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The Messiah Confrontation: Why Israel Knohl Says the Pharisees Wouldn’t Have Executed Yeshua

The Messiah Confrontation: Why Israel Knohl Says the Pharisees Wouldn’t Have Executed Yeshua

In this video, I review Professor Israel Knohl’s groundbreaking book The Messiah Confrontation, a work I first discovered through the excellent Kedem YouTube channel. Knohl argues that Yeshua’s execution was not the result of Pharisaic hostility—since the Pharisees, the ancestors of Rabbinic Judaism, would not have condemned Him—but rather the outcome of a trial dominated by Sadducees, a sect that no longer exists. Knohl laments that centuries of Christian–Jewish tension have been fueled by blaming “the Jews,” even though the group responsible disappeared long ago.

From a Christian perspective, I highlight an important point: if Yeshua is the Messiah, then His innocent death was necessary to fulfill prophecy. Without His death and resurrection, there is no Messiah and nothing for the crowds in Acts 2 to repent of. Antisemitism, which long predates Yeshua’s crucifixion, stems from ancient hatred of the children of Abraham—not from the gospel story itself.

Knohl devotes most of the book to tracing the development of messianic expectation in the Tanakh, the Qumran texts, and first‑century Judaism. He explains why many Jews expected a warrior‑king who would overthrow Rome, and why Yeshua’s message challenged those assumptions. While I disagree with Knohl’s rejection of Yeshua as the Messiah, his scholarship is honest, rigorous, and fair toward both Jewish and Christian traditions.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves deep, academic study of Scripture and the history of God’s people. Knohl’s treatment of messianic divinity alone is worth the read. My one critique is that he does not address Daniel 9, where the Messiah is linked to the destruction of Judea—something Yeshua explicitly referenced when He foretold the fall of the Temple.

If you enjoy serious biblical scholarship, this book is a treasure. I’ve also linked Knohl’s interview on the Kedem channel so you can explore his ideas firsthand. Shalom, and may YHVH bless you and keep you in the Name of Yeshua.

This book is available here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780827618992

https://www.youtube.com/@KEDEMChannel

The Truth is in Our Hands

I asked Microsoft Copilot which day of the week they held holy, what annual holy days they kept, and did they believe in eternal souls. Watch to see the answers

Why We Avoid Pagan Symbols in Worship

The Second Commandment forbids creating or worshiping images used as idols or tied to pagan religious practices, but it does not prohibit all artwork. Scripture allows decorative imagery—such as pomegranates, cherubim, and the bronze serpent—while commanding physical reminders like mezuzot and tzitziyot. The biblical standard is clear: remove idols, reject pagan symbols, and use only the reminders God instructs for obedience.

Why People Keep Following False Prophets: A Biblical and Historical Breakdown

False Prophets and Teachers

Why People Keep Following False Prophets: A Biblical and Historical Breakdown

Understanding when to listen to people—and when to stop—is a biblical command, not a personality trait. This teaching walks through the ancient hierarchy of prophets, teachers, and Scripture, and compares it to the modern world where everyone has access to a Bible but few actually know it.

We explore how Torah, the Prophets, Yeshua, and the Apostles gave clear tests for identifying true prophets and rejecting false teachers, even when their predictions come true.

The Goal of Scripture: From Eden to Isaiah 56 — What God Really Wants From Us

The Goal of Scripture: What is the real purpose of the Bible? Why did God give us His Word, His Spirit, and His commandments — and what does He actually want from humanity?
This teaching walks through Scripture from Genesis to Isaiah to uncover the consistent pattern of God’s relationship with mankind, our repeated failures, and His unwavering goal for His people.

We trace the story from the Garden of Eden to the Flood, from Abraham to the Exodus, from the Exile to the first‑century assemblies, and finally to the prophetic vision of Isaiah 56 — a “house of prayer for all nations.”

📖 What This Teaching Covers

• Slide 1 — Jude & the Purpose of Scripture

Why the Bible exists, what the Holy Spirit is doing, and how Scripture records the relationship between God and humanity.

• Slide 2 — Genesis 2:16–17

The Garden of Eden, the single command, free will, and the moment humanity chose disobedience.

• Slide 3 — Genesis 6:5–6

The Flood, mankind’s corruption, the covenant of the rainbow, the Tower of Babel, and God scattering the nations to restrain evil.

• Slide 4 — Genesis 26:4–5

Abraham’s obedience, the meaning of “Hebrew,” and how Abraham foreshadows Yeshua.
Why our blessing flows from His obedience — and why ours still matters.

