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Answering some supposedly "unanswerable questions" concerning Y'shua and the Brit Chadasha

A Jewish anti-missionary recently challenged The Refiner's Fire to answer several questions which he obviously felt could not be answered biblically. His questions and our answers are outlined below.

FIRST QUESTION:

John 2. Jesus, in an attempt to rally the people behind him to stop the selling of the "pre-approved" sacrificial animals by the corrupt and illegitimate Roman-sympathizing Zadokian priesthood, stages a Temple riot. I identify with his cause. The people should have been allowed to bring the sacrifices that they brought with them and offer them to God as long as they were unblemished. The protest ultimately failed as Jesus was eventually arrested and executed by the ROMANS for this "criminal" disturbance.

BUT, before he is arrested, the "Jews", obviously Rabbis of a Beit Din, ask him "by what authority did you do this". Obviously they wondered if he would declare to be THE Messiah. Jesus says, "tear down this Temple and I will build it up again in three days".

Now, one of two things is happening here. Either Jesus has given a totally insane answer to their legitimate question or he expects that they will know that he is truly daring them to turn him over to the Romans for execution because he will, three days after his death, return to the Beit Din and show himself resurrected at which point they and all Israel will know he IS "THE" Messiah.

So, now the question is just begging here...Why, Oh why, didn't Jesus keep his promise? He said he would appear before them to prove his authority and he didn't. As a result of this lie (what else can you call it?) millions of Jews have been killed by Christians, more than 6 million in the last 80 years! We know, that the Beit Din sits in the seat of Moses.

What the Beit Din binds on earth is bound in heaven and what the Beit Din looses on earth is loosed in heaven. We all know this. It goes back to the authority given to Moshe by God in front of all Israel. They decide all matters of Halakah even to this day, and it will be a Beit Din who will ultimately pronounce "THE" Messiah. All Jews have always known this, including Jesus.

OUR RESPONSE:

The first thing that must be pointed out is that, at this website we use our Messiah's proper Name, which is "Yeshua" (or "Y'shua") (). The Name means "YHWH is Salvation." Unlike the angels whose names contain only YHWH's title of Elohim (MichaEL, GabriEL, RaphaEL), Y'shua has his Father's Name within his own Name. That, in itself, sets him way above humans or angels. The Greek form, "Jesus", on the other hand, means absolutely nothing and detracts from who he was - which is obviously part of haSatan's ploy.

Second: Y'shua is divine only because he had a Divine qnoma (nature). He did not come to replace YHWH, but to proclaim the Kingdom - and he never claimed otherwise (see Luke 4:43, Luke 8:1 and our article Yeshua considered himself equal to the Father with good reason.)!

Philippians 2:5 Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with the Messiah Yeshua: 6 Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force. 7 On the contrary, he emptied himself, in that he took the form of a slave by becoming like human beings are. And when he appeared as a human being,8 he humbled himself still more by becoming obedient even to death - death on a stake as a criminal! 9 Therefore God raised him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name; 10 that in honor of the name given Yeshua, every knee will bow - in heaven, on earth and under the earth 11 and every tongue will acknowledgeb that Yeshua the Messiah is ADONAI - to the glory of God the Father. (CJB)

Qnoma is a very important term that has been greatly diluted and misunderstood over the centuries. Through an exceedingly complex linguistic chain of events this word, meaning "an occurrence of a nature" got morphed and perverted into "person" in Greek. As a result, the One Elohim (YHWH) is represented in a pagan manner in the Greek New Testament as a "person" distinct and equal with "Elohim the Son" and "Elohim the Ruach haKodesh." Instead, it is the oneness of YHWH that manifests in Mashiyach, not that Mashiyach’s divinity is separate from his Father’s. However, in this case we are talking about humanity and not YHWH, and both of them have "natures" that cannot be seen, and yet are a root part of their being.

Or, to put it another way, a "nature" is like a body hidden behind a curtain. For those in the audience, nothing of that nature can be seen. Then, all of a sudden, a hand and part of an arm appears through the veil. While we know there is a body attached to that limb, the limb is all we see. Furthermore, that arm moves with full force, will and agreement of the mind that controls the body. For the viewers, the arm appearing out of the curtain is the qnoma (occurrence) and the hidden mind behind that limb’s movement is its kyanna (nature).

