Numerous articles can be found on a Google search about the differences between Judaism and Christianity. Here, I will outline a few things relative to the Jerusalem Unity Center and the founding of the Seventy Nations, which represents the “ultimate unity of the people under the One God”. As we read in Ze,chariah 14:9
| “And the Lord shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the Lord be one, and His name One.” | טוְהָיָ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִֽהְיֶ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶחָ֖ד וּשְׁמ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד: |
As per the many translations of the Bible, English in many of those translation misunderstands this verse. To read in the correct context, knowledge of Torah is essential. Here in Jerusalem, it is common knowledge that the God of Israel will be one day recognized by All Nations as the One God who is Creator of the Universe. One of the most important concepts to understand in this element of the great awakening is that MUCH has been lost in Christianity which has taken the Torah out of context and molded it to fit the premise of a very different religious pursuit. While the Creator has allowed this and must have a purposeful plan for the confusion, we are nearing, if not already there, the time where All Nations are being drawn by these very misconceptions to the God of Torah, who IS the One God and Word of God is going forth from Zion as we read from Isaiah 2:2
| “And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it. | בוְהָיָ֣ה | בְּאַֽחֲרִ֣ית הַיָּמִ֗ים נָכ֨וֹן יִֽהְיֶ֜ה הַ֚ר בֵּֽית־יְהֹוָה֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הֶהָרִ֔ים וְנִשָּׂ֖א מִגְּבָע֑וֹת וְנָֽהֲר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־הַגּוֹיִֽם: | |
| 3And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, “Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mount, to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths,” for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. | גוְהָֽלְכ֞וּ עַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֗ים וְאָֽמְרוּ֙ לְכ֣וּ | וְנַֽעֲלֶ֣ה אֶל־הַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶל־בֵּית֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְיֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ מִדְּרָכָ֔יו וְנֵֽלְכָ֖ה בְּאֹֽרְחֹתָ֑יו כִּ֚י מִצִּיּוֹן֙ תֵּצֵ֣א תוֹרָ֔ה וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה מִירֽוּשָׁלִָֽם: | |
| 4And he shall judge between the nations and reprove many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” | דוְשָׁפַט֙ בֵּ֣ין הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְהוֹכִ֖יחַ לְעַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבוֹתָ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַֽחֲנִיתֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת לֹֽא־יִשָּׂ֨א ג֚וֹי אֶל־גּוֹי֙ חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹֽא־יִלְמְד֥וּ ע֖וֹד מִלְחָמָֽה: |
It will be by this means that Zechariah 8:23 will come to fruition:
| “So said the Lord of Hosts: In those days, when ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” | כגכֹּֽה־אָמַר֘ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָאוֹת֒ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔מָּה אֲשֶׁ֚ר יַֽחֲזִ֙יקוּ֙ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל לְשֹׁנ֣וֹת הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְֽהֶחֱזִ֡יקוּ בִּכְנַף֩ אִ֨ישׁ יְהוּדִ֜י לֵאמֹ֗ר נֵֽלְכָה֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ אֱלֹהִ֥ים עִמָּכֶֽם: |
Torah is the book of the Jews for the Jews. However, Christianity claims the Torah as a foundation as well but there are many differences in its interpretation. Here we will talk about two points: man cannot be God Almighty and man has not been doomed to an eternal Hell (if he doesn’t believe in Jesus or otherwise). Torah Judaism teaches that all humans are created beings having both body and a soul, which is eternal. By this, all souls are “children” of the Living God who created them.
It makes no sense that the Creator would condemn his creation to suffer in an eternal fire of hell or otherwise. Christianity and its numerous interpretations (Catholicism, Lutheran, Protestant, Baptist, etc.) point towards “Jesus” being God Almighty, and if one doesn’t “believe” this, they will be condemned to an eternal Hell of suffering and separation from God. Nowhere in Torah does this concept exist.
Jesus, whose name was Yeshua, was a Jewish Rabbi who taught much of what we see today in Chassidism; however, what he stood for his own Jewish has been lost since the teachings reported of him must be ignored so as not to break the first and second commandment given to Moses to ensure that no type of idolatry or slavery would ever happen again. You see, it is man who enslaves man, not the Creator.
1. I am the L-rd your G-d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
2. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, nor any manner of the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I the L-rd your G-d am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments.
Unfortunately, the basic moral precept of the One God that ensured the divine birthright of man, the man himself, has turned AWAY for the concepts that were set in place to ensure freedom to enslavement that removes the freedom of man’s self-expression of his divine connection. Mankind’s faith-based personal walk ((like Abraham, who is the faith model for both religions) was and is not to be a religion or a religious pursuit but rather an example to follow after and the true purpose of man, which is to discover and grow in the knowledge of the Living God which dwells inside all of each person.
Jesus, who also said “follow me,” was a Jewish Rabbi named Yeshua, has been turned into God himself in the stories of the New Testament Bible. This is the main reason that nothing can be spoken about him effectively in Judaism because it breaks the first and second commandments mentioned above. The only answer is to clear up the confusion by educating the world on what the Torah does and doesn’t say and learning the correct interpretation of the words themselves.
Torah Judaism which is more of a lifestyle in its origins rather than the current rabbinical Judaism
(which has developed since the Temple doesn’t exist and many things cannot be accomplished correctly without it) does not teach of an eternal death of the soul or the need for salvation or being “saved” by someone or something other than the need of saving yourself from ignorance and error. According to Judaism, the Redemption is an ongoing process in that correct moral choices facilitate and the practice of exemplifying them in all aspects of our human life. By making these simple but essential moral choices, man continually works towards his excellence and his final redemption, which, at the end of life, is the reward of Paradise, is a place of perfection itself. Christianity‘s focus, which is largely on getting off the earth and into heaven, is quite different than the Jewish focus of living on earth and bringing heaven to earth. Man himself IS the conduit between heaven and earth and by his actions, either bring down the holy light or utter darkness. Judaism strives to bring Paradise to earth through purposeful actions and words, prayers and observances. Most people do not understand whatsoever what a real Jew is, by they will…someday, very soon.
Psalm 22:3 states
| But You (God) are holy; You dwell in the praises of Israel. | דוְאַתָּ֥ה קָד֑וֹשׁ י֜וֹשֵׁ֗ב תְּהִלּ֥וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל |
The divine and correct understanding of the Torah manifests the living light of the living God on planet earth, but in Christianity, all praises that is directed to Jesus AS GOD ALMIGHTY takes away opportunity for the living God to shine living light into the SOUL because praise that’s being directed solely to The One God is reflected back to each who gives it.
Without correctly studying the Torah or knowing Judaism, without understanding the Hebrew language, there is very limited possibility to truly understanding the original text of the Torah. This is a key concept and anybody who really wishes to understand the true differences of Judaism and Christianity needs to start by studying the Hebrew alphabet and learning the Hebrew language even a little so as to take one tiny step to understand Hebrew. The Hebrew language delineates each letter and word in at least five different levels of understanding, none of which are necessarily literal.
The good attempts of Christians who have not had access to this knowledge and have built their understanding on translations and do understand some of the spiritual aspects of the Torah. However, a grave mistake has been made by making a Jewish man into a god. Equally important is the idea of eternal death and being saved from it. The bottom line is there is absolutely nothing written by Jesus / Yeshua himself. While we have no manuscripts nor parchments, it is agreed-upon largely that this person did exist and was radically altering Jewish thinking during his time. There is nothing left actually written BU HIM. Christianity must take a step to learn more about the Torah so as to really understand who Rabbi Yeshua was and teach each person for themselves how to align directly with the true living God who is Creator of the Universe. Sadly, many have largely based their life on in the stories of the New Testament but only need to look at the similarity between Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology to understand the influence of the time in these stories.
Judaism has remained and will remain faithful to the Torah with a continuing evolution of understanding, developing, and expanding every concept for the ability to practice the high moral teachings that align the soul with the true living God. If Christianity continues to believe that all of this is accomplished by giving one’s life to Jesus, they are absent from all Torah teachings and Torah itself. There is no requirement to allow a “spirit” to embody your body, there is no requirement to give your life and let another being live life through you, and there is no need for being saved except from your ignorance, unconsciousness or your desires of the flesh. Yeshua, like many great rabbis, must be correctly seen for who he is. He was a Jew, teaching and taking Torah to another level of personification and embodying the high moral content we read and learn from if we know how to read it CORRECTLY. Anything that cannot be said of Judaism cannot be said of a Jewish Rabbi or his teachings. Taking things to a deeper level has always been the way of the Jewish people. Respected or not, all Jews are allowed to personalize their own Torah knowledge if it doesn’t go against the Torah itself. All Jewish people do this in some way and while we could go on further, suffice it to say that while the One God who is Creator must have a purpose for all things, it should be our purpose altogether always to choose this blessing.
| 10when you obey the Lord, your God, to observe His commandments and His statutes written in this Torah scroll, [and] when you return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul. | יכִּ֣י תִשְׁמַ֗ע בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר מִצְוֹתָיו֙ וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו הַכְּתוּבָ֕ה בְּסֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י תָשׁוּב֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָֽבְךָ֖ וּבְכָל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ: | |
| 11For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. | יאכִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָֽנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹֽא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹֽא־רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא: | |
| 12It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?” | יבלֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַֽעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֨יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַֽעֲשֶֽׂנָּה: | |
| 13Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?” | יגוְלֹֽא־מֵעֵ֥בֶר לַיָּ֖ם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַֽעֲבָר־לָ֜נוּ אֶל־עֵ֤בֶר הַיָּם֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַֽעֲשֶֽׂנָּה: | |
| 14Rather, [this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it. | ידכִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִלְבָֽבְךָ֖ לַֽעֲשׂתֽוֹ: | |
| 15Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, | טורְאֵ֨ה נָתַ֤תִּי לְפָנֶ֨יךָ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם אֶת־הַֽחַיִּ֖ים וְאֶת־הַטּ֑וֹב וְאֶת־הַמָּ֖וֶת וְאֶת־הָרָֽע: | |
| 16inasmuch as I command you this day to love the Lord, your God, to walk in His ways, and to observe His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, so that you will live and increase, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land to which you are coming to take possession of it. | טזאֲשֶׁ֨ר אָֽנֹכִ֣י מְצַוְּךָ֘ הַיּוֹם֒ לְאַֽהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ לָלֶ֣כֶת בִּדְרָכָ֔יו וְלִשְׁמֹ֛ר מִצְוֹתָ֥יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֑יו וְחָיִ֣יתָ וְרָבִ֔יתָ וּבֵֽרַכְךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ: | |
| 17But if your heart deviates and you do not listen, and you will be drawn astray, and you will prostrate yourself to other deities and serve them, | יזוְאִם־יִפְנֶ֥ה לְבָֽבְךָ֖ וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע וְנִדַּחְתָּ֗ וְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲוִ֛יתָ לֵֽאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים וַֽעֲבַדְתָּֽם: | |
| 18I declare to you this day, that you will surely perish, and that you will not live long days on the land, to which you are crossing the Jordan, to come and take possession thereof. | יחהִגַּ֤דְתִּי לָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵד֑וּן לֹא־תַֽאֲרִיכֻ֤ן יָמִים֙ עַל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתָּ֤ה עֹבֵר֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן לָב֥וֹא שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ: | |
| 19This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live; | יטהַֽעִדֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֘ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֒רֶץ֒ הַֽחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֨וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּֽחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ: | |
| 20To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For that is your life and the length of your days, to dwell on the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give to them. | כלְאַֽהֲבָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ בְּקֹל֖וֹ וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ כִּ֣י ה֤וּא חַיֶּ֨יךָ֙ וְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמֶ֔יךָ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת עַל־הָֽאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְהֹוָ֧ה לַֽאֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם לְיִצְחָ֥ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹ֖ב לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם: |
We await you here in Jerusalem, where the word of the true God is reaching out to All Nations. We welcome you to join us and learn of the true and living God of Israel, who is the One God. Come and learn with us.
- God alone exists and is Creator
- God is one and unique
- God is incorporeal and incomparable
- God is eternal (both first and last)
- We are to pray to God alone and to no other
- The words of the prophets are true
- Moses was the chief prophet, and Moses’ prophecies are true
- The Torah (first five books of the Bible) and oral Torah (Talmud) were given to Moses and divinely preserved
- There will be no other Torah since it cannot be changed
- God knows all things, including the thoughts and deeds of men
- God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked
- The Messiah will come
- The dead will be resurrected.
There are various versions of Judaism, such as orthodox, conservative, and reform; there are also many of versions of Christianity.
Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religions, dating back up to 2000 years BC from the time when God first called Abraham to leave his home and follow Him. At that time, God made a covenant (or agreement) with Abraham in which He promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation and that one day, his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan if Abraham followed him.
God’s plan was gradually revealed through the Old Testament and built on with further promises to Moses, David and the prophets. This plan in essence is to undo many of the effects of the fall (the sin of Adam and Eve in Eden which led to the loss of God’s initial blessing and made man God’s enemy.
Through Moses, God gave the law to the people of Israel and the fulfillment of the promises became conditional on obedience to the law. To Jews, the law is called the Torah and comprises the written law (basically the Old Testament) and the oral law which Jews believe is handed down from Moses. There are 613 commandments to obey in the Torah of which the 10 Commandments are the best known.
Christians and Jews share lots of common between Judaism and Christianity however,, there are many things different between Judaism and Christianity, of which by far the most significant is the understanding of how God is working out His promises. Jews do not accept Jesus as the promised messiah. Divisions about him started during Jesus’ lifetime and continue today.
Jews believe that the Messiah will be a human, non-divine person who will restore the physical kingdom of Israel, rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and bring earthly peace. This is very different from the Christian belief that the people of Israel now means all those who follow Jesus and who by faith are Abraham’s descendants. Christians believe that Jesus has fulfilled God’s promises and has already ushered in the way to a new relationship with God by grace. We acknowledge our own inability to live by God’s standards, we trust in Jesus to have paid the price our sin deserves and we find a new path to eternal life through him.
The other key difference between the two faiths is about sin and atonement meaning man’s disobedience to God and the means of achieving forgiveness. In the past, in order to receive forgiveness from their sins, the people of Israel had to offer sincere prayers of repentance, turn away from their sin and offer appropriate sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem. Since the temple was destroyed in AD70 by the Romans, the sacrificial part of this is no longer possible. Jews today believe that the sincere prayers of repentance and turning away from sin are sufficient and would quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 as support of this:
“If my people, who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land”.
Christians believe that Jesus was the only person ever to fully obey God’s commands and that he is therefore the only person who didn’t deserve God’s righteous judgment and punishment of death. His death for us is the only sacrifice sufficient to pay the price for all our sins. Indeed, Christians see the escape of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt as the biblical illustration of how God planned to rescue people from slavery to sin through Jesus. There are many other differences in understanding and a fundamental division over Jesus’ identity and the implication for how God is working out his plan for mankind. May the truth be revealed in our day and all false concepts be cleared up so all people can truly proper in their existence.
