THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is a study
guide by Tessa Beswick that is a guide to what we believe is the true Gospel of
the Kingdom of God when we allow the Bible to interpret itself.
This
is a short version I've edited into a shorter study than Ms. Beswick’s
original version.
The
Bible is one book, not two separate
Testaments with the latter replacing the former. It is founded upon Covenants,
each enlarging upon the former ones by including more people and greater
promises. Each Covenant is still operational today and will not cease until the
end of time.
YHVH first cut a Covenant with Adam. Then He
overlaid additional Covenants and will sustain them through to their culmination
in Messiah Yeshua, King of kings. It was always His plan to restore his
Covenant people — Israel — to Himself.
A. The Seven Covenants of the Seamless Bible
Covenants are either unconditional
(irrevocable, permanent) OR conditional (dependent on obedience).
Covenants are =cut by God with the
addition of =salt. (Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19)
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
is a study guide by Tessa Beswick. This is a short version I’ve edited.
The Bible is one book,
not two separate Testaments with the latter replacing the former. It is founded
upon Covenants, each enlarging upon the former ones by including more people
and greater promises. Each Covenant is still operational today and will not
cease until the end of time.
YHVH first cut a Covenant with
Adam. Then He overlaid additional Covenants and will sustain them through to
their culmination in Messiah Yeshua, King of kings. It was always His plan to
restore his Covenant people — Israel — to Himself.
1. Adamic Covenant — symbolised
by the Ground of the Earth
o Unconditional covenant cut by
sacrifice of animal to provide covering for Adam and Eve.
o Promises eternal life for
obedience; spiritual death for disobedience. (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:22-24)
o Covenant is still in operation —
women labor, men toil, earth governs life.
2. Noahic Covenant — symbolised
by the Rainbow
o Covenant to preserve Noah and
family cut by the death of all corrupted flesh. (Genesis 6:18)
o Unconditional promise never
again to destroy all earthly life with flood waters. (Genesis 9:8-17)
o Covenant still operates (added
to Adamic) and marked by the sign/covering of the rainbow.
3. Abrahamic Covenant —
symbolised by the Stars of Heaven, given 1876 BCE
o Three-part unconditional
covenant of friendship:
o Promise to bless Abram with
descendants, land and kingship. (Genesis 12:1-3; 17:4-8)
o Covenant cut by God walking
through sacrifice of 5 animals and swearing by Himself. (Genesis 15:1-18)
o Abram‘s name changed to Abraham.
(Genesis 17:5)
o Covenant Seal — circumcision
(cutting the covenant). (Genesis 17:9-14)
o Covenant made with Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. (Gen 17:21; Psalm 105:8-10; Deut 7:9)
o Inclusion in Abraham‘s family is
conditional on circumcision.
o Abrahamic Covenant is added to
the Adamic and Noahic Covenants.
Abrahamic Covenant includes future Gentiles or Nations. (Genesis 15:18-21, 22:18; Galatians 3:8, 9)
God adked Abraham to sacrifice his
only (legitimate) son. A last minute reprieve saved Isaac but, 2000 years
later, God kept His part of the Covenant by offering His only Son for the
redemption of Abraham‘s progeny. (Genesis 22:1-18)
Jacob's family comprises 12 tribes who together constitute
the Nation of Israel.
The blessing of =Many Nations was
inherited by Joseph, then his younger son Ephraim. (Gen 48:16)
The blessing of =Headship and Kingly
rule was given to Judah (even though he was not the firstborn). Judah, ancestor
of Y‘shua, is 'Head of the Household' until Shiloh (Messiah) comes. (Genesis
49:10; 1 Chron 5.1-2)
This Covenant is still in process
in terms of the Land and numerous descendents.
4. Mosaic Covenant — symbolised
by Stone Tablets of Torah, given 1446 BCE
o Israel alone, of all the
families of the earth, is chosen by God. (Amos 3:1-2)
o God reaffirmed the Abrahamic
Covenant to Moses. (Exodus 6:4)
o God led the Nation of Israel (Jacob)
out of slavery in Egypt. (Exodus 2:24)
o Israel at Mt Sinai comprised
Jacob’s descendents plus Egyptian converts (grafted in). (Exodus 12:37-38)
o Israel includes all who =stand
at Mount Sinai. (Deut 29:14; Isaiah 56:3-8; Ephesians 2:12-19)
o The Ten Commandments are a
summary of the whole Torah. (Matthew 22:40)
o The Torah is not a means of
salvation — rather it is a lifestyle pleasing to YHVH, our code of conduct.
