Sharing the Gospel with a Rabbinical Student
The following are a series of questions and challenges to the truth of the Gospel by a rabbinical student.

Letter from a rabbinical student:
Question:
If a prophet who can perform miracles comes along to add to the Old Testament, it says that we should not listen to him. It even says that if a voice comes out of heaven we should not listen. Why then would G-d send his own son to be that prophet that he said no one should listen to.

Response:
First of all, before we offer an explanation, it is important to refer to the exact quote from Scripture:

Deuteronomy 13: 1-3
If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.

Jesus (Yeshua) did perform signs, wonders and miracles. Also, as a prophet, He foretold events that did come to pass. For example, He prophesied that every stone from the Temple would be taken down. When the Romans came, they wanted to keep the sanctuary as a trophy, but a fire started and engulfed the Temple. The gold that adorned the Temple melted into the mortar and cracks between the stones, so it was ordered that every stone would be taken down. Now, only the foundation remains. His prophecy was fulfilled!

But did He preach to follow other gods? No! In fact, millions say the L-rd's Prayer which begins: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". He led millions of pagans who worshipped idols to follow the G-d of heaven. According to the test of a true prophet, Jesus met every criteria! Therefore, HaShem tells us to listen to Him because the signs, wonders, miracles attested to the fact that He spoke truth.

Comment:
G-d obviously does not want things to be so clear, if he did he would come tell us whats going on in this crazy world we live in.

Response:
He has told us. It is evident from written Word that the world is crazy because man has been corrupted by sin. He did come to us, in the form of a man, and told us what is going on and what is yet to come. The following is a quote from the first verse of the Book of Hebrews:

In the past G-d spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

Your many questions, doubts and challenges come because you were taught that the Messiah is yet to come. If you study the Scriptures themselves, not the Talmud or Kabalah or rabbinical commentaries, but the divinely inspired written Word of G-d and you are sincerely seeking truth, your spiritual eyes will be opened.

Jeremiah 31:31-32
"The time is coming," declares the L-RD , "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the L-RD.

A New Covenant - A "Brit Hadesha" - was prophesied to come. It has been delivered by the hand of G-d and was a ratified in the blood of the One who was pierced for our transgressions.

Hebrews 2: 14-17
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to G-d, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

No one can perfectly follow the 613 rules, regulations and commandments of Torah. The blood of sacrificed animals only temporarily covered sin. The Torah was given to both point out that we are sinners by nature and to point to our need for a Savior. G-d sent His Son, who was born under the Law, to live a perfect life and die a substitutionary death to provide atonement for our sins.

It is not easy being Jewish and a follower of Yeshua. But I chose to love G-d more than my Jewish family and Jewish friends. Those who were true friends still are my friends, even if we don't share beliefs. Believing in the prophesied Messiah of Israel does not make me a Gentile. Many Christians (followers of Messiah) are Gentiles but there are also Jews who have believed what the prophets have foretold. We are not following other gods. We worship the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We read and study the Brit Hadesha as well as the Tanakh.

Further correspondence to the rabinnical student:
Why do the rabbis who are experts in Torah say that the Messiah is the son of David (Moshiach Ben Dovid)? When David himself, speaking by the Ruach HaKodesh (Psalm 110:1) declared: "HaShem said to my Adonay: 'Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.' " If David himself calls him "Adonay." How then can he be his son?

Answer: The Moshiach is both the "Root" and "Offspring" of Dovid Melech.

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."
Isaiah 11:1

"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious."  Isaiah 11:10

The Messiah preexisted David. He is the both the Root (that which gave David's father Jesse sustenance) and the Son (in the geneological line) of King David. Moshiach is both Adonay and Son of David. He is a Banner for the Goyim (nations).

Do you know of any other rabbi in history that millions of Gentiles have embraced as the Messiah (Greek - The Christ)?
The Tanakh offers much evidence that Messiah has already come. The following references are just a few scriptural proofs:

"Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary..."  Daniel 9:25-26a

Daniel was in exile in Babylon and the Temple built by Solomon was destroyed. It is written that there will be seven 'sevens' (7 X 7 = 49 years) from the issuing of the decree to allow the exiles to return until the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt. From the time of the restoration of the city and the building there would be sixty-two 'sevens' (62 X 7 = 434 years) until the Anointed One (Moshiach) would come and be cut off (killed) and then the Second Temple (the sanctuary) and Jerusalem (the city) would be destroyed.

Were the Second Temple and the Holy City rebuilt after the Babylonian exile? Yes, they were.

Were they built in times of trouble and according to the time table of Daniel? Yes, they were.

Were the sanctuary and the city destroyed a second time as prophesied? Yes they were.

Did Messiah have to come and die before the destruction of the Second Temple? Yes, He did.

Following are some excerpts from the end of Isaiah 52 and Isaiah 53. These passages cannot speak of Israel because Israel cannot atone for her own sins. These are messianic prophecies that speak of a man. Read them with an open heart that is seeking truth.

"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him -- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness -- so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand."

The Gentiles did not have the Torah or Hashem's prophets. They were not told about Messiah. Yet many Goyim have embraced the "Anointed One" who came  while the Temple stood and then was "cut off" before the sanctuary was destroyed.

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the L-RD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Messiah came as a suffering servant to bear our sins, but He is coming again as the "Lion of Yehuda" to judge the earth. The prophets spoke the Word of the L-RD.

Reply from the rabbinical student
As per this e-mail I would like to say that this e-mail shows many of the differences in our religions. We have an original text that we go by and we will not even change one letter or vowel because it states in the Bible that we can't. Even if a Prophet would come along and tell us there is a mistake it still states that we can't. Your religion on the other hand created a new text which is very similar to ours. You only change a letter or a vowel every once in a while. If either of us would be very knowledgable in both religions you would see that every change you made is only to satisfy your religions claims and ideas.

If David himself calls him "Adonay." How then can he be his son?

Answer: Adonay is not the word in OUR text. your readers decided to change a vowel in this case which is very convenient because it does not change the spelling at all. The word is Adony which refers to a common "sir" in the English language.

If you would read the Bible you will see many times this common use of the word adony is used.

This is the case of many differences in the way the text is written.

Response:
Please insert the supposed correct translation (the word "sir" as opposed to "Lord"), into the context of the biblical quote to see if it makes sense.

The Hebrew word "Adonay" translated as Lord:

Psalm 110:1
The LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."

The Hebrew word "Adony" translated as sir.

The LORD says to my sir:
"Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."

First of all, only a king of equal rank would be asked to sit at the right hand of a reigning monarch. If HaShem (YHWY) says, "Sit at my right hand...," only the King Messiah could be afforded this privilege.

The contention that the vowels were changed is a red herring, because the context and sense of the passage refers to Adonai not Adony. What is very convenient, is avoiding the logical conclusion to the following questions:

Why do the rabbis who are experts in Torah say that the Messiah is the son of David (Moshiach Ben Dovid)? When David himself, speaking by the Ruach HaKodesh (Psalm 110:1) declared:
"HaShem said to my Adonay: 'Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.' "

If David himself calls him "Adonay." How then can he be his son?

The answer is: The Messiah, who is in the Davidic lineage, preexisted his birth.

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Messiah is the child who is born and the preexisting Son of God who is given!
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