Monday, November 28, 2011

Messianic? Which Shall Christians Accept?

There are basically three types of Messianics now:

Traditional orthodox Messianics;
Reformed Jewish/Catholic Messianics;

Apostolic New Testament Messianics.

Traditional orthodox Messianics;

The orthodox observe the Torah (laws of Moses), while believing the son of David has not come yet. They hold all the traditions of Phariseeism, Kabbalism (mysticism), mixed with their theories about the Messiah they look for to come. They have concocted a long list of requirements for their Messiah to fulfill and qualify. Their Messiah must comply with this job application BEFORE he can come to them or to their new Sanhedrin Council, and ask for approval and acceptance. Because the requirements are so so strict and no Jew will ever be able to fulfill them, there is no chance in the next 10,000 years a man will come into the world to give them their utopia dream in Israel. I might say here, the requirements for this job position as Messiah was put together by men who want to make sure another Jesus cannot come forth.

Orthodox Messianics often cry against a personal son of David being the Messiah. Many of them claim the actual nation of Israel itself is the suffering Messiah. Well, I checked this idea against the job application criteria and Israel as a nation failed to meet the requirements. This means all of Israel is an unemployed messianic failure.

These Messianics have created several items with which to celebrate their religious rituals. They have created the messianic dances most of which seem to have Turkish and cultic origins. These circle dances and the moves used in them are connected to ancient pagan rituals. They cannot be proved to be biblical and practiced among those Israelites that came out of Egypt or those who lived afterwards for 1400 years. They have created use of the tallit as a symbol of the yoke of the law upon their shoulders. When this prayer cloth is pulled up from the shoulders and draped over the head, the man has his head covered to indicate he is law observant and has submitted to the authority of God over his life and soul. The knotted fringes represent the laws of Moses also. Then there is the kippa, the round moon tire that is placed upon the head to also indicate law observance and being under the canopy of God's authority. Wearing this head covering the person gives a sort of public witness they are peaceful and have no mental design to harm or hurt anyone. If they do plan such an act they are to remove these bits of clothing and cast them and all the other law-keeping symbols down off of them before proceeding (see Acts 7:58).  It is a sin to wear these decorations while committing a sin. The kippa must then be removed when a Jew knows he plans to sin. Then there is the tzit tzit. This is a knotted collection of white strings and a blue one. These must be tied in special knots as described in the Babylonian Talmud. They must be tied in strict observance of laws of gematria (numerology). So, there is a secret numerical number attached to this device. These are worn on the tallit as a fringe or tied to belt loops of a man's pants. They hang way down and swish as the man walks. These are also decorations claimed to fulfill the requirements of a fringe worn on clothing in Numbers 15:38-39. Some think they keep away evil spirits. But a careful read of the Torah at this point shows us the fringe is on the borders of the garments of both male and female. These garments and the fringe have no connection to the tallit or the tzit tzits. The wearing of the tallit and the tzit has no real purpose in the Messianic hope. They are all invented trinkets by Kabbalists trying to pass upon the men some gematria secret meaning. That these are mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, shows us the inventions go back many hundreds of years. There is no proof these existed in the days of Jesus. If they did, there is no proof Jesus or the Apostles ever made use of them.

Then there is the shofar, the ram's horn that many think the blowing of which somehow signals the beginning of worship or summons God to come into their pending worship program.

So we have among the messianic orthodox Pharisee sect of Judaism, the use of the tallit, the kippa, the tzit, and the shofar. These are decorations used in religious expression and a part of messianic circle dances. Circumcision, dietary regulations, observing religious holiday and feast days, and other parts of the Torah must be acknowledged and practiced. These do not believe Jesus was the Messieh. They are proud to speak evil of him. And they still resent other Jews who believe in Jesus and count them no longer as Jews.

Reformed Jewish/Catholic Messianics;

There are a number of Jews who believe Jesus was the Messieh. These are generally Catholic and trinitarian and no longer believe in one God. They accept the Catholic councils and the decrees and creeds. They accept the use of the tallit, the kippa, the tzit, and the shofar. They also continue to practice circumcision and generally observe all the holiday and feast days. The ones I have met accept also the Babylonian Talmud and Kabbalistic mysticism. They are heavily into the circle dances and moves as part of their religious expressions. Only two things separate them from the orthodox and that is belief in Jesus as the Messieh and in the trinity. The majority of Jewish messianic synagogues and prayer centers are of this trinitarian Catholic type.

Apostolic New Testament Messianics.

