Daniel Lang's Blog

In my book, Reviving the Reformation, I am trying to recover the first-century Messianic faith of the earliest Jewish believers from Jerusalem. One would think that this type of investigation would bring us closer to the core faith of modern, traditional Christianity. However, when I try to remove the extra baggage added on to the pure faith as practiced by the Church today, I am labeled a heretic. It is fascinating that the earliest Jewish believers from the beginning would be considered heretical by most in the Church today because they did not conform to the doctrines of those stuck in their traditional Christian faith positions.
See my 13-minute video on youtube.com entitled Reviving the Reformation.
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The simple “Good News” or “Gospel” message of the early first-century Messianic faith can be summarized in two words: “Messiah crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). To receive salvation, all one needed to do was to return/repent and accept this free gift. The concept of “Messiah crucified” was not a conundrum demanding to be believed, but a free gift inviting acceptance.

This revolutionary truth was quickly overshadowed by a secondary but false “Gospel” message that has dominated Christianity for 1900 years. Now one must also confess that “Jesus is Lord” in order to be “saved” (Romans 10:9-10). My book Reviving the Reformation explains how this happened.

The book of John, a late addition to the New Testament texts, is the premier book promoting the deity of Yeshua. The multitude of historical and theological inconsistencies uncovered in its pages, however, invalidates its authority (see Reviving the Reformation).

A slightly later group of believers also embedded “hymns” and “confession” into the New Testament text that promote the deity of Yeshua. These grafted writings became rapidly fused into the whole. The traditional Church continues to promote this fake “Good News.”

A few weeks ago, I was listening to the Moody Christian Radio program called “Open Line” – a question and answer program on the Bible. Someone sent an email question: “How do I answer someone who is in the church who says that Jesus is not God?” After a good chuckle, the host responded to the question by quoting two passages. He mentioned how he has been getting this question quite a bit lately.

The first passage mentioned was Colossians 1:15-20. In my book Reviving the Reformation, I give evidence to show that these verses were most likely not written by Sha’ul (Paul). A footnote in the ESV Study Bible on this passage suggests the same: “Praise to Christ. In a strongly moving and poetic way, which some scholars think is a quotation from an early Christian hymn” (ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008). It is disturbing that the origin of this passage along with Philippians 2:5-11 and 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 are not questioned more than they are. Could it be that Sha’ul could only broach the preexistence and deity of Yeshua by quoting from supposed early “hymns” or “confessions?” Something is wrong with this picture.

The second passage cited was from Romans 9:5. Most English translations are like the Holman: “The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.” This English translation as well as the one the “Open Line” host used clearly states that Yeshua the Messiah is God. In a footnote, however, the Holman proposes another translation of the Greek: “The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah [period]. God, who is over all, be blessed forever” (Holman Christian Standard Bible, 2009). David Stern in the Complete Jewish Bible translates this verse similarly: “The Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah, who is over all. Praised be Adonai for ever! Amen” (Complete Jewish Bible, 1998). These alternative translations separate the human Messiah Yeshua from God.

Our preconceptions often guide our translations. Let’s look at a few other examples.

I have been told that in Acts 3:15 Yeshua is called “the Author of life” which is how most modern English Bibles translate this verse. Therefore, it is said, Yeshua must be God if he is the “Author of life.”

According to the Strong’s Lexicon, the Greek word translated “author” here means: “a chief leader: - author, captain, prince.” The Holman also gives other translation choices in the footnotes: “Or the Prince or the Ruler.” These other translations, which appear to be more consistent with the rest of the New Testament as a whole, do not support the deity of Yeshua.

It has been said that Yeshua is worshiped in the New Testament. Therefore, he must be God since only God can be worshiped – see Matthew 28:9 and 28:17. The ESV Study Bible thus comments on Matthew 28:9: “By allowing this act of worship, here and in v. 17, Jesus accepts the acknowledgment of his deity, as only God is to be worshiped” (ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008).

The Gingrich, Greek NT Lexicon explains this Greek word for "worship" to mean: “(fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully depending on the object – 1. to human beings. – 2. to God. – 3. to foreign deities. – 4. to the Devil and Satanic beings. – 5. to angels. – 6. to Christ.”

In a parable in Matthew 18, no one says the servant in Matthew 18:26 “worships” his master. The ESV says the servant “fell on his knees” before his master. It is curious that in Mark 5:6, most translations do not have the man with an unclean spirit worshiping Yeshua – they say he “fell down before him” (ESV) or “knelt down before him” (Holman) or “bowed down before him” (NAS). David Stern in the Complete Jewish Bible translates Matthew 28:9 “they fell down in front of him” and Matthew 28:17 “they prostrated themselves before him” (Complete Jewish Bible, 1998).

