True Confessions of a Messianic Jew by David Lazarus; My Response
Another Tragic Tale of a Messianic Jew with an IDENTITY CRISIS
My response to David Lazarus' article: True Confessions of a Messianic Jew
June 24, 2022 | Topics: MESSIANIC JEWS
I recently read the following article from David Lazarus of Israel Today News
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/true-confessions-of-a-messianic-jew/?utm_source=acfs&utm_medium=email&utm_term=all&utm_campaign=newsletter-en-2022-06-24
True Confessions of a Messianic Jew by David Lazarus of Israel Today
The article opens with:
quote: "After forty years of ministry, I have some serious questions about the relationship between Messianic Judaism and Christianity, and where we need to go from here."
This opening statement clearly identifies the Identity problem Messianic Jews have. A follower of Jesus Christ is a Christian. The early church mostly comprised of converted Jews used the term, Christian and used it as a badge of honor. Acts 11:26. The word was first used by the Judaizers to attack the believers.
Just as today's wicked wolves like Amir Tsarfati - see study on him in notes below - urged young Christians to refrain from using the word, "Christian" (which he later deleted the video), Jews who say they follow Yeshua are in practice no different from the Judaizers Paul and the early church struggled against. It is NO DIFFERENT today.
Let me say that David Lazarus has been on my radar for over a year now. I posted something back in 2021. It seems he's the new spokesperson for the Judaizers:
Here's more proof: This Messianic Jew believes Jews should be compelled to bring Christians back to their Jewish Roots (Judaism) ✡
Messianic Jews and the Future of Christianity
Messianic Jews can lead the Church back to its Jewish roots, if only Christians will allow them
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/messianic-jews-and-the-future-of-christianity/
See the extensive studies below of the well documented cases of Messianic Jews trying to convert the body of Christ to JEWISH ROOTS. This is NOT BIBLICAL IN ANY SENSE. DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THESE WOLVES.
Paul writes in Galatians 3:28,29:
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
There is NOTHING WHATSOEVER common or in relation between Judaism and Christianity. The Prominent Rabbi Cohen understand this. See his study on
JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY: THE PARTING OF THE WAYS – RABBI ELI COHEN
I absolutely agree. Here's my study on this issue.
Messianic Jews have a major Identity problem (thethirdheaventraveler.com)
I invite the reader to read the entire article printed out in notes below.
Returning to the subject of this BLOG I'd like to focus on the author's closing statement. I will comment in red letters to his statement.
David Lazarus' conclusion:
Quote:
"Now back in the Land, many rabbis realize that much of Orthodox Judaism has lost its relevance for life in Israel and has yet to embrace the task of reforming Halacha for the modern State of Israel. Messianic Jews, in a Spirit-led perspective, could play a role in helping our nation understand how to apply Torah to our national life. A few understand this and are getting involved. But I digress.
This statement is beyond belief. Frankly I am at a loss of words. If any so-called Christian can read David Lazarus' statement and honestly believe he has a true relationship with Jesus Christ, please email me at vietrandy@gmail.com.
As Israel goes so went Christianity.
Preposterous. I can't even bring myself to dignify these words with a response.
The Church too never really grasped that Israel’s national conversation with God is still a thing. Christianity, like the Jews in the exile, focused exclusively on the individual’s personal relationship with God.
This phrase has no biblical witness whatsoever. Only a true ZIONIST blind and stumbling would believe that God has a covenant relationship with National Israel at this time. Read the links in notes below to understand that God is preparing Israel to go through the time of Jacob's Trouble and ONLY THE REMNANT will come through the fire. But Zionists are Blind to this.
But now we can imagine that something new and wonderful has in fact come to pass as the story of the Nation of Israel is being told once again.
And what can and should we Messianic Jews be doing about that? The answer is right here at home. We must hold ourselves responsible not only for sharing the gospel of our Lord and Messiah Yeshua, but it must come from a place of contributing to our nation to help restore her light to the nations, not to grow a bigger church.
Our first and primary objective in serving the Messiah must be focused on restoring Zion, not the Church. For such a time as this we have come. The Church must take responsibility for herself.
Redemption shall come from Zion. All Israel will be saved. The Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives. Our focus in this Land must be on restoring the ancient ruins of the House of Israel so that they can one day say Blessed is He Who Comes ברוך הבא בשם אדוני.
And about that I am excited"
I pray all Christians read carefully what David Lazarus has written here. If anyone has difficulty understanding these words, please allow me to paraphrase.
