Maccabee Judaism- Ancient Prophecy and Modern Times

Judaism’s Orphan Child from Pagan Rome Named Christianity
Do Jews go to heaven? Several Protestant theologians from the past, and from today, remain convinced that all of them go to hell. Being a Roman Catholic, I do not subscribe to those beliefs. In contrast to this, the founder of modern Protestant Christianity, Martin Luther, became a virulent anti-Semite after feeling that the ‘Jews’ had somehow ‘spurned’ him and ended up writing some atrocious lies about the Jews which both Adolph Hitler and Karl Marx used centuries later as part of their anti-Semitic propaganda. Truth to tell, there have been individuals within the Roman Catholic Church who have been just as hateful towards Jews and Judaism. This has been counterbalanced with others who have been quite friendly. What is the official Roman Catholic Church policy on this issue? Any devout Jew who lives life with a faith in God and obeys the laws of Judaism is immediately rewarded after death with admission into Heaven to be with God forever. That is the Church policy of today and I am quite sure that it will never change. Indeed, there are twelve thrones (out of 24) specifically designated for the twelve tribes of Israel in Heaven.

Surrounding the throne I saw twenty-four other thrones on which twenty-four
elders sat, dressed in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads.
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder.

– Revelation 4:4-5

Personally, I see, or visualize, a Heaven where the LORD Jesus Christ himself is surrounded by a large number of historically famous and saintly Rabbis, residing in some huge castle in the clouds. There they discuss and debate all the fine points of the laws of Judaism, along with a great many other subjects. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons, along with Moses and many others are also there. The House of LORD Jesus is probably not the only castle in Heaven. As Christ Himself said, ‘For in my father’s house there are many mansions.’ This is referring to the many houses of Israel mentioned in the Bible that include the House of Judah, the House of Esau, the House of Joseph, The House of David, and the House of Jason, along with dozens of others.

As a Roman Catholic, my beliefs have been shaped by the folk wisdom of the Church which claims that even though quite a few of us go to Heaven, most of us end up in Purgatory, while a very few are condemned to Hell forever. Jewish folk wisdom throughout the ages has mirrored this theory and both of them are probably fairly close to the truth. The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church states quite clearly: ‘The Jews should not be spoken of as rejected or accursed as if this followed from Holy Scripture.’ The absurd theory, advocated by some Protestants, that all Jews are condemned forever to the burning fires of Hell is nonsensical and not really worthy of a response considering the very real fires that came from the genocidal ovens of the Holocaust. Pope John Paul II has made tremendous strides in eradicating such cruel notions from the minds of most, if not all, Roman Catholics. As the ‘liberal’ bumper sticker declares: ‘Hatred is not a family value.’ The Church could not have said it any better. It’s best that we all remember what King David stated in Psalms about what to actually expect when we pass away. It is as follows:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He leads beside green
pastures and past the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me
on the right path for the sake of His name. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for the LORD is
with me. With his rod and staff he comforts me. He prepares a table
for me in the sight of my enemies. He anoints my head, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I
will dwell in the House of the LORD forever.

– Psalms 23:1-6

It should be mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church’s first Saints, meaning those whom the Church knows to be in Heaven are, in fact, Jews. They were never Christian, but were martyrs during the War of the Maccabees more than a century and a half before Christ. They include Judas, Simon, and Jonathan Maccabeus, along with seven brothers who laid down their lives by refusing to eat pork at the command of the Greek tyrants who killed them. Thus, the Church’s policy concerning the ‘Jewish question’ is quite simple- there have been Jews in Heaven from the beginning. This may seem surprising to some Christians, but long before Hitler and his genocide of the Jews, the Church has clearly pointed out that the Jews cannot be blamed for what a very few of their distant ancestors did to condemn Jesus Christ to death. It must be remembered that, according to thousands of years of tradition, Christianity declares Jesus, a devout Jew, to be the Prince of Heaven and his own Jewish mother Mary to be Queen of Heaven.

