If Jesus was a Jew, then why are we Christians? The untold story of the real Messiah of the Bible

> Articles   > If Jesus was a Jew, then why are we Christians? The untold story of the real Messiah of the Bible. If Jesus was a Jew, then why are we Christians? The untold story of the real Messiah of the Bible. Answering the greatest question that no one dared to ask: Was Jesus Christ a Jew or a Christian? One of the greatest deceptions that exists in today’s world is the hiding of the real identity of Jesus Christ (Yehoshua HaMashiach). It is a conspiracy that started centuries ago, of which no one speaks. It is a deception ingrained in the mind of billions of faithful Christian believers, that Jesus Christ and His disciples were Christians. Believers trust that when Jesus Christ lived on Earth He and His disciples, for some reason, became or called themselves Christians. The aim of this study is to shed light on this crucial topic and to show who our Saviour and Redeemer Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) is. This article will answer the following key questions: How many times do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian appear in the Bible (Scriptures)? What do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian mean as per the Scriptures? What does the word “religion” mean and from where did this word originate? Who were the first Hebrews and Jews in the Scriptures? Was Jesus Christ a Hebrew, Jew, or a Christian? The untold story of the two groups of people during the time of the Messiah. What is the Hebrew roots movement? According to the Scriptures, salvation is promised to which people?   How many times do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian appear in the Bible (Scriptures)? Word Number of times the word appears in the Scriptures Hebrew 26 Hebrews 23 Jew 32 Jews 257 Natsarene or Nazarene 2 Christian or Christians 3   What do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian mean as per the Scriptures? Hebrew: The word Hebrew is an English word and comes from the actual Hebrew word Ibriy, pronounced as Ib-ree. Strong’s concordance number 5680. The scriptures identify Abram (who later became Abraham) as the first Hebrew (Ibriy). Therefore, whenever the term Hebrew is mentioned in the Scriptures, it denotes the descendants of father Abraham (father of the faithful). The word Hebrew also means; “one from beyond, to go over or to go across”. The term Hebrew has been related to the one who crossed over or one who went from place to place. In the Scriptures we see an event: “YHWH said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Abram was obedient and “crossed over” from his land to the land of Canaan. Hence he became the first Hebrew, the one who crossed over under divine instruction. There is a deeper inner meaning of the word Hebrew. Abram was to be a blessing to the world because of his obedience to YHWH. The word Hebrew also means “the one who is obedient to the instruction of YHWH”, just like Abram was obedient to YHWH, which ultimately led Abram to become Abraham father of many nations. The word Hebrews means “a group of people who follow the footsteps of father Abraham”. Jew: The word Jew is an English word and comes from the actual Hebrew word Yehudah and Yehudi. It is pronounced as yeh-hoo-daw and as yeh-hoo-dee respectively. Strong’s concordance number 3063 and 3064. The word Jew is a horrendous translation error. The reason being that the letter “J” did not exist in English. It first appeared in Western Europe in the 15th Century and was introduced in English in 1634. Likewise, the Hebrew alphabets do not have the letter “J”, nor do they have a “J” sound. The word Yehudah (Judah) means “let YHWH be praised or now I praise YHWH” as per Genesis 29:35. The word Yehudi (Jew) means someone who is a descendant from the tribe of Yehudah (Judah). The first time we see the word Jew (Yehudi) in the Scriptures is in the book of Esther chapter 2 verse 5 when they were living in exile. Judah (Yehudah) was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Yahqob) and anyone descended from Judah (Yehudah) was a Yehudi From the scriptures we understand that the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms, the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. When King Solomon died, a civil war broke out for the throne. Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) had his father’s blessing to be the new king. But Jeroboam (he was not Solomon’s son and was an administrator under King Solomon. He was from the tribe of Ephraim which was the most powerful tribe) had more influence on the people. The war split the kingdoms in two. Rehoboam took the Southern Kingdom and Jeroboam took the Northern Kingdom The Southern Kingdom consisted of the descendants of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. The Northern Kingdom consisted of the nine tribes, namely, Reuben, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim and Manasseh. Keep in mind that the Cohenim or Kohenim (Priests) of the tribe of Levi chiefly existed in the land of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but were also scattered in the midst of both the Southern and Northern Kingdoms. The Southern Kingdom was called the House of Judah and the Northern Kingdom was called the House of Israel. If you would like to see the map of the Northern and Southern Kingdom, please refer to the Holman Student Bible, 2007 print edition, page 274. The word Jews mean “people who are from the land of Judah (Yehudah)”. Natsarene or Nazarene: It is important to note that the term Natsarenes takes its usage from the word "Netzer", which in English means “Sprout”. Isaiah 11:1 states "And a Rod shall come forth from the stump of Yishai, and a Sprout (Netzer) from his roots (sheresh) shall be fruitful". A Sprout (Netzer) more accurately refers to a “new shoot” growing from the side of an olive tree trunk (see Figure One). By implication it means new life. It represents a new generation that grows from a tree. In the Gospel of John we see Yehoshua (Jesus) talking about this. