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Julius Ciss, Self-Portrait
From "Messianic-Jew" to Counter-Missionary
The Story of Julius Ciss
My name is Julius Ciss and I am a "counter-missionary." I
work to educate the Jewish community about the problem of
deceptive Christian missionaries who target Jews for
conversion. I also try to bring those Jews whom they have
"converted" back to authentic Judaism.
Being a counter-missionary was hardly a goal towards
which I had strived; rather, it was almost the inevitable
outcome of a series of circumstances in my life.
I grew up in a traditional Jewish home. My parents are
both Holocaust survivors. They had received a very limited
Jewish education; but with the little knowledge of tradition
that they had, they tried their best to provide a Jewish
upbringing for me and my two brothers in our home in
Toronto.
My parents attended an "Orthodox" synagogue, thus leading
me to believe in my younger years that I was an "Orthodox"
Jew. While they did keep a semblance of Shabbat, attended
the synagogue on the High Holidays, and conducted a Passover
Seder, religion was not a vibrant entity in our home.
As a result of my sparse religious education, I never had
much understanding of the essentials of Judaism. I did not
understand the concepts of Jewish prayer, spirituality, G-d,
or the meaning of the holidays. All I knew were the few
basics that I had gleaned from my six years in afternoon
Hebrew School or "cheder"; and, unfortunately, even that did
not prove very spiritually satisfying.
Consequently, I found little reason to maintain a strong
Jewish identity. I did have a sense of being Jewish, but I
lacked any kind of vital commitment to this identity, either
religiously or socially. It wasn't difficult to make the
decision in my adolescent years to begin dating non-Jewish
girls. In my fourth year at Toronto's Ontario College of
Art, I met a woman named Mary Beth. We immediately felt an
intense mutual attraction. We thoroughly enjoyed each
other's company, and a relationship blossomed. There was
only one problem; she informed me on our second date that
she was a "born-again" Christian. However, I didn't care; I
was already deeply emotionally involved with her.
As Mary Beth and I continued to date, our relationship
very quickly evolved into that between a missionary and the
potential convert. Mary Beth tried by various means to
convince me that Jesus Christ was my personal savior.
Needless to say, I had strong objections to such claims and
frequently engaged in heated discussions about G-d, Israel,
and the Bible. She alluded to many spiritual issues of which
I had no understanding. All I knew was that I was a Jew; I
was born a Jew, I would die a Jew, and Jews didn't believe
in Jesus. Time and again, she confounded me with various
passages from the Bible, a Bible that I really knew nothing
about. My only response was the constant refrain that Jews
don't believe in Jesus.
She finally got the best of me when she demanded,
pointblank, "Well, if Jews don't believe in Jesus, what do
they believe in? What do you believe in?"
I didn't know. I knew we believed in one G-d, but I
honestly didn't know much else. At afternoon Hebrew school,
I had learned very little about G-d, Torah and Israel. I had
"survived" six years of Hebrew school without acquiring much
Jewish knowledge, and, after my Bar Mitzvah, I quit. That
was the end of my Jewish education. Unfortunately, many Jews
to whom I have spoken in North America have had a similar
experience. My ignorance about Judaism and my inability to
answer Mary Beth's questions compelled me to start looking
through the Torah and the rest of Tanach in a desperate
attempt to prove her assertions wrong.
My ignorance embarrassed me. I was unable to defend
Judaism, and I didn't know where to begin to learn. I
decided to start reading the Jewish Bible (the Torah, and
the Prophets). Some of what I encountered was fascinating,
and some of it I found quite confusing. To help me better
comprehend the Bible, Mary Beth supplied me with some
literature written by Jews who had converted to
Christianity. These "Hebrew-Christian" books and pamphlets
appeared to have been expressly designed to convince the
spiritually ignorant Jew of the validity of Christianity's
central claims.
The books intrigued me. As I ventured more deeply into
their various "Messianic" claims and allegations, I
attempted, using the Christian Bible that Mary Beth had
given me, to find the answers to disprove her arguments. But
gradually, inexorably, I became confounded by this
literature. Many of its arguments appeared to make sense.
On several occasions, Mary Beth had asked me to go to
church with her. I finally consented. However, once I was in
the church, everything in me screamed out that I was in the
wrong place. The entire setting was foreign: gentiles
worshiping a foreign "god" with strange hymns. Being there
made me feel like a traitor to my people. At the conclusion
of the service, I defiantly stalked out of the church and
informed Mary Beth, "I'm never going back there again. I was
born a Jew and I'm going to die a Jew."
She was now desperate to find a way to get me to accept
Christian religious belief. She discovered a congregation of
predominantly Jewish people in Toronto who believed in
Jesus. She arranged for a private telephone conversation
with a member of this group. After speaking to him, I agreed
to attend a Friday night "Erev Shabbat" service.
As a 25-year-old Jew, I was about to attend my first
organized religious experience since my Bar Mitzvah. In that
12 year period, I had never seriously questioned who G-d was
or the nature of my Jewish spiritual roots. Now, not knowing
what to expect, I walked into the meeting hall and sat down.