o Choose: Blessings/Obedience/Life
or--Curses/Disobedience/Death. (Lev 26; Deut 4-14)
o Sabbath is the mark of identity
of Israelites for all generations. (Exodus 31:16; Leviticus 24:8)
o Israel should observe YHVH's =Appointed Times; (they are not =Jewish
Feasts).
o Appointed Times are permanent
and unchangeable for all generations. (Exodus 23:14, Leviticus 23:4, 14, 44)
o Mosaic Covenant is unconditional
promise to bring Israel to her rest. (Hebrews 4:6-11)
o This Covenant still stands,
added to the Adamic, Noahic and Abrahamic Covenants. (Leviticus 26:9, 42,
44-45; Judges 2:1,2; Jeremiah 31:35-37; Ezekiel 16:60)
5. Davidic Covenant —
symbolised by Jerusalem, began 1010 BCE
o Unconditional promise to
establish Davidic dynasty on throne of Israel forever. (2 Sam 7:16)
o Pointed to a greater David and
an everlasting Covenant-- Yeshua the Messiah.
o Messiah Son of YHVH is
physically descended from King David through his son, Nathan. (Is11:1; 1 Sam
16:13; 2 Sam 5:3; 7:12-16; 23:5; 1 Chron17:11-14; 2 Chron 13:5; Ps 132:12)
o Covenant cut by David‘s
sacrifices on the altar on Mt. Moriah. (1 Chronicles 21:26; 22:1)
o Davidic Covenant still operates,
added to the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic Covenants.
6. Renewed Covenant — symbolised
by Messiah’s Blood/Cup and Body/Bread, given 30 CE at the death and
resurrection of Y’shua
o Covenant cut by the sacrifice of
Y‘shua according to Torah re: timing, location and method.
o Offer of salvation to Gentiles
by faith in Y‘shua, Son of YHVH. (Psalm 111:9; Galatians 3:6-9)
o Unconditional Covenant sealed with Passover bread/wine memorial
— 3rd Cup symbolising redemption. (Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25)
o Renewed Covenant is the perfect
fulfilment (Gk: pleroma) of the former Covenants.
Note: =pleroma means =fullness of meaning, not =end or
=abolish. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; 32:40)
o Renewed Covenant ratifies the
preceding Covenants for the =lost sheep of the house of Israel‘.
7. Peace Covenant — ‘Shalom’
anticipated in the Messianic Kingdom
o A new Covenant to be added to
the six preceding Covenants to form the Everlasting Covenant.
o Unconditional =Shalom of total
peace and wholeness. (Isaiah 54:10; Ezekiel 34:25-26)
o Characterized by restoration of
life to that which existed in the Garden of Eden.
o Covenant to be fulfilled in the
Land of Israel according to the borders promised to Abraham. (Isaiah 11:6-9;
14:24; 51:3; Ezekiel 36:8-12, 34-35)
Who are the
chosen People/Nation?
Psalm 135:4 “the
Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his peculiar treasure.”
Deuteronomy 14:2 “For
you are a holy people to the Lord your God and He has chosen you to be a
Peculiar people unto himself,
above all the nations that are upon the earth.”
Deuteronomy 32:9 “For
the Lords portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”
1 Chronicles 16:13 “O
you seed of Israel his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones.”
Isaiah 44:1 “Yet
now hear O Jacob my servant; and Israel whom I have chosen”
Ezekiel 20:5 “In
the day when I chose Israel”
Acts 13:17 “The God
of this people of Israel chose our fathers”
Romans 9:4 “who are
Israelites; to whom pertains the adoption,… glory,… covenants,… giving of the
law,… service of God,… promises”
Galatians 3:29 “And
if you are Christ’s, then are you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according
to the promise.”
Ephesians 2:12 “you
were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.”
Ephesians 2:19 “Now
therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with
the saints, and of the household of God.”
1 Peter 2:9 “But
you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar
people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light; who in time past were not a people, but are now
the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
Chosen for Eternity?
Isaiah 14:1 “For
the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet choose Israel.”
Isaiah 41:8-9 “But
you Israel are my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my
friend…. I have chosen you and not cast you away.”
Luke 1:33 “he shall
reign over the house of Jacob forever”
The History of Israel after King David
The Kingdom of Israel was
divided into two Kingdoms — 930 BCE
David's son Solomon sinned against
YHVH by marrying many women and taking foreign concubines. This was expressly
forbidden in Torah. His wives led him to disobey Torah by worshipping idols as
Torah had predicted they would. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4; 11:13-17; 1 Kings 11:1-10)
Solomon‘s sin led to the loss of
most of the United Kingdom of Israel, the ten northern tribes, which seceded
from the rule of the tribe of Judah during the reign of Rehoboam. (1 Kings 3:1;
11:11-13)
The Southern Kingdom (Judah and
Benjamin) was called Judah; the Northern Kingdom (remaining ten tribes) was
called Ephraim/Israel. (1 Kings11:26-32; 2 Chronicles10:16-19)
The Northern Kingdom was led by
Jeroboam who created his own feast days, an alternative priesthood and set up
pagan worship sites with golden calf idols, thus introducing a Replaced
Theology.
