Where Prager and Telushkin Miss It in their book “Why The Jews”!-3

  Over the past two tidbits, I have attempted to point out where orthodox Jews Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin in their book “Why The Jews?” are incorrect in some of their deductions regarding Christian anti-semitism. Why do I say that? Because they base and restrict their conclusions only to “reason” rather than the revelation of scripture.
   Simply, it is impossible to explain the oxymoron of ‘Christian anti-semitism’ using only natural reasoning! I repeat, ‘Christian anti-semitism’ can only be explained through the revelation of scripture which categorizes it as demonic. There is absolutely no rational ground upon which a Christian can stand allowing him to hate any person(1Jn3:15) enough to commit murder (Ex 20:13)— especially upon the Jew! Why do I emphasize the Jew? I will say it again, there is only ONE reason no believer in Christ should persecute Jews: Jesus! Very simply….to hate Jews is to hate Jesus—Who is Jewish! The gospels of Matthew and Luke go to great lengths to list the genealogy of Jesus---for the very purpose of establishing His Jewishness. My point is “Christian anti-semitism" is not just irrational---it can only be identified as demonic!
  Let’s move forward. On page 127, Prager and Telushkin write: “Pierre Leroux, creator of the term “socialism”, identified the Jews with the despised capitalism, and regarded them as the incarnation of mammon, who lived by exploiting others. Leroux, a religious Christian, saw but one solution to the “Jewish Problem”---the conversion of all Jews to Christianity.”
   On page 139, using different words, they repeat this same sentiment, “Antisemitic Christians believed that Jews could really become Christians…”
   In my opinion, these statements unveil the greatest deception of “Why the Jews”! Why? Because in these two statements, Prager and Telushkin reveal THE heart of the matter! They believe that the conversion of the Jew to Christianity is itself…antisemitism!
 
ABSOLUTELY…Nothing could be further from the truth!
 
  Romans 10:12 declares: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him”
And, Galatians 3:28 declares: “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.”
   In these two passages, Paul declares the equality of the Jew and Gentile--in nature. From the beginning, God declared the Image and Likeness of God as His gift to mankind, i.e. descendants of Adam--which we all are--as THE agent making all humans equal!! And I repeat, this is true regardless of whether a person is a Jew or Gentile.
   However, as every human possesses a different calling from God(2Tim1:9), the calling of God upon the Jew is unique!
   First, Romans 10:9-10 declares the order God has ordained for His great calling on the Jew:
“9.Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of  the Gentile;
10.But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile”
   This teaches that God sovereignly declares that the Jew is first---first in judgment for their sin; and first in blessing for their obedience (Is1:19). I repeat, God sovereignly made the Jew first---not because they are better in nature. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 reveals God’s sovereign reason:
“6.For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7.The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8.But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
  The reasons are: 1.God set His love upon them; 2.To keep His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob---the fathers of the Jews.
 
  Moses wrote the Deuteronomy 7 passage 500 years after Abraham. And yet another 500 years after Moses, King David not only confirmed the covenant but also established it forever in 2Samuel 7:22-24:
22.Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23.And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemed to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
24.For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.
 
  Deuteronomy 26:18-19 further establishes God’s UNIQUE calling upon Israel: “that He will set you high above ‘all nations’ which He has made…” The word “all” means “all”! No exceptions!
  Therefore, David confirms God’s covenant with Israel is forever; and Moses confirms that covenant means God’s call on Israel is “high above all nations”!
  Here is my point! Romans 1:16 declares: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek”. The gospel is ĕuaggĕliŏn, i.e.Good News, and is described in its most basic form in 1Corinthians 15:3-4: 1.Christ died for our sins…according to the scripture; 2.He was buried and raised again on the third day…according to the scripture.
   Romans 1:16 teaches the gospel is to be offered to the Jew…first!!! 1Corinthians 15:1-4 clearly defines “WHAT” that gospel is to be offered to the Jew first! And what is that? Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed (1Cor5:7); was buried, and raised again, for the sin of the world…beginning with the Jew!
 
  Moreover, the Tanach, i.e.the Old Testament CLEARLY teaches that Jesus is the JEWISH Messiah (Is53:1-12; Dan9:24-27; Dan7:13,14)! And the New Testament CLEARLY teaches that Jesus is the JEWISH Messiah (Mat1:16-17)! And Jesus CLEARLY taught He was the JEWISH
Messiah (Jn4:25,26)!!
   Therefore, not one Bible verse--especially the New Testament--in any way, shape, or form suggests that a Jew who acknowledges Jesus as the JEWISH Messiah…is anti-semitic!!!
   On the contrary, Jesus loves the Jews! In deep lamentation, Jesus expresses His great passion for His people Israel, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” -Matt23:37
  In addition, Jesus reveals His calling, i.e. the reason for His birth into the earth: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel!” –Matt15:24
  Furthermore, Jesus appeared to the Jewish Paul, who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, to inform him that he would suffer much to bear His name (Jesus)…to the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). As a matter of fact, Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, leading to his recognition of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah created in him such a love for the Jews that he was willing to be accursed, i.e.sent to hell…for their salvation!!!! (Rom9:3).
  Therefore, no anti-semitism existed in Jesus nor His apostles---who were all Jewish. Remember, for the first 10 years of the church--EVERY—believer in the Jewish Messiah…was Jewish!
  In conclusion, for a Jew to recognize Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, or as Prager and Telushkin write, “Antisemitic Christians believed that Jews could really become Christians…” --is NOT anti-semitism!!! On the contrary, 1Corinthians 1:18 and 23 reflect their faulty sentiments:
“18.For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…”
“23.But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock…”
 
  Finally, Acts 4:12 declares “…for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”; which teaches no one--neither Jew nor Gentile--can be saved apart from the Name of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah! Therefore, the ‘natural reasoning’ employed by Prager and Telushkin to conclude that Jews cannot accept Jesus as the Jewish Messiah without committing anti-semitism--must itself be condemned as anti-semitic, and therefore a scheme of Satan! Why?  Their view denies Jews the very salvation that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah purchased as the Lamb of God (Jn1:29), Who came to take away the sin of the world! 
 
 
Quotebit
 “No civilization has survived that did not have a strong code informed by religious truth.”                              -Will Durant, Historian