The congregation was addressed by a very pleasant man with a
large nose and a face as Jewish as the map of Israel. He
wore a yarmulke (skull cap) on his bald head, and a tallit
(prayer shawl). Many of the male congregants that evening
were also wearing yarmulkes and tallitot. Some of the women
wore head coverings, and one lit Sabbath candles while
reciting a Hebrew blessing. This was followed by the
recitation of kiddush blessings over a cup of wine and
HaMotzi over a challah; but each blessing ended with the
expression "B'shem Yeshua HaMashiach" ("in the name of Jesus
the Messiah"). I clearly remember a guitar player and a
violinist. They were singing some wonderfully vibrant Jewish
songs I had never heard before, but which I would soon learn
were traditional Jewish melodies; "Od Yeshama" and "Hinei Ma
Tov". The atmosphere felt very Jewish, and I found the
environment more stimulating than any synagogue experience I
could remember.
The synagogue of my youth had struck me as nothing so
much as a fashion show, with lots of noise and conversation,
and services conducted in a language that I didn't
understand. Here, however, everything was in English. The
music, accompanied by rhythmic hand-clapping, was both
emotionally and spiritually inspiring, and altogether
enjoyable. I decided to give this group a chance, and that I
would listen to what they had to say. It was very reassuring
to meet other Jews who believed in this new form of
"Christian-Jewish" expression. The environment was not at
all offensive; on the contrary, its Jewish flavor was quite
appealing. I didn't feel like the traitor I had been when
attending Mary Beth's church. I felt comfortable and wanted
to return for more of these "Oneg Shabbat" meetings. In this
milieu, basic gospel messages were presented with a
distinctly Jewish flavor. The man leading the services who
looked so Jewish was, in fact, a Jewish-born Baptist
minister. He was a gifted speaker, passionate and
convincing, and I was extremely moved by his sermons. It was
in the environment of this "Hebrew-Christian" church, or
"Messianic Jewish Synagogue", as its leaders preferred to
call it, that my interest in my Jewish identity was
rekindled. I began to go once every three or four weeks, and
soon found myself attending meetings every week. The
evangelical techniques used by this congregation lulled me
into feeling more comfortable with the idea of accepting
Christianity. Their symbols were clearly Jewish rather than
Christian. At the front of the meeting room, a large Jewish
star hung on the wall, as did two tablets with the Ten
Commandments written in abbreviated Hebrew letters (no doubt
originally part of an Aron HaKodesh, or cabinet containing
the Torah scrolls). Ritual articles of clothing (yarmulkes
and tallitot) were worn, and Hebrew terminology was used
liberally. The congregation almost never spoke the name
"Jesus Christ" to identify the individual in whom they
believed; instead he was referred to as "Yeshua HaMashiach."
The New Testament was called the "Brit Chadasha", or "New
Covenant". After having been exposed my girlfriend's
Christian jargon, I found this "Jewish" environment and
terminology much less abrasive to my ears and conscience.
The more I listened, the more Jewish belief in Jesus seemed
possible to me. Through my weekly Bible study group, I was
drawn deeper into serious consideration of the belief system
offered me by these people because of their ability to use
the Old Testament, or as they called it, the "Tanach", to
"prove" repeatedly that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. "If
the Jewish Bible prophesied a Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled
those prophecies, mustn't he, then be the Messiah?", they
challenged. When I expressed concern at being unable to read
the cited prophecies myself, in the original Hebrew, I was
assured that the translations in their Bible were
irreproachable, the work of great scholars.
As a result of this congregation's pervasive use of
Jewish symbols, terminology, music, ritual and liturgy, and
their distorted celebration of Jewish holidays, I soon began
to feel that I had never been more Jewish in my life. The
minister preached that if Jesus were the Jewish Messiah,
what could be more Jewish than to believe in him? Judaism
claims that it awaits the coming of the Messiah; if Jesus
were that Messiah, then I would be complete as a Jew if I
accepted him as my Messiah. In accepting Jesus, I would be a
"completed Jew", a "fulfilled Jew", a "Messianic Jew". My
religion wouldn't be Christianity but Messianic Judaism.
What could be more natural?
Many questioning how I became involved in Christianity,
many people over the years have suggested that there may
have been something "wrong" with me at the time: perhaps I
was undergoing some kind of emotional trauma, or was a
victim of depression, so that my need for an emotional
"crutch" made me susceptible to such religious arguments.
Yet my only emotional distress at the time arose from the
fact that I was romantically involved with a Christian woman
who had introduced me to these religious issues. The initial
impetus for my involvement in Christianity had been my
desire to prove her assertions wrong. I had a very
satisfying social life outside the "Messianic Jewish" group
with which I had begun to associate, and was enjoying
tremendous success as a magazine illustrator. There was no
crisis in my life to precipitate spiritual quest, no intense
emotional drive for ultimate truth. Very simply, I had a
beautiful girlfriend who happened to be a Christian, and we
were very much in love. If I could find a way to effect
compromise between my Jewishness and her Christianity,
perhaps we could get married. At one point, a congregant of
Melech Yisrael had suggested that we could even get married
under a chuppah (traditional Jewish wedding canopy)!
What influenced me to consider Christianity? The sermons
promising a personal relationship with G-d were delivered in
English, and in easily understandable terms. The ambience
was warm and familiar. The members of the congregation were
overwhelmingly loving and friendly. My ignorance of Judaism
and my profound emotional involvement with my Christian
girlfriend most certainly had an effect. Lastly, I
rationalized, "How can hundreds of millions of Christians be
wrong?" I thought, "How could it be wrong for a Jew to
believe that Jesus is the Messiah?" Nonetheless, I was
concerned that I might be making a mistake, and decided to
speak to a rabbi. I made an appointment and went to see him.