YHVH promised to remove
Ephraim/Israel from the land. (1 Kings 12:28-33; 13:33, 34; 14:15-16)
Ephraim was captured by Assyria
— 734 BCE
Because of idolatry the Northern
Kingdom/Israel was divorced from the presence of YHVH, lost its inheritance,
was captured by Assyria and assimilated into the nations. (Isaiah 50:1, 2 Kings
17:7-23)
It became the broken branches of
the Olive Tree of Israel. The people lost their identity, became =nameless‘ and
=not a people‘. (Jeremiah 11:16-17; Hosea 1:4-6-9)
Judah was captured by Babylon —
596 BCE
Because of injustice, YHVH allowed
Judah to be captured by Nebuchadnezzar and taken to Babylon.
Because of YHVH's love for David,
the Southern Kingdom was not divorced but was punished for 70 years; a remnant
of Judah returned to Israel in 536BC. (Jeremiah 25:11, Ezra 1:3)
However, most of Judah remained in
Babylon after the 70 year exile, failing to fully repent.
Judah brought back some Babylonian
customs and incorporated them into their religious practice.
They adopted the Babylonian
calendar, complete with its pagan names of months.
They adopted the =ineffable name
doctrine (fear that pronouncing His real name is sinful), which led to the disuse
of the name YHVH in favor of Adonai or Ha- Shem.
The remnant who returned to Judea
built the Second Temple, which was never as grand as Solomon‘s Temple and did
not contain the Shekinah/Glory of God.
Time of punishment for each
house of Israel
Ephraim‘s punishment was 390 years
separation from the land but, because they did not repent, the punishment was
multiplied by 7 and amounted to 2,730 years which ended in 1997 CE.
Judah‘s punishment was 360 years
(390+40–70) and was also multiplied by 7, amounting to 2,520 years, which was
completed in 1994 CE. (Leviticus 26:18; Ezekiel 4:4-6)
Daniel‘s visions span the Jewish
Exile in Babylon through to the return of Messiah. Currently the world lives in
the time of the =feet‘ of the statue of Daniel 2 and the final verses of Daniel
12.
Medo–Persians captured Assyria
— 538 BCE
The Medo–Persians tolerated
Judaism. Queen Esther foiled a plot by Haman the Agagite (Amalekite) to
completely destroy all Jews during the reign of a Persian king.
Ezra and Nehemiah were permitted
to take a remnant of Jews to rebuild Jerusalem and restore daily Jewish life.
Jewish scribes (Sopherim) restored the authority of the Torah of Moses to Judah
for about 100 years before they were undermined by the supposed sophistication
of Hellenism.
Alexander the Greek captured
Medo-Persia — 325 BCE
Hellenism began to pervade Jewish
life and was readily accepted by Levites as a more sophisticated ethic. In
time, the Torah of Moses was interpreted by Rabbis and Pharisees instead of the
Hellenistic Levitical priests, and the oral torah began to be developed as the
guiding authority of Judaism.
Judah endured the rule of
Antiochus Epiphanes, who banned Jews from practicing their religion, under
penalty of death. He installed a pig on the altar in the Temple in 167 BCE and
forced Jews to bow down to his effigy in the Temple. The revolt by the family
of Judas Maccabeus in 164 BCE finally destroyed this antichrist figure and the
Temple was liberated. A miraculous restoration of light to the Menorah in the
Temple resulted in the Festival of Dedication (Hannukah), which was observed by
Y‘shua, although it is not an Appointed Time according to Torah. (Leviticus 23;
John 10:22)
Roman control of Judea — 53 BCE
Rome captured the Greek Empire but
Judea was Rome‘s most troublesome province to administer. The people were
expecting their Messiah and would not bow to a Roman emperor.
The Temple was the centre of
religious, civil and judicial life and was ruled by the Sanhedrin. Pharisees,
Scribes and Sadducees controlled the people through a complex set of oral
traditions said to have come from Moses and which define Judaism to this day.
The ruling High Priest was no longer a Levite — the position was a Roman
appointment and could be purchased. Rome also appointed proxy Kings who were
loyal to Rome not Judea — Herod was a descendent of Esau/Edom, not a Jew.