Pope John Paul II stated on several occasions that Roman Catholics should think of the Jews as elder brothers in the faith. I disagree with this idea because throughout history, the strength of the Church has been used to bully the Jews in a way that only an older, bigger brother would treat a younger brother. Truly, the Jews have exemplified Abel and all too often the Christians have acted like Cain. Hopefully in the future, this will change and further ties can be established between these two long-lost brothers. Except for the quiet Jewish refusal to accept Jesus as the Messiah, the laws, morals and ethics of each religion are so similar that all that is really left to do is to cordially discuss theology and what I consider the most important goal of finally circumcising the Gentiles, from Europe to Asia to Africa, once and for all.

Jews, Gentiles, and the Future of Judaism
Some Jews of today seem to be worried that their religion, their traditions and their culture is on the road to extinction. Some Gentiles look upon the situation with a smile. I’m not one of them. In fact, I truly believe that if Jesus Christ doesn’t show up to rule over all of us, as he is predicted to do so by Christian believers, then Judaism will continue indefinitely. The religion of Judaism is neither based nor founded upon the denial of Jesus Christ as the Messiah as some modern Jews may mistakenly believe. In fact, it is a religion that has been practiced long, long before there ever was a Rabbi Jesus to deny. It is the same religion that was practiced by all of His first Apostles and all of the first disciples. It is the religion of Jesus Himself, not the denial of Him. One could go so far as to say that Christianity is basically a very large sect of Judaism that has almost conquered the entire world. To be a Jew is not to deny Jesus, but to affirm God the Father and His transcendence. It must be remembered that Christianity, like Islam, worships the Jewish God of the Old Testament as God the Father. They simply do not adhere to all the laws that Jews do.

Strictly speaking, Judaism could claim that it is the Christians who are the heretics for not obeying the laws of circumcision, kosher food, along with many other requirements. Jesus and his Apostles did practice these laws and it was only later on that things changed. It is sad that they have. Being a Judaizer within the Church, I would like to see a Christianity that did practice literally all the laws of the Judaism as well. Unfortunately, in today’s world, this seems unlikely. What is likely is that over the course of the next couple centuries, the religion of Orthodox Judaism will remain, while Reform and Conservative Judaism will become more and more Orthodox or, instead, fade away into the Gentile majority. Secular Judaism, if there ever was such a thing, will not stand the test of time. Orthodoxy, like a diamond, will not be scratched out of history. It will remain in place in order to authenticate any future Messiah. They will be like a canary in a coal mine, practicing the same 613 commandments that Jesus Himself practiced two thousand years ago. For as Christ himself said:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets:
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until
heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter,
will pass from the law, until all is accomplished…

– Matthew 5:17-18

It is unfortunate that Peter and James went against this teaching of the Gospels and allowed Gentile converts to Christianity to remain uncircumcised and to eat unkosher foods. There’s nothing to stop Christianity from being both kosher and circumcised. Messianic Judaism is a perfect example of this. Although their followers are Christian, they practice most, if not all, the laws of Judaism as well. This is a unique synthesis for what promises to be a worthwhile influx of Jewish tradition into a new type of Christianity. Let’s hope it lasts the test of time instead of fading away and melding with mainline Christian denominations.

Another interesting and fairly recent phenomenon concerns the large amount of Jewish-Catholic families that have been created recently. This has not been seen since the days of Weimar Germany, just before Hitler rose to power. At the time, it looked like many Jews were happily assimilating into the Catholic Church. Today, the same thing is occurring, but these new Jewish-Catholic families are also retaining their Jewish identity and traditions as well. This is a good thing and will not detriment Roman Catholicism in the least. These additional Jewish members to Christianity will find themselves welcomed for many years to come. Orthodox Judaism never likes to lose Jews to Christianity, but their ranks are likely to remain relatively untouched by the massive intermarriage taking place. Are Jews going extinct? Not at all. Again like a diamond, and especially among the Orthodox communities, their obedience to God’s commandments, coupled with their keen sense of ethics and morality, will continue to provide everyone with ‘a light unto the Gentiles.’

