01/23/2022
BS"D - We usually don't make posts like this, but recently people have sent us a couple of patently false teachings from former believers/teachers, and some false teachings from people claiming to be believers in Yeshua from another angle. Although this is very disturbing, this is nothing new, nor is it surprising. I'm not here to name names, nor start wars, but to warn all real believers in Yeshua to be diligent in weighing the claims you hear, and be careful about the teachers you listen to. The Bible warns repeatedly about false teachers and false prophets. Yeshua himself says,
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
Matthew 7:15-20
We CAN recognize false prophets and false teachers. And it will be evident in their actions, and the end result of their labor. When congregations are left in shambles, lives and marriages ruined, immorality abounds, followers are abused (either physically, emotionally or spiritually) or strife and controversy is continuously stoked, or people are seeking monetary gain - one must beware. This is not the fruit of the Torah.
As we approach the Last Days, more and more people will fall away, and lies will be in abundance. Be very careful who you listen to, and whose teachings you subscribe to. In today's world, not everyone who uses the title "rabbi" is kosher. No matter how sophisticated it appears, no matter how well the position is argued, a falsehood is still a falsehood.
I certainly do not subscribe to a 'heresy hunter' mentality where everyone must agree with my views exactly on every aspect (which is sadly commonplace), but on the other hand, there are prolific people leading people away from Yeshua as the Messiah using arguments that have been debunked for years. Do they not know this information, or do they know and not say?
Secondarily, we have reviewed anti-missionary and atheist literature for decades, and these recent teachings are neither convincing, nor compelling. We may begin a series of answering these arguments, not to attack anyone personally, but for the sake of believers whose belief in Yeshua as the Messiah is shaken, or for those who do not know how to answer the objection or question, or perhaps do not know where to look for answers.
As I said above, this is nothing new, especially when you are a believer in Yeshua who also believes in Rabbinic Judaism (as we do). We have known many, many, people - both personally and on a general level - who left Yeshua for various reasons, their arguments, and sometimes their virulent hatred for other believers to the point of stalking. Sometimes their obsession to disprove Yeshua reveals an underlying discomfort with the fact that they left their Rabbi. They therefore seek and promote information that makes them feel justified in their decision. If challenged, it could provoke a hostile, emotional response, because it exposes that spiritual-psychological place of discomfort.
As we said above, we are not here to attack anyone personally, nor will we do so. Each person must decide what path he or she wants to walk. If someone wants to do a mitzvah, they will find a helper in the spiritual world. If someone wants to commit a sin, they will find a helper in the spiritual world. If someone does the mitzvah, they gain themself a 'paraclete', an advocate. If they commit the sin, they gain themself a 'kategor', an accuser.
Each of us needs to take an assessment of who we listen to. When hearing an argument against Yeshua (or the existence of HaShem, or validity of the Torah or the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts), remember always,
צַדִּיק הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּרִיבוֹ (יבא) [וּבָא־]רֵעֵהוּ וַחֲקָרוֹ׃
"The first to plead his case seems right, till the other party examines him."
- Proverbs 18:17