• Slide 5 — Exodus 1:5–7

Joseph’s rise in Egypt, the parallels to Yeshua, and how God used famine and slavery to grow Israel into a nation.
The Exodus as a picture of salvation while still in sin — and what that means for believers today.

• Slide 6 — Jeremiah 29:10

Israel’s cycle of disobedience, exile, and God’s patience.
Why clinging to old traditions often leads us away from truth.

• Slide 7 — Second Temple Judaism

How Israel finally stopped mixing with paganism, the rise of various Jewish sects, and the emergence of the early Messianic believers (“the Way”).

• Slide 8 — Galatians 2:11–13

Peter and Paul’s confrontation over exclusion.
Why Israel’s isolation made sense historically — and why it became a barrier to the Gospel.

• Slide 9 — Luke 4 & Mark 11

Yeshua’s rebuke of spiritual exclusivity.
Why God’s house was always meant for all nations, and how Israel struggled with this calling.

• Slide 10 — Isaiah 56:1–8

The prophetic vision of foreigners joining themselves to YHVH through obedience, love, and covenant faithfulness.
God’s promise to gather “others” to His people — the ultimate goal of the Gospel.

🌍 The Big Picture: What God Wants

The entire biblical narrative points to one consistent truth:

God wants people from every nation to believe in Him and His Son — and to express that belief through obedience, love, and repentance.

We are not spectators in a cosmic conflict.
We are participants.
We must choose whom we will serve.

👍 If this teaching helped you…

• Like the video
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• Share with someone seeking biblical clarity
• Leave a comment with your thoughts or questions

When Sunday and Christmas Became Mandatory

When Sunday and Christmas Became Mandatory

Sunday and Christmas are two pillars and even litmus tests for Christianity today but they both were shunned by believers until deep into the 300s AD. This message shows both these doctrines of men were introduced after the close of scripture and time-stamps when they were made mandatory for Christianity. We also discuss the result of the councils, that assumed the power of God, was to make the original Christians sinners. None of the New Testament authors observed Sunday instead of Sabbath nor did they observe the birth of Jesus at all, yet the councils that mandated these days be kept holy decreed those who did not to be heretics and sinners. Men do not have the power to make or counter laws that are reserved for God alone. Sunday and Christmas are not mandatory for Christianity at all. Hopefully this message motivates people to look into these observances and then return to the true worship of first century Christianity.

The Torah is Required for Christianity

The Torah is required for Christianity to exist and for us to have any meaning to our beliefs and practices. Christianity is the continuation of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is not a new religion founded by a new God or prophet 2000 years ago, that would be a different religion entirely. This message proves that our faith depends on the Torah for both our values as well as the identity and authority of Yeshua, Jesus, the Son of God. To listen to the series I reference in this message, go to https://firstcenturychristianity.net/start-here/

Chanukah and Matthew 24

Chanukah and Matthew 24. Yeshua aka Jesus was directly referring to Chanukah in Matthew 24. Understanding the details of this observance really helps a person to understand the context of prophecy and the words of the Messiah when He referred to the abomination of desolation. Let the reader understand. If the autoplay above doesn’t work, this is also available at Youtube https://youtu.be/1CiRJ8dUkcI and Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/1DezAVSKVtuMjz7VcgLcLM?si=HiEOZ_IsSw2sVvMZ8dsl4Q

My Approach to the Faith

My Approach to the Faith. This is my philosophical overview message given on Shabbat, December 6, 2025. Before delving into doctrines I am offering my perspective on the overview of the faith once delivered highlighting the giant philosophical divergences between the original faith and traditional Christianity. Early Christianity was a mess with respect to doctrines and this idea that one was condemned if they disagreed was a foreign concept. The apostles openly disagreed and discussed concepts while remaining brethren. They also did not believe in eternal hellfire for anyone, let alone for those with slight disagreements in doctrine. At the end of this message I explain what the bible actually teaches about the two resurrections and what will happen to sinners and those who have never heard the gospel. Spoiler alert, it’s not what you hear in Sunday church.

Reformers and Early Church Fathers were Primitive and Violent People

Reformers and Early Church Fathers were Primitive and Violent People. John Calvin and Martin Luther were completely fine having individuals publicly executed for disagreeing with their doctrines. The “early church fathers” had no problem pronouncing eternal judgment on people who disagreed with their doctrines and also using violence to enforce their beliefs. Those who used violence to enforce doctrine in the first century were exclusively the bad guys so it is of the highest level of irony that once Christianity attained to power, it also resorted to violence. Let us learn the lessons of the past and greet each other with love and patience, allowing for the Holy Spirit to lead us in growth toward Yahweh and His Son.