The Three Monotheistic Religions are: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
We will start with Judaism, since the other two belief systems sprang from it. Then, on to Islam. Both will be compared to Christianity.
As Christians we are familiar with Judaism based on our knowledge of the Old Testament.
- Judaism began with God’s promise to Abraham 2,000 years B.C. Gen. 12:1-3
- Judaism comes from the name of Judah, the 4th tribe of Israel, named after the 4th son of Jacob (Jacob was later renamed Israel by God). Gen. 35:23; Gen. 32:28
- In the historical books of the OT, Judah was used when referring to the people from the southern region of Israel. This region was named Judah (later Judea), because this is where the tribes of Judah & Benjamin settled.2 Sam. 2:10
- The nation of Israel became a divided nation after the death of King Solomon; Judah (southern kingdom) was led by Solomon’s son Rehoboam, while Israel (the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom) was ruled over by Jeroboam. However, they are collectively referred to as Israel. 1 King 12:1-17.
- “Jew” is a shortened form of the word Judah, which is synonymous with someone who is an Israelite.
- Not all Jews practice Judaism. Some are atheist and any other religions you can think of. However, the Israeli government now classifies all persons of Jewish decent as Jews (so the term can be ethnic without being religious).
- Although Israel is a country, its official name is “The State of Israel.”
- Hebrew is the language spoken by the Jews; however, the Bible often uses the term to refer to the people themselves. Hence the New Testament book of Hebrews.
- Palestine is a derivative of “Philistia,” the name the Romans gave to the boundaries of the actual state of Israel
- They do not believe in the Trinity. However in the OT, Christians believe that there is scripture to support a triune God: Gen. 1:26-27 (let Us make man…); Gen. 15:17-18 (smoking furnace- smoke represents the Holy Spirit; burning lamp- Jesus is the light of the world); Gen. 3:22 (man has become like Us. Knowing good & evil…); Gen. 11:7 (Come, let Us go down and confuse their language…)
- They do not believe Jesus was God’s Son or that He is Messiah. Some believe that the prophecies of a suffering Christ and a conquering Christ mean there will be two different Messiahs. They are only concerned with the conquering one. The most important scriptures (and most damaging to Jews who claim that Jesus was not who He said He was) are: Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.
- Some Jews do not believe in an afterlife, so they do not believe in a literal hell; others do not believe in a conscious life after death. Some believe hell is total annihilation for your sins (ie, you just cease to exist after death). The OT makes it clear (as does the NT) that hell is a place of eternal suffering and pain. Deut. 32:22; 2 Sam. 22:6; Psalm 18:5; Psalm 116:3; Psalm 9:17; Job 26:6
- The Zionist movement began in the late 1800’s with the publication of a book called “The Jewish State.” However, many Jews are unaware that it is really a supernatural calling of Christ who promised to gather them back to their own homeland in Isaiah 49:6-7;17,19 . Many of them would say it is God’s will, but unaware of the implication that it is Christ who is speaking in this scripture.
Can someone who practices Judaism go to heaven? No man comes to the Father but by me…Jews do not believe Jesus was the promised Messiah, so they cannot have a belief unto salvation by any other means—their belief does not offer them a way to God through Jesus, therefore, they are not going to heaven unless they believe on Him. Look up: John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” & Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Paul, a Jew, said in Romans 10:1-4: Brethren, my [Paul’s] heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
How do I lead a Jewish person to Christ? What if I say the wrong thing?
Keep in mind first and foremost that it is the Holy Spirit that calls people to Himself. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:1-5 “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.”
- Sometimes you do not have the opportunity to share lots of scripture with someone, or it may be overwhelming. You want it to sink in. So if you only want one scripture to share, make it this one: Micah 5:2 which in the Jewish Masoretic text is Micah 5:1. Then if you still have their attention, have them read Psalm 2. It shows that the Messiah was to be the Son of God, that He would be opposed by the rulers (Pharisees, etc.), and that He would gain the allegiance of the Gentiles. Finally, if they are still interested, use your most powerful evidence last: the Suffering Servant passage of Isaiah 52:13-Isaiah 53:12. Theologians regard this passage as the most succinct message of the Christ and His salvation in the Hebrew Scriptures. *
- Since Jews do not believe that the New Testament is valid, refer to scriptures in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the New Testament and help them to see that these scriptures together fulfilled in one man are impossible without them being miraculous and true. Isaiah 7:14 fulfilled in Matt. 1:23; Micah 5:2 fulfilled in Matt. 2: 1-6; John 1:45 disciples recognize fulfillment of scripture in Jesus.
- If the Jewish friend says “I’m a good person, isn’t that enough?” According to Psalm 14:3, “…there is no one who is good, not even one.” Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” And David said in Psalm 53:1, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.” God has made a way to forgiveness for our lack of goodness- beginning with the OT sacrifices, and culminating in the death of the Messiah- The Sacrifice.
- According to Jews for Jesus, the best thing to say to a Jew that says they think the Bible is full of myths and lies, ask them what specifically in the Bible is a myth, and how do they know it is a myth. Many Jews do not even read the scriptures anyway, so this is a ploy to avoid admitting their ignorance about the Old Testament, much less the Bible as a whole. There are many people that become Christians without ever believing that the Bible is true until after their conversion! God knows this, which is why he gave us Romans 1: 19-20
- The Daniel prophesies gave a timeline for the arrival of messiah which Christ fulfills. If Christ or somebody born about the same time isn't the messiah, then the messiah isn't coming.*
So, the most important thing you can do is pray for the person you want to witness to. Your words do not have to be fancy or perfect to win someone over. Your faith must be sincere, your love and concern for their eternal well-being real. Jews for Jesus did a survey of 8,000 completed Jews and the overwhelming majority came to Jesus through a friend or family member who was already saved, only 6% reported that they came to salvation through the Bible. It does not mean the scriptures were not used, but the person was much more likely to come to belief if someone who cared for them lived the gospel and shared the gospel with them. Read I Corinthians 3:7 & Galatians 6:9
* Jews for Jesus website
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