As the centuries moved along, the ancient meaning of qnoma as "occurrence of a nature" devolved by Aramaic assemblies who compromised with the Byzantine Empire. Gradually, "core substance" became the common definition; at first it closely paralleled its Greek counterpart, hypostasis. More time passed and Greek redactors changed the meaning of hypostasi, taking it further from the original definition of qnoma. Qnoma/hypostasis became equivalent to "person" to line up with Greek passages that used this meaning in the form of the word prospon.

In Greek, "person" implies a physical presence as opposed to Aramaic where body metaphors like "I will set my face towards" are very common. The revision began at the beginning of the Third Century when these same "westernized" Aramaic Christians began to proffer up readings in their "Peshitt-o" versions of Acts 20:28 and Hebrews 2:9 that were meant to align with the Byzantine majority Greek. However, the original eastern "Peshitt-a" escaped these revisions as it was in the rival Persian Empire. Aramaic, as in this verse, retains the original meaning of qnoma. It is NOT the external "person" that teaches someone about Elohim, but the Ruach working through their "inner being." The idea of "person" in Greek, unfortunately, does not address the neshama (spirit) of a person as the likeness or "image of Elohim." (Source: AENT)

Third, it has been our experience that, to those who are convinced they are right, there is nothing we can say to change their minds, as they will always find a way to hang onto their belief. (Also, it would have been nice if you could have provided some actual scripture references instead of leaving us dangling to guess what you were talking about!)

Fourth, not trying to be disrespectful for the learned rabbis that comprise the Beit Din, but one must remember the Beit Din is made up of mere humans with limited mindsets - humans who are clearly blinded to Y'shua and who have their minds made up when it comes to who the Messiah should be.

They have seen what Christianity has done to a Torahless "Jesus" and are rightly NOT accepting him as "God in the Flesh." However, in their arrogance they've also forgotten to read "the rest of the story" - the Renewed Covenant - Brit Chadasha - that reveals the completed and future Torah prophecies about Messiah, of which Yeshua has fulfilled approximately 300. (How many should he fulfill before someone finally admits that no one else on Earth is or ever has been qualified to do what he has done? It's actually laughable to see so many Jews INSIST he HAD to fulfill ALL of them in a specific timeframe in order to be Messiah....)

As you know throughout the Tanach we see examples where YHWH blinded the eyes and hardened the hearts of those who refused to accept Him, or those who choose to play around with His Word. (See for instance Isaiah 53:1, also Jeremiah 16 which predicts similar experience for Gentiles.) This is also evidenced time and time again in the B'rit Chadasha:

Romans 11: 8. As it is written: Elohim gave them a stupid spirit and eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, to this very day. (AENT)

2 Corinthians 4: 3. And if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled to them that perish; 4. To them whose minds the god of this world has blinded, in order that they might not believe, or else the light of the Flame (Good News) of the glory of the Mashiyach (who is the likeness of Elohim) should dawn upon them. 5. For it is not ourselves that we preach, but the Mashiyach, Y'shua our Master; and, as to ourselves, that we are your servants for Y'shua' sake.

6. Because Elohim, who commanded the light to arise from darkness, has Himself shined in our hearts, that we might be illuminated with the knowledge of the glory of Elohim on the face of Y'shua the Mashiyach. 7. But we have this treasure in an earthen vessel that the excellence of the power might be from Elohim, and not from us. 8. And in every thing we are oppressed, but not suffocated; we are corrected, but not condemned; 9. We are persecuted, but not forsaken; we are prostrated, but not perish. 10. For we bear in our body, at all times, the dying of Y'shua; that the life also of Y'shua might be manifested in our body.

11. For if we are delivered over alive to death, for Y'shua's sake, even so also will the life of Y'shua be manifested in this our mortal body. 12. Now therefore, in us death is active, but in you, life. 13. Having therefore the same spirit of faith, (as it is written, I believed, therefore also have I spoken,) we also believe, and therefore speak; 14. Knowing that He, who resurrected our Master Y'shua, will also resurrect us by Y'shua, and will receive us, with you, to himself. (AENT)

You said: "He said he [Jesus] would appear before them to prove his authority". But where exactly did Y'shua say "I will appear before you to prove my authority?" He never said that! And he didn't have to prove anything to ANYONE! When he said, "Tear down this temple..." (John 2:19) he did keep that promise! (See the Gospels.)

John 2: 14. And in the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves and the moneychangers who were sitting. 15. And he made a whip for himself from cords, and drove all of them from the temple, even the sheep and oxen and moneychangers. And he poured out their exchange money and turned over their tables. 16. And to those who were selling doves, he said, Take these away from here, and do not make the House of my Father a house of bartering.