The rabbi was not available at the appointed time, and I was
obliged to wait a while for him. When he did finally have
time to see me, it was for no more than a few minutes. He
spent these few minutes chastising me for even considering
such a "silly belief system." He recommended that I go to
Yeshiva and start learning about Judaism, and sent me away.
As I left, I considered the attitude of this rabbi, who
ostensibly represented Judaism, and asked myself, "Was he
from G-d? What did I experience from him that would draw me
closer to G-d?" The man had no time or patience for me; he
didn't appear to be offering me anything that the Christians
were offering: love, hospitality, endless hours of
discussion, and tireless encouragement to believe in what
they believed. In marked contrast, the rabbi did not seem to
have a sincere interest in what was troubling me.
I couldn't help but compare the rabbi's attitude towards
me to that of the "Hebrew Christians". I rationalized, "If
one were a representative of G-d, surely it must be the
'Hebrew Christians'." Consequently, I plunged myself even
further into exploring the "truths" of Christianity.
It was at a Messianic "Rosh Hashana" service in the fall
of 1976 that I formally committed myself to Christianity. At
this service, the "Messianic rabbi" (as their pastors often
call themselves) had preached a message of atonement,
stressing the need for us to be forgiven for our sins
through the blood of Jesus. I was overwhelmed by a sense
that everything he preached was true. I was overcome by
guilt for my sins. The opportunity to be forgiven these
"sins" and to secure myself a place in heaven was
irresistible. The pastor announced that refusing to atone
carried with it as a consequence an eternity of burning in
hell. I couldn't afford the risk of not "atoning". I decided
to come forward and make my statement of faith: that I
believed Jesus was the Messiah, and that he died as an
eternal sacrifice for my sins.
After I had stood up in front of this congregation and
confessed my belief in Jesus, the "Messianic" leader asked
me to recite a prayer inviting Yeshua into my heart and
requesting that he forgive me for my sins. After a tearful
prayer, he then addressed both me and the entire
congregation. "Julius, it is G-d who has guided you on this
incredible journey through your unique education and through
the people whom you have met, to bring you to this point
today, where you have finally discovered the truth of Yeshua
being the Messiah. Do you believe this?"
I replied, "Yes, of course!"
"And do you believe that G-d wants more than anything for
you to have eternal life and to enjoy the eternal pleasures
of heaven with Him?"
I said, "Yes, I believe that."
"And do you believe that G-d wants more than anything for
you to be forgiven for your sins and to not sin anymore?"
I said, "Yes, I believe that."
"G-d wants you to repent and be forgiven for your sins
and to not sin anymore. Does that make sense to you?"
"Yes, I believe that, too." "Good", he responded. "Then
be prepared, when doubts enter into your mind that would
cause you even to entertain the possibility that Yeshua was
not the Messiah, to realize that those thoughts are not from
G-d. G-d doesn't want you to doubt Him. Does that make sense
to you, Julius?"
And I answered, "Yes, of course it makes perfect sense."
"Understand," he continued, "that when doubts regarding
Jesus' salvation enter your mind, such thoughts are not from
G-d; they are, in fact, from Satan. And you must know that
from the moment you walk out of here, Satan is going to try
to pursue you and cause you to doubt. When that happens, you
have to cling close to your savior. Now that G-d has shown
you the truth, that Jesus is your Messiah, the Devil is
going to want you to doubt, more than ever. And if you start
thinking that Jesus is not the Messiah, you must recognize
that those thoughts come from the Devil himself. That's when
you have to pray even harder that Jesus should protect you
with his blood."
I was stunned and terrified. It seemed to me that I
accepted two belief systems instead of one that day, or two
opposing gods: Jesus and the Devil. The Devil isn't a god in
the sense that Christians worship him, but they attribute so
much power to him that it is almost as though he is the evil
deity in contradistinction to Jesus. In some Christian
circles, the Devil seems to be as much a spiritual focus as
Jesus.
After receiving this admonition, I walked away from the
meeting extremely troubled. After all, what nice Jewish boy
who had just converted to Christianity wouldn't have some
qualms that maybe he was making a big mistake? Needless to
say, I was having doubts from the moment I walked out of
there, wondering, "What have I done?" Yet I could not allow
myself to brood about these doubts, because I had been
infected with this new "doctrine of the Devil".
After about a year of involvement with Christianity, I
discovered how much emphasis the Torah places on the
importance of a Jew's not marrying a gentile. Although I
believed in Jesus, I also still believed in the Jewish
Bible; I didn't want to violate that prohibition. Because of
this, I decided that I could not marry Mary Beth, even
though it was she who had led me to belief in Jesus.
Throughout this time, I had the sense that G-d had shown me
something that very few Jews in the history of the world had
ever known: that Jesus was the Messiah. It was crucial that
I learn as much as I could to prove Jesus' "true identity",
so that I could be G-d's instrument in bringing many Jewish
people to a saving knowledge of "Yeshua HaMashiach". With
this motivation, I started diligently attending various
Bible study programs as well as studying daily on my own,
reading through the Bible and listening to Christian radio
programs.
