B e g i n n i n g F r o m J e r u s a l e m B e g i n n i n g F r o m J e r u s a l e m notes: Beginning F r o m Jerusalem By Steve Cohen The Apple of His Eye Mission Society PO Box 6977 St. Louis MO 63123 USA 636-326-4040 www.appleofhiseye.org
[email protected] Dedication: This labor of love is dedicated to the love of my life, Janice Anne (Isbell) Cohen. She has labored at my side as a partner in ministry and labored in mothering our five children!As she and thousands of others battle Huntington’s Disease, we pray for a cure and rely on the Lord for eternity. May those who venture through these pages be stirred with a heart’s desire to reach the Lost Sheep of Israel with the greatest news of all: The Messiah has come and His name is Y’shua! Steve Cohen May, 2001 1 B e g i n n i n g F r o m J e r u s a l e m notes: TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Section I: Beginning From Jerusalem... Confronting Evangelistic Barriers 5 Hurdling Barriers that Prevent Christian Witness 12 Attitudes in Witnessing 14 Basic Jewish Beliefs 19 Common Objections to Jesus as Messiah 24 A Bible Chain to Present the Gospel in the Old Testament 47 Major Messianic Prophecies 51 Section II: Historical information to assist understanding Jewish Identity 64 Gentile Identity 70 Orthodox Judaism 71 Reform Judaism 74 Conservative Judaism 75 Reconstructionism 76 Jewish Writings 80 The Jewish Calendar 82 The Jewish Festivals 83 Modern Traditions and Customs 89 Jewish Concerns 91 Jewish Mission History 92 A Roman State Religion 101 From the 4th Century to the Reformation 102