Psalm 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.
What is the secret of the LORD? Why would He need to show us His covenant which has been widely known for many centuries?
I no longer believe that it is enough just to believe in a doctrine and that somehow you are saved. After all, the demons believe and tremble with fear and yet are not saved. I know that YHVH (God) made a covenant and that covenant has certain requirements. I have been studying the Covenant of YHVH. I have been trying my best to understand and divide the laws of God into those that are requirements for the descendants of Abraham, (those born into the covenant) and the requirements for non descendants of Abraham that are trying to follow YHVH. Such people who wish to join themselves to Him and avail themselves to the blessings of His Covenant with its promises. How does one join themselves to YHVH?
There are basically three prevailing schools of thought on what YHVH requires of His non Jewish followers. The first is that the instructions given to Moses at Sinai are null and void because Yeshua (Jesus) did away with the Law by his vicarious atonement. His righteous sacrifice frees his followers from the requirements of God’s Law. By acceptance of his sacrifice their sin is placed upon him and his sinlessness is placed on them. This is the prevailing doctrine of the church founded by Saul of Tarsus (that is Paul, not by Yeshua). Paul claimed that the Law was nailed to the cross and in fact attempting to follow YHVH’s Law would be harmful to one’s salvation (Galatians 2:16 3:10 5:4). It is a very popular doctrine, because it makes so few demands on its adherents. After all, having someone else satisfy the requirements for salvation on your behalf is very easy and makes few requirements on you. It is also completely wrong. I will list a few reasons why it is wrong.
- Psalm 49:7 No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God. 8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice.
- Exodus 32:39 Moses asks YHVH to punish him for the sins of the people when they worshiped the golden calf. YHVH says no, that the person that committed the sin will receive punishment for their own sin. Later in Deuteronomy 24:16 YHVH makes a proclamation “every man shall be put to death for his own sin”. These are the words of YHVH Himself!
- Ezekiel 18 “the soul that sins, it shall die…the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
- Jeremiah calls for a time when the mistaken belief that one person can atone for the sins of another will be no more. In Jeremiah 31:29-30 it says, “in those days they will no longer say, the fathers ate sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But, everyone will die for his own iniquity, everyone that eats sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge”.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin”.
There are two principal attributes of YHVH. He is just, and He is loving. He does not punish one person for another’s sin. Likewise, no one can atone for anothers sins. YHVH says He detests human sacrifice. YHVH will not accept any sacrifice for sin without repentance followed by obedience. In the book of the prophet Jonah, the people of Nineveh repent and clothe themselves in sackcloth and ashes at the warning of the prophet Jonah. The king of Nineveh heard the warning and proclaimed a fast. He commanded the people to repent and pray that God’s wrath might be turned away from them. YHVH saw their repentance, heard their prayers, and spared them. Jonah was not instructed to offer any sacrifice on their behalf. There was no sacrifice required. They were forgiven because of their repentance and obedience in turning to YHVH.
As to Paul’s false teaching that the Law of God has been done away with, and nailed to the cross. I give you Yeshua’s own words.
Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
To fulfill does not mean to abolish. To fulfill means to achieve or make complete. But, to abolish means to put a formal end to something. Many people equate fulfill with finalizing a thing. But, Yeshua plainly says “not abolish” that means not bring and end to.
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no way enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Yeshua replied. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
Yeshua did not come to start a new religion. He was a Jew, ethnically as well as religiously. He was observant of the Laws of Moses. He taught them and explained their application and significance.
Many churches teach that Yeshua was the passover lamb that was sacrificed for our sins. The problem with that is that the passover lamb was never a sin offering! The first passover was a covenant sacrifice. If you obeyed YHVH and did the passover sacrifice then you were saved from destruction and lead out of slavery and into freedom. All subsequent passovers are a renewal of the covenant. If one wishes to become a party to the covenant all that is required is for (if male) circumcision and eating the passover. Thereby one joins himself to YHVH and becomes as a native born Israelite and a member of the Covenant.
