A Publication of the
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By Bob
Lovelace
There is a movement afoot referred to as
“Messianic Judaism.” Perhaps its most distinguishing characteristic is that
those who are part of this movement are Jews who profess belief that Jesus of
Nazareth is indeed the Messiah! From what I’ve seen those involved gladly prove
Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah by quoting such passages as Isa. 9:6-7, Micah 5:2 concerning His birthplace, and Zecharaiah 9:9 concerning His triumphal entry into
Jerusalem. They explain Daniel 9:24-26 correctly by showing that the Messiah
would be cut off before the destruction of
One source of information about this
movement is The Messianic Times, published in
Having read some of the material presented
in The Messianic Times, Vol. 11, Number 2, Published in Jerusalem, Summer 2001
- Jewish Year 5761, I am compelled to critique this in the same way I would any
denomination I believe to be in error.
THE USE OF THE
TITLE "RABBI"
I
noticed immediately in the Messianic Times the use of this title by certain
authors. What did the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, say about such?
Answer: Matthew 23:8-10,
“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. [9] And
call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in
heaven. [10] Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even
Christ.”
A “JEWISH"
VERSION OF THE SINNER'S PRAYER
Most in denominations use what has come to
be generally referred to as the “Sinner’s Prayer” for salvation. Here is the
one I noticed connected with this movement:
“If
you would like to know God personally, just say this prayer:
Dear God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
I understand that every man and woman born
since the time of Adam and Eve has sinned,including me. I understand that I have sin and that’s
what separates me from You.
I also believe that Yeshua
(Jesus) is the Messiah, and that You sent Him to die
so that all of my sins could be taken away. Right now I ask You Lord, to take
away all of my sins, and I accept Yeshua, the Jewish
Messiah as my personal Savior. I believe that Yeshua
is living today and I want Him to live inside of me.
Lord, God of Israel, I thank You that You
want to have a personal relationship with me, and right now I want to receive
You fully into my life. I want You to fill me with
Your Spirit, so that I can be born again, and so that You will make me the
person that You want me to be. Amen!”
Added is: “If you have said this prayer to
receive Him for the first time - call, write, or e-mail us at The Messianic
Times (see pg. 4) so that we can pray with you and direct you to a Messianic
congregation in your area.”
Out of concern for lost souls I would warn anyone interested in salvation “in
Christ” that saying a “prayer” to receive God and salvation from our past sins
is not taught in the New Testament (read Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 8:26-40;
16:15; 18:8; 22:16). The simple message of the Bible is hear (Rom.
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. [16]
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned.”
This is what Peter preached on Pentecost as
recorded in Acts 2:38. Individuals seeking salvation were not instructed to say
a prayer, but rather to repent and be baptized (an immersion in water) for the
remission of their sins. (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts
MESSIANIC DANCE
Being brief here, I found references and a
picture of what was referred to as Hebrew dance (also called Davidic or
Messianic dance). One picture showed a dance line during worship at a
However, in the New Testament you find both
Jews and Gentiles worshipping together according to the New Testament patterns
laid down by the Apostles (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; I Cor.
11:20-34; 14:23-40; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
SERVICES FRIDAY
NIGHT OR SATURDAY
The directory at the back of the M. Times
listed many congregations which meet for services Friday night or Saturday.
(Compare the example of Acts 20:7 with the instruction in I Cor.
11:17-34.)
CHRIST'S RETURN
The general belief here appears to be that
Jesus is coming back to the earth, and is to reign over the world from
The belief that Jesus is coming back to the
earth to reign over the nations from
Several varying beliefs throughout the denominational
world present little more than the concept that Jesus failed in establishing
the Kingdom the first time because the Jews (for the most part) rejected Him.
So, they claim, He has yet to come back and accomplish what He came to do at
the first coming.
The “heart” of this contrived belief makes
God’s eternal plan dependent upon what man does here! Peter preached on
Pentecost that God raised up Jesus and set Him upon
His throne (Acts
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