In the summer of 1977, I attended my first Messiah
conference, in Pennsylvania, an ingathering of about 1000
"Messianic Jews" from around the world. No longer did I feel
isolated as a Jew in my belief in Jesus. Instead of the
handful of "Hebrew Christians" with who I was acquainted in
Toronto, I now had the opportunity to meet literally
hundreds of friendly Jews for Jesus. To me, this experience
seemed to be a corroboration that I was part of a growing
religious movement. For eight full days, I attended intense
workshops, Bible study sessions and seminars. I underwent
the ceremony of "Mikveh-Bris" or baptism, immersing myself
in the river that went through the Conference grounds. That
week was the most spiritually motivating experience I'd ever
had. I absorbed a great deal of Christian teaching and made
many contacts with Messianic leaders and missionaries. I was
later to work for many of these individuals. I returned to
Toronto "on fire for the L-rd", ready to do whatever I could
to reach Toronto's Jewish community for "Yeshua HaMashiach".
Soon afterwards, I was given the responsibility of
leading my "Messianic" congregation's choir. Our choir
visited various churches, where we sometimes gave our
personal "testimony" (a short emotional account of how we
converted to Christianity), and often quoted passages from
the New Testament which urged congregants to reach out to
convert Jews.
In time, I was elevated to Public Relations Director for
the congregation, and was in charge of community relations.
I was excited by the momentum of my spiritual growth and
by the active role I was taking in the congregation. As I
had never been familiar with the content of the Jewish Bible
and had never had an appreciation for prayer, it was through
my involvement with "Hebrew Christianity" that I became
aware of the Bible's potential for a personal relationship
with G-d. In my zeal to spread the "good news", I was a
featured guest on various "Hebrew Christian" radio and
television programs across North America. Listeners to these
talk shows would often write to the station to express how
inspirational the program had been, and would send generous
donations. I also helped to design and illustrate brochures,
pamphlets, record album covers and book jackets for many
prominent "Hebrew Christian" missionary organizations. My
talents were so much sought after that Jews for Jesus, one
of the largest missionary organizations of its kind, asked
me to consider moving to San Francisco and working at their
headquarters.
I was so committed that I actively tried to convert many
of my friends and family members to Christianity. A few of
those friends are still involved in Christian belief to this
day, and refuse to speak to me.
However, as time wore on - and despite feeling good about
belonging to a congregation of Jews who believed in Jesus -
I sensed that something was terribly wrong. I noticed that
almost all of the Jewish people who shared my Christian
beliefs came from backgrounds which were clearly devoid of
any substantial Jewish content. I felt that my background
had been characterized by more religious observance than
theirs. Even the little acquaintance with Jewish practice
that I had acquired was more than most of these people had
ever had; Jewish content and education were sorely lacking
in these lives. What disturbed me most about their obvious
lack of Jewish background was beginning to crystallize: the
only Jews who appeared to be accept Jesus as the Messiah
were Jews who were ignorant of Judaism. This observation was
confirmed time and again. None of us had enough Jewish
knowledge or understanding to enable us to determine who was
truly the Jewish Messiah. None of us even came from homes in
which there was any serious observance of Shabbat or Jewish
holidays. We had all grown up in an environment in which
Judaism was lox and bagels and meaningless ritual, but did
not denote a belief and a lifestyle. This was our most
readily and apparent common denominator. Nevertheless, when
attempting to convert Jews, many of us would claim to have
been dedicated, observant Jews ourselves, or that our
grandparents had been Orthodox. (This latter assertion, in
fact, may well have been true.) An honest appraisal would
usually expose the first claim as a lie, or, at the very
least, as a "well-meaning" exaggeration. Our collective
vacuum troubled me, but I rationalized there must be a
reason for it.
As a result of this awareness, a process of questioning,
doubting and probing had begun. I started to take mental
note of issues that I found troubling.
One such issue was the question of the six million Jews
who perished in the Holocaust. According to the New
Testament, the only way a Jew (or non-Jew) could be forgiven
for his or her sins was to accept Jesus as savior, and to
believe that Jesus died for those sins and rose from the
dead. This, according to my Christian understanding, was the
only formula by which a Jew could gain eternal life.
What, then, is the nature of the eternity to which those
six million Jews were consigned? According to the Old
Testament, the Jews are the apple of G-d's eye, engraved on
the palm of His hand; G-d committed Himself to an
everlasting Covenant with the Jewish people, a people He
promised never forsake. Yet, according to Christianity, the
six million Jews are burning in hell for eternity because
they never accepted Jesus! At the same time, according to
Christian doctrine, it is feasible that Hitler and his
henchmen - if they repented before they died, and accepted
Jesus - could be forgiven for their sins and be sitting up
in heaven basking in G-d's presence. This deeply distressed
me. I found it difficult to accept what Christianity had to
say about my wonderful and loving parents: that they were
sinners doomed to go to hell. Many pious Jews died in the
Holocaust. Many very famous rabbis and tzadikim (righteous
people) had perished in the gas chambers - as had my own
grandparents. From what my parents told me about my
grandparents, they were devout, G-d fearing people. But
Christianity maintained that they were burning in hell. I
found it incomprehensible that Jews who had died tortured
deaths with the words "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the
L-rd is One" on their lips would be punished by that same
G-d by being banished to hell. There were many Christian
precepts which I found difficult to digest. Yet, because I
felt committed to my belief in Jesus, I was convinced that
the issues that I was unable to comprehend would somehow
soon become clear.