Exodus 12:43 YHVH said to Moses and Aaron, “this is the decree of the pesach-offering : no alienated person may eat from it. 44 Every slave of a man, who was bought with money, you shall circumcise him; then he may eat of it. 45 A sojourner and a hired laborer may not eat it. 46 in one house shall it be eaten; you shall not remove any of the meat from the house to the outside, and you shall not break a bone in it. 47 The entire assembly of Israel shall perform it. 48 When a proselyte sojourns among you he shall make the pesach offering for YHVH, each of his males shall be circumcised, and then he may draw near to perform it and he shall be like the native of the land; no uncircumcised male may eat of it. 49 One law shall there be for the native and the proselyte who lives among you”. (From the Artscroll English Tenach)
The second school of thought is that the Ten Commandments are binding on all but nothing else. This is also wrong. There are laws outside the Ten Commandments that are given as universal and binding on all. In the interest of brevity I will just list a few. Eating blood of the flesh of a strangled animal is prohibited to Jew and gentile alike. Likewise, eating foods that have been offered to an idol or eating the limb of a living animal equally prohibited. Attending a Passover seder as an uncircumcised male or entering YHVH’s Temple as an uncircumcised male again prohibited. Gentiles are commanded to establish fair and impartial courts of law. Gentiles are required to abstain from leavened foods during the seven days following passover. Clearly the Ten Commandments are not all encompassing. So, this view is obviously wrong.
The third school of thought is the one I have long held, which is that those non Hebrews that decided to join themselves to YHVH were in a special class. That there were laws pointed out specifically to them that they should follow. This is true, but not a complete answer.
Defining The Ger
Joshua 8:30 At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to YHVH, the God of Israel, 31 just as Moses the servant of YHVH had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 All Israel, foreigners (Ka-ger) and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of YHVH facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of YHVH had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel. 34 Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law (this wasn’t just Ten Commandments). 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners (w’ha ger) who lived among them.
II Chronicles 30:25 Then the whole assembly of Judah rejoiced along with the priests and Levites and the whole assembly that had come from Israel, including the foreigners (w’ha-ger-im) who had come from Israel and those who lived in Judah. 26 So there was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this had happened there since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel. 27 Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard their voice, and their prayer came into His holy dwelling place in heaven.
There are passages of scripture that speak of sojourners that lived in the land of Israel. But, they were not themselves of Abrahamic decent. They were called the “Ger”, (pronounced as gair) sometimes translated as “sojourners”, sometimes as neighbor. If one reads the scriptures carefully they will see that the scriptures seem to indicate two types of Ger.
The first type of Ger is someone who is a neighbor. This is a person living alongside or even with the Israelites. Here he is either an immigrant that is dependent on the mercy of the people of Israel, or some kind of servant or possibly migrant worker living in the land. There are several passages of scripture pertaining to his fair and merciful treatment which he is entitled to according to the Law. The Law says that the people of God have a social responsibility for his well being. He is classified with the widows, the orphans, the poor and the Levites which are the priestly tribe that had no lands allocated to them because it was their sole function to serve at the Temple which thereby supported them through the tithes and offerings of the people. By the late second temple period the Ger were categorized by Ger toshav (as above the ger that sojourns, this is a gentile that remains a gentile {not attached to YHVH by following him} but lives with Israel and has certain commands that he must live by) and the ger she-nitgayyer (the ger that is a convert).
This second type of Ger, the ger she-nitgayyer, is a proselyte wanting to convert. A person which is a nondecendant of Abraham that is a proselyte to the faith and covenant of YHVH. This is a person who chooses to attach himself to YHVH to serve and obey Him thus assuming the obligations of His covenant. This person, if male, will become circumcised. After the circumcision he is allowed to celebrate the Lords Passover. He follows all the Laws of YHVH’s covenant. He would keep YHVH’s sabbaths and was considered an Israelite in every way and no longer a ger. The same laws applied to him just as they applied to every other Jew. He became a party to the contract that is YHVH’s covenant. (This is my personal belief not a word form God).
Who’s covenant?
Lets establish to whom was the Covenant at Sinai given?