17. And his disciples remembered that it is written that, "The zeal of your House has devoured me." (Psalm 69:9 (10)) 18. But the Yehudeans answered and said to him, "What sign do you show us that you do these things?" 19. Y'shua answered and said to them, Tear down this temple and after three days I will raise it! 20. The Yehudeans said to him, "For forty and six years this temple was built, and you will raise it in three days!" 21. But he was speaking concerning the temple of his body.

22. And when he rose from the grave, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scriptures and the word that Y'shua had said. 23. And during the feast, while Y'shua was in Urishlim at the Paskha, many believed in him when they saw the miracles that he did. 24. But Y'shua did not entrust himself to them, because he understood every man. 25. And he did not rely on men to testify to him concerning anyone, for he knew (1 Kings 8:39; Luke 16:15) what was in man. (AENT)

Y'shua's life and his death and the fact that no body was ever found in a sealed and guarded tomb in a time when no "stun guns" or "knock-out" drugs could have been administered to the guards are ample proof! The fact that every one of his shlichim saw him after they had witnessed his death on the stake was proof - not to mention, that his life and death have profoundly impacted the entire world in ways that NO OTHER HUMAN ever has!

Mark 14: 55. The chief priests and all their assembly were seeking testimony against Y'shua, so that they might kill him. But they did not find it. 56. For while many were testifying against him, their testimony was not worthy. 57. Some false witnesses rose up against him and they said, 58. "We heard him when he said that 'I will tear down this temple which was made with hands, and in three days I will build another that is not made with hands.'" 59. And thus, not even their testimony was worthy. 60. And the high priest arose in the midst and questioned Y'shua and said, "Why do you not answer the accusation they are testifying these things against you?"

61. But he was silent and did not answer him anything. And again the high priest asked him and said, "Are you the Mashiyach, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62. And Y'shua said to him, I am. And you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming upon the clouds of heaven. (Daniel 7:13; Psalm 110:1) 63. Then the high priest tore his robe and said, "Why are we seeking witnesses now?" 64. "Behold, from his mouth you have heard blasphemy![1] What do you think?" They and all of them judged that he deserved death. 65. And some began spitting in his face. And they covered his face and were striking him and saying "Prophesy" And the soldiers were striking him on his cheeks. (AENT)

[1] Steeped in corrupt tradition, the plain truth of Scripture eluded the high priest. It is not blasphemy to quote the prophet Daniel. The high priest had succumbed to the religio-political forces of the day with which he had been ensnared.

According to the Gospel accounts, Y'shua WAS raised after three days, thus fulfilling Isaiah 53 and Psalm 110, etc. He often prophesied of His impending future. For instance:

Mark 2: 19. Y'shua said to them, As long as the bridegroom is among them, the sons of the wedding feast are able not to fast. 20. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them. In that day they will then fast.... (AENT)

Here's a question for you: The baptism of Yochanan, was it from heaven or from men?

Mark 11: 27. And they came again to Urishlim. And while he was talking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and elders came to him. 28. And they said to him, "By what authority do you do these things? And who gave this authority to you that you should do these things?" 29. And Y'shua said to them, I will also ask you a certain question. If you answer me then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30. The immersion of Yochanan, From where is it from, heaven or from the sons of man? Tell me! 31. And they reasoned among themselves and said, "If we say to him that it was from heaven, he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32. And if we say from the sons of men, the fear is there of the people. For all of them did consider that he was truly a prophet." 33. And they answered and said to him, "We do not know." He said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things! (AENT)

And exactly what who do you think Isaiah 53 is all about? This chapter perfectly describes the life, trial, death and resurrection of Y'shua. Check out the following scriptures:

Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (CJB)

Micah 5: 2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." (CJB)

Romans 1: 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (CJB)

Colossians 2: 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Messiah. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. (CJB)

Matthew 16: 15 "But what about you?" he (Yeshua) asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Yeshua replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (CJB)

John 1: I and the Father are One, He who has seen me has seen the Father.... (CJB)

John also tells us:

John 1: 1. In the beginning was the Miltha. And that Miltha was with Elohim. And Elohim was that Miltha. 2. This was with Elohim in the beginning. 3. Everything existed through His hands, and without Him, not even one thing existed of the things which have existed. 4. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5. And that light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. (AENT)

The bottom line is, mere men (Jewish or otherwise) - including the Beit Din in Jerusalem - can think and say whatever they wish. But one would have to be totally blind to NOT see that the ancient prophecies of prophets such as Isaiah have already, and are still, unfolding before our very eyes as seen in the Books of Daniel and Revelation....