Nevertheless, occasionally there were irreconcilable
contradictions. One such example occurred during an evening
Bible class, when our group was studying the Book of
Ezekiel. Chapter 18, verses 21 through 24, clearly states
that if a wicked man turns from all the sins he has
committed, keeps G-d's ordinances, and executes justice and
righteousness, he will surely live and he would not die. The
Scripture further states that the transgressions he had
committed will not be remembered against him, and that "in
his righteousness that he hath done he shall live".
Similarly, Jeremiah 36:3 states "that (when) every man will
turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity
and their sin." This is a reiteration of the prominent
Biblical theme of Tshuvah (repentance of sin). All this
stands in flagrant contradiction to the Christian doctrine
that the only way a person can truly repent and be forgiven
is to accept Jesus as his sacrifice. As the "New Testament"
Book of Hebrews declares (9:22), "...Without shedding of
blood, there is no forgiveness."
I realized that there was no mention in the passages of
Ezekiel of having offer a sacrifice in order to be forgiven
for one's sins. But when I confronted the pastor that
evening and asked him about this glaring contradiction with
Christianity, he gave me a weak answer which appeared to be
inconsistent with what was being expressed in Scripture.
Instead of contesting his claim, I determined not to "rock
the boat", and merely stored this incident in my mental file
for future reference.
During my final two years, this and other issues were
continually surfacing which indicated a striking
contradiction between the scripture of the Tanach (Old
Testament) and the teachings of the New Testament. I found
an increasing number of references in the Jewish Bible
demonstrating that blood sacrifice was not required. For
example, in Leviticus 5:11-13; Numbers 31:50; and Numbers
14:17-20, flour, jewelry and prayer were used to atone for
sins. Interestingly, nowhere in the Old Testament is it ever
mentioned that a gentile was required to offer a sacrifice
for atonement. When a "sin sacrifice" was offered (which was
only for an unintentional sin), it was always an animal
sacrifice. Human sacrifice, the Torah teaches, is absolutely
forbidden.
Who was right?
The Tanach is G-d's word, and instructs us to keep His
Torah forever, neither adding to nor subtracting from it.
How can the New Testament be Divinely inspired if it
completely invalidates the same G-d given Torah? The New
Testament claims that the Torah is a curse ("Christ redeemed
us from the curse of the law..." [Galatians 3:13]), and that
the only path to G-d is through faith in Jesus.
While these and many other questions perturbed me, I
remained confident that there had to be answers to these
issues. After all, hadn't the messianic prophecies proven
that Jesus was the Messiah?
At the same time, my mental file of doubts continued to
grow at an alarming rate.
Then the leader of the congregation assigned me to teach
Sunday school to our adult congregants. I taught a program
entitled "How to Share Israel's Messiah With the Jewish
People". I used a variety of different books as resources
for the series of classes, extending over nine months.
During those months, I covered a lot of Biblical territory,
digesting all this material.
There's a truism that one of the best ways to learn is to
teach. In order to prepare my weekly lessons, I was exposed
to various Biblical passages which were regarded as
traditional "proof texts" for Christianity. Often I found
these references very encouraging; they helped build up my
faith and belief in Jesus as the Messiah. But the
inconsistencies and contradictions I had noted between the
New Testament and the Old Testament continued to multiply.
One of the principles constantly impressed upon me, from the
day I first became involved in Christianity, was that the
Bible was one hundred per cent the true and "inerrant" word
of G-d, and that G-d was not a liar or subject to error. And
I was now discovering many errors. If G-d were in fact the
author of this Bible, why was I discovering references in
the New Testament which were utterly inconsistent with the
sources in the Tanach which they claimed to be fulfilling?
The New Testament frequently alluded to passages in the
Tanach, and blatantly erred in transcribing the information.
For instance, the New Testament states, in Acts 7:14, that
seventy-five persons came with Jacob to Egypt; whereas
Genesis 46:27. Exodus 1:5, and Deuteronomy 10:22 all clearly
state that there were seventy persons in total. In addition,
the Book of Genesis (49:28-30; 50:13) says that Ya'akov
(Jacob) was buried in Mamre (which is Hebron, according to
Genesis 23:19), in land that had been purchased from Ephron
the Hittite. Yet the New Testament book of Acts (7:16-17)
misquotes Genesis and claims that Ya'akov was buried not in
Hebron but in Shechem, in land bought from the sons of
Hamor. Furthermore, I observed time and again that the New
Testament itself was markedly inconsistent from one chapter
to another. The various accounts of the Resurrection in the
gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were mutually
exclusive. The very Resurrection of the son of G-d was not
consistently described by this allegedly Divinely inspired
book!
I discovered many references to alleged messianic
prophecies in fact did not concern messianic prophecies at
all. One such example, central to Christian doctrine, is the
mistranslated reference to "virgin birth" in the Christian
editions of the book of Isaiah (7:14). This "virgin birth"
passage is a pillar of Christianity, because upon this verse
Christianity bases its belief that Jesus was born of a
virgin, that he was the son of G-d, and that he was the
Messiah.