Y’shua of Nazareth — born 4 BCE
In 27 CE, Y‘shua of Nazareth
entered public life in Israel. He challenged the authority of the Sanhedrin,
accusing them of hypocrisy, disobedience to Moses written Torah and burdening
the people with their own traditions in the oral laws. (Matthew 15:3-6)
Y‘shua claimed to have come for
the =lost sheep of the house of Israel‘. (Matthew 15:24)
The Sabbath before Passover in 30
AD, Y‘shua entered Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb.
On Wednesday afternoon, he was
crucified and died as the Temple lamb for the nation. (John 11:50)
On Saturday evening — three days
and three nights later — he was raised to life.
On Sunday morning, he was seen by
his followers and for 40 days after until he rose to his Father.
For 30 years Y‘shua‘s Nazarene
sect of Judaism grew at a considerable rate, teaching the Word of YHVH to Jews
and Gentiles via the apostles.
All the apostles except for John
were martyred, as were a great many of the converts. Martyrdom came at the
hands of rabbinical Jews and the Romans, both of whom saw the Nazarene sect as
a threat to their power and control over the people in their jurisdiction.
Destruction of the Temple and the
Dispersion of Judah — 70 CE
In 67 CE, Rome had reached the end
of her patience with Judea and, under the command of Titus, laid siege to
Jerusalem, which was raised in 70 CE with massive loss of life from famine,
cannibalism and the sword. Survivors were taken into slavery or killed. Some
1000 people escaped to Masada (Dead Sea) and resisted Titus troops for three
years, then committed suicide rather than capitulate to Rome.
The Temple was burned to the
ground and every stone was dug up in a hunt for the gold that had lined the
walls and melted into the cracks in the floor during the fire.
Many Messianic believers had
already escaped to Petra (in modern Jordan) two years previously.
Jews would still not submit to
Rome, so in 135 CE, after the Bar Kochba rebellion, Hadrian banished all
remaining Jewish inhabitants from Jerusalem. Israel was renamed Syria
Palaestina, from which the name Palestine originates. Jerusalem was renamed
Aolia Capitolina, ploughed under and salted.
At the fall of the Roman Empire in
the 4th century, the city was ruled by a succession of mandates stretching from
Mongolia to Britain. Jerusalem has not been a capital city of any other state
since the 6th century BCE, until the Nation of Israel was re-established in
1948 CE.
Jews began to move back to Israel
in the 2nd century and there has been a Jewish population in the Land ever
since. No nation ever attempted to =own Israel since Rome‘s occupation until
Jews desired to re-establish the Nation of Israel. At that point, Arab nations
asserted their =ownership of the Land, although they have no legitimate prior
claim.
The Diaspora of all Israelites
— 734 BCE to 1900s CE
The Northern tribes (Ephraim) and
the Southern tribes (Judah) were dispersed throughout the world as prophesied
by Moses and the Prophets. (Deuteronomy 28:64-68; 30:1; Hosea 3:4)
Judah‘s descendants retained their
identity as Jews and, though completely dispersed through the world, largely
kept their identity, faith and their unique witness to the faithfulness of YHVH
not to utterly destroy them. They faithfully preserved the Scriptures and honored
the Torah of Moses, although their oral traditions have masked and often
distorted the written Commandments of YHVH.
One illustration of this is the
loss of the agrarian based calendar. Establishing the timing of a new year and
celebration of the Appointed Times of YHVH, the festivals, should be calculated
by observation of the first new moon after the barley ripens in spring.
However, Jews have formulated a complex set of rules governing the calendar so
that it is mathematically calculated and manipulated to suit their traditions.
This has the potential to completely miss the correct timing of appointments
with YHVH.
Abraham's seed through Ephraim
(who carried Jacob‘s blessing of the =multiplicity of nations‘) became completely
integrated throughout the peoples of the world. Effectively, Ephraim became
utterly lost among the nations to which he was driven. His identity was
incorporated into the nations thereby fulfilling the blessings of Jacob and
Moses. (Genesis 48:16; Deuteronomy 33:17)
Ephraim lost his identity, his
traditions and his faith. He took on the religions of the nations, becoming
indistinguishable from them — truly the Prodigal Son in the pig-pen of the
world!
The scattered Ephramite seed
contained the hidden potential of Messianic faith through the gospel that would
come to them in due time. (Hosea 1:10-2:1, 14:4-9; 1 Peter 2:5-6, 9-10)
Who is the
Bride of Messiah?
Messiah was married to the nation
of Israel (Household of Jacob) at Sinai.
Isaiah 54:5 “Your
maker is your husband.”
Jeremiah 2:1 “I
remember how faithful you (Israel) were when you were young, how you loved me
when we were first married; you followed me through the desert, through a land
that had not been sown.”
Jeremiah 31:32 “I
was a husband to them (Israel).”