SECOND QUESTION:

Yom Kippur. I assume you know the liturgy? In fact, of all the liturgies, there is probably more documentation showing that the liturgy of today is mostly unchanged from all the way back to Ezra. Was Jesus lying when he beat his chest and confessed his sins for 33 years????? Were his disciples lying and deceiving when they continued to do this as did the "hundreds of thousands" of "netzarim" who continued to observe the events of the days of awe. Well??

OUR RESPONSE:

Yes we know the liturgy! Is there a point to your overt sarcasm? Care to provide actual scriptures that reveal that "Jesus was lying when he beat his chest and confessed his sins for 33 years"? You've made several allegations without ever providing SCRIPTURE to back them up! The prophecies and the Gospels reveal he would be/was sinless!

According to Yochanan 1, Y'shua is the Word made Flesh. Note it does NOT say he is YHWH! However, he is undeniably PART of His Father, because he came from the Father! What is the Word? TORAH! He is also the Lord of the Sabbath; therefore, he is the Lord of Yom Kippur, which is clearly a Sabbath! Y'shua kept Torah perfectly as a witness to His people. It was the Pharisees who did not keep the Torah but elevated their oral law over Torah (much like the Rabbis of today). Y'shua said in Matthew 5:17-19 and Luke 16:17 that not one word or stroke would pass from the Torah or the prophets as long as heaven and earth were still here.

Matthew 5: 17. Do not think that I have come to loosen[1] Torah or the prophets, I have not come to loosen but to fulfill.[2] 18. For truly I say to you that until heaven and earth pass away not one Yodh or one stroke will pass from Torah until everything happens (Isaiah 40:12-25; 2 Samuel 23:1-5; Deuteronomy 30:11-20). 19. All who loosen, therefore, from one (of) these small commandments and teach thus to the sons of man, will be called little in the Kingdom of Heaven, but all who do and teach this will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20. For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds more than that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (AENT)

[1] Deuteronomy 4:2; 13:1. Y'shua at no time "loosened" either Torah or the Prophets! The prophetic Word YHWH gave to His prophets cannot be loosed or annulled, and neither can the Torah of YHWH. These are two witnesses that stand as One. The Word of YHWH is both Torah (instruction in righteousness) and Prophecy declaring, foretelling and revealing the Will of YHWH to each generation.

[2] "Fulfill" means to carry out or to bring to realization, to perform or do, as in a person's duty; or to obey or follow the Commandments, as in satisfying the Commandments by obeying them, Isaiah 42:21 "YHWH is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will magnify Torah, and make him (it) honorable." Isaiah 42 reveals the work of Mashiyach; we have full prophetic assurance that Mashiyach would never annul Torah; rather he magnified Torah and wrote Torah upon the hearts and imaginations of his people. Y'shua carried out (fulfilled) the prophecies regarding Mashiyach. He carried them out, made them happen, just like he performed Torah which was his duty and obligation as Mashiyach; otherwise he would not have qualified to be Mashiyach ben Yoseph.

Matthew 15: 1. Then the scribes and the Pharisees who were from Urishlim drew near to Y'shua and said, 2. "Why do your disciples transgress against the traditions of the elders and do not wash their hands when they eat bread?" 3. Then Y'shua answered and said to them, Why also do you transgress against the Commandments of Elohim because of your traditions?[1] 4. For Elohim said, "Honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16), and anyone who reviles his father and his mother let him be put to death?" (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9)

5. But you say anyone who says to a father or to a mother, "My offering is whatever you have gained by me," then he does not need to honor his father or mother. 6. And you nullify the Word of Elohim because of your tradition. 7. Hypocrites! Well did Yesha'yahu prophesy concerning you and said, 8. "This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is very far from me." 9. And they revere me in vain, while they teach the doctrines of the commandments of the sons of men (Isaiah 29:13). (AENT)

[1] A key passage showing how the written Torah was pitted against the oral traditions of the Pharisees. Y'shua shows great concern that the Pharisees are nullifying the Word of YHWH by their tradition. Therefore he would certainly NOT instruct his followers to do likewise!

