I'm sure the Christians on your list will pipe up and fill in the blanks, but basically, the whole "Jesus, who was the son of G-d, died for our sins and was then resurrected to save us all" is where his followers started diverging from Judaism. Without the resurrection, Jesus would've been just another rabble-rousing rabbi from 1st Century Judea, and there were a lot of 'em.

The Christians' gospels claim that his followers saw him alive and in the flesh, and that he later went up to heaven. The guy does seem to have been a healer - as have other people in history - so maybe he was so good that he actually healed himself while "dead". Maybe his followers were hallucinating. Impossible to say at this point.

We do know he wasn't the Messiah because none of the conditions that the Messiah's coming (as a man with a task, not a "son of G-d") were supposed to bring about happened.

yeah, jrkissw is basically right.

and now it's my turn--i'm not familiar with many jewish beliefs, but he did just bring about curiosity on my part--but what do you guys believe as far as the messiah's coming? i know you guys just said a little bit about it, but what are the beliefs of judaism related to that matter?

Yeah, that's pretty much the gospel account as I recall it. It all depends upon how much credibility you want to give it.

The key to Christianity is Jesus's rising from the dead. Because truthfully, anyone could die for our sin. We see that in the Jewish system of sacrifice, where animals would be sacrificed for the atonement. But if it were a person that just died, then that's where the story would end. In a while, another person would be needed.

But Christ was not just ANY person. He died for our sins and then rose again. And answering the question in another comment, it wasn't really Night of the Living Dead or anything. Jesus wasn't a zombie, and He didn't "heal himself" as was suggested. God brought Jesus back to life, fully alive. Thomas put his fingers in the holes in his hands and his hand in the hole in Jesus' side. And since Hebrews 9:27 says "It is appointed unto all men to die once and then face judgement." Jesus could not die again, and He is still alive, interceding for believers in Heaven today.

You and jkrissw both mention unfufilled prophecies. But, if Jesus was not the Messiah, then prophecies of Isaiah would go unfufilled in the Messiah you are expecting. Check out this list of characteristics of the Messiah Isaiah prophecized.

42:6, 49:8 -- He will be a Covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles
53:2, 52:14 -- Messiah will have no physical appeal, many will be appalled at him
53:3-5. -- he will be despised and rejected, unappreciated, a man of sorrows
53:6 -- Messiah would carry away our iniquities.
53:8. -- he would die childless for the transgressions of Israel
53:12 -- he would pour out his life unto death to intercede for transgressors
53:10 -- His life would be a guilt offering

And perhaps the most important.
53:11 -- he would be raised from the dead.

As I have researched this, I have found that there are two sets of Messianic prophecies. One is called Mashiach Ben-Yosef, and the other Mashiach ben-David. I also heard them referred to as the Scarlet Thread and the Golden Thread. Mashiach Ben-Yosef are the prophecies fufilled in Jesus. A suffering Messiah, unattractive and rejected by His own people. Mashiach be-David are the prophecies of a triumphant Messiah, who returns to begin an era of peace after the defeat of evil. This is what you referred to with "war will stop, there will be peace, people will come back from then dead" (though I must mention, saints did rise from the dead and were seen by many at the time of Jesus' death). The trick is, these prophecies are not mutally exclusive. They refer to the SAME MESSIAH. The one Isaiah prophesized that would suffer for the sin of man AND the one who will RETURN and take His people to Heaven.

Hope all that helped.
Sean

thank you :-)