Messiah divorced the Northern
Kingdom (Ephraim/Israel – 10 tribes) for adultery. Hosea 1
Isaiah 50:1 “Where
is the bill of your mother‟s divorcement, whom I have put away.”
Jeremiah 3:8 “for
all the causes whereby backsliding Israel (Ephraim) committed adultery I had
put her away, and given her a bill of divorce”.
The Marriage Covenant at Sinai
between the Messiah (Groom) and Israel (Bride) was binding and could only be
dissolved through the death of one of the parties according to the laws
regarding marriage in Torah.
The Covenant made with Abraham,
and ratified with Isaac and Jacob, could not be broken since God is not a man
and does not lie. God would not allow the divorced Northern Kingdom to be
annihilated and cut off most of Jacob‘s family. But, according to His Word, a
woman who was divorced for marital unfaithfulness, could not remarry. So God
provided another way for the divorced woman, Ephraim.
God chose instead to send the
Messiah (Groom) to die in the place of the Bride. Only then, as a widow, would
she be free to (re)marry the Messiah under the terms of the New Covenant.
God intends to court Israel
(Ephraim) again and restore her virginity
There can be no doubt that the God
of Israel loves His people and will never abandon them. Rather, He will purify
them and restore them to their rightful place as the Bride of His Son, Messiah
Y‘shua.
Hosea 2:14-20 “I will allure
her, and bring her into the wilderness… I will betroth you to me forever… I
will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and
in mercy… in faithfulness, and you shall know YHVH”
Isaiah 54:6-7 “For
YHVH has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of
youth, when she is cast off, says your God. For a small moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on
you,” says YHVH your Redeemer.
Jeremiah 31:4 “Again
I will build thee and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel.”
Where is the Bride today?
Jeremiah 50:6 ―My people hath
been lost sheep”
Matthew 15:24 Messiah came for
the „lost sheep of the House of Israel‟.
Isaiah 54:3 “And thy seed
(Ephraim) shall inherit the Gentiles.”
Hosea 7:8 “Ephraim, he hath
mixed himself among the people.”
Jeremiah 31:31 “I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and… Judah.”
Promise to regather Israel from
the nations
Ezekiel 37:21 “I
will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone,
and gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land.”
Jeremiah 31:10 “He
that scattered Israel (Ephraim) will gather him.”
Romans 11:26 “And
so all Israel shall be saved… the deliverer shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob.”
Ezekiel 37:15-28 A
picture of the reunification/restoration of the 12 tribes of Israel to their
covenant land under the leadership of the Messiah as King.
Isaiah 11:10-16 Under
Messiah‘s banner, outcasts of Ephraim and dispersed of Judah will be gathered
from the 4 corners of the earth and brought back to Israel.
God‘s chosen people were and are
the nation of Israel, offspring of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob.
Though Judah and Ephraim were
separated, Judah retained her identity by clinging to Torah.
Ephraim became scattered among the
nations and re-emerged among the followers of Messiah Y‘shua.
Faith in Y‘shua as the Son of God
confers citizenship in the Household of Israel, grafting into the olive tree of
Israel, joining the natural branches of Judah. (Ephesians 2 and Romans 11)
Together they constitute =one new
man under the rule of the Holy One of Israel. They will be reunited in the last
days as one nation — the Household of Jacob — in the land promised to Abraham
forever.
Therefore, the Bride of Messiah is
the restored Household of Jacob, the redeemed from every nation, who bear the
name of Messiah and attach themselves to the Holy One of Israel. She is the
reunited House of Judah (Jews) and House of Ephraim — Israel — =one new man‘.
Plan for Israel's redemption
o Israel's rejection was temporary
to bring repentance. (Jeremiah 31:37; Romans 11:19-30)
o God would not permanently
divorce Himself from His people. (Isaiah 49:8-12)
o Despite Israel‘s past and
present failings as a nation, she will be delivered and restored as a testimony
to God‘s faithfulness and not on her own merits. (Jeremiah 31; Amos 9:8-15)
o Through the mercy shown to us so
too the Jews will obtain mercy. (Romans 11:30-31)
o Torah allows that if a person
sold/lost his inheritance, a kinsman could redeem it (Ruth/Boaz). Y‘shua is the
perfect fulfilment of the Kinsman Redeemer, whose sacrifice purchased the
inheritance of the 12 tribes of Israel. (Leviticus 25:25)
The return of Judah to the Holy
Land
Since the time of the Kings of
Judah, no nation has established sovereignty over the Holy Land. It has only
ever been a provincial backwater for an assortment of consecutive empires. Jerusalem
was never the capital of any nation since it was the capital of ancient Israel.