It is ISRAEL FIRST and NOT the Church. The Church - Body of Christ is an issue and concern for those who consider themselves CHRISTIAN. WE JEWS KNOW THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD - HEAVEN referring to the Millennial Kingdom is the only focus for us. In sharing the GOSPEL, we must do so from ISRAEL's restored KINGDOM. This is absurd considering the Rapture will have already happened and the Tribulation as well. The Gospel at this time will have passed. (Note: Messianic Jews do not believe this will happen after the WRATH THE TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE. The Messianic Jews also have no clue about Romans 9:25-30, Hosea 1:10,11, 1 Corinthians 10, Isaiah 10:22, Zecharia 13:9; Daniel 9:24-27, Revelation 2:9, 3:9, Romans 10:1. Please study these scriptures and links in notes below to thoroughly understand the tragedy of the blindness and unrepentant National Israel. )
NOTES:
Additional studies on Messianic Jews and their major IDENTITY CRISIS
Another Messianic Jew who is deceived Jacob Prasch
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2019/12/jacob-prasch-is-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.html
Ask Dr. Brown is a repackaged Judaizer
Dr. Brown of Ask Dr. Brown is a repackaged Judaizer (thethirdheaventraveler.com)
Joel Rosenberg and the Messianic Jews must be told the truth:
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2019/07/joel-rosenberg-exposed-as-apostate.html
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2020/02/perfect-example-of-deceived-teaching.html
Messianic Jews have a major identity problem
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2020/11/messianic-jews-have-major-identity.html
Anti Zionism is NOT Anti Semitism
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2019/03/anti-zionism-is-not-antisemitism.html
Judaizers of today
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2021/11/judaizers-of-today-false-gospel-of.html
Who are you Amir Tsarfati?
Amir Tsarfati what have you done?
Amir TSARFATI, What have you done? (thethirdheaventraveler.com)
Full article: True Confessions of a Messianic Jew by David Lazarus
After forty years of ministry, I have some serious questions about the relationship between Messianic Judaism and Christianity, and where we need to go from here
June 24, 2022 | Topics: MESSIANIC JEWS
They told me I am special. That they have never seen anything like it. A Jew who follows Jesus. Unheard of. Prophetic. Extraordinary.
And I believed.
Back then there weren’t that many of us, and when Christians heard that Jews were coming to faith in Jesus, they got excited, really excited, Kingdom Come excited.
God is fulfilling prophecy! Redemption is nigh! ”Their [Jews] acceptance [of Jesus] will be life from the dead!” (Rom. 11:15) they shouted from the pulpits.
I got excited too.
The Christian support was massive, exhilarating. “You are the key to world redemption,” we were told, and we believed it. “Jews and Gentiles in one Body, it will heal ancient divisions. Unite the Church. The missing link has arrived. Revival is coming. Authentic faith restored!”
Heady stuff. With biblical texts to support. So onward, and upward, we stretched our wings, believing, best we could, and took off around the world to hundreds of churches, nay thousands, to Christians who wanted reconciliation, with us, with Jews, with Israel.
Teach us, they said, you Jews are the First Born, our Big Brothers.
That’s when I started to feel uncomfortable. Me teach Christians? What do I have to give them? We have not even begun to discover how this new Messianic Jewish faith will fare as a community, in a family right here in our own nation. Why in God’s world should we have anything to say to others if we have not demonstrated much of anything right here in our own backyard? Already go overseas to bring hope and healing? To the Church? Oh boy.
It seemed a bit much, I am sure you can appreciate. I mean there was excitement, sure, but what credentials did we have to entertain the idea that a few new Messianic Jews could so radically change history? And that before we had proven ourselves on the ground with our own people.
Anyway, I determined at least to try to build a wholesome community of faith and see what we could do. You know, a restored Messianic Jewish community to show ’em, Jews and Gentiles, how it’s done sort of thing. Big headed stuff, I know, but hey, I was not the only one who believed it.
Now, forty years and seven grandchildren later, I have a
Now, forty years and seven grandchildren later, I have a question. Let me put it this way. Is there any significant difference between a Messianic congregation and a Christian church? In what way are the congregations in Israel, or Messianic Jews for that matter, different than any other Christian (Evangelical) church?
Hebrew language, sure. A deep connection to Israel and the biblical narratives, should be. Insights into the Jewish perspectives, why not, though I have realized that many of my Christian brothers and sisters are often more schooled in the Jewish roots of Christianity that most Messianic Jews.
To be frank, our Messianic congregations and their leadership are far more influenced by Evangelical Christian ecclesiology than they from us. Messianics in Israel, particularly the younger generations, are growing up reading almost exclusively Christian books and listening to Evangelical teachings, many translated into Hebrew. See my Is the Future of Messianics Jewish?
What is clear is that we’ve got the same troubles in Messianic synagogues as any church, pastor or Christian believer, or at least we are certainly no better than anyone. By the way, we have our disappointments too, which may not be a bad thing, if they come in the wake of an awakening.