Anti-Semitic Insinuation
The research and study of the Jewish people is not an exact science. However, certain conclusions can be drawn in some areas without resorting to stereotyping. One of those conclusions is that scholars who end up, after researching the subject, not liking, or even hating the Jews are letting emotions dictate over reason. This includes Jews themselves who sometimes turn out to be what Sander Gilman referred to as ‘self-hating Jews.’ Another conclusion is that some Jews can also be guilty of letting feelings like personal pride, rather than rational thought, guide them in their search for anti-Semitism. For example, a scholar who comes away judging Sigmund Freud as a fraud and a pervert who committed incest is considered by some to be an obvious anti-Semite. On the other hand, a scholar who reveres Karl Marx is given a pass even though he harbors some pretty harsh criticisms towards the nation-state of Israel. Why is that? Once again, it is because emotions are guiding the debate over whom or what is an anti-Semite.

For example, some Gentile conservatives who harbor a deep respect, or even affection, towards the Jewish people, have been hounded as anti-Semites for their harsh attacks upon historical Jewish figures such as Spinoza, Marx, Lenin and Freud, all of whom were atheists and did not practice Judaism. At the same time, Gentile liberals who hold some pretty virulent thoughts towards Israel, and religious Jews, are let off the hook, simply because they are liberal. Will this ever change or will Gentiles who revere the ancient Jews like Abraham, Moses and Jesus over the modern degenerates just mentioned always end up being labeled anti-Semites? For the time being they will, but given a few decades this will probably no longer be the case. The reason why is that Jews no longer have to be liberal in order to combat anti-Semitism. Conservatism and neo-conservatism are now becoming viable alternatives as well. The Jews have been let into the club, so to speak, and may now safely become more politically diverse than they once were.

Many people forget that, in Europe, Jews had to be liberal because the conservatives wouldn’t accept them. The same thing applies in this country where Jews were banned from membership into certain Golf country clubs simply because they were Jews. That was a scant twenty years ago. Jews are also disliked by many black Americans whom are still apt to believe some of the slanders and lies about Jews from the not-too-distant past. As time goes by, more and more Jews will become conservative thus balancing the overwhelmingly liberal tendencies found in today’s Jewish people. What follows are some typical comments that knee-jerk liberals would label as ‘Nazi’, but are in fact true. The proper responses to them are also listed. They are as follows:

Insinuation *** Response
USURY: Many international bankers are Jewish. *** Just a few short centuries ago, Jews were the only people permitted to charge interest and become money-lenders, while for Christian Gentiles, this was strictly forbidden. It’s no secret. Jews have been lending money to Gentiles for several centuries on a literally exclusive basis.
HOLLYWOOD: The Jews run Hollywood. *** The Jewish influence in Hollywood has been receding since the 1940s. This is probably the last generation of any real prominent Jewish influence. Latinos, Asians and Blacks will probably be making their mark in Hollywood in the years to come.
BIGOTRY: Some Jews are, in fact, ethnocentric and are quite proud of themselves  *** Many Gentiles are also extremely ethnocentric and extremely proud of themselves as well.
GENETICS: Many Jews come from the Ashkenazi, who were a converted tribe of Gentiles from Eastern Europe, and contain very little true blood from the tribe of Judah. *** While Jews are, in fact, an ethnicity they are also a religious community. Ashkenazi Jews are seen as full Jews because ‘purity’ of blood is not a requirement to be Jewish. Anyone can convert to Judaism and be considered a Jew.
MARX: Karl Marx, founder of socialism and communism, ‘workers of the world unite,’ never worked a hard day’s work in his entire life. *** Karl Marx was a convert to Christianity when young and then became a practicing Satanist at University. He despised Jews and Judaism. He still never worked a hard day’s work in his entire life.
FREUD: Sigmund Freud never cured a single patient of mental illness during his entire career. *** Sigmund Freud was a self-proclaimed ‘godless Jew’ his entire life and saw religion as a mentally-ill fantasy. He also committed incest with his own blood niece.

