are simply confused. They are two thousand years too late, and two thousand years too soon.
Here are the Messianic Jews - John 1:
38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39. He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
45. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
49. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Note that same exact confession - Matthew 16:
13. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14. And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
This, as Israel at large continued as you do, Ben Masada - as Israel at large continued to reject Him and He had already basically been found by those of Is'rael that Isaiah had prophesied would find Him:
20. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21. From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Isaiah 8:
12. Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
13. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
14. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
16. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
17. And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
18. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
I'll stop here, as "the volume of the Book" just wondrously goes on and on about these things and their due season - suffice it to say that the reality is that the Messianic Jews movement Scripture describes died off - temporarily...
As this - Romans 15:13-21,
temporarily replaced this - Romans 15:8-12, per, and
until, this - Rom. 11:25-29.
Thus, the Apostle Paul's rejoicing at the end of Romans 11, as to the very concern he is actually addressing in Romans 9 thru 11 - what of God's people whom He did foreknow: His beloved Is'rael.
But what do we Acts 9 Dispensationalists know; we simply follow Paul as he followed Christ as to this issue so close to both their hearts - "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin," Rom. 11:1.