An Apology To The Jews

Bill Somers

Intercessory Repentance in Action

November 4, 1996.

The relationship of the Church and the Jews throughout history is treated in
Michael Browns book 'Our Hands are stained with Blood!' This book touched me
very deeply. Some time after reading it I was led by the Lord to put one of its
recommendations into practice. That is one that deals with what Dr. Brown calls
Intercessory Repentance. It entails repenting for the sins of an entire group of
people, and perhaps to a group of people who were sinned against. The
repentance is a form of intercession and can be for sins that were not necessarily
committed by the one doing the repenting.
I am going to reprint here a set of messages that were circulated by Electronic
Bulletin Board on a World Wide system called FIDONET. I believe the reader will
be able to see not only an example and a discussion of intercessory repentance
but also the results that it can bring.
I am changing the names of the participants, except myself, in this text out of
concern for the individuals involved. (Please be in mind that it is the practice on
these discussion groups to quote what the other person has written before
responding to it.)

[This is the first message.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: ALL Date: 2/12/1994

From: BILL SOMERS Time: 9:18 am
Subj: APOLOGY TO THE JEWS
Back on 1-12-94, Lonnie Smith wrote to Moshe Steinberg on the subject of God's
punishment...

-- Quoted passage
> Lonnie, I will ask a simple question. Why are the Jews in exile NOW. I
> am not an idolater. I believe in the one true G-d. All those
> statements about the idolatry of the first temple have NOTHING to do
> with me and the state of the Jewish people at this time.

That is a good question. Why, for the last 2,000 years has Israel been a
"castaway?" I think that would be a good topic of discussion for you to look into.
Could it be you have rejected some item in God's law/plan?
LS> Do not blame Israel's sufferings on us. .... So let's not blame the Gentiles for
every folly that Israel runs into. That's all I'm saying.
-- End quoted passage

The point I wish to comment on is this:

LS> Do not blame Israel's sufferings on us.

Speaking as a gentile Christian, I recognize that many Jews do blame their

sufferings on us, the church. The slaughter of Jews during the crusades, the
Spanish Inquisition, the persecution under Luther, the Pogroms in eastern
Europe, the Nazi Holocaust; all these and much much more were carried out by
those who called themselves Christian. The history of the church is a history of
Jew hatred. Yet some of us wonder that they reject the claims of the Lord Jesus
Christ!
OK. Most Christians today are not personally guilty of any of this. We often hear
it said that those who did these things were not 'true' Christians. That it was not
really our fault. "Don't blame us!" (Has anti-Semitism gone away, or is it on the
increase?)
In Matthew 23, Jesus rebuked some hypocrites:

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs
of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them
which killed the prophets.

Could He deliver the same rebuke to us today, who say in effect, "If we had been
in those circumstances, we wouldn't have done those things."?
The things in scripture are given to us as examples, (1 Cor. 10:11). Let me
present two examples of the correct attitude to take in this case.

Nehemiah 9 1. Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of
Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth's, and earth upon them.
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and
confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD
their God [one] fourth part of the day; and [another] fourth part they confessed,
and worshipped the LORD their God.

Daniel 9 3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
4. And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O
Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that
love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and
have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy
name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness [belongeth] unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, ....
(KJV - On Line Bible)

I note that in each case confession and repentance takes place for one's own
sins and for those of the larger group, of which one may not be 'personally' guilty.
And so, with these examples in mind....

I confess to the Lord and to the Jewish people that we, the church, have
done wickedly, fomented hatred, committed murder and sinned against the
Jewish people, 'beloved of the Father'. We have departed from your
commandments and disobeyed your word. We have rebelled and left the
straight and narrow path. We did not learn from the apostles and prophets
but did what was right in our own eyes. And to us today belongs an
infinitely greater 'confusion of face' than ever afflicted Israel of old.
I confess, apologize and repent for all the crimes committed against the
Jews by church of Jesus Christ. And I humbly ask your forgiveness for all
this.

Recommended reading:
Our Hands Are Stained With Blood.
The tragic story of the "church" and the Jewish People
by Michael Brown
Destiny Image Publishers POB 310 Shippensburg, PA 17257

[After sending this out, I got the following response about a week later.
Second Message]
To: BILL SOMERS Date: 2/13/1994
From: John Prowse
Subj: Who shed the blood ?