I remember clearly that, when I was first shown the
passage of Isaiah 7:14, where Christians claim the concept
of a "virgin birth" first appears, my reaction was, "How
could this be? How, for two thousands years, could the
rabbis not have seen this?" I remember that, when I
confronted my pastor at the time, he said to me, "Julius,
it's because those rabbis were blinded. They had a veil over
their eyes, but G-d has lifted the veil from your eyes that
you can see the truth."
I felt that I had been paid a huge compliment: G-d had
chosen me above all the thousands and thousands of Jews who
had gone before me for the last two thousand years. G-d
would pick me, of all people, to see the truth in the Old
Testament that the Messiah would be born of a virgin? I felt
like a prophet. Never did it occur to me to check the
original Hebrew, or to study Jewish sources for the
traditional Jewish interpretation of this verse. I accepted
the pastor's explanation at face value, certain that this
prophecy was to be found in Jewish scripture.
Not until I was preparing a class on the "virgin birth"
did I actually study the Hebrew sources. I saw that not only
did the passage in question make no reference to a "virgin
birth", but that it also had nothing to do with the Messiah.
When the entire chapter was studied in its context, it was
seen to describe an event in history utterly unrelated and
altogether foreign to anything contained in the New
Testament.
To paraphrase the content of Chapter 7 of Isaiah: the
prophet Isaiah speaks to King Ahaz at a very peculiar time
in Jewish history. There were two Jewish nations in the Holy
Land at the time: the kingdom of Judah in the south, with
its capital in Jerusalem; and the kingdom of Israel in the
north. They were enemies. Israel had formed a military
alliance with Syria, and had planned an attack on the
kingdom of Judah. Ahaz, the king of Judah, was frightened by
the enemies at his doorstep and didn't know what to do. He
was approached by the prophet Isaiah, who said, "Ask for a
sign from G-d to show you that everything will be all
right." Ahaz refused to ask for such a sign. Isaiah than
declared to the king: "I'll give you a sign. The sign is
that a young woman is going to have a baby. By the time the
baby is old enough to eat honey and digest cheese, you
should know that the two nations that have allied themselves
against you will no longer be a threat." The fact that this
prophecy was fulfilled during the time of Ahaz and Isaiah
can be seen in II Kings, chapters 15-17 and II Chronicles,
chapter 28.
The Christians mistranslated the Hebrew word meaning "the
young woman." She is referred to in Hebrew as "HaAlmah", or
"the young maiden", with the definite article indicating a
specific woman whose identity was known both to Isaiah and
to Ahaz. The Christians say that "almah" translates not as
"maiden", but as "virgin". This claim is not supported by
the Hebrew or by any other instances in which the word
"almah" appears in the Tanach. (The correct Hebrew word for
"virgin" is "betulah".) The mistranslation was the result of
pagan influence. Greek and other pagan mythologies are full
of stories of the gods coming down and impregnating women
who then give birth to gods.
I made numerous similar - and almost equally dismaying -
discoveries during the course of my preparation for the
Sunday school classes. In addition, I had begun to
scrutinize the lives of many of the people in my
congregation. Despite the fact that they claimed to have
"new" lives in Jesus, I saw that there were a number of them
whose prayers went unanswered. Several exhibited neuroses
which were clearly indications of very troubled lives. Even
with all the prayers for healing offered in the
congregation, these individuals continued to be ill.
The New Testament promises believers that they will be
able to heal the sick in Jesus' name, as stated in Mark
16:18: "If they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover." It disgusted me that some Christians in the group
blamed those who did not appear to have been healed for "not
having the faith", or for "giving into the temptations of
Satan"! I felt that such people were playing an extremely
dangerous game with the lives of others. And, oddly enough,
while they claimed to have perfect faith in the above New
Testament verse regarding the power to heal, I never once
saw any instance of their drinking a deadly poison and
living to tell about it.
The more I observed, the more I became aware that there
were two distinct groups comprising the congregation: the
blind believers, or followers; and the leadership, who
seemed to be interested only in their own political
survival. The same appeared to be true of other
congregations I had visited. I began focusing on the sermons
delivered in our congregation. I repeatedly heard pleas for
money. Almost every week, the congregational leader had
something to say about people giving their tithes (one-tenth
of their income) and offerings. Frequently, an entire sermon
would be devoted to the necessity of ensuring that we gave
our tithes and contributed generously to the congregation. I
began to wonder why I attended these services, when I was
receiving only persistent requests for money.
I simultaneously realized that there were qualities
lacking in the congregation's leadership. A year after I
joined the congregation, a gentile minister was appointed as
the spiritual leader. I became increasingly aware of his
lack of sensitivity to Jewish issues. Disagreements often
arose when those members who were Jewish felt that their
needs were not being acknowledged. I saw that our "spiritual
leader" lacked any understanding of Jewish neshama (soul).
He was also intent on grooming other non-Jews among us to
assume leadership positions. I thought this very strange for
a Jewish congregation! At the same time, I began to notice
that some of my long-time Jewish friends were leading very
rich, vibrant, and rewarding lives within the context of
traditional Judaism. Chaya, a woman whom I'd known for many
years, had become an Orthodox Jew and was a constant,
committed friend to me throughout my five years of
involvement with Christianity. She never turned her back on
me, always offering an outstretched hand to try to welcome
me back to the fold. Moshe, another friend, who, in fact,
was once involved in this same "Hebrew Christian" church,
had since left it, and also came to fully embrace Judaism.
