Torah and New Testament foundations-Understanding the Redemption-Part 42

It is possible that when Yeshua comes that the veil in the Temple will be torn again. This happened during the days of Uzziah, when he offered incense (Josephus, Antiquities, Book 9, Chapter 10.4). Josephus writes, “While Uzziah was in this state, and making preparations (for futurity), he was corrupted in his mind by pride, and became insolent, and this on account of that abundance which he had of things that will soon perish, and despised that power which is of eternal duration (which consisted in piety towards God, and the observation of his laws); so he fell by occasion of the good success of his affairs, and was carried headlong into those sins of his father, which the splendor of that prosperity he enjoyed, and the glorious actions he had done, led him into, while he was not able to govern himself well about them. Accordingly, when a remarkable day was come, and the general festival was to be celebrated, he put on the holy garment, and went into the Temple to offer incense to God upon the golden altar, which he was prohibited to do by Azariah the high priest, who had fourscore priests with him, and who told him that it was not lawful for him to offer sacrifice, and that ‘none besides the posterity of Aaron were permitted to do so.’ And when they cried out, that he must go out of the Temple, and not transgress against God, he was wroth with them, and threatened to kill them, unless they would hold their peace. In the meantime, a great earthquake shook the ground (Amos 1.1; Zech 14.4-5), and a rent was made in the Temple (there was no tear in the Temple building, this was the veil), and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the kings face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately; and before the city, at a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the rest on the west, and rolled itself four furlongs, and stood still at the east mountain, till the roads, as well as the king’s gardens were spoiled by the obstruction.”

We believe we are living in the days of King Uzziah, as it relates to the last ten kings of Judah and he seven year Birth-pains. This time of Uzziah teaches us about the days leading up to the Birth-pains. Could it be that another earthquake of this magnitude, or even greater, will hit Jerusalem and the Temple Mount again, destroying the Dome of the Rock? This would pave the way for the next Temple to be built. In any event, the veil was torn in the days of Uzziah and in the days of Yeshua, and we are of the opinion that it will happen again. So, let’s go back to Isa 64.

Verse 2 tells us that in the time of Moses, the nations trembled at God’s presence. God did things that Israel did not expect when he came down on Mount Sinai and there has never been any other God (v 3-4). He entered into a covenant with them but the people sinned and God was “angry” with them (v 5). All the people have become unclean and cannot enter the Temple, and all the good things they do are like filthy rags (menstrual cloth) and their sins take them away. They need a redeemer with clean garments to exchange for their old garments. Nobody is seeking God (v 7) because he has hidden himself and has turned Israel over to destruction. Not even now, God is still their Father, even after all they have done. They are the clay and God is the potter (v 8). They ask God not to be angry (v 9) “beyond measure” nor remember their iniquity. The cities, Zion, Jerusalem have become desolate, and this will be the situation when Yeshua returns.

In Isa 64.11-12 it says that the “beautiful house” has been burned with fire and the precious things have become ruined. They ask how long will the Lord restrain himself from helping them. This was not done in the days of Isaiah, it happened in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. So, this has prophetic implications.

The Temple that the false messiah will desecrate will be ravaged by fire (Zech 14.1-3). The fall of Jerusalem is not because Messiah has arrived, it is because the nations have revolted against the false messiah and there is war. Like Germany, Hitler and Berlin at the end of World War II, the nations have come against Jerusalem and the false messiah and false prophet. The city will fall while in the hands of the false messiah, as Yeshua approaches the city. Zech 14.3 says that, “half the city exiled” and that is the half that falls. This would be the western half because it is new and it doesn’t have any walls. Yeshua will come to the eastern half of the city, where the Mount of Olives is located, and the Temple.

Now we come to Isa 65, and the context again is the coming of Yeshua. The Lord is bringing charges against the people, so that tells us it is a Yom Ha Din. We are going to look at this chapter on several levels. We will look at this chapter from the aspect of Christianity, the Hebrew Roots Movement, the Messianic Movement and Judaism at large.

In Isa 65.1, the “nation” is Israel, based on Isa 63.19. God answers their own words, that their plea of being called exclusively “by his name” will not work. His call is to others, too. He also answers Isa 65.15 also, the reason for the Birth-pains. On another level, those nations may not be called “Jews” but may be of Jewish descent, called the “hidden ones” in Isa 49.20-21. There is a movement of non-Jews from all over the world turning to the Torah, Jewish concepts and a Hebraic understanding of the Messiah and the Redemption.

Isa 65.2 is taken from the aspect of the Jewish people, God is inviting them to repent, and there are some today in the Hebrew Roots Movement that say that the Jews are a stiff-necked people. Christians also have a problem with this, too. But, this is an arrogant attitude. They say, “If I were in the Garden of Eden, I would not have “messed up.” The reality is, we all would have “messed up” and sinned. This arrogance carries through with anything Israel went through. They believe they would not have rebelled in the wilderness, rejected Yeshua, Paul, the Talmidim and fell for what Solomon “fell for.” The reality is this, we are all a stiff-necked people and we are all rebellious. We are the center of our lives and pride is our biggest downfall, and we tend to look down on everybody else because we have elevated ourselves. Judges 21.24-25 says that Israel did what was right in their own eyes, just like verse 2 says, they were “following their own thoughts.”

Zech 8.23 is a very interesting verse, and it goes along with what is being conveyed here, so we are going to examine this verse. It says, “In those days (when Messiah comes) ten men (a minyan=representing a congregation) from the nations of every language will grasp (in Hebrew “grasp and grasp”) the garment (kanaf= the corners) of a Jew saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you,'” The word “grasp” alludes to embracing the doctrines that God gave to the Jewish people, and the “kanaf” is where the “Tzitzit” or fringes hung. The tzitzit showed that the one wearing them had the teaching that went along with the commandments. These commandments are like holding fast to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that are found in the commandments, not our own thoughts by being “led of the Spirit.” That was the mistake Adam and Chava made. They had a clear instruction by God, but they listened to that inner voice that contradicted that instruction. This is what we all do, we listen to that voice of instinct and think it is the voice of God. Instinct over instruction of God is not good. The tzitzit symbolize the commandments of God (Num 15.37; Mal 4.2). There are 613 commandments, and the numerical value of “tzitzit” is 613. During the Day of the Lord, the Atid Lavo, the last 1000 years of the 7000 year plan of God, non-Jews will come to the Jews to learn about the Lord and the Torah (Jer 23.5-6; Jer 33. 15-16; Jer 50.4).

In Christianity, this verse has gone down the drain. It is not even on the horizon and it didn’t make it “into the movie.” It has no relevance because they believe God has done away with the Jews, and the “Church” is the “New Israel.” They believe that the “New Testament” is better than the “Old Testament.” In the Hebrew Roots Movement, many think, “Why should I listen to a rabbi who doesn’t know Yeshua, when I have the Spirit?” Here are several reasons why you should listen to the Jewish people, the rabbis and the sages.

God preserved through the Jewish people all the information needed to understand what is going on. This doesn’t mean that everything the Jewish Rabbis, sages and teachers say is accurate, but the truth is there. They have preserved the Tanak for 3500 years, and also the Gospels and Epistles for 2000 years. They read the passages differently than Christians do. Christians read and work in verses. In Jewish thought, they work in verses, words and letters (missing and added letters, spacing, etc). They have a different eye, and even Yeshua backed this method in Matt 5.17-18. We should be thankful we have a history of the Jewish people, it is a testimony of the truthfulness of the Word of God.

In Part 43, we will continue our look into Zech 8.23.

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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