Dear Editor,

Mervin Stoddart, in an April 3 column, “Celebrating Easter by force” asked: “Whose brand of Christianity should Jamaicans celebrate?” I am glad he ended his article with this: My answer is none of those mentioned, and the sooner the whole lot of us realise this, the sooner we will return to the ancient paths, the good way, and find rest for our souls (Jeremiah 6:16).

Jesus was a Jew. His Hebrew name was Yeshua and that’s what his mother called Him. He said He is “the way, the truth and the life” and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Paul states in Romans 3:2 “Jews were entrusted with the very words of God”, therefore if we want to know God (and Yeshua is God) then we need to go back to His Word. Part of the Scriptures referred to in the New Testament is the Torah or the first five books of the Bible. It is commonly called “the law” but the correct translation is teaching or instruction. Yeshua and the other writers of the New Testament quoted the Torah.

For too long the “mother of all harlots” and her offspring have distorted the Scriptures and substituted traditions. Easter and Christmas are pagan holidays instituted by the Roman Emperors and Popes and God’s weekly Holy Day (Sabbath) was also changed to Sun-Day in honour of the Sun God. God’s Holy Feast Days as found in Leviticus 23 have been largely ignored by the church leaders and the holidays mentioned above have been glorified.

Malachi 4:5 says: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes”. The spirit of Elijah is here now to challenge the followers of Baal in our time just as he did when he was on Mount Carmel. He asked the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him”.

I am happy to say that I am no longer a “Christian” but a follower of Yeshua. My eyes have been opened to the truth of God’s Word in its entirety. The Orthodox Jews use only the Old Testament and so have no knowledge of Messiah Yeshua as portrayed in the New Testament. On the other hand, the “Christians” have for the most part disregarded the Old Testament and have placed greater emphasis on the New with the result that “anomia” abounds.

Messianic Judaism has reached our Jamaican shores for just over a year now and the entire Word of God is precious and relevant (the Word of the Lord endures forever). One of the aims is to worship God in Spirit and in Truth and not follow the traditions of men.

Fay Bangerter

jewelhomes@mail.infochan.com