Deuteronomy 29:9 “Therefore, keep the terms of this covenant and obey them so that you may be successful in everything you do. 10 You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God – the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officials, every Israelite man, 11 your infants, your wives, and the foreigners living in your encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water – 12 so that you (all) may enter by oath into the covenant the Lord your God is making with you today. 13 Today he will affirm that you are his people and that he is your God, just as he promised you and as he swore by oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 14 It is not with you alone that I am making this covenant by oath, 15 but with whoever stands with us here today before the Lord our God as well as those not with us here today.
Isaiah 56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him, who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –
all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,
and who are faithful to my covenant – 7 I will bring them to my holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” 8 The sovereign Lord says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will still gather them up.”
Two important things to note here. The covenant was given to everyone assembled whether Hebrews or not and also to others not there at that place and time. Also, note the words, “all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, and who are faithful to my covenant”. It does not say to those faithful to the ten commandments. It also says “I will make them happy in the Temple where people pray to me”. only those circumcised were allowed in the Temple. Circumcision is a sign of the Covenant. These people are converts!
The passover is one of the Holy Convocations of YHVH. I think it is well named. To eat of it a male must be circumcised whether a native born son of Israel or not. Circumcision is called one of the signs of the Covenant along with the sign of keeping the sabbath. When one accepts these signs also called marks of the covenant he passes over. He is a member of YHVH’s Covenant people. One that has passed over is no longer a sojourner If he repents from his sins and chooses to follow and attach himself to YHVH. He has become a member of and a party to the Covenant.
Genesis 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 13 They must indeed be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant will be visible in your flesh as a permanent reminder.
In other words they must be brought into the covenant. Why would people purchased with money be (by the command of YHVH) receiving the sign of the covenant . Yet, a person who by their own will desires to join themselves to YHVH and His people be forbidden?
Ezra 6:20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues the priests, and for themselves. 21 The Israelites who were returning from the exile ate it, along with all those who had joined them in separating themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to seek the Lord God of Israel.
(Separating oneself from the uncleanness of the Godless nations and their ways is paramount in seeking the Lord God of Israel, YHVH. This means following YHVH’s Law and living according to His instructions).
Isaiah 56:1 This is what the Lord says, “Promote justice! Do what is right! For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to vindicate you openly. 2 The people who do this will be blessed, the people who commit themselves to obedience, who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. 3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of the Lord should say, ‘The Lord will certainly exclude me from his people.’
This is a beautiful promise. No foreigner who follows YHVH will be excluded from being counted among His people! All the people that obey the sabbath and do not defile it, refrain from wrong doing and commit themselves to obedience are accepted into His covenant with its promised blessings. Physical seed of Abraham or not!
Here I would like to point out that if you follow YHVH and His commands you are no less one of His people than anyone else. Judaism is not a race. Jewish people come in every color that humanity comes in. The people of YHVH are a people bound together by a covenant with YHVH. That is all. We are bound first to Him and then to each other through as a people, His Laws, instructions, ordinances, Holy days and signs. We are bound by our love and obedience to YHVH and our love and compassion towards each other. It is a two fold covenant, our first obligation is to YHVH and our second is to our neighbor.
The Ger is no longer just a neighbor if he joins himself to YHVH. he or she is a brother or sister, a member of “the people”.
John 8:37 I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within you. 38 I speak of what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” 39 “Abraham is our father,” they replied. “If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 You are doing the works of your father.”
Yeshua is clearly teaching that the children of Abraham are those that do the works of Abraham, and that genetic lineage does not alone qualify one to be a member of YHVH’s covenant. As we have seen, a lack of genetic lineage will not disqualify one from being a member of that covenant.
A New Covenant
Some will say “But, we have a new covenant”. I would ask them to research to whom the new covenant is given and what does YHVH say about it. What is it? When is it? Who is it given to?
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 34 No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
So, as to who? Israel and Judah is the correct answer. As to when? Soon, I hope.
Indeed the Jewish people have returned to the land. But, the new covenant has not yet come to fulfillment. YHVH has yet to write his law on the hearts and minds of us all from the greatest to the least. So, the answer seems to be, not yet.
Is The Law too difficult for you to obey?
Obedience to the Law is not too difficult for you. Those that tell you that it is impossible to be fully obedient to the law are misleading you!