One’s point of view determines the translations of these passages, not an incontrovertible definition of a word. If one believes that Yeshua is God, then Yeshua is worshiped by his disciples. If one understands Yeshua to be fully human, then Yeshua’s disciples do not worship him as God but show him profound respect as their king Messiah.

It is common for “defenders of the faith” to present “proof texts” using altered text or biased translations. Seekers of the truth should question carefully any New Testament texts or translations that speak to the deity of Yeshua.

Joseph is a “type” of Yeshua. The story of Joseph and his brothers foreshadows the history of Yeshua and the Jewish people (Genesis 37–50). Joseph is portrayed as being perfect without sin. His brothers turn against him. He is sold to a foreign people for silver. His brothers eat a meal before betraying him. He is placed down in a pit, taken down to Egypt, and again placed in a pit (prison) in Egypt as if he were dead. He is accused falsely by his brothers and Potiphar’s wife and is silent before his accusers. He in a sense comes back to life (comes out of prison), puts on new clothing, is presented before the king/pharaoh, and is made ruler over all the land of Egypt. Joseph is thirty years old when he enters the service of the king/pharaoh. He is said to have the spirit of God and can discern between good and evil. By finding a solution to the famine, he first saves Gentiles from death and later also saves his brothers. His brothers do not recognize him for a time as the one who could save them from death. They eventually mourn over their past rejection of him (see Zechariah 12:10).

Developing this theme further, one could say that the Pharaoh in the narrative represents God, and Joseph represents the Messiah Yeshua. According to the narrative in Genesis 41:38–44, Joseph is a man in whom is the Spirit of God (sounds like Isaiah 11:1-2). Notice that he is given “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him” (sounds like Daniel 7:13-14). Even though Joseph is given great power throughout the land, there is never any hint in the narrative that Joseph’s position ever rivals that of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh and Joseph are not on the same plane.

Yeshua is like Joseph. Yeshua is the superior, unique man who is given great power and responsibility to carry out the plan of God. Because of his kingship and service to us, he is given honor. However, he does not rival God.

It appears that Esther and Mordechai in the book of Esther both together represent a “type” of Yeshua also. Esther seems to represent Yeshua at his first coming while Mordechai characterizes Yeshua at his second coming.

In the first month of the Jewish calendar, the month of Nisan, Haman has lots cast before him to determine the day to kill the Jews (Esther 3:7). Haman then sends out his edict to annihilate the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month of Nisan (Esther 3:12). After Esther hears about the decree through her cousin Mordechai, that same day, she agrees to appear before the Persian king Ahasuerus (Achashverosh in Hebrew) to plead for the lives of her people. Esther does this against her own will and with the threat of death. Before going before the king, she begins a three day fast, presumably starting on the fourteenth day of Nisan. The fourteenth day of Nisan is the day the Passover lambs were sacrificed (Exodus 12:1-6).

Esther suffers a symbolic death at the same time the Passover lambs and Yeshua were killed. She fasts for three days and three nights as if she were in the grave for that period, like Yeshua. Then at the end of the three day fast she puts on royal robes and appears before the king to plead for her people. By extending his scepter to our representative Esther, the king gives all of us access to himself. (idea adapted from Michael Wechsler – Moody Bible Institute).

Mordechai is elevated in the Esther narrative. Rabbi David Fohrman (www.alephbeta.org) points out that when the Megillah (the book of Esther) is read in the synagogue on the holiday of Purim – three passages are read together by the whole congregation - Esther 2:5, 8:15, 10:3. They are all related to the greatness of Mordechai.

The book of Esther, like some other Biblical texts, has a chiastic structure. The central theme of the Esther chiasm is the elevation of Mordechai and the humiliation of Haman (Esther 6:1-11).

Mordechai exemplifies the royal Messiah. Like Joseph, he is given “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him” (Daniel 7:13-14). The last verses in Esther (10:2-3) tell us that despite Mordechai’s greatness, he was still second in command to Achashverosh – the Persian king. He was not Achashverosh. Achashverosh still stood over Mordechai and was on a different plane. (As we discussed before, this is like Joseph before the Pharaoh.)

Yeshua, like Mordechai and Joseph, his “types,” is second in command to God. He is not God Himself. Sha’ul (Paul) says the same in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.