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. Every branch (Klema in Greek, pronounced as klay-mah, Strong’s Concordance Number 2814, means “a shoot”) in Me that bears no fruit He takes away. And every branch (Klema in Greek) that bears fruit He prunes, so that it bears more fruit. You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you. Stay in Me, and I stay in you. As the branch (Klema in Greek) is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the vine, so neither you, unless you stay in Me” (John 15:1-4). Netzer is the word commonly used for Netzarim or Natsarenes. When Isaiah wrote of the "Netzer" in Isaiah 11:1, the city of Nazareth did not exist. The Christian world understands that Jesus Christ was a "Nazarene" because He came from the city of Nazareth (Jesus of Nazareth). But the term "Netzer" speaks of the qualities of the Messiah, not about where He lived. The word netzer represents the kingdom of the Messiah that begins as a sprout that grows to fill the whole earth under the rulership of Yehoshua HaMashiach. That is why the first followers of the Messiah were called Natsarenes, according to Acts 24:5, because they lived and followed a life obedient to their King Yehoshua HaMashiach. Christian or Christians: The Greeks used the word Christianos and Christos for the Hebrew Mashiyach (Anointed). Strong’s concordance number 5546 and 5547. The word Christos was far more acceptable to the Roman pagans who accepted the new religion (Christianity) instituted by the Roman emperor Constantine the great. The word Christian does not mean anything to followers of the Messiah because that word was invented by Constantine. Lew White author of the book “Fossilized Customs” explains the origin of the word Christian as follow. “The Greek word "Christos" (kristos) has come to mean anointed, and this corresponds with the Hebrew word Mashiyach. What is not commonly known is that Osiris and Mithras were both called "Chreistos", which meant "GOOD". The word was adopted from gnostic Paganism; The inscription "CHRESTOS" can be seen on a Mithras relief in the Vatican. During the time of Marcion, around 150 CE, Justin Martyr said that "Christians" were "Chrestoi", or "good men". Clement of Alexandria said "all who believe in Christ are called "Chrestoi, that is 'good men'". Rome was the center of Chrestos Mithras worship, so the adaptation or revisionism to the new faith for this title should hardly be a huge mystery; but this information has been intentionally buried. The word "Christian" is only used 3 times in the received Greek texts; and if it were in fact what the disciples called themselves as a "sect", it would have seemed very foreign not only to them, but to everyone involved”. The word Christian is mentioned only three times in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) and is a translation error. The actual word is “Messianists”. The disciples of Yehoshua never called themselves Messianists; new believers called them Messianists. Let us look at an example: I travel to Germany to teach the word of YHWH. People would tell their friends that an Australian person had come here to teach us the word of YHWH and it was a very inspiring speech. Even though, under the laws of men (passport that I carry), I am referred to as an Australian, my origin or my blood line is not Australian, but a Jew. Therefore, I would always refer myself as a Jew. It would not matter to me what others call me; you are an Australian or a speaker from Brisbane or a follower of YHWH. This is so important to understand. The disciples were called Messianists by other people; they did not call themselves as Messianists as they were Jews. The word Christian is not found in any of the gospels or in the book of Revelation, but is found in the Book of Acts and in First Peter as a translation error. Keep in mind that Greek is a pagan language and was not the language of Yehoshua HaMashiach or of the Patriarchs. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book I, shows this about the disciples of Yehoshua (Jesus): Thus Christ’s holy disciples also called themselves “disciples of Jesus” then, as indeed they were. But when others called them Nazoraeans (another word for Natsarenes) they did not reject it, aware of the intent of those who called them that. They were calling them Nazoraeans because of Christ, since our Lord Jesus was called “Nazoraean” himself, as the seen in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. They use not only the New Testament but the Old Testament as well, as the Jews do. For they do not repudiate the legislation (Torah), the prophets, and the books which are called Writings by the Jews and by themselves. They have no different views but confess everything in full accord with the doctrine of the Law (Torah), and like the Jews, accept that they are supposedly believers in Christ (Yehoshua HaMashiach). For they acknowledge both the resurrection of the dead and that all things have been created by God, and they declare that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4, John 10:30), and that his Son is Jesus Christ (Section II: Page 128; 6,7 – 7,2 from The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book I (Sects 1-46), 2nd Edition, by Frank Williams. Epiphanius was a bishop of Salamis, Cyprus, at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The word Panarion means “against heresies”. Words in brackets have been added for understanding). What does the word religion mean and where did this word originate from? The word religion is mentioned only five times in the Scriptures and is mentioned only in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament). Word Number of times the word appears in the Messianic Scriptures Religion 5 We will now see where the word religion appears in the Scriptures: Acts 26:5 – They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. Galatians 1:13 – For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it. Galatians 1:14 – and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. James 1:26 – If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. James 1:27 - Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world The word “religion” comes from the Greek word threskeia pronounced as thrace-ki-ah. Strong’s concordance number 2356. The word threskeia actually means the “external ceremonial aspect” of worship or “a way” of worship. Let us look at an example of how this expression is used in the Scriptures by Yehoshua HaMashiach. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly (external aspect of worship), but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men (external aspect of worship), but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (you are without the Torah or you do not keep the Torah)” (Matthew 23:27-28). God did not create a religion. He created a way of life for people to walk in. That is why the word “religion” does not even exist in the Tanakh (Old Testament) In the book of Isaiah, we see during the reign of the Messiah, the prophet Isaiah saying “and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: This is the way. Walk in it (Isaiah 30:21)." We don’t hear, “this is the religion you must follow”, but we hear, “this is the way in which we must walk”. Also in Isaiah, we see God saying, “And I will lead the blind into the way which they know not: and in the paths which they were ignorant of I will make them walk: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight: these things have I done to them, and have not forsaken them” (Isaiah 42:16). The word religion originated from the Greek/Roman worship of false Gods, which was at epidemic proportions during the reign of Emperor Constantine. When Christianity became the primary religion of the Constantine Empire, the word religion was embraced by the Roman Empire and made its entry into the Scriptures. One thing we need to remember is that religion is the way that people use to divide, which eventually leads to destruction. Following the Way of YHWH is the way to peace and salvation. Who were the first Hebrews and Jews in the scriptures? Was Jesus Christ a Hebrew, Jew or a Christian? Father Abraham was the first Hebrew according to the Scriptures. As the Children of Israel came from the blood line or from the loins of Father Abraham, we are all Hebrews. Now the question that many people ask is, “So are we a Hebrew or a Jew?”. The problem with this question is that the word “Jews” appears twice for the first time in the book of two Kings. Then we see the word “Jews” appear in the book of Jeremiah, Daniel, Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah. Keep in mind that initially, God’s elect people were known as Hebrews. The term “Jew” did not come into use until after the nine northern tribes were banished to Assyria and Judah (Southern Kingdom) was exiled to Babylon. In the later stages of the captivity (during the time of Esther) and in the early stages of the return to the land of Israel (during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah), the tribe of Judah was dominant. The word “Jew” developed as a shortening of the word “Judah.” The dominance of the tribe of Judah in the return to the Promised Land resulted in all of the Israelites, generally being referred to as “Jews.” The term "Jew" is derived from Jacob's fourth son, Judah (Yehudah), and may have originally applied only to Judah's descendants. Jacob assigned Judah the role of leader and king. The scriptures prove this: "The sceptre shall not turn aside from Yehudah, not an Inscriber from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him is the obedience of peoples" (Genesis 49:10). "But you Bethlehem Ephrathah you who are little among the clans of Yehudah, out of you shall come forth to Me, The One to become Ruler in Israel. And his comings forth are of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). Now the question is; "Was Yehoshua HaMashiach a Hebrew, Jew or a Christian?" Yehoshua HaMashiach came from the blood line of Father Abraham, the father of the faithful. As the blood line of Father Abraham flows into the tribe of Judah (Yehudah) the Saviour and Redeemer of Israel and the world is a Yehudi, which means a Jew. Yehoshua was not a Christian and will never be a Christian. When Yehoshua HaMashiach was born into this world, the title given to Him was "King of the Jews". When He died, the title given to Him was “King of the Jews”. All throughout the Messianic Scriptures, Yehoshua HaMashiach was referred to as King of the Jews and in some places as King of Israel, not as King of Christians. Matthew 2:2 – Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? Matthew 27:11 – "Are you King of the Jews"? And Yehoshua said to him, You say it. Matthew 27:29 – And they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying “Greetings, King of the Jews”. Matthew 27:37 – And they put up over His head the written charge against Him: This is Yehoshua the King of the Jews. Matthew 27:42 – If He is the King of Israel let Him now come down from the stake, and we shall believe Him. Mark 15:9 – Do you wish me to release for you the King of the Jews? Mark 15:12 – What then do you wish me to do to Him who you call King of the Jews? Luke 23:2 – We found this one perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying He Himself is the Messiah, a King. John 1:49 - Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel”. John 12:13 – Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of YHWH, the King of Israel. John 18:37 – You say it, because I am a King. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. John 18:39 – But you have a habit that I shall release someone to you at the Pesah. Do you wish, then, that I release to you the King of the Jews? Since we are grafted into the body of the Messiah, we spontaneously become sons of the Most High, and hence become a Jew in the eyes of God (not in the eyes of men). The Messiah never referred to himself as King of Christianity or King of Hebrews, but He called himself King of the Jews That is why today we, the Children of Yisrael, call ourselves Messianic Jews, which means we are faithful followers of Yehoshua HaMashiach, who was a Jew. The untold story of the two groups of people during the time of the Messiah One of the questions that people often ask is, "Why do we have one group of believers believing in the Messiah and the other group rejecting/trampling the Messiah in the land of Israel?" From the scriptures we find that even when Yehoshua was born there were faithful people waiting for the birth of the Messiah. That is why Matthew chapter 2 starts with “And Yehoshua having been born in Bethlehem of Yehudah in the day of Herodes the sovereign, see, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem”. This is the first group of believers (the Magi) of Yehoshua that came to pay homage to the King of the Jews. Then we suddenly see another group led by Herodes who under the disguise of paying homage to Yehoshua