John 7: 5. For not even his brothers had believed in him, in Y'shua. 6. Y'shua said to them, My time, mine, is not arrived up until now, but your time, yours, is here at all moments. 7. The world is not able to hate you, but it hates me because I witness, I, against it that its works are evil. 8. You go up to this feast. I will not go up to this feast now because my time is not yet finished. 9. He said these things, and he remained in Galeela. 10. But when his brothers went up to the feast, then even he went up, not openly but as in secret.

11. But the Yehudeans were looking for him at the feast and where saying, "Where is he?" 12. And there was much arguing among the crowds because of him, for there were those who said, "He is good." and others who were saying, "No. He only deceives the people." 13. But no man was openly speaking concerning him because of the fear of the Yehudeans. 14. Now when the days of the feast were divided Y'shua went up to the temple and he was teaching. 15. And the Yehudeans were marveling and saying, "How does this man know the scrolls since he has not learned them?"

16. Y'shua answered and said, My teaching is not mine, rather it is of He who has sent me. 17. He who desires to do His will can comprehend my teaching, if it is from Elohim, or if from my own will I speak. 18. He who speaks from his own mind seeks glory for himself, but he who seeks the glory of He who sent him is true and there is no iniquity in his heart. 19. Did not Moshe give you Torah, yet not a man among you kept Torah?[1] (AENT)

[1] The Pharisees face a very stern rebuke here from Y'shua for not keeping the Torah of Moshe; his language could not be stronger. Y'shua's teaching comes from the "divine" side (qnoma) within him. It is YHWH who is speaking through Mashiyach Y'shua. By contrast, "not a man among you," not one Pharisee, is keeping Torah. The message is clear; Y'shua in effect is saying, "who are you to judge me when you don't practice what you preach?" Even as a child from Galeela, Y'shua had a flawless understanding of Torah. Y'shua never lived one standard for himself while teaching another to the Pharisees, and another to his Jewish followers, and yet another for non-Jews. See Matthew 5:20.

THIRD QUESTION:

There is no sacrifice for sin mentioned in Torah during the celebration of Pesach. Normal daily sacrifices occurred but no special ones. It is not a "sin" holiday but a deliverance one. The only ones to have their blood shed were the Egyptians. Oh, and dinner. The slaughtered lamb is a meal. Plain and simple. The blood on the doorposts was a sign to the angel of death to not kill the people but the lamb was the last good meal my people would have before they began their journey to become the Chosen People of God. The sacrifice for sin is NOT a lamb. It is a GOAT and sin is dealt with and has always been dealt with by God during the Days of Awe. Furthermore, the goat is not sacrificed but is led out to the wilderness where presumably it dies.

OUR RESPONSE:

Firstly, Yeshua was not the Passover Lamb in the context of a "sacrifice". Please check out our article! Secondly, there is no Torah command against martyring one's self! Thirdly, the Hebrew seh can mean either sheep or goat.

Yeshua's sacrifice is utterly unique and cannot be compartmented or compared with any other offering or sacrifice in the Torah. Also, if you read Zecheriah 12:10 and understood the words et asher dakaru you would understand why Y'shua is a Yachid instead of Echad - only begotten son - which means never before, never again, ONLY with Him!

Offerings "qurbana" and sacrifices "dabekha" are two different entities. Although there are certain aspects to Mashiyach's death that are utterly unique to him (Zechariah 12:10, etc.), his death nevertheless echoes aspects of offerings and sacrifices that came before. The qurbana is the human life (nefesh) that Y'shua voluntarily offers up on the stake. The result of that offering is his blood put out on the "altar"; hence dabekha.

However, this is certainly not, as some critics suggest, "human sacrifice." Rather, this indicates Y'shua's status as Mashiyach ben Yoseph. Per strict accordance with Isaiah 53 and Genesis 22:8, Mashiyach ben Yoseph was required to suffer and die. After his death, the offering of himself became a sacrifice that was taken up, and he was resurrected three days later. Many of YHWH's prophets also suffered and were martyred at the hands of those who fought against the Malchut Elohim. In the case of Mashiyach, his shed blood is counted as the acceptable offering, the Lamb of YHWH, which is most Set Apart unto YHWH.

