Showing posts with label Eitan Bar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eitan Bar. Show all posts

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Psalm 22 and the Crucified Messiah - Eitan Bar ISRAEL TODAY

Psalm 22 and the Crucified Messiah

Friday, January 18, 2019 |  Eitan Bar  ISRAEL TODAY
Much like Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 describes the Messiah’s torment, rejection and death.
“To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1-2).
Son of David: King David, who wrote Psalm 22 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, predicted that the Messiah - who would be his descendant - would suffer, be rejected and killed. When Jesus was on the cross, He cried out quoting the first line of the Psalm, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” That is: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Psalm 22 foretells how God had to separate from the Messiah. God turns His face away from the Messiah so that, as he dies, He may take the sins of Israel and of all mankind upon Himself.
Rashi (who was a famous Jewish sage) gave his commentary on this verse: “Why have You forsaken me?: They are destined to go into exile, and David recited this prayer for the future” (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki). Even Rashi could see that this psalm is a prophecy about the future and not just some past experience of David.
“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, for He delights in him!” (Psalm 22:6-8).
Now these verses describe the scorn and derision towards the Messiah by all those around him. 
“Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help” (Psalm 22:9-11).
The Messiah’s trust is not in people, but in God, and has been from the beginning. However, God is not there in His time of trouble. Interestingly, even here like the rest of the biblical prophecies about the Messiah, only the Messiah’s mother is mentioned, there is no human father mentioned.
“For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; Like a lion are my hands and feet” (Psalm 22:16).
And now, here comes the interesting part! For the past millennia, all Hebrew bibles say: “Like a lion are my hands and feet.” Or, in other words: my hands and my feet are like those of a lion. It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, does it? 1,000 years ago, the Masoretes who made the “Masoretic text” that Israelis all use today, changed one single letter in this verse: 
They shortened the letter VAV ( ו )
 into the letter YUD  ( י ).
Originally, the text actually read they have pierced my hands and my feet. The original Hebrew word means to mine or bore, to make a hole or dig a pit. According to Bar-Ilan University’s Biblical Hebrew Dictionary, the meaning of “mine” is the same as “dig.” This is reinforced in various places throughout the Old Testament. For example, in Exodus 21:33 or in 2 Chronicles 16:14. However, this sounded a little too much like Jesus for the rabbis, they decided to shorten the letter VAV ( ו ) to become the letter YUD  ( י ). Any person who reads any ancient version of the Old Testament, such as the Septuagint or the Dead Sea Scrolls, will see for themselves that the original text doesn’t say “like a lion”, but rather “they have bored / pierced.” The Dead Sea Scrolls, dated hundreds of years before the time of Jesus or as in the New Testament, were written at least 1,200 years prior to the Masoretic text.
That description is remarkably similar to the one in Zechariah 12, verse 10: “When they look on me, on Him whom they have pierced” as well as to the description in Isaiah 53 where the Messiah is said to be “pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). 
Even the Jewish Sages recognized and admitted that Psalm 22 was a prophetic psalm about the Messiah. In fact, Rashi explains verse 27 as referring: “To the time of redemption, to the days of the Messiah.” (Rashi’s commentary on Psalm 22:27).
When one properly understands Psalm 22, the true Messiah and Savior can be easily discerned. It describes one who has suffered unbearable agony, pierced in his hands and feet, tortured and killed, but then rose from the dead. King David wasn’t referring to himself - even the rabbis agree about that. However, unlike David, Jesus not only risked His own life for His people, but He GAVE His life – for us all!

Eitan Bar is the author of the new book Refuting Rabbinic Objections to Christianity and Messianic Prophecies, available from Amazon.
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Monday, January 9, 2017

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog: A big, untold story - online videos of Jews explaining why they believe Jesus is the Messiah

yeshua-videos

New post on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

A big, untold story: online videos of Jews explaining why they believe Jesus is the Messiah have been viewed more than 23 million times. Here’s the latest. (Update)

by joelcrosenberg
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." -- the Apostle Paul (Romans 1:16)
With so much bad news in the U.S., Israel, Russia and around the world these days, I thought it might be good to kick off 2017 with some very good news.
Here, then, is an update to a column I published on September 22, 2015 about "a big, untold story" that "the media isn't reporting" but is very much "worth examining."
"Millions of Jews have begun a quest to find the Messiah," I wrote at the time, based on conversations with key Messianic Jewish ministry leaders in the U.S. and Israel. "For reasons I cannot fully explain, Jews are suddenly searching for answers to the deepest and most important questions concerning life and death and God and atonement and eternity, in numbers unprecedented in history. Some are searching through the Hebrew Scriptures for answers. A stunning number are actually reading the New Testament, most for the first time. They are searching on Google for information about the Messiah. They are even watching a new series of videos by Jews who claim to have found the answers. The videos — some of which have gone viral — were produced and posted on a new website called www.imetmessiah.com."
The numbers as of September 2015 were nothing short of astonishing. "More than 10 million people have watched these [English-language testimony] videos just in the past few months," I explained, while "more than 900,000 Hebrew speakers have watched the Hebrew-language versions of these videos in just the past four months."
Since then, however, the videos have continued to go viral and are surging beyond anything I would have imagined.
Eitan Bar, a native Israeli and a devoted follower of Yeshua, heads a team that is producing the videos and helping to develop digital evangelism strategies for two ministries, One For Israel (based in Israel and led by Dr. Erez Soref) and Chosen People Ministries (based in the U.S. and led by Dr. Mitch Glaser). Recently, I asked Eitan if he had updated figures.
Eitan's online report also includes numerous encouraging quotes by Jews who have been watching the videos and either started their own spiritual journeys to figure out who Jesus (Yeshua) is or who have actually become His followers.
A few examples:
  • “Finally, I have reached the destination I was looking for, for years! …I considered myself to be an atheist for a long while, resisting any kind of explanation of God. Until, I came across your video about who Jesus is, that you did in Jerusalem. My jaw dropped. So I decided to keep away from your videos so not to fall for it. But, like a cat who is drawn to the taste of cream, I wanted more. Everyday I would visit your websites to watch more and more of your video teachings. I found truth and endless love that I never came across in Judaism. Thank you so, so much!” -- a Jewish woman in her 40s who lives in central Israel
  • “I found Yeshua on YouTube, through one of your advertised videos about the falsehood of the rabbinic oral law. I felt that I had to check what it is all about and found a whole new world!! Yeshua changed my life and I’m thankful to Him and to you because of it. I feel that my life was saved. All the information in your videos is so rich in content, pleasant to watch, and the way you explain things is so good that I came to that moment in my life of understanding who Yeshua really is. I thank you from the depth of my soul! I want more Jews to know the truth, which is that Yeshua is the Messiah who we’ve been waiting for all along!” -- a young Jewish man who works in Jerusalem
  • “First, I have no words to thank you (Eitan) and Moti for the articles and videos. I saw your video-ad on YouTube a year or two ago, but when I realized that it’s all about “Christianity” and “Jesus”, I switched it off. Lately, I came across your videos once again, and it grabbed me so I decided to read the prophecies in the Old Testament. I was surprised to find out they all point to Yeshua . Then I wanted to find out about the lifestyle of Messianic Jews – how do you live your lives – only to realize that it’s not about what we do, but about what’s inside, the change is inside the heart.  …I found our Messiah and two days ago gave Him my heart." -- an Orthodox Jewish man
As a Jewish follower of Yeshua myself, I am thrilled to see the Lord using these websites, videos and social media to spread the Gospel so broadly and so rapidly throughout Israel via Hebrew and throughout the English speaking world.
While surely many Gentiles are watching the English language videos, many Jews are watching them, too. What's more, we can be confident that the vast majority of those watching the Hebrew language videos are Jews. This suggests the possibility that in a world of about 14.5 million Jewish people worldwide -- and about six million Jews in Israel -- more Jewish people have been exposed to the Gospel of the Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, in the last two or three years than in any other two to three year period in human history.
Would you be praying for each and every person that has watched, that the Lord would be drawing him or her to His heart? Would you be praying for all the people that work for these and related ministries for continued boldness, wisdom and discernment, and the Lord's spiritual and physical protection? Also, would you share these videos on your Facebook pages, and through Twitter and other social media so that they are seen by even more people in 2017? Might you even consider giving financially to such ministries?
Thanks so much -- may the Lord bless you and your family as you give Jews and Gentiles the opportunity to hear the Gospel for themselves and make their own personal decision for or against Yeshua!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GOSPEL:
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joelcrosenberg | January 9, 2017 at 10:09 am | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-6vl

Monday, December 14, 2015

Jesus is Making Headlines in Israel | David Lazarus ISRAEL TODAY

Jesus is Making Headlines in Israel

Monday, December 14, 2015 |  David Lazarus 
 ISRAEL TODAY
The second largest internet portal in Israel is putting Hebrew-language testimonies about Jesus on their front page, and 95% of Israelis are hooked into the internet everyday, all day.
Walla!, the mainstream Israeli media giant, is producing, at their own expense, a series of up to 24 live interviews with Messianic Jews about Jesus. In the interviews, a well-known Israeli actress asks Israeli believers questions about faith in Jesus.
Some of the topics being discussed are:
  • Who are these Messianics Jews;
  • What is the difference between Messianic Judaism and Christianity;
  • Talmudic fables intended to dismiss Jesus;
  • Why is the Hebrew New Testament not available in Israeli book stores;
  • Isaiah 53
Management at Walla! had noticed popular video clips about Jesus produced by the Israel College of the Bible (ICB) on social media. In an unprecedented and exceptional move for a mainstream Israeli media company, Walla! asked the team at ICB if they could produce their own series about Jesus for the Israeli public.
Walla! has already begun placing the clips about faith in Jesus on the front page of their site, and they are uploading new clips during the busiest hours of their Internet traffic. Already on the first day of exposure, the numbers of visitors and comments are enormous.
Of the multitude of subjects argued and debated in Israel, Jesus is by far the most controversial. Walla!, the second largest Internet news company in Israel, has taken a bold and risky step by promoting interest in Jesus, and in Messianic Jews, to their massive audience. There are likely to be repercussions and resistance to such a major promotion about Jesus, but the management of Walla! seems to think that Israelis are ready to listen.
Eitan Bar, one of the Messianic Jews being interviewed for the series, says that Messianics in Israel can expect strong reactions as well. “Please pray for us and for all of the Messianic Jews in Israel. We know that there will be unyielding opposition.”
Bar and the team at ICB are also asking for prayer that this massive exposure to Jesus would bring the Gospel closer to Israeli hearts and minds. They are garnering support from Messianic believers across Israel to get active in the discussions with the thousands of comments and interactions about Jesus with Israelis on the website.
Bar also suggests some practical ways Christians around the world can help.
“Use your blogs and websites to link to the Messianic websites being promoted by Walla!. This really helps as it increases exposure to these sites and raises the sites rating on Google’s search engine. When Israelis search for keywords in Hebrew like 'Yeshua the Messiah', 'New Testament', 'Jesus of Nazareth' or 'Messianic Jews' they will be pointed to the Hebrew websites where they will be able to learn more about who Jesus really is, rather than to the many anti-Messiah, deceitful websites, some even denying that Jesus ever existed!"
Here is a link to the first Walla interviews about Yeshua. Click here to see the first interview (in Hebrew).
The two Messianic websites (Hebrew) being promoted by the series are: www.igod.co.ilwww.messiah.co.il
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Sunday, October 25, 2015

Rabbi Threatens to Kill Messianic Jewish Evangelists - ISRAEL TODAY

Eitan Bar and Moti Vaknin, the Israeli Messianic Jews behind the One For Israel project

Rabbi Threatens to Kill Messianic Jewish Evangelists

Sunday, October 25, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff
A well-known, though already controversial, Israeli rabbi recently released a video encouraging his followers that Messianic Jews sharing the Gospel deserve the “death penalty.”
“Whoever incites to idolatry, his punishment is death,” stated Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi. “And whoever follows him also deserves death!”
Mizrachi was referring specifically to Eitan Bar and Moti Vaknin, the Israeli Messianic Jews behind the One For Israel project that exists primarily to share the Gospel via the Internet.
In one of their more recent videos, Bar and Vaknin exposed several of Mizrachi’s false teachings regarding Yeshua and the promises about Messiah.
Mizrachi warned that “if they dare to speak up again, these two clowns, I will strike them down.”
In a video response to Mizrachi’s threat, Bar and Vaknin asked for prayers for their personal safety, but also expressed forgiveness and love for the wayward rabbi.
“Rabbi Mizrachi, we still love you, forgive your incitement, and refuse to hate you back,” said Vaknin.
Born in Israel, Rabbi Mizrachi now resides in New York where he heads an organization that teaches his brand of Judaism to both religious and secular Jews. He has courted controversy in the past by, among other things, suggesting that Down’s Syndrome and autism are “punishments for sins committed in a previous life.”
Watch the full video response by Eitan Bar and Moti Vaknin here: Rabbi and Messianic Jews
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Sunday, June 7, 2015

Millions Watch Testimony of Jewish Believer in Yeshua

Mottel Baleston

Millions Watch Testimony of Jewish Believer in Yeshua

Sunday, June 07, 2015 |  Ryan Jones  Israel Today

An online evangelism effort by local Israeli Messianic Jews has become something of an Internet sensation over the past month after the video testimony of an Jewish man who came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) went viral.

Mottel Baleston’s was just one of the latest in a series of video testimonies titled “I Met Messiah” produced by the Israeli Messianic group One For Israel in cooperation with Chosen People Ministries.
But Baleston’s testimony apparently touched a nerve, and by the first week of June well over five million people had viewed the brief video explanation of how he had many years earlier come to faith as a young man in Brooklyn.
Growing up, Baleeston was acquainted with a large number of Italian Catholics, leading him to believe that Jesus must be Italian. In the video he explains how “the understanding that [Yeshua is] actually Jewish was a shock. And then to hear that the New Testament was written by Jews, I couldn’t believe it. …when I open it, I’m reading a story written by Jews about Jewish people.”
What followed as a natural progression for a young man seeking spiritual truth. “As I came to faith that Yeshua - that Jesus was the Messiah, it was clear that that was the most Jewish thing I could do,” he recalled. “This is the One who was promised in our Bible.”
The most tear-jerking part of the testimony is when Baleston recounts convincing his father to attend a lecture by an author he knew to be a believer. Baleston was happily stunned when both he and his father raised their hands when asked by the speaker for all Jewish believers in Yeshua to identify themselves.
One For Israel director Eitan Bar told Israel Today that Baleston’s testimony had opened a lot of doors. By press time, it had been shared over 175,000 times on Facebook and had a “reach” (number of personal profiles on which it was viewed) of well over 15 million on the largest social network.
“It sparked discussions among many Jewish groups,” said Bar. “I myself got into discussions with Orthodox Jewish Rabbis from the USA and France about Yeshua!”
Bar concluded that he felt “like we are changing the direction of Jewish evangelism. After 1,900 years the Gospel is finally ‘going forth from Zion’ (Ps. 14:7).”
Check out Mottel Baleston’s testimony: Messiah
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