Deuteronomy 30:10 If you obey the Lord, your God and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this scroll of the law. But you must turn to him with your whole mind and being. 11 “This commandment I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it too remote. 12 It is not in heaven, as though one must say, “Who will go up to heaven to get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 And it is not across the sea, as though one must say, “Who will cross over to the other side of the sea and get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 For the thing is very near you – it is in your mouth and in your mind so that you can do it.
Would YHVH give us laws that we could not obey? Would He require we do the impossible and then judge us because of our failure? Anyone who claims so is accusing God of being unjust.
Psalm 10:7 The Law of YHVH is perfect, restoring the soul.
Psalms 119:1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the Law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are those who comply with His testimonies, and seek Him with all their heart. 3 They also do no injustice; They walk in His ways. 4 You have ordained Your precepts, That we are to keep them diligently.
Isaiah 48:17 Thus says YHWH your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am YHWH your God the One teaching you to profit, the One leading you by the way you should go.
More on the difficulty of the Law later.
Luke agrees.
Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
They walked blamelessly in YHVH’s Law! They kept His commandments flawlessly.
My position is that Scripture consistently teaches that Gentiles who come to the God of Israel do so by attaching themselves to Israel rather than by receiving an independent covenantal status separate from Israel. In the Torah, the “stranger” or sojourner who wished to participate in Israel’s covenant life joined Israel and was subject to the same law (e.g., Exodus 12:49; Numbers 15:15-16). The prophets likewise describe the nations coming to the God of Israel and joining themselves to His people rather than replacing them or existing as a separate covenant community. Yeshua the Prophet was an Israelite, his disciples were Israelites, and the earliest assembly of believers was entirely Israelite. Because of this, I do not see evidence that the covenants or scriptures ceased to belong to Israel or became detached from Israel’s identity.
My belief is that Gentiles may participate in Israel’s promises, but only through joining Israels covenant, not through a separate universal covenant that bypasses Israel. Yes, there are sojourners that worship YHVH and there are specific laws that pertain to them alone. But, this is not Ideal in my opinion. This is usually a step in the conversion process, thus the term proselyte being applied to them.
Where in the Tanach is a separate covenant people distinct from Israel predicted?. Apart from Paul’s false writings, where do the Gospels Acts, James, Peter, John, Jude, or Revelation teach that Gentiles inherit Israel’s covenants independently of joining Israel? Where does any prophet prophesy that the nations that turn to YHVH will remain distinct from Israel, or replace Israel?
What passages support that position?
Where are sojourners mentioned by Yeshua or his disciples?
I have come to believe that Yeshua came to be both “The Prophet” of Deuteronomy 18 as well as the awaited Messiah. In the early part of his ministry he said that he only came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24) Later in his ministry he gave this parable,
Mark 12:1 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. 2 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and this one they killed. He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed. 6 Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 7 But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you never read this Scripture: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes” 12 At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Having gone into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation. 16 The one having believed and having been baptized will be saved, but the one having disbelieved will be condemned.
What happened to change Yeshua’s mission?
I believe that Yeshua preached a message of reform to the people of Israel. He consistently pointed out the error of the oral Torah as taught by the pharisees. He pointed out their hypocrisy and how they made the demands of the law excessive to the point of causing hardship on those that were attempting to obey. They caused it to be difficult to follow the Law. They were rigid and excessive in their interpretations of what YHVH required. Yeshua corrected them,
Mark 2:27 Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Yeshua seems here to point out that the sabbath was meant to be a blessing to man, given as a day of rest, not a burdensome strict rule.
YHVH gave us his Laws to guide us. They are for our benefit and should never be a burden or create a hardship. After all, YHVH desires that we all be saved. He would not hinder us in our journey to Him. That is something the pharisees would not see.
Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat down on Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore do and observe all things, whatsoever they might tell you⁺. But do not do according to their works, for they speak and do not do. 4 And they tie up burdens heavy and hard to bear, and they lay them on the shoulders of men; but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 And they do all their works in order to be seen by men. For they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 And they love the chief place at the suppers, and the first seats in the synagogues, 7 and the greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by men. 8 But you shall not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for your Teacher is One, and you are all brothers. 9 And you shall call no one your father on the earth, for One is your Father who is in heaven. 10 Neither shall you be called instructors, because One is your Instructor, the anointed. 11 But the greatest among you will be your servant. 12 And whoever will exalt himself will be humbled, and whoever will humble himself will be exalted. 13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men. For you do not enter, nor even do you allow those who are entering to enter.
