Jewish Evangelism

Christmas Carols – “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”

“Hark The Herald Angels Sing” is a great Christmas hymn that we sang last Sunday, with some notes about it following it.

“Hark the Herald Angels sing”
Words by Charles Wesley & music by Felix Mendelssohn

Hark the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

First, “hark” is an old word meaning “hear”.

Authors

Charles Wesley, who lived in the 1700s, wrote the lyrics was brother to John Wesley. They were founders of the Methodists which had a big influence in spreading Christianity including in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were a big part in spreading a revival in England during their lives.

Felix Mendelssohn, who lived in the early 1800s, wrote the music that was used for this piece. He was a classical composer and a Jewish believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is best known for the song that is commonly called “The Wedding March;” this was music he wrote to go to Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

I like the picture here that we see two believers, Jew and Gentile, whose works are used to praise the birth of the Messiah. This fits with the biblical accounts in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke in which Jews and Gentiles did this originally.

Analysis

“Hark The Herald Angels Sing”  in the hymnal has a pattern of 77. 77. 77. 77. w/refrain. This means that it has four verses with two couplets of seven syllables each and a refrain. It is useful in seeing what other music might be used with it. This is why hymns can be song to different tunes. Of course, I can’t imagine singing this song to any other tune!

We can analyze the structure further by saying there are three verses; each verse is made up of four rhyming trochaic tetrameter couplets that end on a male stress. This is just a poetic way of saying that there are eight lines that are rhymed in groups of two. These lines each have four stressed-unstressed feet (dum-de) with the last one ending on a stress.

Something neat about the course or refrain is note all the long vowels in it. For example, see how long you can say “Hark” versus “Christ“ (first word of verse two). These allow for the words to be sustained which has a strong effect for the course. Of course, they’re not as long as the ones in the course of another Christmas song we sang last Sunday “Angels We Have Heard on High” – “Gloria In Excelsis Deo,Gloria In Excelsis Deo.” But it’s hard to beat Latin for long vowels!

The content of this song is really good, too, and that’s a key that makes it a good song. The first verse calls all to proclaim the birth of Christ; the second tells of his incarnation and birth; and the third of his glorious work. There is significant biblical language and theology in this. For example, note verse three-

“Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!”

Prince of Peace is one of the titles of Messiah given in Isaiah 9:6

“Hail the Sun of Righteousness!”

Sun of Righteousness is another title for the Messiah at his glorious second coming giving in Malachi 4:2

“Light and life to all He brings,”

This is a reference to the Gospel of John (1:4, 9) where the Lord Jesus is said to be the light gives life to all.

“Ris’n with healing in His wings.”
This is another reference to the Prophet Malachi 4:2 speaking of the work of Messiah at his return.

“Mild He lays His glory by,”

This seems to be a reference to the Apostle Paul‘s Epistle to the Philippians (2:6-8). This passage (2:6-11) may actually be an early hymn of the church.

“Born that man no more may die,”

This seems to be another reference to the Gospel of John, the account of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:26).

“Born to raise the sons of earth,”

This looks like a reference to a dialogue of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospel of John (6:40).

“Born to give them second birth.”

This refers to the Lord Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John chapter 3.

There are a number of ways to sing and enjoy songs like this. One way is to sing it as if you’re singing it for the first time and you’ve never heard of any of it before. Another way is to sing it with the knowledge of all the references and all that is stated and implied in each reference forming a sort of spiritual counterpoint to the experience.

Hymns and Songs

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Christmas carols – “ O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and Ceil Rosen

“Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel” (or “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”) is the first Christmas song we sang at the Chapel this Christmas season.

“Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel”
Text: Latin him from the 1300s; tr. John Mason Neale

1. Oh, come, Oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain: Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

2. Oh, come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.

Refrain: Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

3. Oh, come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
And drive away the shades of night,
And pierce the clouds and bring us light!

Refrain: Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

4. Oh, come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery

Refrain: Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

This version has four stanzas each followed by a refrain. There are 4 feet per line and feet are iambic (de-dum, de-dum). The first two lines of each stanza rhyme with each other, and the last two lines of each stanza rhyme with each other, too. Also, the two line of the refrain rhyme with each other.