The Good Jew & Evil Gentile
In reality, truly evil Jews are extremely rare and always have been. They remain an endangered species on the brink of extinction. Only anti-Semites will mourn their disappearance. A quick comparison of Jews and Gentiles throughout history indicates that the Jews have almost always been the good guy and not the bad guy. The following chart illustrates this reality:

The Jewish Good Guy and the Gentile Bad Guy

Genesis
Abel: A peaceful shepherd who worshiped and pleased the LORD.
Cain: A violent, jealous farmer who murdered his brother Abel.

Biblical Sexuality
Abraham: Practiced heterosexual monogamy with only Sarah and Hagar.
Sodom: Practiced homosexual sodomy, including numerous ritual orgies.

Jerusalem (33 AD)
Jesus: A peaceful prophet who obeyed God.
Pontius Pilate: A violent dictator who had Him killed.

Germany (Early 20th Century)
Albert Einstein: A genius scientist who renounced warfare and promoted peace.
Adolph Hitler: A mad, tyrant war-monger who killed millions of Jews.

Politics
Barry Goldwater: An anti-Communist Jewish-Christian.
Josef Stalin: An anti-Semitic, Communist murderer.

Classical Music
Felix Mendelssohn: A Jewish-Christian who wrote music in praise of God.
Richard Wagner: An anti-Semite who wrote music dedicated to the pagan ‘gods’.

This comparison list of famous individuals clearly shows that, throughout history, it has almost always been the Gentiles who were the bad guys. The Maccabee Christian Churches hopes to end this recurring tragedy and vicious circle of hate through a renewal of both Jewish and Christian faith throughout the world. Anti-Semitism is not only found among poor and uneducated Gentiles, but among some fairly smart people. Bobby Fischer, a world-champion chess player, and a known anti-Semite once said, ‘I’m not an anti-Semite, I like the Arabs.’ What he meant was that the Jews were not the only Semitic people and therefore the whole term anti-Semitism was nonsense. He does have a point. I think his main point, however, was a case of anti-Semitic insinuation. It wasn’t funny. Anti-Semitism is not nonsense, but the occasional criticism of Jews on an individual basis is also not always anti-Semitism. One should always judge others by what they say and do, not by who they are. Christians especially, must remember what Jesus said, ‘Judge not or you will be judged, for by your own judgment you will be judged.’

Ending Anti-Semitism
The history of the Jews is one of the most tragic, heroic and implausible stories imaginable. The sheer fact that millions of them still exist and have practiced the same 613 commandments for over 3,000 years has no other precedent in human history. It is a miracle by any other name. Their language Hebrew, which came literally out of nowhere, is the oldest known written language in the world. Egyptian hieroglyphics, dating from around the same time period, not to mention Chinese or Hindi script, were mere child scribbles in comparison. Long before Christianity, the Jews were despised, attacked and killed by many different nations including Egypt, Persia, Babylonia, Greece and Rome. No other people have endured so much suffering for so long and for so little reason.  No other people have changed the course of history more so than the Jews. From Jesus Christ to Albert Einstein, the Jews have proven eternally capable of miraculous breakthroughs in thought and action. They truly are God’s chosen people and history shows it. Time and again, they have proven to be ‘a light unto the Gentiles’ in many different ways.

There is a dark side to this story, however, and it stretches from Rome to Berlin to New York City. It is the story of anti-Semitism. For whatever reason, Jews have had to endure bitter hatred from a great many angry, jealous and vicious people. Why did this happen? Some claim it was in order to fulfill Biblical prophecy and because they were, and are, God’s chosen people. This is not to say this should have ever happened, but what God predicted literally 3,000 years prior has, in fact, actually happened. No other set of predictions has ever been as accurate as the Bible. No other religion, or language, or tribe of people has ever lasted as long as the Jews. The current existence of the modern nation-state of Israel provides living proof that Biblical prophecy was, in fact, correct. Skeptics may scoff at this, but even they cannot come remotely close to answering how Jewish history could be so identical to what God predicted in the Old Testament. They can scoff and sneer and call it mere coincidence, but that is little more than a denial of reality. Biblical prophecy is real and not simply the delusional superstitions of believers. Here are just a few examples of the Bible predicting more than 2,000 years of Jewish history with precision.

