Kiss the Son

This is a chapter from my book, Creating the Israel of God. Available on Amazon.

Kiss The Son

Ps. 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

In the previous chapter, I expressed some doubt about the validity of the concept of Judeo-Christian values. I would like to expand on this a little more. The validity of the idea depends upon which ‘Judeo’ values we are talking about. 

If we are speaking of the Judeo values before the destruction of the temple, then yes, there might be something shared. However, if we speak of the Judeo values found in post-destruction Judaism, i.e., the Synagogue of the Pharisees, then no, it doesn’t exist. We cannot allow our Biblical Faith in God’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, to be associated with the Judaism created after the temple’s demise, due to its wholly unbiblical nature. 

An earlier quote bears repeating,

“World expert on Rabbinic Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem Professor Avigdor Shinan said: 'Our theology isn’t that of the Bible. The traditions we follow today are not from Old Testament Law but they are traditions of the Rabbis. Shabbat laws, keeping kosher and so on, it’s not in the Scriptures; not in the Bible. There are no synagogues, no ritual blessings or specific prayers, bar mitzvahs or prayer shawls. Anything you think is Jewish, if you check its source, it’s not the Bible. It’s from Rabbinic literature. That’s where it all starts.'”

This world expert on rabbinic literature clearly states that rabbinic practice and theology comes not from the Bible, but from the traditions of the rabbis, i.e., the Babylonian Talmud.

“'Judeo-Christian' is a contradiction in terms, even though that truth is yet to be discovered by contemporary evangelical and fundamentalist Christians.”

The Synagogue of the Pharisees and the Ekklesia of Christ Jesus reverence different holy books, worship a different Being, and espouse different world-views. Followers of Christ have as much in common with Modern Rabbinic Judaism, as they do Islam. Only Christianity has been bewitched to cling to this idea of Judeo-Christian. Judaism is under no such spell.

Joshua Jehouda, a prominent French Jewish leader, stated that the idea of a Judeo-Christian culture, “Links in one breath two ideas which are completely irreconcileable(sic), it seeks to demonstrate that there is no difference between day and night or hot and cold or black and white, and thus introduces a fatal element of confusion to a basis on which some, nevertheless, are endeavouring to construct a civilisation (sic).” [l'Antisemitisme Miroir du Monde. 1958, p. 136].

The quote above calls the idea of Judeo-Christian, a “fatal element.” Fatal to whom? Certainly not Judaism. Why? Judaism has only benefitted from this concept. The real fatality is to Biblical Christianity. Accepting this concept, the Ekklesia has been injected with the poison of Talmudism and Zionism. But alas, this is another topic. I digress.

The main area where modern Judaism and Christianity differ, is that they worship different Beings. I realize this might be a shock, especially to those who identify as Christian Zionists. Rabbi Laura Geller of the Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills said,

“Jews don’t read the Bible literally. We read it through the lens of generations of interpretations and acknowledge the evolution of human understanding of God. The Talmudic image of God is vastly different from the image of God presented in the Bible.” ( https://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-laura-geller/acts-of-god-a-jewish-pers_b_842215.html — Rabbi Geller is listed on the website of Temple Emmanuel as one of the resident clergy.)

Notice the phrase, “The lens of generations of interpretations.” This is a reference to the Talmud. Today’s Jews read or interpret the Bible through the lens of the Talmud. Hence, their understanding and knowledge are formed and dominated by the Talmud. This would be like the whole Christian world interpreting the Bible with one set of commentaries, written by differing clerics who give their opinions on what the means. It would be frowned upon to look outside of these commentaries for understanding. These commentaries would be viewed as the only true understanding of the Faith. These christian clerics would stand in the place of God, for all believers, as the rabbis do in the synogogue.

Rabbi Geller admits that the god of Rabbinic Judaism, i.e., the Talmudic god, the god of the synagogue, is “vastly different” from the God of the Bible. I heartily agree.

Rabbi Geller also speaks of the “evolution of human understanding of God.” This means as man’s understanding of his world changes (evolves), his view of God changes also. In other words, in the Judaic mind, God changes as man evolves. This is in contradiction to the words of the God of the Bible, wherein He said in Malachi 3:6,
“For I am the LORD, I change not;”
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” [Heb. 13:8]

Exhortation of Church Father Ignatius

The early Church fathers had to deal with those who wanted to live as a Christian, while attending synagogue. Much like the modern adherents to Messianic Judaism do. He minces no words with those who desire to live in these two worlds at one time.

It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believeth might be gathered together to God.

He continues,

It is absurd to speak of Jesus Christ with the tongue, and to cherish in the mind a Judaism which has now come to an end. For where there is Christianity there cannot be Judaism. For Christ is one, in whom every nation that believes, and every tongue that confesses, is gathered unto God. [Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, chap. X]

Ignatius sees the attempt to live in the Faith of Christ and attend synagogue, as Judaizing. Why should the faithful Christian still seek to observe those things which God condemns, or has forever done away with?