There is so much biblical imagery in this poem. For example, Emmanuel is from the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew meaning “God with us.” “Rod of Jesse” is another messianic title (Isaiah 11:1-2). “Key of David“ is also from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 22:22).

Ceil Rosen, the wife of Moshe Rosen (The founder of Jews for Jesus) has a connection with this song, too – “The winter I was sixteen, my high school chorus had a major role in our school’s Christmas program…Dressed in long skirts and head scarves to approximate biblical garb, we moved across the stage in a kind of slow dance, singing, ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.’ Though we had rehearsed those words many times, I suddenly found myself pondering their meaning. Was there something true about Jesus being for us Jews?”

You can read the rest of her testimony and how she helped lead her husband to Jesus the Messiah at Jews For Jesus

Music and singing is not only very enjoyable but a powerful influence, too.

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Free Christmas Evangelistic Outreach Resources

We have free evangelism resources for this Christmas at the Chapel.

These include Christmas bracelets that say “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.”

Also, two Christmas buttons with “Jesus, our Living Hope – Merry Christmas” or “Jesus, He came for you – Merry Christmas.” Pick the one you like, they both have a good message. Jesus did come for all of us, and He is our living hope, for He rose from the dead.

We also have two gospel tracts you can give out during the Christmas season. One is a general Christmas gospel tract, “Jesus – The Real Meaning of Christmas.” This one presents the gospel in a Christmas context with a number of Bible verses from the Old and New Testament.
The other is “How to Recognize the Messiah.“ This one would be good for anyone but is particularly for Jewish people. It presents the gospel with a number of fulfilled messianic prophecies particularly about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Free Christmas Evangelistic Outreach Resources Read More »

How a Jew Learned the True Meaning of Christmas by Tom Cantor

For the Christmas season, read “How a Jew Learned the True Meaning of Christmas” by Tom Cantor.

“Growing up as a Jew left me without an understanding of the true meaning of Christmas…Finally, I came to understand the true meaning of Christmas through the story of a boy and his boat…”

Read the rest Here at Israel Restoration Ministries

This 19 page booklet uses an interesting parable about a boy and his boat to explain the Gospel. It reminded me a little of the Lord Jesus’ parables of “the shepherd and the lost sheep” and “the woman and the last coin” (Luke 15:1-10). Tom’s structures the analysis of his parable on the words “Made,”“Lost,” “Found,” and “Bought;” I found this helpful. It is a good summary of the Gospel. Christian apologist Alex McFarland has used a similar story with a bike, and while very good, it doesn’t have the first step of this parable which I think adds something important and biblical. Also, I liked how Tom ended it with a Gospel presentation and Scripture.

I hadn’t realized it until rereading this one that this is one of four of his booklets entitled “How a Jew…” I’ve mentioned the others before here, here, and here.
on our blog; You can read them all at Israel Restoration Ministries

How a Jew Learned the True Meaning of Christmas by Tom Cantor Read More »

Read “Is the Jewish Messiah God as a man?” by Tom Cantor

Read 2. Is the Jewish Messiah God as a man? in Tom Cantor’s short evangelistic book “Frequently Asked Questions By Jewish People.”

In the previous section, Tom discussed the Trinity and the Old Testament. Here he discusses the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man. He appeals to the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah and the apostle John.

Again, understanding this is not only important in Jewish evangelism, but also in reaching Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormon, or anyone else who would have this type of question.

Also, this is a good way for us to better understanding the Bible and our own beliefs. Christian apologetics (reasons to believe) is a way of thinking carefully of the truths about God at a basic level to reach unbelievers with the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

———

2.  Is the Jewish Messiah God as a man?

The common Jewish mind set is that the Messiah could never be God, because no man could ever become God. However, the Bible does not teach that man became God; on the contrary, it teaches that God became a man.

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2). The Jewish prophet, Micah prophesied that the Jewish Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. However, Messiah’s existence would not start at birth because He has no beginning; He is “from everlasting.” Eternality is an attribute that belongs only to God, and for Messiah to possess eternality would unquestionably show His deity. This prophecy was fulfilled when the eternal, divine Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) The Jewish prophet, Isaiah also told of the Messiah. In this passage, a promise was given to Israel of a amazing child whose description was unparalleled by any other child ever born. He would be called Wonderful Counselor, The Prince of Peace, The Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father.