There is no evidence Jesus or the Apostles or early Christians ever used the tallit, the kippa, the tzit, or the shofar in any religious expressions or during worship or Church services. Since the tallit, the kippa, and the tzit specifically identify the person wearing them as Law-keepers, these would not have been worn by the first Jewish and Gentile Christians. The tallit for instance is referred to as a yoke about the neck of men to signify they accept upon them the responsibility of keeping and observing the law. The kippa and tzit likewise signify the same thing. First Jewish and Gentile Christians would not have worn these man-made devices. The tzit as a fringe is a false Jewish substitute for the real "wing-fringes" that were to be upon the borders of the garments of both men and women. A fringe on the borders of a garment is not the same as a couple strings tied in mystic knots and hung from a belt loop. We know Jesus did not have these trinkets on him when he was arrested and or when he was at Calvary because there is no mention of any gambling for these items. Apostolic Messianics agree to accept upon them the yoke of Jesus. Jesus said his yoke was easy and his burden light. This is spiritual. The yoke of Jesus is not Torah but it is the grace and love of God.  That the law was a yoke none could bear is seen in Acts 15:10. The Apostles saw it clearly that the yoke of the law was not to be put upon the lives of the Christian community. There was then no requirement to wear the tallit, the kippa, or the tzit which represented the yoke of the law upon the individual wearing them.

Apostolic Messianics do not engage in circumcision, the observing of Old Testament holidays or feast days. We do not observe sabbath days, new moons, or dietary regulations. We do not perform circle dances or the blowing of the shofar. We cannot find these in the Christian New Testament in any Church.

I want to be perfectly clear here: Apostolic Messianics are not Pharisee Judaizers. They are not trinitarians. They are Oneness men and women who believe Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. Apostolic Messianics do not accept the Babylonian Talmud or any part or use of the Kabbalah. We totally reject any use of mysticism in the tying of knots, use of strings, and the men having their heads covered.

I am writing this because I have been made aware of Apostolics going off into chasing after Orthodox and Catholic Messianic traditions and thinking they are somehow getting closer to God. True Apostolic men of God will never place a tallit around their neck. They will never put a kippa on their head. They will never wear a tzit on their belt loops. And they will never partake in any circle dances.

Messianic? Which shall Christians Accept?

They shall accept Apostolic Messianic Christianity because it is in line with the New Testament Gospel of faith and grace salvation WITHOUT the deeds of the law.


Jesus bless us all to be greater people of God,

Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves

3 comments:

  1. Wonderful information! I did not know this about the tallit or kippa. I had always figured they had some law keeping portion, but the issue of the yoke is fascinating. True Jews do not take on the yoke of the fulfilled law, but obey and follow the higher law, the law of Christ, in which we have true liberty and freedom without mysticism of any kind.

    Well written Bishop.

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  2. I really appreciate all of the information that you gave on drinking and biblical guidance you supplied. I was raised to never drink and my husband's family and all of his relatives are alcoholics. For years I went to their family gatherings and suffered so much having to be exposed to this behavior over and over. My marriage has paid a huge price for their choices because my husband insisted we had to be around them. My husbands father would be very unkind to me and the sister did unkind things too. I eventually refused to be around it anymore and we have had more troubles. After 10 years I refused to even visit and grew very resentful for the atmosphere I had been in for so long. My values were not ever considered. My husband goes without me and I am considered unforgiving by people who do not even believe in God. I am unsure if I can survive my husband not supporting me and my godly choices. We are struggling. He finally admitted that his family has problems but, that I should give them a chance. After all I endured, I resent him for talking about me giving them a chance when i did for 10 years!!! I am working on forgiveness to get myself through.

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  3. Greetings Sister:

    While we are to be Christian in our relationships with unbelievers, we are also told to withdraw and avoid those who do not walk according to the faith.

    We have no obligation to allow others to abuse us just because we are Christians. Those who drink and blow their cigarette smoke into our faces for the fun of testing our Christianity, deserve to be given some choice words about their sins and repenting. I would be j ust as brave as they are.

    Since this is not a slap in the face we need not turn the other cheek and allow demons to lord over us. Alcoholism is demonic. Why would anyone want to be around demons who act out, curse without shame, and who flaunt their evil conversations? You have no obligation to these people and it is a shame your husband wants to make you accept them. I'll bet there are others of this same behavior he would not want you around.

    He is a jerk in my opinion.

    He should consider the feelings of his wife even if he is an unbeliever. His unsaved status does not give him a right to put his family above his wife. The Word of God says when a man takes a wife he is to cling to her and depart from his family and they twain become one flesh.

    Drinking alcohol is tolerated by Baptist, Methodist, and a host of other Protestant and Catholic churches. They really pull out the ice chest when sports games are on TV. I think your husband gets mixed signals with all this fraud in the churches claiming one thing with their mouths and then living another.

    My advice is stand your ground. Find some where to go and something to do when he goes on his family gatherings and make it interesting to you as going to his family is to him.

    Men of God who are real men of God will not drink alcohol for pleasure or casual drinking nor place it before family or friends.

    I am so very proud of your faith. And if it separates you from his family, it will bear you to the throne of God.

    Jesus bless you more and more.

    Pastor Reckart

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