The resurrection of the dead. (Part 2)

Resurrection Day is the Coming Again of Jesus

The resurrection of Christians is going to take place the day that Jesus returns. As certain as his first coming to Bethlehem is the fact that he is coming a second time. This truth, like the truth of the resurrection of the dead, is a wonderful hope for the Christian. Jesus is coming again. We have his word for it. He told his disciples, “I will come again.”

It was confirmed to the disciples after they had watched Jesus ascend to Heaven:

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven’. (Acts 1:10-11)

Many Christians will be alive when Jesus comes and they will be changed immediately. No-one knows when the Lord Jesus will return, although Jesus taught his disciples about certain conditions which would be in the world at his coming. He taught that his coming would be sudden, it would be unexpected, that he would come, ‘as a thief in the night’. When he comes there will be a shout, the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. It is going to be gloriously noisy!

When Jesus was teaching this truth, he said, be watchful and be ready. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…so you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt 24:42-4). The best thing to do is to live and work as if Jesus was coming today. John wrote, “Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).

The best thing to do is to live and work as if Jesus was coming today.

I read of a missionary who went away for a weekend's meetings. He told his wife he would return on Monday on the one train that came each day. On Monday she spruced up her two little boys and went to the station to meet Dad. The train came, but no Dad. They came back again on Tuesday and again the boys were all cleaned up. The train came, but again, no Dad. Back they came on Wednesday, and this time Dad came. One of the little fellows said, “Dad, we’ve been waiting for you for three days.” Looking down at them, he said, “Yes, I see it’s kept you clean!” Let's be ready! Let's be clean!

Resurrection Day is Reward Day

There is a very important truth linked with the doctrine of resurrection of the dead, and that is that we are accountable. One day Jesus was teaching in the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees. He was encouraging his listeners that, when they had a feast, they should not invite people who would return their hospitality, but invite those who could not invite them back. Then he said: “And you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14).

At the resurrection we are going to be asked by the Lord to give an account of how we lived as Christians. This is an incentive to live holy lives. We are going to appear at what Paul called, ‘the judgment seat of Christ’. There are applications for this teaching, which should affect our lives in various ways:

• We should live in the fear of God: Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10-11).
  
• We should stop judging others: We will never be asked to give an account of how other people lived, but how we lived. “’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:11-13).
  
• We should live and work sincerely and with the right motive: “Whatever You do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:23-24). This reminds us of the importance of avoiding dead works, and to live with faith toward God by the power of his Spirit, with the purpose of glorifying God.

At the resurrection we are going to be asked by the Lord to give an account of how we lived as Christians. This is an incentive to live holy lives.

The Rewards

Rewards are going to be given in that day. Paul wrote, “If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward” (1 Cor 3:14). Some of these rewards are described as ‘crowns’:

• An incorruptible crown. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Cor 9:24-25).
  
• A crown of righteousness: Towards the end of his life Paul wrote to Timothy. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim 4:7-8).
  
• A crown of life. There will be reward for those who have overcome temptations. James writes, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (Jam 1:12). What an encouragement to endure the trials and testings and persecutions. Resurrection day will be reward day.
  
• A crown of glory. Reward is promised to pastors and elders who properly care for his flock. “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Pet 5:4).

We do not serve the Lord merely for a reward. The greatest privilege on earth is to live and work for him, but it is just like his loving heart to bless in that coming day. So let us live with resurrection day before us. Not only will there be rewards but there will also be loss of reward. “If [anyone’s work] is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor 3:15).

The teaching on the judgment seat of Christ is clearly summarised in the words of an unknown poet:

When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and he shows me his plan for me,

the plan of my life as it might have been, had he had his way, and I see

how I blocked him here and checked Him there, and would not yield my will,

will there be grief in my Saviour’s eyes, grief, though he loves me still?

He would have me rich, but I stand there poor, stripped of all but his grace,

as memory runs like a haunted thing through the years I cannot retrace.

Then my desolate heart will well nigh break, with the tears that I cannot shed;

I will cover my face with my empty hands, and bow my uncrowned head.