God the Son could be referred to as Mighty or Almighty or Everlasting, but why was He called the Father?  Each person in the Godhead is so one (echad) with the others the Messiah said concerning Himself, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9). Though Elohim is three, He is still one.  For example, every person is made up of three parts: body, soul and spirit. No one ever asks a person if it is his body, spirit, or soul speaking; they are all one!

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6) A third Jewish prophet who foretold of the Messiah was Jeremiah. This future descendant of David was described as the “Righteous Branch.”  His name would be called “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Psalms 53:3 says that “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”  Who, then, is this righteous Israelite, descendant of David, and One called Lord and God? Who is this One who is a King, a Judge, and the Savior of the Jews? It can be none other than the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

All of these Scriptures teach us clearly that the Messiah is the Son of God or God the Son. As the second person in the Godhead, the Messiah is worthy of our worship.

———

The book is available free online at Israel Restoration Ministries Print copies may be purchased at the Creation and Earth History Museum The book is also available for purchase there in Spanish Preguntas Frecuentes Hechas Por El Pueblo Judio 

Frequently Asked Questions By Jewish People
Frequently Asked Questions By Jewish People by Tom Cantor

Read free online at Israel Restoration Ministries

  1. Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the tri-unity of the Godhead?
  2. Is the Jewish Messiah God as a man?
  3. Is the Lord Jesus Christ God?
  4. Is it possible for a man to see God the Son?
  5. How can the Jewish Messiah be identified?
  6. Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the virgin birth?
  7. Do all men have a sinful nature?
  8. Is there a mediator between God and man?
  9. What is the difference between a Gentile and a Christian?
  10. What is the difference between Israel and the church?
  11. What is a Jew?
  12. Is it possible to be both Jewish and a Christian?
  13. Why did rabbis never tell Jewish people about Jesus, the Messiah?
  14. Why do some Jewish people doubt the existence of God?
  15. Do the Hebrew Scriptures teach on Heaven and Hell?
  16. What is God’s plan for the salvation of the Jewish people?
  17. Is baptism a Jewish ritual?
  18. Is it worth it for a Jewish person to receive the Lord Jesus Christ?
  19. What is God’s purpose for the Jewish people?
  20. What peace did Messiah bring to earth?
  21. Do Jewish people automatically go to Heaven?
  22. Where was God during the Nazi disaster?
  23. Can man write and say the name of God?
  24. Why is the name of Jesus Christ not found in the Hebrew Scriptures?
  25. Can someone understand the Scriptures without knowing Hebrew?
  26. Is God needed to understand the truths of the Scriptures?
  27. Was an oral law given to the rabbis separate from the written law of Moses?
  28. Who really killed the Lord Jesus Christ?
  29. Haven’t Christians been responsible for persecuting the Jewish people?
  30. Does a Jewish person cease to be Jewish by following the Lord Jesus Christ?
  31. Why do English Bibles translate some prophecy differently than the Hebrew?
  32. Who is the Servant?
  33. Does God ever use numbers to send secret messages (numerology) as the Kabbalah and other Jewish mysticism writings teach?
  34. What does it Mean to Have Eternal Life or to be Saved?

More free Jewish Evangelism resources HERE

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Read “Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the tri-unity of the Godhead?” by Tom Cantor

Here is part one of F.A.Q, “Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the tri-unity of the Godhead?” from the online version of Tom Cantor’s insightful little book “Frequently Asked Questions By Jewish People.”

Tom discusses the Trinity, the unity and plurality of God from the Old Testament, particularly from Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, the book of Isaiah, and the book of Malachi. He covers some Hebrew and give some useful analogies, too.

This topic is not only important in evangelizing Jewish people, but also in reaching Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and even atheists and agnostics. Being able to answer questions (apologetics) is an important part of evangelism.

The book is available free online at Israel Restoration Ministries.

Print copies may be purchased at the Creation and Earth History Museum The book is also available for purchase there in Spanish Preguntas Frecuentes Hechas Por El Pueblo Judio 

From the book –

1. Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the tri-unity of the Godhead?

