“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Gal.3:28

     The following story illustrates how the Christian owes nothing to the orthodox Jew except to pray that GOD turn their hearts of stone to that of flesh as He promised to all who will acknowledge “the Son of GOD,” Jesus Christ: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Eze.36:26.

     Returning from a missionary journey onboard a passenger ship was Pastor Jack Sequeira. Indian by blood, Kenyan by nationality, and American by citizenship this man’s life has been threatened on many occasions through the years! And he takes it all with a smile, knowing in Whom he believes. As Sabbath was drawing near he noticed an orthodox Jew walking toward him. Hoping to start a conversation Pastor Sequeira asked, “Greetings! What time does Sabbath begin?” The man turned livid and stormed off. A ship’s steward came to Jack and said, “You should not have spoken to him. Being an orthodox Jew he had just washed himself for Sabbath, and you, a Gentile, speaking to him have defiled him. Now he has to go back and wash again.”

     From the days when Jesus walked the Earth to this very day, nothing has changed in the religion of Orthodox Judaism. Even the prayer of the Pharisee that Jesus recited is still spoken to this day: “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Lu.18:9-14.

     To many, their religion is their god. And in the case of Orthodox Judaism, the Oral Law that became the written Talmud contains a thousand laws outside of Bible guidelines. They have added to, and they have taken away from the Word of GOD in defiance of the command in Deuteronomy 4:2: “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” At the very heart of their religion, Orthodox Judaism declares that the Old Testament is incomplete concerning GOD’S commands for salvation. So they added to GOD’S commands "the commandments of men" (Titus 1:14). But the Bible provides every guideline for every man’s salvation. In confirmation of this, Jesus said, “But take ye heed: Behold, I have foretold you all things.” Mk.13:23. From the beginning, “the Son of God” has been the Father’s Voice on Earth. Throughout the generations of Hebrews, from Moses to the last prophet Malachi, “Thus saith the LORD” has been the Voice of Christ! And if the Jews had remained steadfast in compliance with Scripture they would have recognized and embraced the LORD Jesus Christ when He stood among them displaying every power from heaven “to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb.7:25. But because of their divergence from Scripture’s intended lessons, following the religion ordained of Satan and not of GOD, they rejected Jesus; and even to this day, spit at the hearing of His Name.

     This lesson of divergence from Bible guidelines is seen in every Christian denomination, from the papacy to the lowliest Protestant church. To exalt the church above the Bible, or to be dishonest with the Bible, creating contradictions and half-truths is an open door for false doctrine to bear sway in the church. Multitudes of Christians proudly declare, “I only follow the Bible!” And yet, everything they believe and teach in their witness is what has been handed to them. Few can claim that what they believe was discovered on their own. Few give scrutiny to what they are told is truth. Few can claim the virtue of the Bereans: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11.

     Nevertheless, Orthodox Judaism has 300 rules for Sabbath keeping! Just to turn a light switch on Sabbath hours is a sin. But the men will set outlet timers to turn on the television to watch sports on Sabbath afternoon. But what does the LORD counsel us in the Fourth Commandment? “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isa.58:13,14.

     Many stories have been told where the orthodox Jew has no problem asking Gentiles to do tasks that they themselves are forbidden to do (because the belief is that the Gentile is outside of GOD’S Law and therefore lost anyway). But both the Old and New Testaments forbid leading anyone into sin. Their complicit stance in the sins of others is ignored, and the Talmud has overruled one of the basic doctrines of Holy Writ. Jesus openly rebuked them on this: “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Matt.23:13-15.

As Orthodox Judaism stands condemned by the very GOD they claim to serve, so today’s Christian needs to acknowledge the first step Christ admonished when speaking to the “lukewarm” church: “Thou knowest not…” (Rev.3:14-22). As the end of this world’s history draws near, the Bible believing Christian will need a literacy in the Bible that provides the needed discernment to grasp the weight of the words from the “true Shepherd” “saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Rev.18:4.

     As the false prophets deceived Judah on that nation’s brink of ruin, so the false prophets today have consolidated false expectations in the minds of millions of Christians. The following verses carry no less weight today than they did when Jeremiah wrote the LORD’S warning: “Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed….I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied….Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.” “For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.” Jer.14:14,15; 23:21,32; Zech.10:2