Lord, of the years that are left to me, I yield them to thy hand,

Take me, melt me, mould me, to the pattern thou hast planned.

Resurrection day will be reward day – but there will also be loss.

Application

• Praise God for his grace that saved us.
  
• Thank God for the glorious prospect of spending eternity with him, with changed bodies, sinless bodies, healthy bodies, never-get-old bodies, a body like his glorious body.
  
• Let us realise that it is here on earth that ‘we lay up treasure in heaven’.

Questions

1. What is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus?
2. What would your answer be to a person who said that death ended everything?
3. In view of the judgment seat of Christ, would you like to finish as you are now?
4. If not, what adjustments do you think you should make? When is the best time to make these adjustments?

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.

Resurrection of the dead (Part 1).

Christians do not live merely for time but also for eternity. They have a hope for the future which is certain by receiving eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The next foundational truth assures us that there is going to be a resurrection day. Jesus said, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28-29).

Paul boldly asserts, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless…For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either…But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:13-16, 20).

Resurrection of the Dead in the Old Testament

God’s power and ability to raise people from the dead was manifested in the Old Testament. Elijah was used of God to raise the widow of Zarephath’s son from the dead (1 Kings 17:20-22) and Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:8-37).

There was that amazing funeral recorded in 2 Kings 13, when a party of men went to bury a friend. While they were doing this they saw a party of raiders coming towards them. With no time to dig the grave, they threw the body into a nearby grave where Elisha was buried. As soon as the corpse made contact with the Prophet’s bones, he was revived, and ran and joined the burying party!!

God’s power and ability to raise people from the dead is manifested throughout Scripture.

One of the oldest books in the Bible is Job. Through all his troubles he also had the great hope of the resurrection day. He said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:25-26).

Resurrection in the New Testament

It is recorded that Jesus raised three people from the dead: Jairus’ daughter; the widow of Nain’s son and Lazarus (Matt 9:23-25; Luke 7:12-15; John 11). There is a remarkable story related in very few words of what happened when Jesus died and rose again:

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. (Matthew 27:50-53)

What a story! What surprises in Jerusalem! What power in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus! We also read of Peter being God’s instrument to raise Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-4). A young man called Eutychus fell asleep while Paul was preaching. He fell from an upstairs window and was killed. Paul prayed for the young man and he was restored to life (Acts 20:7-12). This story is a warning not to fall asleep during the preaching! There may not be a Paul present!

I have met two people who witnessed God’s power in raising the dead, and there are accounts of this happening in times of revival.

The Future Resurrection

The Bible teaches about the certainty of future resurrections: the resurrection of the just, and the resurrection of the unjust. The terminology used is, ‘the resurrection of the just’; ‘the resurrection of life’; ‘the resurrection of the last day’; ‘the resurrection of the dead’ (Luke 14:14; John 5:29; John 11:24; Acts 23:6). Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, assured them:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

The Bible teaches about the certainty of future resurrections: the resurrection of the just, and the resurrection of the unjust.

Believers Shall Rise Again

• First: “Blessed and holy are those who have part in this first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ” (Rev 20:6).
  
• To eternal life: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan 12:2).
  
• To be glorified with Christ: “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:4).
  
• With incorruptible bodies: “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:42-44).
  
• With a body like Christ’s body: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:20-21).

What a glorious hope for the Christian! What comfort when Christian loved ones die knowing we will meet again! There is a resurrection day!

Resurrection - A Glorious Hope

Yes, this teaching gives wonderful hope to the child of God. Before a person becomes a Christian, they are “without hope and without God in the world”. But once we believe the situation is changed “you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:12-13).

Hope is the confident looking forward to something which is certain, with absolute assurance. When Paul was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin he said, “I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead” (Acts 23:6).

Don’t miss one of the important reasons for this teaching. Life is punctuated by difficult circumstances and problems but there are better things to come. Peter used this truth to encourage and to comfort persecuted saints. They were being hunted, living in caves and suffering deprivation, and to use Peter’s words, “suffering grief in all kinds of trials”. This was one of his opening statements in his letter to them:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Life is punctuated by difficult circumstances and problems but there are better things to come.