Judah was expelled from Palestine
(so named by the Romans) in 135 CE, but within 200 years, Jews had begun to
return and there has been a remnant of Judah in Palestine ever since. During
the late 19th century, because of the pogroms in Europe, many Jews began to
return to the desolate, virtually uninhabited wasteland that was once Israel.
They reclaimed swamps, planted, irrigated and built cities. The work required
more manpower than the Jews could supply and many foreign workers came from the
surrounding Arab nations with the lure of secure jobs and a better life.
Survivors of the Nazi Holocaust
left Europe to return to their national home and for the rest of the 20th century,
many from the House of Judah made =aliyah (returned to Israel) from all points
of the globe. Around 850,000 Jews were immediately expelled from Arab states in
1948 when the State of Israel was legally established by the United Nations,
after more than 2500 years of foreign control. In the 1980s, many thousands of
Jews arrived from the USSR, Ethiopia and other lands. Aliyah continues to this
day.
The physical boundaries for the
State of Israel were reduced to 12% of the original allocation because of
political pressure from Arab states, which vehemently oppose Israel‘s
existence.
Both Jews and Arabs were termed
Palestinians until 1948. Palestine became Israel in 1948.
Arabs in the Land of Israel
Arabs in Israel, Judea and Samaria
are ethnic Arabians or North Africans. Very few of their ancestors have lived
in the area for centuries as they claim. (See Joan Peters, ―From Time
Immemorial‖) =Palestinian‘ is the title resurrected by Yasser Arafat after 1967
to bolster Arab claims to the Land.
(Jerusalem is not mentioned in the
Koran; Muslims pray towards Mecca not Jerusalem.)
The Arabs who live in the Judea
and Samaria (erroneously termed the West Bank) are not refugees in the normal
sense of the word. They live in modern apartments and houses, not tents!
Regardless of politics, the
central issue remains that the whole Land in question belongs to YHVH and He
chose to allot it to the descendents of Jacob in perpetuity. No one else may
covet it. 24
Christians Awakening To Their
Heritage
o The 12 tribes hold joint
ministries of the Covenant. (Genesis 49:10; 48:19)
o Judah holds the scepter denoting
kingly rule: “Salvation comes through the Jews”. (Zechariah 10:4, John
4:22, Revelation 5:5, 22:16)
o Ephraim holds the blessing of
many nations (Y‘shua‘s redeemed people of the world).
o Y‘shua did not abolish the Law
or the Prophets. He fulfilled them (filled them with meaning) and taught people
how to obey them. (Matthew 5:17-19, Psalm 85:10)
o Y‘shua challenged particular
hypocritical oral torah traditions that effectively nullified the written
Torah, causing a burden to the Jews. (Matthew 5)
o Y‘shua‘s death bought God's
redemption for all mankind. The blindness of the Jews (Judah) and Pilate‘s
corruption was necessary to complete the transaction. (1 Corinthians 2:8)
o God‘s faithfulness to us hinges
on His faithfulness to Israel. (Romans 11:19-21; 3:3-4)
o The assembly‘s foundation is
apostles and prophets through the Covenants. (Ephesians 2:20)
o The Body is a mixed multitude of
people — those who have left =Egypt‘ = House of Jacob plus =strangers‘ who
worship YHVH. (Ezekiel 37)
o A true Israelite obeys God‘s Law
with a circumcised heart. He does not obey it for salvation, which is a free
gift, but as a lifestyle pleasing to YHVH. (Jeremiah 7:23; Romans 2:26-29)
References: Deuteronomy 18:16;
Matthew 16:18; Acts 7:38, 11:26, 14:27; 1Corinthians 10:32; Ephesians1:22,
5:23, 27, 32; Colossians 1:18, 24; Hebrews 2:12, 12:22; 1 Timothy 3:5, 15.
Rapture or Tribulation?
The doctrine of Rapture was
invented by Roman Catholicism and resurrected by Darby. It is attractive to
orthodox Christians because there appears to be no mention of the Church after
Revelation 3. From a Hebraic perspective this is so because the redeemed of
Messiah belong in the Nation of Israel, not the Church, which will be apostate
Babylon. All Israel will live through the time of the Tribulation though there
is ample evidence that she will be protected during it in the wilderness (as in
Egypt). The apostate Church, however, will suffer through the Tribulation in
the identity of the whore of Babylon
Theology of the End-Time
Theories abound but much can be
gleaned from the Books of the Prophets and Revelation. What is certain is that
the Messiah will return seven years after a peace treaty has been signed by
Israel that allows the Jews access to Temple Mount. He will gather those of His
people who obey the Word of God (Torah) and testify about His Son the Messiah.
