SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS

Messianism contains a wide range of adherents from hardhead zealots to sincerely misguided but gentle teachable souls. As Paul knew first hand, it is fruitless to contend with zealots. But he did write and appeal to the teachable. I am doing the same.

In this study, I have majored on the errors and dangers of Messianism. But this does not mean Messianism has no merits. It indeed does.

I want to be both as clear and fair as possible. The basic Messianic care for the Jewish people is not only valid, but reflects the Lord’s very own care for them. All of us should share that concern. The Lord today is utterly grieved over the atrocities the Jews have suffered these many decades and centuries. It is right for us to share His grief and desire for their deliverance and healing. And it is right for those converted to Yeshua from among the Jews to stand on the vanguard of intercession for those of their natural kinship. Truly, the haters of Israel will not go unpunished.

Also, through their natural heritage, Messianics are in a gifted place of experience to instruct the rest of the church in the deeper spiritual significances of the many elements of the past Mosaic order. They are also well poised to help lead their nation to fulfillment of the Repentance Imperative should they ever come to it fully themselves.

But like its Passionist Gentile counterpart now, Messianism presents an incomplete message of salvation to the Jewish people. Short of coming to the full heritage-denying Repentance Yeshua requires, Messianism resolves into nothing more than a cult of Judaism—yes, “another gospel”—on par with the cults among Gentile-origined churches that also extol race-based faith (viz., British-Israelism and “Christian Identity” [Christian white supremacy]), and that otherwise equate devotion to Christ with devotion to men and institutions (viz., Roman Catholicism.)

As concerned as the Lord is for Israel, He will not transgress His impartial transcendence to merely “side with” Israel in her earthbound aspirations and alleviate her sufferings. Only as He remains steadfast to His Repentance Imperative can He accomplish a just and real deliverance for the Jewish nation. And those who side with Him must maintain His standard for their help.

But Messianism at present is unable to uphold this standard of help. Rather, by looking to Yeshua and the prophets to reinforce the Jewish soul in its sense of centrality and victimization, it is only helping shut up the Jewish people against their own salvation, and promoting the next round of international affliction and wounding. In this, Messianism remains as blind as the nation to whom it would supposedly minister Yeshua’s salvation.

What is the answer then? The Messianic challenge is to come to a complete cross-bearing repentance as Paul did, to lose their “scales” as he did, and obtain the Lord’s impartial mind toward their people of natural origin. The challenge is to co-labor with Yeshua as the Son of God in bringing about fulfillment of the Repentance Imperative; and it is to help forge with cross-bearing believers of every race the true transnational One New Man in Christ ruled only by the Law of Agape.

In the end, the Jewish nation will never be destroyed. It will live to Yeshua’s return. The Lord will obtain His harvest from among them and complete His Body. But before this is finished, Zionist Passionism will fail—as will every worldly nationalist loyalty in every people.

If Messianism remains tied to this sentiment, it too will ultimately fail. But if Messianics come to full repentance, they will realize their destiny in the true restoration of Israel still at hand, taking their honored place at Eternal Israel’s revelation alongside our glorified Lord.

May it be so.