Historical Event:  Date of Event — Biblical Prophecy
Destruction of Jerusalem and Israel by the Roman Empire: Around 70 A.D. — The LORD will bring a nation from far away…to swoop down on you like an eagle…a grim-faced nation showing no respect. (Deuteronomy 28:49)
Scattering of the Jews throughout Europe and the Middle East: 70 – 1933 A.D. — The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other. (Deuteronomy 28:64)
European & Arabic Anti-Semitism predicted: 70 – 2006 A.D. — Among those nations you shall find no ease…night and day you shall be in dread, with no assurance of your life. (Deuteronomy 28:65-66)
Immigration to America predicted: 1776 – 2006 A.D. — The LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, by a route that I promised you would never see again. (Deuteronomy 28:68)
Birth of Modern Israel: 1948 – 2006 A.D. — The LORD your God will bring you…into the land that your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it; he will make you… prosperous and numerous. (Deuteronomy 30:5)

This history was predicted by God and Moses long before the Jewish people had even set foot upon the Promised Land of Israel. As this chart obviously shows, these prophecies are not just coincidence, but a crystal-clear foretelling of actual events such as the Jews’ defeat at the hand of the Romans, whose imperial symbol was that of the eagle, and the founding of modern Israel. Even the long centuries of anti-Semitism were also predicted. Today, it should be hoped that, after the horrific tragedy of the Nazi Holocaust, the age of anti-Semitism is finally coming, slowly but surely, to an end. This is how it should be. To achieve this, it is necessary to combat any anti-Semitic stereotypes that may still linger in the minds of non-Jews and also Jews themselves. These stereotypes can be easily discredited as the following chart clearly shows:

Issue: Anti-Semitism — The Facts
God: Jews destroy religion. — The most God-fearing country in the world, the U.S., also has the highest number of Jews.
Money: Jews are greedy. — Jews donate to both Jewish and Gentile causes. Gentiles do not donate to Jewish causes.
Sex: Jews are promiscuous. — Throughout history, Jews have behaved with more sexual restraint and morality than Gentiles.
Abortion: Jews promote abortion. — Jewish women are less likely to personally have an abortion than Gentile women.
Crime: Jews are criminals. — Jews are far less likely to ever spend time in jail or prison than Gentiles.
Manners: Jews are rude. — Some Jews sometimes behave with a mixture of Middle Eastern and Eastern European manners. Visit those countries and you will find the Gentiles or Muslims there just as rude.
Race: Jews are racist. — Many Jews played a very prominent role in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s that ended segregation. At least one of them was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan.

The fact of the matter is that the Jewish people are, in reality, quite similar to the Gentiles. Although their unique religious traditions do set them apart to some extent, they share the same Biblical morality and ethics as the Christians. The so-called ‘Jewishness’ or ‘Yiddishness’ of Jews, with their expressive hand and arm gestures and loud, boisterous voices, stems from their Eastern European heritage and is disappearing rapidly. The truth is that, for the most part, Jews are as all-American and mainstream as the Gentile majority. It is their history and their religion that sets them apart and will continue to do so.

Jews do not have horns, they never eat and kill Gentile babies for Passover and they certainly do not secretly control the world. Didn’t the Nazi Holocaust prove that to be the case? The only real Jewish conspiracy of today is the religion called Christianity. It is time for Gentile society to let go of past prejudices and superstitions and welcome the Jewish people as partners, neighbors, friends and even family members. Hopefully, the ruffled feathers and wounded pride of the Jews can be soothed with just a little sincerity and good-will. It is about time that they can call this world, and this country, their home.