From: Bill Somers

To: All
Subject: Apology To The Jews

BS/Speaking as a gentile Christian, I recognize that many Jews do blame their

sufferings on us, the church. The slaughter of Jews during the crusades, the
Spanish Inquisition, the persecution under Luther, the Pogroms in eastern
Europe, the Nazi Holocaust; all these and much, much more were carried out by
those who called themselves Christian.
The history of the church is a history of Jew hatred.

You are blaming the "church" for the evil deeds of the "Great Whore" of Rome
and her family.
The only question I have about you is whether you are merely incredibly ignorant
re: who constitutes the NT described "church" or whether you are a deliberate
servant of the "Great Whore" of Rome and her family.

BS/ Yet some of us wonder that they reject the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The kind of deception you put out greatly contributes to the error. Which very well
may be your intent.

BS/ I confess to the Lord and to the Jewish people that we, the church,
have done wickedly, fomented hatred, committed murder and sinned
against the Jewish people, 'beloved of the Father'. We have departed from
your commandments and disobeyed your word. We have rebelled and left
the straight and narrow path. We did not learn from the apostles and
prophets but did what was right in our own eyes. And to us today belongs
an infinitely greater 'confusion of face' than ever afflicted Israel of old.
I confess, apologize and repent for all the crimes committed against the
Jews by church of Jesus Christ. And I humbly ask your forgiveness for all
this.

You're deceived re: what the "church" is, and you have no authority to speak for
it.

To ALL: Does or does not organized "Christian" religion constitute the NT

described "Church". ??
Bill presents the "Church" as an evil institution. This reflects on the validity of the
moral guidance of Jesus Christ the founder and Lord of His Church.
Is he right ? Is he accurate ? Who shed the blood ? (of Jews AND "heretics") The
"Church" of Jesus Christ ? Or: "The Great Whore" ?

By the way Protestants were officially RC defined as "heretics" up until 1965.

By the way N. Ireland, Bosnia & more indicate this is not merely a historical
question.
[At this point the writer proceeded to quote Rev. 17:1-6,9,15,18; Rev. 18:1-5,16-
24; and Rev. 19:1-3]

IF you can't tell the difference between the NT Church of Jesus Christ, vice The
"Great Whore" of His Revelation, THEN you have a SERIOUS CASE OF
BLINDNESS and, you better beg Jesus Christ for some sight.

With best wishes, John

++++++ Read and Heed His Revelation ! ++++++++++

[At this point, I was unsure how to respond to such an attack! But I recalled a
prophecy by Rick Joyner about those who have their brothers blood on sword,
(that is to say, those who have used the Word of God as a weapon against their
Christian brothers) not being allowed a part in building the Kingdom or the House
of the Lord. So I made no reply whatever.
The payoff came after another week of waiting, in the following letter by and
Orthodox Jew. It showed me, as I told some friends, "The Holy Ghost was right
again!"]
[Third Message.]

To: Bill Somers Date: 2/15/1994

From: STEVE ZALMAN
Subj: Apology To The Jews

BS> I confess to the Lord and to the Jewish people that we, the church,
have done wickedly, ...."

Bill, your confession for sins you never committed is a ray of hope from the abyss
of hatred. The Jews greatest fear is that one day the church will return to
murdering Jews and there will be no one to help, as in the past. The children of
Israel are responsible for correcting the sins made in our past. Just as Germany's
children are now responsible for correcting the sins of the prior generation. It is
for the Christians to take control of their church and to stop the hatred and anti-
Semitism towards Jews. I have heard that the Vatican will be removing anti-
Semitic writings from the NT as soon as they can work out the details. This is
certainly a step in the right direction. Jews fervently pray each Sabbath for the
day to come when the whole world will be at peace with one another, when
hatred will no longer blind the eyes. On that day, the world will be one, And His
name will be One. Ba Ruch Ha Ba B'shem - Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the L-rd.
Shalom

[Then I made the following reply.

Fourth Message]
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To: STEVE ZALMAN Date: 2/27/1994

From: BILL SOMERS
Subj: Apology To The Jews
Steve,

Shalom from this Christian.

Thank you for your kind remarks in response to my post.
SZ>Bill, your confession for sins you never committed is a ray of hope
SZ>from the abyss of hatred.

My original posting, Apology to the Jews, began as a comment on someone's

remark: "Do not blame Israel's sufferings on us."
Then I cited Matthew 23:29-31 as an example of Jesus rebuke to this attitude. I
quoted Nehemiah 9:1-3, and Daniel 9:3-7 as examples from the bible of the
proper attitude. Then I made the confession, which you quoted back to me:
I concluded with recommending a very good book on the subject:
Our Hands Are Stained With Blood.
The tragic story of the "church" and the Jewish People
by Michael Brown
Destiny Image Publishers POB 310 Shippensburg, PA 17257

All of this is an example of what Michael Brown calls "intercessory repentance".

