CAN A JEW CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY AND STILL REMAIN A JEW?
Christianity says that Christians do not have to keep the Law (the Torah), but what does the Word say about the writings of Moses? “And YHVH said to Moses, ‘Behold, I come to you in a darkness of clouds, so that the people may hear My speaking with you, and in you they may believe forever. . .’ ” [Exodus 19:9a] And the Messiah said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” [John 5:46-47] Again, He said, “Do not think that I came to annul the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to annul, but to fulfill (to fulfill those events that had been foretold by the Prophets). For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one iota or one point will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” [Matthew 5:17-18]
WHICH COMMANDMENT DID THE MESSIAH SAY WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL?
Y’hoshua the Messiah gave the answer that would have been on the tongue of any righteous Rabbi, the Sh’mah!
“Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘Which is the foremost commandment of all?’ Y’hoshua answered him, ‘The foremost of all the commandments is: “Hear, Israel, YHVH Elohanu, YHVH echad. And you shall love YHVH Elohekka with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the foremost commandment.’ ” [Mark 12:28-30; Deuteronomy 6:4-5]
He then continued, “And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” [[Mark 12:31; Leviticus 19:18]
What did the scribe answer? “So the scribe said to Him, ‘Well said, Rabbi. You have spoken the truth, for there is one Elohim, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ ” [Mark 12:32-33]
And what was the Messiah’s reply to the scribe? “Now when Y’hoshua saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of Elohim.’ But after that no one dared question Him.” [Mark 12:34]
WHAT IS LOVE? HOW DO YOU LOVE YHVH ELOHIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART?
“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.” [2 John 1:6] “I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.” [2 John 1:4] Remember, according to Scripture, Truth is the Torah [Psalm 119:142; John 17:17] “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of Elohim is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” [1 John 2:3-6] We show our love by our obedience.
IS THE MESSIAH OF CHRISTIANITY THE MESSIAH FORETOLD BY THE PROPHETS?
No, he isn’t. The one they call “Jesus” is not the Messiah described in the Word, for Christianity has made a gentile messiah to match what is pleasing in their eyes. Actually, in the beginning, they began to do away with everything they considered “Jewish” simply because of hatred for the Jews. One example can be found in the tradition of eating ham on Easter Sunday: “And those families who, by custom, eat ham on Easter Sunday are, unwittingly, following an old practice of the Roman Catholics of England, who ate a gammon of bacon on Easter to show their contempt for the Jews, to whom pork is forbidden.” [Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 7]
The Christian Messiah is pictured as fair, usually with light hair, blue eyes, and quite commonly he has a British accent when being portrayed in a movie. They say that he fulfilled the Law, the Torah, so they do not have to keep it; and they believe that the inheritance they receive when accepting this one they call the messiah is to reap his bountiful love and all the blessings from the Psalms and the Prophets. Nothing is required of them, except to try to live a good life,’ and nothing will keep them out of heaven except rejecting “Jesus.” Continuing, they do not keep the feasts of YHVH, preferring the pagan celebrations of Christmas and Easter; and they have rejected the Sabbath of YHVH, selecting instead a sabbath of their own choosing. “Then surely from their fruits you shall know them. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but the (ones) who do the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many works of power? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, those working lawlessness (transgressions of the Torah).” [Matthew 7:20-23] It is important to note that Christians either do not know, or do not choose to use His name.
The Jewish Messiah, Y’hoshua (YAH is Deliverer), is quite different. There are no pictures or statues of Him, but we do know that He is from the tribe of Judah; and we know that He could not have been pale and fragile, since He walked all over Israel under a sweltering sun. From Isaiah 53:2b, we also know that He was not considered physically attractive: “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, (there is) no beauty that we should desire Him.” He fulfilled the Spring festivals during His first coming, and He will fulfill the Fall festivals in the future. His instructions to us: “. . .blessed are those hearing the Word of Elohim, and keeping it.” [Luke 11:28b]
WHAT ARE SOME IMMEDIATE REPERCUSSIONS FROM DISOBEYING THE COMMANDS OF YHVH?
“. . .And My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” [Genesis 17:13b-14]
“And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that (you) may know that I (am) YHVH who sets you apart. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is set apart to you. Everyone who defiles it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does (any) work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.’ ” [Exodus 31:12-14] “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever, . . .” [Exodus 31:17a]
Briefly, there is a difference in defiling the Sabbath and working on it. One receives a sentence of death, and the other is cut off from among his people. In Numbers 15:32-36, the man who was gathering sticks on the Sabbath was not picking up firewood to use in cooking a meal. From other Scriptures, it is evident that he was gathering sticks to make a fire for the purpose of offering up a sacrifice to an idol. That is the reason he was stoned to death.
“Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; for (it is) the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’ ” [Leviticus 17:13-14]
“But the person who does (anything) presumptuously, (whether he is) native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on YHVH, and he shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the Word of YHVH, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt (shall be) upon him.” [Numbers 15:30-31]
To be “cut off from among his people” carries the same meaning as the instructions YHVH gave to the Prophet Hosea, “Then Elohim said: ‘Call his name Lo-Ammi (Not My People), for you (are) not My people, and I will not be your Elohim.’ ” [Hosea 1:9] When you choose to be disobedient, He will abide by your decision.
He gave us free will, so all of us are free to choose whether we want to follow the Messiah of the Scriptures, or the messiah created by the traditions of men. It is up to each of us to study the Scriptures diligently, and then make our choice about whether or not we believe what they say.
Are you still a Jew? Genetically, if you descended from one of the tribes, you will always carry the DNA from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). In that sense, you will always be a Jew, but whether or not you are cut off from your people, because of disobedience, is entirely up to you. It is your choice. On one hand, there is the Messiah who was promised to your fathers, the One you will find when you study and keep the words of Moses — if you are searching with all your heart. On the other hand, there is a messiah created by gentiles, those without Elohim, who teach that the writings of Moses are irrelevant since “Jesus” came. Whom will you believe? And which messiah will you follow?
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, (that) I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live…” [Deuteronomy 30:19]
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