The British Messianic Jewish Alliance

Chai, Issue 208, Spring 2000

Messiah and Post-modern Man

This article is extracted from a contribution made to the 1999 BMJA summer meeting.  It looks at aspects of the post-1948 world and asks: How can post-modern man receive Messiah?

A Scripture that sounds both ancient and “post-modern” is Daniel 12:4: 

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” 

The Pope said recently: “Nowadays, everything happens with incredible speed - because of the breakthroughs in science and technology and the expanded means of communication. It is therefore natural to question what humanity's destiny is and what its final goal is.” ¹

It is estimated that 80 per cent of the world's total knowledge has been brought forth in the last decade and that 90 per cent of all the scientists who have ever lived are alive today.   Encyclopedias are out of date before they can be printed! ²

In Christians in a Consumer Culture, John Benton writes: “The present world has become a small world with the advent of jet travel and telecommunications. We have thus been exposed to a great many new ideas and cultural values as the races, religions and cultures of the world mix together. This too has led to questioning the old idea of universal truth.  Seeing how others think about life and living has caused people to question their own ways and values.  The thought inevitably occurs [to people] that perhaps no-one has overall truth.” ³

Hinduism in Hollywood

In Europe we see a mindset developing of increased choice, plurality.  But with it, rapidly since the 1960’s, there has been the import of Eastern thought. Hinduism and Buddhism, tailored for Western consumption, agree that everything is relative. There is no absolute right or wrong, no absolute truth. There are many paths to God.  Eastern thought sits very well with what we in the West are coming to believe.

The media have been instrumental in this and Christian commentators do a good in-depth analysis. Indian Christian Vishnal Mangalwadi shows Hinduism’s influence on the Hollywood film industry. Similarly, the Spiritual Counterfeits Project in Berkley California shows how much seemingly neutral media imagery is not neutral at all.

Jewish identity in the “post-modern” world

I feel that the mindset of this generation is very much a Jewish issue and one we need to be aware of as Messianic believers.

Tal Brooke, now head of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, in the 1970’s sat at the feet of Sai Baba, a powerful Indian guru. Tal’s book, Lord of the Air is a testimony of how Yeshua delivered him from great evil.  Tal, although not Jewish himself, recalls in Lord of the Air that a high percentage of the Western disciples of Sai Baba were young Jewish fellow-Americans. ⁴

Increasing numbers of Jewish people practise a so-called “new spirituality” or mix of New Age elements, Kabbalah and traditional Judaism.

For our grandparents’ generation, Jewish identity was hardly in question. They knew who they were through defined belief systems, cultural and religious patterns that it was unthinkable and unusual to break.

Recently the Chief Rabbi asked: “Today, the Jewish people has a state again. The question is: what will become of Jewish identity?” ⁵

As Messianic Jews we have our own questions around identity.  Richard Nichol of the Ruach Israel Congregation, in discussing these, concluded: “We Jewish believers have been left holding the bag of an extremely complex identity issue.”  ⁶ 

“What is Truth?”

Yeshua said that by the time He came again to earth, the Gospel would have reached “all the nations” (Mark 13:10).  Technology, in particular computer translation of the Bible, is bringing that about in our generation.

Ironically, the post-modern world has facilitated the Jewish people’s exposure to the Christian gospel.  So does that make it easy to share our faith with the post-modern world? 

Christian commentator David Reagan writes: “In fact, we have become so overwhelmed with the flood of new information that it is difficult to find wisdom anymore, because wisdom comes from reflection on knowledge”. ⁷

My Bible ⁸ defines the Hebrew word most commonly used for wisdom, hokmah, as emphasising not theoretical knowledge but proper discernment. The first step, it says, toward wisdom is faith in Yahweh.

I initially put the generation divide arbitrarily, so I thought, at 1948. But then I realised the year is far from arbitrary. 1948 marks God’s hand upon history as the year the nation of Israel was reborn, as it was Biblically mandated to be. The restoration of Israel is one proof of the sovereignty of God. Each of us in the Alliance has seen “the fig tree put forth leaves” (Matthew 24:32). Written eternally over the “post-modern” world is Biblical writ, which does not change.

Heroism works antithetically to post-modernism. Perhaps in reaching this generation for Messiah, our model could be Daniel in Babylon.

In exile he was faithful to the God of Israel. He interceded for his Jewish people. May we too be granted such wisdom. “Now while I was speaking, praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God. Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, ‘O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand’.” (Daniel 9:20-22) 

The word “skill” can also be translated by the Hebrew word for wisdom, “hokmah”.

Before, the angel spoke to Daniel these words: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4). He said that the wise: “would turn many to righteousness” and “be like the stars forever and ever” (12:3)

To turn many to righteousness is still to turn them to Yeshua the Messiah, our Righteousness. Let us encourage each other, pray for each other and share with each other, that we like Daniel may be faithful in our generation. 

by Deborah Shah

Deborah is married to Sudhir and their daughter is Hadassah Miriam.

1.  Vatican City (AP) Pope Ponders the End of the World: May 26, 1999;

2.  Private Doug Batchelor: Director-Speaker 1997. Amazing Facts P.O. Box 1058  Roseville, California 95678-8058.

3 John Benton, Christians in a Consumer Culture (Christian Focus, 1999).

4. Tal Brooke, Lord of the Air (Harvest House Publishers).

5. Jewish Chronicle, May 21 1999: Chief Rabbi: The three mysteries of Shavuot.

6. Messianic Jewish Life July-Sept.’99 Dr. R. C. Nichol, Messianic Judaism – So What Exactly Is It?

7. Dr. David R. Reagan, The Acceleration of Life.

8 The Believer’s Study Bible: NKJV: (Thomas Nelson Publishers).

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