actually desired to destroy/kill Yehoshua (Matthew 2:13). Here, we see basically two seeds (the seed of YHWH and the seed of the Serpent; refer to Genesis 3:15), the first one waiting for their promised King to save them; the second group who will do all that is in their power to destroy the promised King of the Jews. What we can understand is that the division had already happened as soon as Yehoshua was born, which was basically the fulfilment of Genesis 3:15 ("And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel"). Now we will look into the timeline/chronology of these two groups of people. Before we talk about the Chronology of the two groups of people, we want to make one thing clear about the dates of the Chronology. Chronology of the dates of the birth of the Messiah Yehoshua and His death is a continuous debate among all Biblical scholars. For example, some suggest that Yehoshua was born in 3 BCE and others say he was born in 5 BCE (BCE meaning- Before Christian Era). We are not here to say which group is right or wrong, but to simply point out that “dates of biblical chronology is a topic that is still fiercely debated”. The aim of this topic is not to promote a debate, but to merely show the chronology of events that led to the division of two groups of people. If you don’t understand how the two groups of people divided and where they ended up, you won’t understand its history. BC or BCE (Before Christian Era) 37 BC: The reign of King Herod the Great. Herod is not from the blood line of King David. His mother was an ethnic Arab and his father was an Edomite. Edomites are from the line of Esau. He was made king by the Romans and not by the Jewish people. For more information about the Herodian Era refer to the book, Ancient Coins through the Bible by Joseph Dow, 2011 Edition. 20 BC: Schools of Hillel and Shammai founded. Hillel and Shammai were two principal rabbis of the first century BCE who founded opposing schools of Jewish beliefs, known as the House of Hillel and House of Shammai. The argument between these schools lay on things pertaining to ritual practice, morals, and doctrine. These two schools were critical for the shaping of the Oral Law (manmade oral laws of men that the Messiah and the Apostles opposed) and Judaism (a manmade religion). For more information about the Schools of Hillel and Shammai refer to the book, The Jews in the Time of Jesus: An Introduction by Stephen Wylen, 1996 Edition. 19 BC: Herod begins to rebuild the Temple. 3 BC: Yehoshua HaMashiach and Yochanan ben Zechariah born (Jesus Christ and John the Baptist). 2 BC: The Maggi visit Yehoshua HaMashiach (believers of the Messiah) to pay homage. During the same time non-believers of the Messiah under Herod order the execution of all male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The rise of the two groups of people: Followers of the Messiah (Seed of YHWH) and the Non-Followers of the Messiah (Seed of Serpent). CE (Common Era) 6 CE: Annas becomes first High Priest. 8 CE: The School of Shammai (the dominant group of Pharisees in the 1st century), issues 18 edicts meant to create forced separation between Jews and Gentiles. 10 CE Hillel (founder of the Pharisee School of Hillel) dies and is succeeded by his son Shimon. 14 CE Augustus dies; Tiberius succeeds him as emperor. 15 CE Annas removed as High Priest and his son-in-law Caiaphas eventually succeeds him. 26 CE Pontius Pilate becomes Procurator of Judea. 27 CE Yochanan ben Zechariah (John the Baptist) prepares the way for YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach as per Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3. 27 CE Yochanan ben Zechariah beheaded by Herod the great. 27 CE Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) begins His teachings as the prophesied Messiah (Fulfils His role as the Messenger, the Holy One of Israel as prophesied in Exodus 23:20-21). The teachings of Yehoshua who came in the name of YHWH last for 70 weeks (490 days). (Daniel 9:24 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your set-apart city, to put an end to the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover crookedness, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up a vision and prophet, and to anoint the Most Set-apart"). 28 CE Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) crucified and resurrected. 31 CE Gamaliel, head of the Sanhedrin, encourages patience to Followers of the Way (Acts 5:34-39).   33 CE The school of Shammai attempts a power play, expelling all non- Jews from Jerusalem. The Messianic believers of Yehoshua are swept up in this and are scattered abroad, while the Hebrew Apostles remain in Jerusalem. 34 CE Paul persecutes Followers of the Way but undergoes conversion when Yehoshua speaks to him divinely, thereafter spending three years in Damascus. 36 CE Pilate butchers a group of Samaritans and is relieved of his position as Procurator for this act, and his treatment of Herod Agrippa; he commits suicide in Italy a year later. 40-41 CE Caligula (Roman Emperor) orders a statue of himself placed in the Temple at Jerusalem but is assassinated before the order is carried out. 44 CE Paul and Barnabas minister in Antioch; the term “Messianist” comes to be used there for the taught ones (Acts 11:25-26). 49 CE Claudius (Roman Emperor) expels the Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2). 63 CE Jews begin forming rebellion against Roman rule. 64 CE Rome burns; Nero (Roman Emperor) blames the followers of the Messiah (called Christians in English) and severe persecution begins. Nero covered the Messianic believers with the skins of animals and gave them to dogs to be torn into pieces. Many believers were nailed to crosses (stake), and burnt to serve as a nightly illumination torch, when daylight had expired. 70 CE Jerusalem destroyed by Titus (Roman Emperor). 71 CE The Romans cut down every tree in Israel and salt the land to punish the Jews for the rebellion. 73 CE Masada taken and the people who have held out against the Romans commit suicide. 85 CE A new sect of believers a sect mentioned in the Book of Revelation that will impact followers of the Messiah forever arises in Pergamum (in ancient Greece); they are known as the Nicolaitans. Their lasting impact will bring froth the hierarchical system instituted by Nimrod. The name Nicolaitan means "the conqueror of people". 