The truth of the resurrection of the dead has been the hope of millions who have been martyred down through the centuries. Jesus told his disciples, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28).

Resurrection day is going to usher God’s people into a new era. Then it is going to be ‘forever with the Lord’. It is going to be the entry into an imperishable inheritance, kept, or reserved, in Heaven for you. We are going to see what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples, “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

What is it going to be like? In one way it is indescribable. Paul said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). We do not have a lot of information about Heaven, but we have enough. The Bible tells us something of what is there, and something of what is not there. The greatest thing is that HE is there. We shall see him and we shall be like him. Anne Cousin, anticipating this in the last century, wrote these words:

The Bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear Bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory
But on the King of Grace.
Not at the crown He giveth
But on His pierced hand.
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Immanuel’s land.

Next week: The return of our Lord Jesus and the judgment seat of Christ.

The doctrine of baptisms. (Part 1)

Why evangelical Christians support Israel

As whipped-up Palestinian rioters cry out for Jewish blood in their days of rage against ‘occupation’ of their land, we should be praying that these dear people, for whom Christ died, would instead call on the blood of Jesus for their redemption.

This is their only hope – and ours too for that matter. As Israel is tempted to quake in fear of the vicious international hatred being vented against them, may they too cry out for help from Elohim who sent his beloved Son to die as a sacrificial Lamb to atone for the sins of all who put their trust in him. The doorposts daubed in lamb’s blood back in Egypt later became a wooden cross where God himself took the punishment we deserved.

In this battle over war and peace, the hordes of hell are being unleashed against the Anointed One and his people. But the Prince of Peace – not the diplomats or politicians – has the solution.

Christian Support is Vital

As believers the world over celebrate Pentecost (Shavuot) on Sunday, I think it is highly significant that a Jerusalem Post writer has credited evangelical Christians (or Christian Zionists as they are also known among Jews) for the current political breakthrough which has seen President Trump move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to the ‘city of the Great King’.

“It is evangelical Christians who are standing with Israel today in ways that Nehemiah could never have dreamed about,” wrote Tuly Weisz on 12 May.¹

In this spiritual battle, the Prince of Peace – not the diplomats or politicians – has the solution.

We’re talking about their influence on the President as well as their love for the Jewish people who gave us Jesus and the Bible including almost the entire New Testament.

Weisz had asked Christian participants of a Jerusalem conference why the embassy move was so important to them. “The answer they gave is that it is foretold in the Bible,” she wrote, citing Old Testament examples of Cyrus and Nehemiah. Meanwhile Israel’s Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett said the move represented a new era in which the international community’s relationship was based on reality and fact, not fantasy and fiction.²

Gentiles and the Gospel

It’s worth noting that those 3,000 who joined the first disciples on the Day of Pentecost in response to Peter’s sermon were Jews and proselytes from all over the known world (Acts 2:5).

An indication of the significant role Gentiles would play in spreading the good news of Israel’s God came with the healing of the centurion’s servant at the start of Jesus’ ministry. The Roman officer had humbly sought the Saviour’s help, only requiring him to “say the word” as he felt unworthy to receive him into his home.

And so the Gospel – to the Jew first (the leper who preceded this incident in Matthew 8) – was now also offered to the Gentile. We hear much about amazing grace, but Jesus was amazed by this man’s faith. The only other time he is recorded as having been amazed was by the lack of faith in his home town (Mark 6:6).

Faithful Gentiles have made an extraordinary mark on the world.

I wonder too if our Lord was also prophesying of a day when faithful Gentiles would make an extraordinary mark on the world.

The beach near Capernaum, where the Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. Picture by Charles Gardner.In Yorkshire alone in recent centuries (I am biased because I live there) I can immediately think of three men who changed the world through their faith in Jesus – William Wilberforce from Hull, a co-founder of the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people who successfully campaigned for the abolition of slavery, Barnsley’s Hudson Taylor, to whom millions of Chinese Christians owe their salvation, and Bradford plumber Smith Wigglesworth, who raised 14 people from the dead as he helped to pioneer the modern-day Pentecostal movement which had such a profound impact on 20^th Century Christianity.