The common Jewish mind set is that while Jews believe in only One God, Christians believe in three Gods known as the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The word Elohim shows that God is not just one person.

The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man; the first three words in the Hebrew Bible are Barashith Bara Elohim. The word Elohim is a plural form of the Hebrew word Eloah, meaning “God” or literally “Gods.” Therefore, when used in the Bible, it is best to think of the word Elohim as the word Godhead. In grammar, the subject and the verb should agree in number (i.e. singular or plural). In Genesis 1:1 however, the subject, Elohim, is plural and the verb, bara, meaning “created,” is singular. This confirms the fact that there are multiple persons of the Godhead – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – but those three persons are one, acting in perfect unity.

“And the Spirit of God [Elohim] moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) This introduces the Person known as the Spirit of God, or God the Spirit, one of the members in the Elohim Godhead.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26) Here we are told how God (Elohim) would make man. Instead of referring to Himself as one person, He used plural words such as “us” and “our.” The plural word for God (Elohim) with the plural personal pronouns of “us” and “our,” the singular nouns of “image” and “likeness,” and the singular verb “make” emphasize that God is three persons acting as one in unity.

“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:” (Genesis 3:22) After the fall of man, God had to remove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. God used the word “us” to speak of Himself further revealing that the Godhead is made up of more than one person.

“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language” (Genesis 11:7). In the account of the Tower of Babel, when man attempted to reach Heaven and make a name for himself, God scattered the people by confounding their languages. Notice the pronoun that is used for God.

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8) Here is just another example of God referring to Himself as “us.”

David, King of Israel, wrote about the different persons of the Godhead in his Psalms.

“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Psalm 110:1) God the Father is speaking to God the Son. Here, David mentions two persons in the Godhead.

“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.” (Psalm 2:12) King David wrote that the Son is God whose anger will punish sinners, but as the Faithful Redeemer, He can also be trusted to save sinners from the eternal consequences of sin.

“Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together…Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.” (Isaiah 48:13, 16) The prophet Isaiah wrote of the three persons in the Godhead. The speaker in this passage is God the Son, who became the Messiah (“sent one”) when God the Father and God the Spirit sent Him from heaven to earth. Isaiah 48:17 goes on to say that this “Sent One” (the Holy One of Israel) was our Redeemer: “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”

The Hebrew words echad and yachid

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” (Deuteronomy 6:4) This is the most famous Jewish prayer, the Shema. I remember as a child, hearing my father sing, “Shema, Yisrael, Adonai, Elohenu, Adonai, Echad.” I was told that the God of the universe was only one God and not three as the Christians say. But here again, the Hebrew teaches that God is three persons in one. The word Elohenu is the possessive form of Elohim, literally meaning, “our Gods.” There are two words in Hebrew for the word “one,” yachid and echad. Yachid refers to one as in sole, whereas echad means a composite unity. The difference can be seen from their use in the Scriptures.

“And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1:5) The first time the word echad occurs in the Bible is in Genesis 1:5: Two parts, evening and morning, made up one (echad) day.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) Another use of the word echad: two people, the man and woman, would be one (echad) flesh. A clarification of the word echad is the word “unity.” Using this word, Deuteronomy 6:4 would read, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is a unity.”

“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only (yachid) son Isaac, whom thou lovest.” (Genesis 22:2) Yachid is clearly seen when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham and his wife Sarah, had only one son, Isaac.

In the Shema, by using the words Elohenu and echad, God is teaching us that He is a trinity of persons with each one acting in perfect unity.

Though it is one of the simplest substances on earth, water is a good representation of the trinity (of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.) It exists in three states: solid, liquid and gas. Each is water, yet in three different forms.

There is no way to know about God apart from what He reveals in His Word. Over and over again, the Bible points to the plurality of God’s person. Only one conclusion can be drawn from the previous biblical observations and facts: that Elohim is One God but three persons. These persons are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each perfectly agrees in terms of character, purpose and purity. The tri-unity (or trinity) is Jewish in that it is revealed in the Jewish Scriptures.

The greatest discovery anyone can make in life is to discover that God the Son is the Jewish Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the greatest decision anyone can make in life is to receive Him as his personal Savior and Lord. This was expressed by Solomon, King of Israel, who wrote, “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” (Proverbs 30:4) and by David, King of Israel, who wrote “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.”