On October 31, 1517, 500 years ago, Martin Luther kicked off the Protestant Reformation. When the Jewish community failed to accept his reformed version of Catholicism Luther turned against them toward the end of his life. According to Malcolm Hay: “He recommended that their synagogues should be destroyed, their property, of course, take from them, and finally that they should all be expelled from the country. His doctrine provided many suitable texts for Hitler’s program of extermination” (Malcolm Hay, The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism [New York: Freedom Library Press, 1981], p. 167).

Obviously, Martin Luther, with his limited understanding and prejudice, could not have reformed the Catholic Church all the way back to the original Jewish Messianic faith of the first century. As a Jewish believer, I have attempted in my book Reviving the Reformation to do just that.

I suspect that seismic activity occurred over the tomb of Martin Luther when my book went to the publisher. Although my voice is small, my prayer is that this book could be one of the sparks that will ignite a fire.

My book Reviving the Reformation has hit the sweet spot. Liberals say it is too conservative while conservatives declare it to be overly progressive. Jews say it is too Christian, while Christians state it is very Jewish. Jews say it lifts Yeshua up, while Messianic Jews and Christians assert it brings Yeshua down. Jews say my position requires excommunication from the synagogue. Messianic Jews and Christians tell me I can no longer refer to myself as a believer or as messianic. Maybe the truth does lie somewhere in between?

“A lot of people don’t want to participate in a search for truth unless they are assured in advance that the truth will be one they can accept” (Phillip E. Johnson, Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 1997], p.117).

My book is written from a conservative point of view but is very controversial.

The most enormous controversy surrounding my book for Messianic Jews and most other traditional Christians is over the divinity of Yeshua. I have tried to raise questions few dare ask, and that has put me out on a limb by myself.

I have been asked more than once how I can consider myself “Messianic” or a “believer” without believing in the divinity of Yeshua. I am confident that the earliest Jewish Believers in Jerusalem and their near descendants did not believe in the deity of Yeshua, and I think my book provides good evidence for this. This information puts me in good company.

The original “Gospel” or good news message of the earliest Jewish believers in Jerusalem was “Messiah crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:22–23, Romans 5:6-21). The simple message is if we accept Yeshua’s atonement, God’s provision for our sins, we will be “saved.”

However, today, it is common to hear from Christian circles that those who do not believe in Jesus will go to hell as if unbelief in Yeshua’s divinity is the transgression, rather than our sins. I propose in my book that this is a second “Gospel” message placed on top of the origin good news message by a group outside of the Land of Israel that hijacked the Messianic faith in its earliest stages. This erroneous message is reflected in the writings from the Johannine community (such as the book of John) – probably written in Ephesus and other so-called “primitive hymns” and “confessions” scattered throughout the text. It is not enough to believe in Yeshua’s atonement. Now one must also confess that “Jesus is Lord” in order to be saved (Romans 10:8-9).

We have gone from the primary stumbling block “Messiah Crucified” to a new unnecessary stumbling block “Jesus is Lord.”

How could the early Messianic faith have lost its way so quickly? The Jewish believers in Jerusalem shortly after the death of Yeshua were leading the Messianic faith as revealed to us in the book of Acts. Shortly afterward, a Roman hammer fell on the Jewish people in Israel. The first Jewish revolt against Rome ended with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. The Jewish stronghold at Masada fell shortly afterward. The second Jewish revolt concluded in 135 CE with the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.

During these periods of devastation and afterward, the Jewish believers in Israel were no longer in the driver’s seat of the Messianic movement. Their influence in guiding the young Messianic faith was quickly lost, and another group took over the reins.

I raise many questions in my book that I feel should be answered by truth seekers. Why are there so many passages in the New Testament that contradict a divine Yeshua? Who were the real descendants of the earliest Jewish believers from Jerusalem and what did they believe? Why does the book of John have a myriad of significant historical conflicts with the Synoptic texts? Why is the Yeshua in the book of John portrayed so differently than the Yeshua in the Synoptics? Why are all the texts that speak about the preexistence and divinity of Yeshua outside of the book of John from supposed early “hymns” or “confessions” and not from the primary writer’s pen? For example, most scholars say Philippians 2: 5-11 was an early “hymn” of the “church” and not written by Paul! Why are these verses in his letter, out of context with the rest of his message?

For a discount on the softcover of my book, go to my website (RevivingtheReformation.com) and buy the book from me using the promo code “Goodreads.”

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My book rediscovers the real first-century Messianic faith lost to the modern world. This investigation travels backward to recover the beliefs and practices of the very first Jewish believers in Jerusalem. Though written from a conservative point of view, this book does not often follow the traditional Christian or Jewish party lines.