90 CE Rabbis Yohanan ben Zakkai and Gamaliel II re-establish the Sanhedrin and expel all believers of Yehoshua from the synagogues. 132 CE Simon bar Kokhba proclaimed as the messiah by the Jewish leaders and revolts against Roman rule; the followers of Yehoshua do not participate. The Bar Kokhba revolt was the third major rebellion by the Jews of Judaea province against the Roman Empire. The rebellion is also known as The Third Jewish Revolt. Simon bar Kokhba, the commander of the revolt, was acclaimed as a messiah, a heroic figure who could restore Israel. Jewish believers of Yehoshua Messiah did not support Simon Bar Kokhba and they were barred from Jerusalem. This war was the turning point that separated the two groups to two different radical groups. One group would eventually end up being Christians and the other group would end up being Orthodox Jews of Judaism. 135 CE Last vestiges of Jewish self-rule eliminated by the Romans as the rebellion (Third Jewish Revolt) is crushed. The Temple is given over to Zeus. The first Gentile bishop, Marcus, appointed over the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. 175 CE The term Old Testament is first used by the bishop of Sardis, in reference to the Tanakh, to force separation between Jews and new converts. 180 CE Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, becomes the first post-Apostolic church father to assert primacy of the church in Rome over all other churches. 185 CE Origen, a church father, forbids teaching from Jewish sources. 200 CE Christian ministers are called priests for the first time. Judah haNasi (Yehudah HaNasi), of the school of Hillel, begins codifying Jewish philosophies and commentaries in the Mishna. 201 CE First Christian specific church building erected in Syria. 220 CE The Mishna was endorsed in 220 CE by Rabbi Judah haNasi (Yehudah HaNasi) when oppression of the Jews and the passage of time increased the possibility that the details of the oral traditions of the Pharisees (536 BCE – 70 CE) would be lost. The scriptures show that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) was very hostile to the Pharisees for their oral manmade traditions and laws that were not part of the Torah and the Tanakh (Matthew 15:9). 256 CE Pope Stephen becomes the first head of the Roman church to openly declare succession to Peter and to hold supremacy over all church bishops. 301 CE Armenia becomes the first Christian nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. 312 CE Constantine superficially converts to Christianity after a dream leads him to a military victory. He remains polytheistic until his death, even striking coins to honour Apollo. 321 CE Constantine declares Sunday as the official Christian Sabbath day, instead of Saturday. 324 CE Constantine moves the capital to Constantinople, leaving the bishop of Rome the most powerful man in Italy. 325 CE Council of Nicaea meets to codify Christian doctrines in response to growing heresies. Jewish bishops are specifically excluded from the meeting. Doctrine of the Trinity formally acknowledged in some cases with bishops threatened with death if they do not accept it. Council of Nicaea meets to codify Christian doctrines in response to growing heresies. Jewish bishops are specifically excluded from the meeting. Doctrine of the Trinity formally acknowledged in some cases with bishops threatened with death if they do not accept it. 337 CE Christianity becomes the official state religion of Rome. Constantine finally receives baptism as a Christian (from heretical Arian priests), and dies on Pentecost. Christianity originates as a lawless religion (totally drifting away from the teachings of the Torah, Tanakh and the way in which Yehoshua HaMashiach taught and walked). Constantine eradicates any teachings that are Jewish like the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) and the Tanakh (writings of the Prophets and other writings). Constantine introduces heretical pagan festival celebrations into Christianity like praying for the dead and Easter. The term Easter originated from the name Astarte a Chaldean pagan goddess who was considered queen of heavens by the Romans. 359 CE The Jewish calendar is changed and fixed by Rabbi Hillel II as a mathematical calendar. This fulfils what Daniel the prophet said when the calendar of the Most High gets changed. "…and it wears out the set-apart ones and it intends to change appointed festivals and Torah (Daniel 7:25)." This eventually leads the Jewish people drifting away from the Torah to Rabbinical Judaism (a man-made religion made by Rabbis). More importance was given to the oral law (Mishnah and Talmud) which was considered legally binding, regardless of what the Torah said. The Rabbis had gone to such an extreme that they claim that the oral laws (laws that are not part of the Torah) were all given by YHWH to Moses on Mount Sinai. Rabbinical Judaism is a manmade religion that gives more importance to the laws of Rabbis (men) than the laws of YHWH. From the chronology of the two groups of people we find how Christianity evolved over time into a lawless religion and that the actual founder of Christianity was not Jesus Christ but Emperor Constantine. Similarly, we see how the Jewish people drifted from the Torah, Prophets and the Tanakh and started embracing Rabbinical Judaism. What is the Hebrew roots movement? The Hebrew roots movement is not part of the Scriptures. It is a man-made term that is a mixture of Christianity (a lawless religion) going under the disguise of Hebrew roots claiming to bring people back to the faith of the forefathers namely Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were the first Hebrews. Elohim did not create any movement, but a way of life. The main aim of the Hebrew roots movement is to make money under the disguise of preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom. The whole notion goes like this – "Christianity is basically a boring religion. How do I make it more attractive so that I can get more people to join my ministry (stand with us or support us) or our group with their tithes (money)? So this is what I will do. I will take some parts (not all, whichever is easier) of the Old Testament and reject some parts of Christianity like Christmas, Easter and other Christian observances and I will create something called a Hebrew roots movement, which is basically a mixture of Christianity and bits and pieces of the Old Testament". This is basically the reason why every Hebrew roots movement has disintegrated (collapsed) over time, because their foundation basically lies on “how to bring people to my church/ministry or my group”. Instead of teaching people how to follow the Torah and the Tanakh and to live a life as our Saviour and Elohim Yehoshua lived, the Hebrew roots movement is basically based on two primary things: How do we attract people to my ministry or organisation? How can we get money (tithes) from the people who attend?   