FOURTH QUESTION:

The rich young ruler asks "What must I do to be saved" Jesus says "obey Moses and the prophets" The RYR says, "I have since my youth". Jesus knows he has so he says, and this is where all ya'll get it so wrong, "sell all you have and become my disciple". My friends this still goes on today. It's called Yeshiva and it involves becoming the disciple of a Rabbi and devoting yourself to God and to Torah and righteous living because having an occupation and being concerned with the affairs of this world distract one from true devotion to God.

What Jesus did NOT say, and this tells us everything, is that the man must BELIEVE, or ACCEPT, or RECOGNIZE Jesus as Messiah, be baptized, or evangelize, or kill, er I mean CONVERT Jews, or anything else that all Christians say is necessary for salvation. There was Jesus' chance to lay it all out and again, like everything else in his bid to be Messiah, he failed. John 3, Nicodemus says We know you are a good teacher and Jesus doesn't say "well yes, and so much more. In fact, you're never gonna believe this I'M God!" No. He agrees with the good rabbi part and nothing more. Nothing.

OUR RESPONSE:

Pertaining to the rich young man: That Y'shua told him to sell everything and give it to the poor had everything to do with acting in the spirit of the Messiah: "Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40). But you apparently forgot this verse:Y'shua said to him, If you desire to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give them to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me. (Matthew 19:21).

Y'shua embraced the written Torah and condemned the oral law:

John 5: 45. Why do you think that I will accuse you before the Father? There is one who accuses you, Moshe, he in whom you hope! 46. For if only you had believed in Moshe, you would also be believers in me, for Moshe wrote concerning me. 47. And, if you do not believe the writings of that man, how will you believe my words?

As a result, when the Pharisees forget the written Torah and disciple to the Oral Law instead Yeshua says, "You make a proselyte twice the son of gehenna as you are!" If yeshiva involves Oral Law, Yeshua said NO. This was never about the Torah of Moshe! This was about putting man-made traditions condemned by the Prophet Isaiah above the Torah of Moshe!

That is why in Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount) Yeshua said SIX times: You have heard that it was SAID, but I SAY ... If Yeshua was against the WRITTEN Torah, He wouldn't have said, "It is written"; He never said it in a negative context. He always referred back to the Torah of the Father. He even quoted Deuteronomy three times to satan while being tempted in the wilderness:

Matthew 4: 1. Then Y'shua was taken by the Ruach haKodesh to the desert to be tempted by the accuser. 2. And he fasted forty days and forty nights and after which he hungered. 3. And approached he that was tempting and said to him "if you are the son of Elohim, say to these rocks become bread," 4. and he answered and said, It is written that the Son of man does not live by bread alone, but by all the Words[1] that proceed from the mouth of YHWH.

5. Then the accuser [2] took him to the Set Apart city and raised him upon the edge of the temple[3] , 6. and said to him, "If you are the son of Elohim, cast yourself down for it is written that his Messengers he commands concerning you, and upon their hands they will bear you up that your foot should not strike upon a rock." 7. Y'shua said to him, Again it is written that you will not test Master YHWH your Elohim.

8. Again the accuser took him to (a) mountain that (was) very high and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9. and said to him, "These all I will give to you if you will fall (and) worship me." 10. Then Y'shua said to him Leave enemy, for it is written that you will worship Master YHWH your Elohim and Him alone you will serve. 11. Then the accuser left him alone and behold, Messengers approached and were ministering to him. (AENT)

[1] Y'shua declares that he himself, along with all of mankind, is required to live by the "Words" of YHWH, and that the Commandments Y'shua teaches are in fact YHWH's Commandments from Torah. However, Greek/English translators inserted the title Kurios/Lord, for both YHWH and Y'shua, rather than using original Names. Christian theologians then began teaching the fallacy that their "New Testaments" were the "new" Word, or new "Commandments of Y'shua" that replaced the original Word of YHWH, which is Torah. See John 8:36 (47); 12:48-50; 13:34; 14:10-21; 1 John 2:3-8; 2 John 1:5,6.

[2] Khabouris has Akelqarza as one word (as does 8:11) whereas 1905 uses the separated spelling Akel Qarza. There is no difference in meaning; the 1905 spelling convention is preferred. This is the general rule that will be followed, including 4:19 where 1905 combines benayanash whereas Khabouris separates them. Matthew 6:1 reverses these choices on this phrase proving either form interchangeable. (Source: AENT)

[3] A dark foreshadowing of the martyrdom of Ya'akov HaTsaddiq (James the Just) brother of Y'shua. Ya'akov, who routinely prayed at the Temple to ask YHWH's forgiveness for the sins of his people, was highly regarded for his meekness, devotion and service to the Jewish people. It was said that Ya'akov had camel's knees because he very often prayed while on his knees. He was ultimately thrown off the top of the Temple by demonized religious fanatics because of his allegiance to Y'shua Mashiyach. Ya'akov taught that Y'shua is the Arm of YHWH revealed, and he refused to renounce his belief in Y'shua Mashiyach. Origen criticized Josephus for attributing the fall of Jerusalem to the martyrdom of Ya'akov, rather than to Y'shua.