Note: When Jews begin again to
make sacrifices (with prayer and/or animals) on Temple Mount, the Church will
be appalled and criticize them on the basis that Jesus is the once and for all
time sacrifice. However, this event is the vehicle that God has chosen to
reveal the antichrist. A true believer in Messiah Y‘shua will not criticize
Jews for fulfilling this scripture and so bringing about the very event that
Christianity claims to be waiting for.
Spiritual Return of Israel
o Abrahamic Covenant
(unconditional/everlasting) is not yet fulfilled. (Genesis 17:7-8)
o Great Commission is not complete
if all Israel is not saved. (Isaiah 66:19-20; Romans 11:26)
o Y‘shua‘s function is to bring
salvation to the gentiles and gather both houses of Israel back to the land of
Israel. (Isaiah 49:5-6; Zechariah 10:6; Hosea 1:11; Romans 11:25-26)
o The =mystery‘ of Christ of
family membership revealed. (Ephesians 3:4-6, Revelation 10:7)
o There is no other =branch‘ of
the =family tree‘ beside Judah and Ephraim. YHVH has only one family: the
promised seed of Abraham, the trunk of Isaac and Jacob; the natural branches
from Judah and the grafted-in branches from Ephraim. Together they comprise
Messianic Israel.
o There is only one Commonwealth
of Israel comprising one Shepherd with one flock — righteous Jews and lost
sheep from the fold of Ephraim. (John 10:16, Acts 15:13-18)
o Judah and Ephraim are co-heirs,
partakers together in Messiah‘s promise. (Ephesians 3:6)
o Jew and Gentile must be
reconciled becoming =one new man‘. (Ephesians 2:14-16)
o Both houses of Israel need to
recognize each other as brethren off the same olive tree.
o The House of Judah needs to
recognize Messiah and those He has saved. (Romans 11:12, 25)
o The House of Israel needs to
recognize that it has not replaced the natural branches and that Torah
obedience is necessary for righteousness. (1 John 5:1-5)
o Ephraim is not to embrace
Judaism as Judah also stumbled in adding the oral torah.
o Judah will become jealous of
Ephraim. Then he will understand that the God who works among Gentiles is the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 32:21; Romans 10:13-21)
o Each house will recognize its
offence after 2 days — 2000 years. (Hosea 5:15; 6:1-2)
o God is calling for Ephraim's
return in repentance. (Jeremiah 31:18-21; Hosea 11:8-10)
o God determines who is included
in Judah and Ephraim. (Romans 9:6-27; 11:5, 25-26)
Physical Return of Israel
o The Father will whistle for
Ephraim (10 lost tribes). (Zechariah 10:7-9)
o Ephraim will be redeemed,
regathered and grafted into Israel. (Zechariah 10:7-12)
o Ephraim will return bringing
Judah. (Isaiah 49:22; Jeremiah 33:24-26; Zechariah 8:23)
o All Israel will be saved and
return to the Land. (Zechariah 8:3, 7, Romans 11:26)
o Judah will accept Messiah
Y‘shua. Apostles will rule 12 tribes. (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30)
o Two sticks (Ephraim and Judah)
will become one (Israel). (Ezekiel 37:15-28)
o Israel/Ephraim and Judah
reunite. (Jeremiah 3:18; Hosea 1:11; Isaiah 11:12-13; Ephesians 1:10)
o When the two houses are
reunited, they will return to Israel. (Ezekiel 34:11-13)
o Ephraim will latch on to Judah
for instruction. (Zechariah 9:23)
o The =Philistines‘ will be
removed from the Land by both Houses. (Isaiah 11:14; Jeremiah 47:4; Ezekiel 25;
Amos 1:8; Zephaniah 2:5;Zechariah 9:6, 11-13, 16-17)
Wise or foolish virgins
o All those who are waiting for the Bridegroom are virgins.
But not all will be ready.