The two main groups that had the largest influences on thousands of people and who were the beginners of the Hebrew roots movement were the Sacred Name Movement and the Radio Church of God who later called themselves as the Worldwide Church of God, respectively. The Sacred Name Movement The Sacred Name Movement started in 1928 and kept the Jewish festivals like Passover, Sukkot and other festivals and adopted using sacred names of God like Yahweh, YHWH etc. It was started by Clarence Dodd who started publishing The Faith magazine in 1937. Today there are hundreds of groups that came out of the Sacred Name Movement that go by different names like Church of God Seventh Day, Assembly of Yahweh, Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry and many more. Radio Church of God or Worldwide Church of God The Radio Church of God started in 1930 and was founded by Herbert Armstrong who came out of the Church of God Seventh Day. The Radio Church of God had the biggest impact during the time of Mr Armstrong during the 1930s. In 1968, the Radio Church of God was given a new name, the Worldwide Church of God. The World Wide Church of God pioneered the hierarchical Nicolitian structure where every person had to listen to the minister regardless of whether the minister was right or wrong. Sexual abuse of women by ministers, extravagant life styles of ministers, and greed for power and control was rampant in the Worldwide Church of God. The most noticeable history of the Worldwide Church of God was the extravagant life style of ministers and senior pastors. Mr Armstrong the supreme leader of the Worldwide Church of God lived an extravagant life. He had his own personal private jet, his own pilots, his own stewardess, mansions, dined with serving bowls and cutlery made of gold, owned hundreds of buildings and forced members of the Worldwide Church of God to pay three tithes which caused many members of the church to end up in poverty. Mr Armstrong himself had a salary of $600,000 US Dollars per year. For more information refer to the book, Armstrongism – Religion or Rip-off? By Marion McNair, 1977 Edition and The Armstrong Empire: A Look at the Worldwide Church of God by Joseph Hopkins, 1974 Edition. When he died in 1986, the church (a Nicolitian Empire) collapsed in a few years and thousands of splinter groups arose all around the world going by the name Church of God. The above photo (Figure Two) is part of the Armstrong campus in Pasadena, United States that includes the Ambassador College auditorium, which the World Wide Church of God possessed during the time of Armstrong. Because they had the most attractive buildings and life-styles, millions of people came into these buildings and campuses to glorify men (not God). Yehoshua warned His followers about systems that would come during our day and age: "Any kingdom (Nicolitian Empire) divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom (Nicolitian Empire) stand?" (Luke 11:17-18). Today the million dollar campuses and properties are in ruins and have been destroyed. Watch the video and photo (Figure Three). Today the most notable groups of the Worldwide Church of God include the United Church of God, Living Church of God and the Philadelphia Church of God. These churches still follow the same footsteps or a slightly modified version of the World Wide Church of God doctrine. How did all these groups collapse? One must ask the question, “How did they all collapse?” Because people in all of these groups followed men! When you follow men and not the Scriptures, the curse of God comes upon you. This is the fundamental reason why churches and the Hebrew roots movement do not read the book of Jeremiah, because the book of Jeremiah is all about the priests and ministers who claim they are appointed by God. How many times have you heard ministers in the Hebrew roots movement say this statement, "The Father spoke to me", "The Father gave me a revelation", "The Father told me to tell you this". This is at epidemic proportions in the Hebrew roots movement, false prophets pretending that they hear the Father's voice. Yehoshua HaMashiach himself said, "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form (John 5:37)". You can never hear the voice of the Father. These False ministers with great pride will preach, “The Father spoke to me”. They are false prophets When you put your trust in churches and religious leaders who you think are appointed by God, YHWH curses you and that is why you become spiritually blind and deaf and you end up like a shrub in the uninhabited desert. This is the same thing that the Scriptures tell us: "Thus said YHWH, Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from YHWH. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and not see when good comes, and shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land that is not inhabited" (Jeremiah 17:5-6). How do people get attracted to all of these groups and churches? The number one factor that attracts people to all of these groups or churches is Bible prophecy. We call it "Bible prophecy prediction addiction". Bible prophecy addiction is at epidemic (like the Bubonic plague) proportions in the Christian and Hebrew roots movement. In fact, that is all what people want to hear. Most people believe that Bible prophecy is one of the factors that can save you. Unfortunately these people are wrong. Bible prophecy can never save you. The life that you live under YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach and His teachings which is basically the Torah and the Tanakh is what saves you. You know what? Prediction addiction sells and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to the ministry. Do not be deceived by prediction