The Power of Prayer

In honouring the Jewish people in both word and deed, we are simply building on the foundation laid by the Apostles. But we mustn’t forget the importance of prayer – after all, a ten-day prayer meeting had preceded that great initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

In terms of the recognition – and restoration – of Israel, the importance of prayer from men like Rees Howells and his Bible College students at Swansea in Wales cannot be underestimated. They had prayed many long hours at the time of the UN vote in 1947 before victory was secured.

In South Africa, although the government stubbornly refuses to acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself, many Christians are on their knees praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Farmer friends from where I grew up have just emailed me, saying: “We are extremely excited with the USA’s ambassadorial move to Jerusalem and continue to pray for this beautiful capital as well as for the region. What a privilege to witness what the prophets were only able to see in visions.”

In honouring the Jewish people in both word and deed, we mustn’t forget the importance of prayer.

Those nations who oppose Jewish aspirations are in for a big shock. For they will come to nothing, as Isaiah predicted long ago (Isa 60:12). Even the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign received a bloody nose with victory for Israel’s entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest despite their efforts.

Eyes on Jerusalem

It is significant of course that the United States should take the lead in recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, just as they had done back in 1948 when President Harry Truman was the first to recognise the new-born state. Apparently he took just eleven minutes to do so, but “later regretted that he waited so long”, according to US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.³

In fact, there will come a time – perhaps in the not-too-distant future – when Jerusalem will become the capital of the world (see Zechariah 14:9, 16).

Israel will soon be blessed with a Royal visit from Prince William, second-in-line to the British throne. But at the Second Coming of Jesus, which is surely also not far off judging by the signs (see Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21), they will welcome the King of Kings and Lord and Lords (Rev 19:16).

Come, Lord Jesus!

References

1 Time to start crediting the Christians. Jerusalem Post, 12 May 2018.

2 Jerusalem News Network, 16 May 2018, quoting the Washington Post.

3 JNN, 14 May 2018, quoting Arutz-7.

Frances Rabbitts reviews ‘Jerusalem: The Covenant City’ (DVD, Hatikvah Films, 2002).

This feature-length (115 mins) film from the Hatikvah Trust is now a little dated in its presentation, but remains a good cinematic overview of the “unique, eternal and prophetic destiny” of God’s own city, Jerusalem. Presented by Lance Lambert, the documentary is split into two parts – the first looking at the past (just over an hour) and the second looking at the present and the future (just under an hour).

With such a vast period of history – nearly all of it - to cover, the presentation is necessarily concise. However, Director Hugh Kitson does sterling work in weaving together an array of historical events with Scripture references into one coherent narrative, with no sense of rushing. Newcomers to the topic will receive a wealth of information and insight – and those with more experience will be encouraged with the film’s perspective.

Part I: The Past

Part I starts with the question, so popular with the media, ‘what makes Jerusalem unique?’ Contrary to popular opinion that her significance derives from her importance to three world faiths, we find that it actually owes to God’s declaration of ownership over her.

We are then treated to a fly-through of Jerusalem’s biblical history, beginning with Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah, through David, Solomon, the descent of Israel into idolatry, the first exile and the first return. Lance then spends some time on the prophecies of Daniel about the coming of Messiah and space is made for viewers to reflect on the work of the Cross.

Newcomers to the topic will receive a wealth of information and insight – and those with more experience will be encouraged with the film’s perspective.

The film then moves through Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, the second destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of 70 AD, then considering the ‘times of the Gentiles’, including the Ottoman occupation and the centuries of Jerusalem’s decay as an imperial backwater. It concludes with an outline of the history of the return, from the early settlers through to the making of modern Israel.

Here archive footage becomes available and Scripture is interwoven with old photographs and film footage of both the 1948 and 1967 wars.

Part II: Present and Future

The second part starts with moving shots of modern aliyah - stories of Jews returning from around the world. Attention then moves to the decades of contention that have plagued Jerusalem since her unification in 1967 – the bills and declarations, the peace accords and the intifadas. Examples and footage are included here which may well either be new to many, or have long been forgotten.