(Psalm 2:12) ————— >

Read the all the topics at Israel Restoration Ministries

  1. Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the tri-unity of the Godhead?
  2. Is the Jewish Messiah God as a man?
  3. Is the Lord Jesus Christ God?
  4. Is it possible for a man to see God the Son?
  5. How can the Jewish Messiah be identified?
  6. Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the virgin birth?
  7. Do all men have a sinful nature?
  8. Is there a mediator between God and man?
  9. What is the difference between a Gentile and a Christian?
  10. What is the difference between Israel and the church?
  11. What is a Jew?
  12. Is it possible to be both Jewish and a Christian?
  13. Why did rabbis never tell Jewish people about Jesus, the Messiah?
  14. Why do some Jewish people doubt the existence of God?
  15. Do the Hebrew Scriptures teach on Heaven and Hell?
  16. What is God’s plan for the salvation of the Jewish people?
  17. Is baptism a Jewish ritual?
  18. Is it worth it for a Jewish person to receive the Lord Jesus Christ?
  19. What is God’s purpose for the Jewish people?
  20. What peace did Messiah bring to earth?
  21. Do Jewish people automatically go to Heaven?
  22. Where was God during the Nazi disaster?
  23. Can man write and say the name of God?
  24. Why is the name of Jesus Christ not found in the Hebrew Scriptures?
  25. Can someone understand the Scriptures without knowing Hebrew?
  26. Is God needed to understand the truths of the Scriptures?
  27. Was an oral law given to the rabbis separate from the written law of Moses?
  28. Who really killed the Lord Jesus Christ?
  29. Haven’t Christians been responsible for persecuting the Jewish people?
  30. Does a Jewish person cease to be Jewish by following the Lord Jesus Christ?
  31. Why do English Bibles translate some prophecy differently than the Hebrew?
  32. Who is the Servant?
  33. Does God ever use numbers to send secret messages (numerology) as the Kabbalah and other Jewish mysticism writings teach?
  34. What does it Mean to Have Eternal Life or to be Saved?

Read “Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the tri-unity of the Godhead?” by Tom Cantor Read More »

Read “Frequently Asked Questions By Jewish People” by Tom Cantor

Here is the introduction to Tom Cantor’s useful little book “Frequently Asked Questions By Jewish People.” It is available free online at Israel Restoration Ministries

Print copies may be purchased at the Creation and Earth History Museum The book is also available for purchase there in Spanish Preguntas Frecuentes Hechas Por El Pueblo Judio 

“Introduction

This section will demonstrate how the Hebrew Scriptures prove that a Jewish Messiah would be both God and man and come to redeem His people. In order to understand what the Scriptures teach, prejudices against the person of the Lord Jesus Christ must be set aside and the scriptures approached with an open mind and a teachable spirit, allowing God to illuminate and teach through His Word.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

The goal of Bible study is to identify the Jewish Messiah and to understand how to attain salvation from the judgment of sin and to become reconciled to God through the Messiah. The Apostle Paul assured Timothy:

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

Paul stated that the Scriptures were at that time able to make Timothy wise unto salvation. The Greek Scriptures, however, were at that time not yet complete, so the only means Timothy had available to learn of salvation were the Hebrew Scriptures. The Old Testament is also called the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Covenant and the New Testament is also called the Greek Scriptures or New Covenant.

The men on the road to Emmaus

On the road to Emmaus, two men conversed with the Jewish Messiah after He rose from the dead. After they informed Him of the preceding days’ events, the Lord Jesus Christ expounded everything about the Messiah to them without using the Greek Scriptures, since they had not yet been written. He said to them:

“O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27).

Using only the Hebrew Scriptures, the Lord Jesus Christ was still able to teach the men about Himself. The men then said to each other:

“Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)

Speaking to the Jews

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)

The Lord Jesus Christ must have been referring to the Hebrew Scriptures, for not a single page of the Greek Scriptures had been written.