Brown is a Messianic Jew with some hard sayings for the church which I believe I
can share with you and some of my Christian brothers on this echo without
getting too far off topic.
In Michael Brown's book _Our Hands are Stained with Blood_ he writes on page
82: ...If Jesus promised to fulfill the Law of God and then abolished it, he would
be a liar and not the Son of God.
Do you know that this is one of the greatest objections to the Gospel that
religious Jews have had? If Jesus was truly the Messiah, why did he do away
with the Law? Historian Jules Isaac notes: "The Jewish rejection of Christ was
triggered by the Christian rejection of the Law.... The rejection of the Law was
enough: to ask of the Jewish people that they accept this religion...was like
asking them to tear out their heart. History records no example of such a
collective suicide."
On Page 89 he quotes Rav Shimon Walbah, a leading Orthodox Rabbi in Israel,
"Instead of bringing redemption to the Jews, the false Christian Messiah has
brought down on us base libels and expulsions, oppressive restrictions and
burning of [our] holy books, devastations and destructions. Christianity, which
professes to infuse the sick world with love and compassion, has fixed a course
directly opposite to this lofty rhetoric. The voice of the blood of millions of our
brothers cries out to us from the ground: No! Christianity is not a religion of love
but a religion of unfathomable hate! All history, from ancient times to our own day,
is one continual proof of the total bankruptcy of this religion in all its segments."
On Page 90 he quoted Professor Eugene Borowitz: "We might be more inclined
to give Christian claims some credence had we seen Christians thru the ages
behave as models of redeemed humanity. Looking thru the window of history we
have found them as much in need of saving as the rest of humankind. If anything
their social failings are especially discrediting of their doctrine for they claim to be
uniquely free of human sinfulness and freshly inspired by their faith to bring the
world to a realm of love and peace.... Until sinfulness ceases and well being
prevails Jews know the Messiah has not come."
On page 91 he says: For hundreds of years the word 'Christ' has been a curse
word in thousands of Jewish homes. This is largely the fault of "Christians".
Millions of Jews have hated the name of Jesus. Alleged followers of Jesus are a
primary cause. Could we possibly have produced anything worse?
On page 97 he declares: Let us hang our heads in shame. The "Church" has
blood on her hands.
On page 99 he writes: A little more than 100 years ago, a Christian minister to the
Jews "was asked what he thought was wanting on the part of the friends of
Israel. He replied, 'More tears'."
Reading all this was quite an experience for me. I discovered that I had some
unconscious anti-Semitism in myself, that I would not have otherwise admitted to.

SZ>It is for the Christians to take control of their church and to stop the hatred
and anti-Semitism towards Jews.

From this comment, it seems you can give some credence to a distinction
between 'Christians' and their church. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is on the rise
in the church, even from sources that should know better. Michael Brown deals
with some of it in his book. Especially the errors of "Replacement Theology". But
few Christians recognize it or are prepared to do something about it.

SZ>The Jews greatest fear is that one day the church will return to murdering
Jews and there will be no one to help, as in the past.
This fear is a very real possibility. Your comment reminds me of a passage in
Job. (3:25) "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which
I was afraid of is come unto me." KJV Another reading is: "For a fear I feared and
it meeteth me, And what I was afraid of doth come to me." (Youngs translation)

One of the New Testament instructions to Christians is in 1 John 3:16

"Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and
we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren."

Regarding the Jews, it tells us in Romans 11:28

"As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sakes: but as touching the
election, [they are] beloved for the fathers' sakes."
That makes you one of the brethren, I may one day be required to lay down my
life for. If and when the 'church' once again turns against the Jews, there will be
some who will still stand with you.

SZ>Jews fervently pray each Sabbath for the day to come when the whole world
will be at peace with one another, when hatred will no longer blind the eyes. On
that day, the world will be one, And His name will be One. Ba Ruch Ha Ba
B'shem - Blessed is he who comes in the name of the L-rd. Shalom
AMEN AND AMEN
Further recommended reading: (It sheds some light on the phrase 'for your
sakes' in Rom. 11:28 above.

One New Man, by Reuven Doron

POB 10102, Cedar Rapids IA 52410
God Bless Y'all
Bill Somers