So, while Yeshua's death, burial, and resurrection are an important part of the Good News, it's not the whole story! God isn't just in the business of "saving" people; as Creator and law giver, He is in the business of teaching us how to be good subjects in His Kingdom to come! If "Jesus abolished Torah at the cross" then why was EVERY believer completely Torah observant for one hundred years after Yeshua's death, including the Apostle Paul who was "caught" being Torah observant 29 years after Yeshua's death (Acts 21:23-24)! Was Paul a hypocrite, saying one thing and doing another; or were his teachings, perhaps, misunderstood?

FIFTH QUESTION:

A simple reading of Paul show him diametrically opposed to nearly all the teachings of Jesus, which, as I have told you, I agree with by and large. Why are there 3 differing accounts of his conversion in the book of Acts???? ALL Rabbis quote their Masters/Teachers. Paul claims to have been discipled by Gamaliel AND for 3 years in the Arabian desert by Jesus himself. Why doesn't Paul ever, I mean EVER quote either Jesus or Gamaliel? Most of Gamaliel's students are known to us through historical writings but not one mention of Paul, who in reality should be counted as his most famous student.

Why, shortly after Jesus death during the stoning of Stephen is Paul present holding cloaks but Paul says he never met Jesus before his "resurrection"? Really, I could go on and on and on with logical examples of discrepancies and fraud but I feel I've given you enough to go on...or not.

OUR RESPONSE:

You've given ample examples of your unfortunate misunderstandings about YHWH, Torah, Y'shua and Brit Chadasha....

Although Messiah did not return to the Beit Din, he did show himself to "a Pharisee of Pharisees": Sha'ul/Paul:

Acts 9: 4. And he was thrown upon the ground, and he heard a voice that said to him, Shaul! Shaul! Why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick the stakes. 5. And he answered and said, "Who are you my Master?" And our Master said, I am Y'shua the Nasraya, He whom you persecute! 6. But rise up (and) enter into the city, and there will be spoken to you concerning what you should do. 7. Now the men who were traveling with him on the road were amazed because they heard only a sound, but a man was not visible to them. 8. Shaul got up from the ground and he was not able to see anything though his eyes were open. They brought him by his hands to Darmsuq. (AENT)

Notice Sha'ul was not alone; he had several members present with him on his journey. These men heard the voices of Messiah, but did not see him. They did witness what was happening to Sha'ul and did hear the voice of Messiah....

Next: Paul, doesn't quote from Gamliel because he abandoned the Oral Law Gamliel taught him. In Galatians 1:14 it talks about how zealous he was for the "teaching of my fathers." The Aramaic term (b'yulpana d'Avahi) specifically refers to oral law. Paul may even be referring to an early form/version of pirkei avot (the sayings of my fathers). It is clear from Galatians that he turned his back on these oral teachings!

Paul first met his rabbi on the Damascus Road and after being converted he understood that Rabbi Y'shua "taught on his own authority, not as the teachers and the scribes and the Pharisees (Mattew 7:29). That means, having come under Yeshua's authority, Paul would only quote from him or the Torah, and he left the oral law by the side of the Damascus Road!

The lack of understanding that it was oral law and not written Torah which was rejected by Y'shua and by Paul, is the single greatest error that either Judaism or Christianity has foisted upon an ignorant world!

If you want to understand this, you need to first understand that there are Jewish and Gentile Torah observant believers in Messiah who have not made these mistakes. So don't throw the baby out with the mikvah water without understanding these critical differences. Don't lump us all in one category!

And finally not only are we NOT afraid of responding; we BOLDLY proclaim the Torah of our Father and the perfect observance of it as a testimony of His Son! You may have concluded Y'shua was not the Messiah, but viewing the entire Bible through Hebrew eyes and seeing it all knit together as one finely-woven fabric, we find nothing but solid evidence and confirmation that Y'shua was the prophesied Messiah and that He was our Redeemer.