Where we go from here is another question I have.
Here’s what I do know. We are back in our land, the place the Bible was written, our natural, God-given written-in-Scripture habitat. And here is the only place, in our own country, together (fenced in actually) whether we like it or not. I also know that Jews now have a national dialogue with God, whether we like that or not. I am talking about a conversation where He is listening and watching our actions as a nation, in the decisions we make, the laws we pass, the justice we administer, or not, and history talks back to us, just like in the Bible.
God reveals Himself to the nation by directing the traffic of history for Zion’s sake, Jews always understood that, and through the stories, the history of how and what happens to His people, the world gets to know God.
Have you ever noticed that Israel is the only nation in the world whose history is called sacred? For all of Europe, North America, and the entire Western world,
Have you ever noticed that Israel is the only nation in the world whose history is called sacred? For all of Europe, North America, and the entire Western world, the only sacred history they have is our story, Jewish history. They know every detail of our lives, like the names and dates of our forefathers, when and to whom they were born, how long they lived, who married who, who sinned, and it all became a sacred story, a Bible.
What I want us to realize is that Israel, not us, not you, but the nation of Israel has always been the source through which God tells His story to the nations, and He is speaking again. I know, Christians did spread our Torah and our History and our Messiah to the world, and we are thankful for that, though I am not sure you would like your Christian history to be written in a book that billions of people read every day.
All I am saying is don’t tell me that our group of Messianic Jews are the ones who are going to solve your problems, much less the troubles of the whole world.
For out of Zion redemption will come. Can Messianic Jews carry that torch? Of course not. It must be the nation.
Now Israel is back in the Land, the conversation has begun, and the biblical story is unfolding once again. The future of how this story will be told awaits. Our national conversation with God is once again heard in the streets of Jerusalem, in our goings out and our comings in, our lying downs and rising ups, in the Knesset, and on the internet, and God is listening, watching, as the story of His people at home, in the place we were meant to be, unfolds. It is here, in the nitty gritty, blood-on-the-hands Mideast living, under the yoke of national responsibility, in the place where God wants us, that we start the beginning of the end of our story, and of yours, and of the world.
In the BC era, we all understood that God had this national dialogue with Israel. But that conversation was put on hold in the Diaspora, where we lived among the nations for two millennia. The rabbis neglected Torah because they wanted to develop rules for living in exile, a Halakah in Talmud and Orthodox Judaism, all of which discuss the minutiae of how to perform the mitzvot in a Gentile world, but nothing on the issues of managing a nation with responsibility for an army, economy, social justice, politics, etc.
Now back in the Land, many rabbis realize that much of Orthodox Judaism has lost its relevance for life in Israel and has yet to embrace the task of reforming Halacha for the modern State of Israel. Messianic Jews, in a Spirit-led perspective, could play a role in helping our nation understand how to apply Torah to our national life. A few understand this and are getting involved. But I digress.
As Israel goes so went Christianity.
The Church too never really grasped that Israel’s national conversation with God is still a thing. Christianity, like the Jews in the exile, focused exclusively on the individual’s personal relationship with God.
But now we can imagine that something new and wonderful has in fact come to pass as the story of the Nation of Israel is being told once again.
And what can and should we Messianic Jews be doing about that? The answer is right here at home. We must hold ourselves responsible not only for sharing the gospel of our Lord and Messiah Yeshua, but it must come from a place of contributing to our nation to help restore her light to the nations, not to grow a bigger church.
Our first and primary objective in serving the Messiah must be focused on restoring Zion, not the Church. For such a time as this we have come. The Church must take responsibility for herself.
Redemption shall come from Zion. All Israel will be saved. The Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives. Our focus in this Land must be on restoring the ancient ruins of the House of Israel so that they can one day say Blessed is He Who Comes ברוך הבא בשם אדוני.
Hello. I found a sermon that points out everything that’s wrong with Jews For Jesus and similar messianic groups:
ReplyDeletehttps://youtube.com/watch?v=mH5CvMTtXwA
Thank you for your comment. I look forward to studying your link.
DeleteYou are so indoctrinated with anti-Semitic untruths. When a Jewish person comes to faith in the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, they don't stop being Jewish.
ReplyDeleteFunny, isn't it? You just proved my entire Blog in a simple sentence. Jewish is a RELIGION.
Delete“Jewish” relates to the monotheistic religion Judaism, which is grounded in the Old Testament and other teachings of rabbis. Jewish people fit into the category of "ethnicity" because these individuals possess at least a few of the following ethnic criteria: language, which is Hebrew, and culture, such as kosher cuisine and religion.