He occasionally phoned to engage me in discussion, trying to
reason with me. Even after he had presented many very
compelling arguments against Christian belief, I
irrationally and adamantly responded, "I don't care what you
say; I believe, and that's all that matters." I had invested
so much, both emotionally and spiritually, for such a long
time, that it was shattering to think that I might be wrong.
Gradually, though, I began to realize that much of what I
believed seemed to be making less and less sense. I was not
allowing my intellect to think through any of the profound
arguments advanced by my friends. I had believed in Jesus,
but was now finding that my reason and intellect, my
"Pintele Yid" (spark of Jewish spirituality), and my neshama
were crying out to me, "Julius, stop, listen! You're making
a mistake." After five years of exposure to a variety of
people who claimed to be "fulfilled, Messianic Jews", I was
forced to admit that not a single Jew among them had ever
known what authentic Judaism was all about.
The one person whom I felt might give me some answers to
my many doubts was Toronto's new director of Jews for Jesus.
He seemed intelligent, had a Hebrew name, and claimed to
have had a traditional Jewish background. I had worked with
him both as a graphic designer and as a street missionary,
distributing leaflets. I went to Jews for Jesus'
headquarters to attend a meeting, and found myself in his
office. While I was admiring the contents of his
bookshelves, my eye was drawn to a black and yellow book
spine entitled Faith Strengthened.
I reached to remove the book from the shelf. He nervously
grabbed it from my hands, saying, "You don't want to look at
that."
"Why?" I asked. "What is it?"
"It's a book written by a rabbi in the Middle Ages to
refute Christianity," he responded. "It's just the type of
book Satan loves to use to trip up a 'Messianic' believer."
I smiled politely, but was very uncomfortable for the
rest of the afternoon as a result of this incident.
The following day, I ran to a local Jewish book store and
requested a copy of Faith Strengthened. I bought it and
rushed home to devour it.
The book seemed to articulate and clarify many of the
doubts I had harbored about Christianity. It answered a
number of my questions with lucid rational arguments, and
encouraged me to learn more about Jewish responses to
Christianity. "Am I really being tempted by Satan," I
wondered, "Or is G-d allowing me to finally use my mind?"
I returned to the Jewish bookstore and purchased two more
books: The Real Messiah, by Aryeh Kaplan; and Jews and
Jewish Christianity, by David Berger and Michael Wyschogrod.
I could no longer continue my commitment to Christianity
or my belief in Jesus. What I read in these books completely
shattered my faith and left me with a mountain of doubts.
Despite having been cautioned that these doubtful thoughts
were from the Devil, I had reached the point where I said to
myself, "Devil be damned! I have to listen to my own
intellect." This Christian teaching of doubts being the
voice of Satan himself had maintained a powerful hold on me
for most of the five years of my involvement in "Messianic
Judaism", just as I am sure it has a hold on many adherents
to the Christian faith.
Christians believe that the Devil is a constant
adversary, sitting in every corner. On the one hand, the
Christian tries to do what is right; but, on the other hand,
there's a satanic power constantly trying to make him sin.
When we make a decision, something in us informs us
whether it's a right decision or a wrong one. If we have
doubts, our instincts tell us that we should listen to our
intellect and to the lessons of our past experience. We must
also weigh the "pros" and "cons". Here I had been involved
in a situation where I had made a major spiritual decision
and I had many doubts. I was told that these doubts were not
a normal function of my human mind, but were the work of a
potent spiritual force which was attempting to deceive me.
The entire concept totally distorts reality.
Fear of Satanic influence had introduced into my dilemma
an utterly unanticipated dimension. I had been taught that I
couldn't listen to doubts about Jesus' divinity because
these doubts were from Satan! In retrospect, I see that this
was a form of mind control, or brainwashing: a serious
violation of free will.
In Judaism, we are taught to think, to ask questions, and
to be skeptical; we are encouraged not to accept things on
faith, but to look for proof. This constitutes one of the
biggest differences between Judaism and Christianity. While
faith plays a vital role, Judaism places great emphasis on
learning and education.
I decided that I had to meet with someone Jewish who had
a thorough knowledge of both Judaism and Christianity. My
friend Chaya arranged a meeting for me with Rabbi Immanuel
Shochet. After we had spent an entire evening in discussion,
he advised me to take one per cent of the effort I had
devoted to Christianity and to invest it in an exploration
of Judaism. He suggested that it would not be wise for me to
maintain contact with my "Hebrew Christian" friends of the
last five years. In retrospect, I believe he was right; I
had forged such a deep emotional bond with many of these
individuals that seeing them would have made me very
vulnerable to their overtures.
There was great consternation in the "Messianic" movement
when I left. Because I had been very active in missionary
work, as an illustrator, graphic designer, and teacher, I
received phone calls from several concerned "Messianic"
leaders throughout the United States. I had contributed my
artistic talent to the efforts of no fewer than twelve
"Hebrew Christian" missionary organizations in North
America. These were Jews for Jesus; Kol Simcha; Hebrew
Christian Witness; Messianic Jewish Movement International;
Congregation Melech Yisrael; Hamilton Friends of Israel;
Messianic Literature Outreach; House of David; Lamb;
Messianic Vision; Jewish Voice; and the Union of Messianic
Jewish Congregations. I had committed myself wholeheartedly
to "Messianic Judaism", and my departure was a rude shock to
many.