The record of the Ethiopian Eunuch

“And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? (Acts 8:34)

The Ethiopian Eunuch bought a copy of the book of Isaiah while in Jerusalem, which he read as he returned home. After reading Isaiah 53, he was confused about the subject of the passage. God intersected the Eunuch’s journey with Philip’s, and when Philip learned of the Eunuch’s confusion, he helped the man to understand, demonstrating his knowledge of Scripture.

“Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” (Acts 8:35)

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who live in the Scriptures see the Lord Jesus Christ in all the Scriptures and are always ready to answer questions. Philip, not surprised or concerned by the eunuch’s question, was able to explain that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in Isaiah. Without using the Greek Scriptures, he preached the Lord Jesus as the Savior of mankind. This section is designed for exactly that purpose. Using only the Hebrew Scriptures, the following pages will answer questions commonly asked by Jewish people who want to know who is the Lord Jesus Christ and how can one know He really is God and the Jewish Messiah…”

Continue reading the following topics at Israel Restoration Ministries

  1. Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the tri-unity of the Godhead?
  2. Is the Jewish Messiah God as a man?
  3. Is the Lord Jesus Christ God?
  4. Is it possible for a man to see God the Son?
  5. How can the Jewish Messiah be identified?
  6. Do the Hebrew Scriptures support the virgin birth?
  7. Do all men have a sinful nature?
  8. Is there a mediator between God and man?
  9. What is the difference between a Gentile and a Christian?
  10. What is the difference between Israel and the church?
  11. What is a Jew?
  12. Is it possible to be both Jewish and a Christian?
  13. Why did rabbis never tell Jewish people about Jesus, the Messiah?
  14. Why do some Jewish people doubt the existence of God?
  15. Do the Hebrew Scriptures teach on Heaven and Hell?
  16. What is God’s plan for the salvation of the Jewish people?
  17. Is baptism a Jewish ritual?
  18. Is it worth it for a Jewish person to receive the Lord Jesus Christ?
  19. What is God’s purpose for the Jewish people?
  20. What peace did Messiah bring to earth?
  21. Do Jewish people automatically go to Heaven?
  22. Where was God during the Nazi disaster?
  23. Can man write and say the name of God?
  24. Why is the name of Jesus Christ not found in the Hebrew Scriptures?
  25. Can someone understand the Scriptures without knowing Hebrew?
  26. Is God needed to understand the truths of the Scriptures?
  27. Was an oral law given to the rabbis separate from the written law of Moses?
  28. Who really killed the Lord Jesus Christ?
  29. Haven’t Christians been responsible for persecuting the Jewish people?
  30. Does a Jewish person cease to be Jewish by following the Lord Jesus Christ?
  31. Why do English Bibles translate some prophecy differently than the Hebrew?
  32. Who is the Servant?
  33. Does God ever use numbers to send secret messages (numerology) as the Kabbalah and other Jewish mysticism writings teach?
  34. What does it Mean to Have Eternal Life or to be Saved?

Read “Frequently Asked Questions By Jewish People” by Tom Cantor Read More »

Read “How You Can Receive The Jewish Messiah” by Tom Cantor

Read “How You Can Receive The Jewish Messiah” by Tom Cantor at
Israel Restoration Ministries

The short presentation answers the questions of our need for salvation, how the Messiah fulfills it, why we need to respond, and how to respond. It uniquely does all of this from the Old Testament (the Holy Jewish Scriptures, the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh).

You can also read it at Tom’s other ministry Friendship with God

Read “How You Can Receive The Jewish Messiah” by Tom Cantor Read More »

Read “Yom Kippur or Olam Kippur?” by Tom Cantor

Tomorrow, September 16, is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Read “Yom Kippur or Olam Kippur?” by Tom Cantor. Tom is a Jewish believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“God designed our annual Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement to prepare His Ancient people to receive, by repentance, the eternal atonement or the Olam Kippur.  God’s eternal atonement is a gift from God and this gift is God Himself…”

Read the rest at Israel Restoration Ministries

Tom Cantor usually teaches our adult Sunday school class and gives the sermon on the first, third, and any fifth Sundays of the month. He is currently teaching through the Gospel of Matthew in Sunday school and preaching from the Book of Daniel for worship services.

Read “Yom Kippur or Olam Kippur?” by Tom Cantor Read More »