addiction. Bible prophecy is basically foreseeing the future and telling what is going to happen in the future. In a pagan worldly system we call this “Fortune telling” or “divination”. During the times of the Patriarchs, Israel was always warned of the consequences of divination (knowing the future) which is basically running after other man-made gods. "When you enter the land YHWH your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:9-11). While most people would say that Deuteronomy 18:9-11 is talking about running after other gods, it is not as simple as that. It especially warns of anyone constantly talking about the future (practicing divination). This is seen in the Christian world, where Churches use Bible Prophecy as a tool to attract millions of people. So is Bible prophecy bad? Definitely not! It is good as it gives hope to the servants of the Messiah. Because ministers and churches have defiled (exploited for money) the word Bible prophecy, it ends up being a curse. Let us look at a scenario. Why don’t churches/groups use the Torah to attract people? The reason is that it is VERY BORING. We don’t want the Torah as it is too boring and is full of laws and it is the Old Testament (who the heck wants the Old Testament?). If you start a church or group that teaches only the Torah, trust me on this, there will hardly be anyone in that group. People find the Torah boring and unattractive. This is why every Hebrew roots movement and many Christian churches concentrate on the book of Revelation, book of Daniel, Gospel of the Good News of Gods’ Kingdom and the New Testament. These messages would sell and in turn bring millions in revenue to the organisation. You teach the Torah and your revenue would be "zero balance" in your bank account. In Christianity, faithful Christians believe that only sweet Jesus Christ can save you and it is your faith in Jesus that saves you. While it is 20 percent correct, just believing in Jesus Christ cannot save you. Jesus himself said, "Just believing in me cannot save you". This is the same thing that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) warned millions of people earlier. Let us look at the words of Yehoshua HaMashiach: "Not everyone (billions of Christians) who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord, (Jesus we love you, I love Jesus Christ) shall enter the kingdom of heaven (when the Messiah sits on His throne in Jerusalem, Israel), but he who does the will (Keeping the Torah and living a life as YHWH said) of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day (during the reign of the Messiah), 'Lord, Lord, (Jesus Christ) have we not prophesied (Bible Prophecy addiction is the first thing that Yehoshua quotes here) in Your name (Bible prophecy addiction- Jesus is coming soon; be prepared), cast out demons in Your name (doing miracles in the name of Jesus Christ), and done many wonders in Your name (preaching the Good News of Jesus Kingdom)?' And then I will declare (Yehoshua will pass the Judgement) to them, 'I never knew you (who are you); depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (get away from me you lawless people, the one who does not practice/live by the TORAH)! (Matthew 7:21-23) (Words in brackets are added for understanding). Let us take a step back and carefully examine Matthew 7:21-23. The first thing that Yehoshua says is “…have we not prophesied in your name?”. Why would Yehoshua talk about prophecy? Because this is the only reason why millions of people go to church, they all want to know the future and learn Bible prophecy. The second thing is they want to be part of a system that only heals people and preaches the Good News of God’s Kingdom. The four facts common to all Christian churches and ministries:   Love Jesus Christ and get baptised in His name. Once saved always saved. The whole ministry is about Bible prophecy Tithing to the ministry in the name of God. God will bless you if you help His ministry. This goes under the banner “we need to preach the good news of God’s kingdom to the whole world and save as many people as possible.” In order to do this, we need your money. Promoting to do good to others, to heal people and to make them well.   Unfortunately none of the above four facts can make you inherit the Kingdom of the Messiah. Imagine this: All your life you loved Jesus Christ and suddenly when you see Him for the first time, He tells you "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (you who are without the Torah)". It is so important to understand this: You cannot live a life without the TORAH. Because the whole Torah is about the Messiah and He is the living WORD (Torah) which became flesh. If you reject the Torah, He will reject you. If you live a life as per the Torah and follow the complete Scriptures, rest assured you will be with Him when His Kingdom is established. Let us look at the actual translation of Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord. Lord!' will enter the kingdom of the heavens, but the one who does the will of My Father, the One in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that Day, 'Lord. Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name? And we cast out demons in Your name, and we did many miracles in Your name?' And then I will declare to them that 'I never knew you: you working without Torah must continually depart from Me (The Power New Testament, Fourth Edition by William Morford). Unfortunately, the Hebrew roots movement is infiltrated with false prophets whose main notion is to make money (draw money out of you). That is why they have all become like the Prophet Balaam. It is very important to understand the life of Prophet Balaam as he is mentioned in the book of revelation by Yehoshua and also in the Messianic scriptures. Let us look at the story of Prophet Balaam. The untold story of Prophet Balaam Almost all ministers/pastors (95%) follow the footsteps of Prophet Balaam. Why do they follow Balaam unsuspectingly? You will find out shortly. Balaam was a prophet of YHWH. That is, he was a person who talked with YHWH and who heard the voice of God. There was a time in his life when he was a good prophet who served YHWH and did what God said. From Numbers chapter 22 to 24 we see that Balak, King of Moab, called Balaam to come and curse his enemies which were the children of Israel. The royal