The pharisees were in charge of interpreting and guarding the Law. They enjoyed their position of power and took delight in appearing observant and righteous in the eyes of the people. Just as they made the law more stringent and difficult than YHVH had intended it to be. Likewise, they were the gate keepers of Judaism. They determined who was and who was not allowed to convert and become a member of the Covenant. In that capacity they were even more stringent and exclusionary.
The first part of Yeshua’s ministry he preached the coming kingdom and the reform that would bring it about. At some point it became apparent that his message (and he himself) had been rejected by all but a very few. His message changed at that point. It became obvious to him that he would be put to death and that Israel had missed its opportunity for the restoration of the Kingdom.
Luke 19:41 Now when Jesus approached and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will demolish you – you and your children within your walls – and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
It is my contention that Yeshua’s mission as The Prophet was fulfilled. Yet, his role as Messiah could not be fulfilled at that time due to the rejection of him by Israel and their failure to repent of their sins and because of their man made laws and traditions. They were guilty of corrupting the Torah.
Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHVH your God that I command you.
That is the reason that the prophesies “that their swords would be beaten into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and men will study war no more” has not come to pass. They failed to “repent for the Kingdom is at hand”.
The prophet Isaiah depicts the messianic era as a miraculous time. “A wolf shall live with a lamb, a leopard shall lie with a kid, a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them. A cow and a bear shall graze, and their children shall lie together; and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw” (Isaiah 11:6–7).
The Torah, too, promises (Leviticus 26:6): “I will remove wild beasts from the Land,”
All the diaspora of Israel will be regathered (Isaiah 11:11-16 Micah 5:2-5 , Jeremiah 23:5-8, Ezekiel 37:15-28). The temple will be rebuilt (Ezekiel 37:24-28 , Zechariah 6:11-15).
The world will enjoy peace (Amos 9:11-15, Isaiah 2:2-4 and 11:6-9, Micah 4:1-5 and 5:2-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6) Also, the Messiah comes at the end of days. There are a great many prophesies concerning the coming of the Messiah that have not yet been fulfilled.
Since these things have not yet occurred we can safely say that the Messianic age has not yet come. I personally believe Yeshua will return and will at that time fulfill all Messianic requirements.
Peter’s testimony
(A man had just been healed in Yeshua”s name in sight of all gathered).
Acts 3:11 While the man was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway called Solomon’s Portico. 12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or piety? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his servant Yeshua, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate after he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! 16 And on the basis of faith in Yeshua’s name, his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The faith that is through Yeshua has given him this complete health in the presence of you all. 17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too. 18 But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets – that his Anointed would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way. 19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you – that is, Yeshua. 21 This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you. 23 Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.’ 26 God raised up his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each one of you from your iniquities.”
Verse 20 (above) proves that even Peter agrees that the Messiah is to be sent at the appointed time! That time is still in the future according to Peter (speaking after the death burial and resurrection of Yeshua). Peter clearly identifies Yeshua as the prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
This verse is a key to understanding many of the things said by Yeshua and many of the things that occurred during his ministry. Also, note that disobedience to the teachings of Yeshua “The Prophet” will remove you from “the people”. What people? The people of YHVH! That spiritual, holy people of His Covenant.
One reason that Judaism continues to reject Yeshua as Messiah is that these prophesies remain unfulfilled. The time for them has not come. YHVH has not yet sent Yeshua in the role of the Messiah. The Church has been teaching the doctrines of Paul and have missed these enlightening words of Peter! The Jewish people know the Hebrew Scriptures and the prophecies that have not come to pass. Because of Paul’s false doctrine they have rejected the Anointed one!
The gate keepers (Rabbis of today) will not receive us. But we can still join ourselves to the spiritual people of YHVH to serve Him and avail ourselves to His covenant through repentance and obedience. It is not too difficult for you. It is the way.
Christianity from a Jesus Words only perspective 