Abandoning the "Hebrew Christian" movement was very
difficult, and the difficulty was compounded by the fact
that I was leaving behind some of the best friends that I
had ever had. To this day, I still love them and miss them.
I wish that it were possible to maintain these friendships;
but I know that, had I tried, I would never have been able
to resolve the spiritual issues at the center of my being.
I went to Aish HaTorah and to Ohr Somayach, two
organizations devoted to exposing Jewishly uneducated Jews
to the richness and depth of their faith, and there started
learning for the first time what Judaism truly was all
about. For the first time in my life, I met "born again"
Jews, true messianic Jews, and I encountered a Jewish life
I'd never known. I met Jews who were more than willing to
talk about belief in G-d, and about how to achieve a
personal relationship with Him. They invited me into their
homes and synagogues, and I was able to experience the
magnificent sanctity of Shabbat and the spiritual depth of
Jewish prayer. I was introduced to the excitement of Torah
study. I formed lasting friendships, and through these
friends I encountered the Jewish holidays in a way I had
never known. I soon realized that I had missed so much, by
simply closing my eyes to my true Jewish heritage. I
regretted not having explored it earlier, and especially
having taken this heritage so much for granted as to have
entirely overlooked it.
Since my return to Judaism, I have developed an honest
and sustaining personal relationship with G-d. I believe
that the Torah which the Jewish people have embraced for
over 3,300 years is the only document describing the
revelation of G-d to the Jewish people. The New Testament is
not of Divine origin. Moreover, the Book of Deuteronomy
(13:1-12) clearly teaches us that the false prophet who was
responsible for the inauguration of the New Testament
religion was strictly a test from G-d to see if the Jewish
people truly loved Him and would uphold His Torah.
In the first year after my return to Judaism, I was
careful not to mention my Christian past. Only later, when
asked what had influenced me to become Torah-observant, did
I reluctantly speak of those five years. Several people
referred me to other Jewish organizations which were
interested in my knowledge and experience of Christianity. I
have since spoken to countless Jewish audiences in the
United States, Israel and Canada about my experience, and
about the differences between Judaism and Christianity. I am
often called upon by people to advise them how to most
effectively counsel a loved one who is involved in
Christianity. I am now a "counter-missionary", not by choice
but by necessity. Other than a few activists, no one in the
Jewish community appears to be addressing the problem of
deceptive missionary tactics in the aggressive drive to
convert Jews. When I walked into the church with Mary Beth,
I knew to what I was being exposed; but when I walked into
the "Messianic Synagogue", I was misled. The people used
Hebrew names and Hebrew terminology, sang Hebrew songs, and
wore yarmulkes and tallitot. The leader of the congregation
said, "You're not going to convert and become a Christian.
You're a Jew; now you'll be a 'completed Jew', a 'fulfilled
Jew'. You're not being asked to believe in Jesus Christ, but
to accept 'Yeshua HaMashiach' as your Messiah instead. You
won't be baptized; you'll have a 'Mikvah-Bris'." The
missionaries make the Christian religion look very Jewish,
like kosher pork! It troubles me that Jews are falling prey
to these false claims. Because of my own misspent years when
I could have been living as a Jew, I hate to see others
being sold the same false bill of goods, and cheated of
their authentic heritage. Having been on both the Christian
and the Jewish side of the issue, I know with certainty that
Christianity is wrong for the Jew, and that Jesus is not the
Messiah.
According to the Tanach, the Messiah will accomplish four
things: he will cause the Jewish people to return to the
Land of Israel; he will bring about world recognition of
G-d; he will serve as catalyze for world peace; and he will
effect the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem which
existed prior to the Roman destruction in 70 CE. Jesus met
none of these criteria. World history clearly shows that
there have been more wars waged since Jesus' death than
before it, many of which have been fought in his very name.
Nor is there a worldwide knowledge of G-d; if there were,
all the missionaries scattered over the face of the earth
would be entirely unnecessary. And why are there so many
world religions contrary to Christianity? The Jews have not
all returned to the Land of Israel; nor has the Temple been
restored.
How could Jesus have been the Messiah when these
conditions have not been fulfilled? The Christians claim
that these four criteria will be met in Jesus' "Second
Coming". However, Judaism does not anticipate a Messiah who
comes, fails miserably in his mission, dies, and then comes
back thousands of years later to try again.
I pray, with all my heart, that any Jew who is involved
in Christianity will make an effort to explore what Judaism
has to say for itself, about the Messiah, and about the
Christian faith, before embarking on a commitment to a
religion that will lead him or her far from truth and from
our precious Jewish heritage.
Julius Ciss is the Director of the Toronto branch of JEWS
FOR JUDAISM. He still works as an illustrator and art
teacher, enjoying success and recognition in his profession.
JEWS FOR JUDAISM, with
offices in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Washington, Harrisburg
and Toronto, is the only full-time counter-missionary
resource and outreach center in North America, working
exclusively to monitor and combat deceptive Christian
missionary efforts.
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