o Virgins must have testimony of Y‘shua and keep his
Father‘s Commandments. (Rev 12:17)
o The oil required in the lamp is Torah. Without it there is
no light. (Psalm 119:105; Pr 6:23)
o There will be an interval of time for the wise virgins to
respond when Y‘shua calls, a door that will shut behind them and separate them
from the foolish virgins. (Rev 3:7-8)
o The foolish virgins will likely endure the time of
tribulation out in the nations and either perfect their faith in death or
abandon it. (Revelation 2:9-10, 6:9-11, 12:17, 20:4)
The ‘Day of the Lord’
'As it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the day
of the Lord'. (Isaiah 54:9; Luke 17:26)
o All nations will gather against Jerusalem. (Zechariah
14:2, Joel 3:1-3)
o Y‘shua will come to Mount of Olives as Lion of Judah and
conquering King. (Zechariah 14:4)
o Babylon will be destroyed. (Jeremiah 23:5-8, Zechariah
14:4; Revelation 18)
o Together, the reunited Nation of Israel will become an
invincible army — Judah the bow, Ephraim the arrow. (Isaiah 11:14, Zechariah
9:13)
o Y‘shua has destroyed and will destroy disobedient
unbelieving people of his family. (Jude 5)
F. Restoration
o The triumph of Messiah heralds the 1000 year Messianic
Reign of restoration. (Ezekiel 37:24-28; Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10)
o All God‘s promises will be honoured. (Isaiah 14:24, 46:11;
Lamentations 2:17)
o Messiah will live on Mount Zion, which will be raised
above all other mountains. (Zechariah 2:4-12; Ezekiel 48:35; Joel 3:17-18;
Obadiah 17, 21)
o His Land will be restored to its promised boundaries and
fruitfulness. (Genesis15:18; Deuteronomy11:24; Joshua 1:3; Ezekiel 36:8, 34-35;
Isaiah 51:3)
o His People will be restored to His Land. (Isaiah 11:11-12;
Jeremiah 16:14-15; 31: 8-10; Ezekiel 36:8-10; 39:39: 23-29; Zephaniah 3:19-20)
o His Name (Ha Shem) will be restored to His People and to
His City, Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 6:6; Ezekiel 36:22-23, 48:35; Zechariah
14:9)
o His Language will be restored. (Zephaniah 3:9)
o His Sabbath will be restored. (Isaiah 66:23)
o His Holy Days of intimate fellowship with man will be
restored — Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles. (Colossians 2:16-17; Zephaniah
3:18; Zechariah 14:16)
o Messiah will teach God‘s people His Torah. (Isaiah 2:2-4;
Ezekiel 36:27; Micah 4:1-3)
o Messiah our Righteousness will reign over the House of
Jacob forever. (Jeremiah 23:6; Luke 1:31-33)
When YHVH‘s redemption plan is completed, all those citizens
of the world who belong to the Commonwealth of Israel will come to =unity in
the faith‘. (John 17:23; Ephesians 4:13)
There is one God, one faith, one hope. Since this oneness
does not yet visibly exist across the faith spectrum, YHVH will bring it to
pass in His time as the faithful submit to His Truth.
“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and
rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.” (Malachi 4:4)
o Orthodox Jews do not accept the validity of non-Jewish
faith in YHVH.
o Orthodox Christians do not accept that faithful Jews
remain part of the family tree of God.
o Messianic Judah waits for Massiach ben David and lives by
the Written Torah of Moses.
o Nazarenes accept the Written Torah of Moses as the
foundation of faith in Y‘shua.
o The Nation of Zion is Judah and Ephraim — YHVH‘s faithful
through Y‘shua and Torah.
The Nation of
Zion will be regathered from the four corners of the earth and restored as ‘one
new man’, under the authority of Messiah ben David, Lion of Judah, living
Torah, Yah Tzidkenu (our righteousness). Together they will worship and serve
YHVH through His Son.
After the Millennial Reign
At the end of 1000 years, Satan will be set free from the Abyss
to deceive the nations culminating in the Battle of Gog and Magog against the
seat of the Messiah in Jerusalem. These nations will be destroyed by fire from
Heaven.
Then will come the Second Resurrection and the Great
Judgment of all people who were not raised to eternal life in the First
Resurrection — all who have ever lived and died.
YHVH will judge the nations for ill-treating Israel and
individuals for their life works.
(Psalm 110:6; Isaiah 41:11; Ezekiel 36:6-36; Jeremiah 46:28;
Matthew 25:32; Revelation 20-21)
The old earth and heaven will pass away and a New Heaven and
New Earth will be created.
Covenant of Peace/Shalom and the New Bride
The marriage supper of the Lamb is for the saints who are
clothed in righteousness.
Revelation 19:7 “the marriage of the Lamb is come, and
his wife hath made herself ready.”
The Bride is Jerusalem (complete with her inhabitants).
Revelation 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband.”
Revelation 21:9 “I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
The inhabitants of Jerusalem are the 12 tribes of Israel
(Jacob‘s sons) — they alone may enter the city.
Revelation 21:12 “and had twelve gates…and names written
thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.”
The foundation of the city is the 12 Apostles who will rule
over the 12 tribes of Israel with Messiah. The four walls with three gates in
each are named for each of the 12 Tribes of Israel.
The believers out of the nations will enter through the gate
of their chosen tribe. (Ezekiel 47:23)
There is no Church Gate! (Rev 21:1, 9-14)
The Bride is made up of all those believers in YHVH who
acknowledge Y‘shua as Messiah and who proclaim and keep His commandments. They
will make up the Commonwealth (Household) of Israel (Jacob) with the right to
reside in Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 47:21-23; Revelation 6:9; 12:17; 14:12; 20:4) 28
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