officers of King Balak took money for divination (prophecy) so that they could pay Balaam. For some reason, Balaam told them to stay at his place so that he can ask YHWH about this. We then see God telling Balaam “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed”. Balaam then refuses to go with the royal officers. King Balak was so persistent that he sent his princes to Balaam once again with more wealth and money to tempt and seduce Prophet Balaam. But after a great deal of pressure (Balaam was being tempted), Balaam started to become weak (material desire for wealth and money). He began to see the riches that he would receive in a different way. Balaam’s weakness for money and the material things promised to him by king Balak took a toll on his life. Covetousness and greed moved him to mount his donkey and head in the direction of error. Balaam compromised his calling (by not listening to YHWH), and sold his divine calling for money. He gradually began to submit to the wishes of king Balak of Moab before the end of his life. This made Balaam teach the children of Israel to worship idols and commit immorality. He did it for riches and money. Many Hebrew roots movement ministers/pastors/rabbis and Christian evangelists have preached the message of YHWH in exchange for money. That is, if you want to know the truth and the good news of God’s Kingdom, you need to buy their books, DVDs and CDs. You want to be blessed (be prosper) by YHWH, support our ministry to spread the good news to the whole world (donate to us) to get a blessing from YHWH. They have basically sold YHWH and His message in exchange for money. They deceive the innocent with their flawed teaching and set them on the path of destruction. People are encouraged to give money and invest in their ministry saying they are doing God’s work, expecting to receive huge returns (God will bless you for supporting their ministry). People are taught that giving money in the form of tithes and donations will make them rich through God’s blessing. Nowhere in the Scriptures has it said that if you give your money to a Church Ministry or to a system you will be blessed a hundred times more. The Scriptures does say that “if you” (you do it yourself) help the poor, orphans and the widows, you will be blessed. A person who has common-sense (unfortunately it has become less common) would know that if you invest your money with a church ministry it cannot provide you with any blessing. For example, some of the richest people in the world are atheists -Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, Jodie Foster, Richard Branson and hundreds more are all atheists. Some of the most unspiritual people have lots of money like atheists. Making money has nothing to do with what you give or don’t give to a church ministry. Giving money to a church ministry will not make you rich. If you want to be blessed by YHWH- give it to the poor, needy and the widow (you give it personally, don’t hand your money to an organisation expecting they will give). Balaam in Hebrew means "not of the people", Strong's concordance number 1109. When you are not part of God's people, you basically represent the seed of Satan. In the Messianic scriptures, Balaam is exposed by Yehoshua as a type of false teacher who brings false teachings in exchange for money. "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages [money] of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:15). "Woe to them who have gone in the way of Cain, and have run riot after the deception of Balaam for wages [money], and they have perished in the rebellion of Korah" (Jude 1:11). False prophets are just like Balaam because they love the wages (money) of unrighteousness. When you read the story of Balaam in Numbers you will find that Balaam was more interested in the rewards of divination than he was in the rewards of being a true prophet of God. Don’t be deceived by all these church ministries and all these Hebrew roots movements. In many ways they do have "some truth in them", but their main goal is to pull your money out from you by any means under the banner "we need to do God's work and we have a small window of opportunity to do his work". Salvation is promised to which people? The final question that we need to ask is: “According to the Scriptures and from the mouth of YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach, salvation is promised to which people”? Yehoshua (Jesus) himself said in His own words who would inherit Salvation: "Salvation is for Christians" (Jesus did not say this). "Salvation is for the Hebrew Roots Movement" (Jesus did not say this). "Salvation is for the Natsarenes" (Jesus did not say this). Yehoshua said, "You Samaritans (Gentiles; other nations) worship what you do not know (you do not know who YHWH is and neither you live a life as per the Torah, Prophets and the Tanakh). We worship what we do know (we live a life as per the Torah, Prophets and the Tanakh), because salvation (redemption via Yehoshua. Yehoshua means YHWH is Salvation) is of the Jews (Yehudim)." (John 4:22) As much as you want to believe, salvation is for the Jews (the real children of Israel) who live by every word of YHWH, the one who lives a life as per the Torah, and the one whose Elohim, Master and King is YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach. You become a Jew in the eyes of YHWH, when you live a life as our King, Master and Elohim lived Zechariah the prophet foretold what would happen in the Kingdom of the Most High (that is during the reign of Yehoshua HaMashiach): "Thus says YHWH of hosts, 'In those days (millennial reign of Yehoshua) ten men from every language of the nations (Gentiles) shall grasp the tassels (when you wear a tassel it means you are ruled by the Torah of YHWH) of a Jewish man (not a Christian, not a Catholic, not a Mormon or Jehovah's witness, not a member of the Living Church of God), saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you" (Zechariah 8:23). In conclusion, let us be proud to be Jews because our Messiah and King Yehoshua was, and will always be the King of the Jews. Long live the King of the Jews our Elohim Yehoshua HaMashiach whose power and glory is from all eternity. Let His name be forever and let all nations call Him King of the Jews. AMEN. AMEN. Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet