Romans 9:30 "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The chicken: God created animals, not eggs. However, technically speaking the chicken and the egg were created at the same time because female animals are born with all the eggs they will ever have: to wit, about two-million immature eggs in their two ovaries. My analogy has a point. Since John chapter credits Christ being with God in the beginning, Christianity is the first and only true religion. In my analogy, Christ is the "chicken" because he was there, and Judaism is the "egg". That's not to say that Jesus was cowardly in the modern vernacular, but he was there first. As such grace preceded the Law because the Law proceeded from grace.
In essence, the Law of God, called the Ten Commandments are metrics to measure grace! How much grace does God have? Enough to pardon all the breaking of the Law! That is sufficient grace for salvation, and deliverance from the penalty of sin is mercy. Since God had one plan all the time, his plan was Jesus Christ who is still his one and only plan. In the beginning, faith in Christ incarnate was the salvation of mankind. Those ancient patriarchs were Christians because of their belief in the Messiah. They took to heart Isaiah's prophecies that Jesus would come from the line of Isaac, and knew that he would be called "God saves", or Jesus!
The "chicken" was fully intact in the beginning. At the same time so was the egg. Judaism was inside the ovary when the chicken was created. Judaism is not another religion. It is embryonic Christianity. They believed in the Messiah, and because they did, they were Messianic, what we call Christians in the West.
Christians practice the Law as do the Jews. For discerning people, which includes the Jews (Romans 9:1), we have a conscience: they knew that the Law was not saving, but was a result of faith. Christians realize that the Law doesn't save, but faith is demonstrated by being lawful. As such Judaism is embryonic faith in Jesus, or budding Christianity!
As Christians we know that salvation is in Christ alone. The Jews believe that too, but don't accept that he has come. Jesus then, is a stumblingstone for them. Because he has come, they trip up. However, since they still believe in His coming, they are still potential Christians, but haven't metamorphed from egg to chicken. In fact, look at the Thirteen Principles of Judaism:
1. Belief in the existence of the Creator, who is perfect in every manner of existence and is the Primary Cause of all that exists.
2. The belief in G‑d's absolute and unparalleled unity.
3. The belief in G‑d's non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences, such as movement, or rest, or dwelling.
4. The belief in G‑d's eternity.
5. The imperative to worship G‑d exclusively and no foreign false gods.
6. The belief that G‑d communicates with man through prophecy.
7. The belief in the primacy of the prophecy of Moses our teacher.
8. The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.
9. The belief in the immutability of the Torah.
10. The belief in G‑d's omniscience and providence.
11. The belief in divine reward and retribution.
12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era.
13. The belief in the resurrection of the dead.
Because they don't believe the Messiah has come, but will come, Jesus is a stumblingstone for them. In their principles, only the Torah and Moses confound their acceptance of Jesus. Of course, the Torah (teaching) includes God's Law, it has also the Mosaic Law. Moses (principle #7) is their primary teacher. They look to Moses for truth. Of course, Moses spoke truth, but it came from God's Voice. According to John the Voice or Word, was pre-incarnate Jesus. Moses's mouth interfered with God's Voice - Jesus Christ.
Is Moses the stumblingstone or is Christ? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The "chicken" came first, but the egg was in the chicken's embryo. Moses was in God's plan from the beginning. Moses is complementary to Christ, but he makes Jews stumble over Christ. It is not Moses who has supremacy, but the Messiah. They put #7 before #12, and fail to realize that they are in the Messianic era.
Because of principle #12, discerning Jews were always Christians. Because of #7-9, Jews never grew, and are still embryonic, or potential, Christians.
My call to arms is that we Christians recognize that Jews have faith in Christ. They believe that the second-coming will be the first coming. They are Peter's, so to speak, who continually deny the reality of the one they worship. The cross was there for the Jews, but it never had God hanging from it. Christ is their stumblingblock because they fail to accept his birth, life, death and resurrection (#12 and #13). They believe in the Messiah. They have yet to accept that Jesus is Him. They still linger in the embryo and fail to achieve maturity - Christianity, because Jesus is their stumblingstone.
Rather than a stone which makes people stumble, Christians believe Jesus is the cornerstone!
Psalm 118:22 "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
That's from their own (Jewish) teachings! David knew that the Jews would reject the cornerstone! And they did.
Acts 4:11 "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone."
Jesus is the cornerstone, or the foundation of Judaism:
1 Peter 2:6 "For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”That is quoted from the Law which is in the Torah. The stone of Zion is the cornerstone, and that foundation is Jesus!
You see, the Jews have ears but do not hear, and eyes but do not see:
Isaiah 6:10 "Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”The Jews must disallow their eyes and ears, and listen to their hearts. It is their conscience to which they must listen. They must come to realize what they believe has already been made manifest. Why dilly-dally around a book of regulations when the Law has already been fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). Jesus said that, and Jews wrote that! Oh, Jews, come home. . . come home! He's already come.
Judaism is those who stumble from truth. It's those who profess Christ, but reject him at the same time. Peter should be their saint, but Peter's eyes were finally opened. That Jew answered to call - he believed in Jesus!
My call to arms, is that the sword is the same Word. Jesus spoke the same words which Moses spoke long before Moses ever spoke them, and explained them years after Moses died. You must admit it, they are not Jews but embryonic Christians. You must first be born before you can be born-again, and as eggs, you are surely of the body of Christ! Let Him adopt you into his family. Until then, our beliefs are those of Christ; Jews need only to accept his death to experience their long sought-after resurrection.
My book should persuade Jewish people that it's simple to be born-again, but they first must suffer the birth pains. Please consider the video herein, and understand that the Voice in the garden was indeed the Messiah speaking.
Now COMMERCIAL TIME:
YOUTUBE VIDEO: THE SKULL OF ADAM
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