Here the main narrative is supplemented with interviews with political leaders on the subject of the Jewish claim to Jerusalem, and mention is made of Arab historic revisionism and Western media bias.

Looking to the future, Lance notes that true peace will only come to Jerusalem when Jesus returns. Lance explains the spiritual battle raging over Zion today, with further reference to the Book of Daniel, and then looks at the prophetic milestones we are to expect ahead of Jesus’ return, mostly through straightforwardly reading Scripture. The film ends on a high note of hope in Messiah’s return.

Lance explains the spiritual battle raging over Zion today and then looks at the prophetic milestones we are to expect ahead of Jesus’ return.

Scripture from Start to Finish

Obviously there is a limit to the amount of detail that is possible to achieve in a film with such a huge historical scope, however, Hatikvah does an excellent job. In fact, it feels as if the whole film is made up of Scripture from start to finish, and there is a wonderful focus on Jesus throughout. Though it leaves c.15 years unaccounted for, having been made in 2002, its prophetic teaching remains remarkably relevant, while its biblical/historical accounts are timeless.

An excellent and encouraging introduction to the topic that would be perfect for small groups and Christians with little knowledge of the subject.

Jerusalem: The Covenant City can be purchased from Hatikvah Films for £12 or on Amazon (also available to stream online from £3.19).

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Israel: Covenants and Kingdom' and 'Why Israel?'

Willem Glashouwer is the President of Christians for Israel International and a regular speaker in this country. Here are two of his most important books, available from Christian Friends of Israel.

Israel: Covenants and Kingdom (2016, 184 pages, available from CFI for £9)

Here is a book that will enhance anyone’s understanding of these crucial concepts. Every chapter is divided into shorter sections, each of which makes a valuable contribution to the overall argument, that God’s relationship with Israel is based upon love for them and faithfulness to his own word.

The establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 brought a fresh challenge to Replacement Theology and those who taught it. Was God keeping his covenants with the Jewish people after all, and if so, how are we to view the overarching biblical concept of the Kingdom of God? This book tackles these issues in a way that will reassure those with a heart for Israel and a mind for God’s word.

After an introductory chapter, the next three explore the scriptural basis of covenant from Creation to Abraham and onwards through his line, culminating in the promise in Jeremiah of a new covenant. These chapters conclude with a summary of the covenants God has made, including their everlasting and unconditional nature where appropriate.

Here the author names seven, at this point omitting the one with Noah but including separate ones on the land, Jerusalem and one he calls the ‘covenant of peace’. This may seem contrary to the more standard approach of five main covenants, but as there are several other covenants which surround these central ones, this is not something to be critical of as his analysis is generally in line with other books on this topic.

Throughout these chapters we get fascinating glimpses of other factors which may be less familiar, for instance the nature of Nimrod and his role at the outset of ‘Babylon’ or Babel, and also a more modern reference to Turkey and President Erdogan within the context of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39).

God’s relationship with Israel is based upon love for them and faithfulness to his own word.

In chapter five the author turns his attention to his other great theme: Kingdom. He explains this was not a new idea which emerged with the Church, the signs were already there through Israel, though it did become more apparent when Jesus was present on earth. What binds all these elements together is the promise of Gabriel to Mary that her son would be given the throne of David and he will reign forever. The concept of Kingdom is therefore linked to the covenants and must be seen as bigger than just ‘the Church’.

Later chapters cover other important issues. The history, relevance and future of Jerusalem is thoroughly explored including a well-balanced discussion on the possibility of a re-built temple. Part of the concluding chapter tackles the key question of ‘Palestine’. The answer is rather concise but, as in the book as a whole, the author presents facts and conveys a sense of reality about the situation.

Overall the book is well researched and based upon a scholarly approach without being too formal or over-academic. The case is clearly made, that God’s choice of Israel is irrevocable and that he will bless all nations through her. He will bring her Messiah back to this world to fulfil all his promises.

Why Israel? (2012, 216 pages, available from CFI for £10)

An initial glance at the contents might suggest much in common between this book and the one above. For instance, chapter two on the covenants covers the same material – but this later book also expands upon the earlier one. In fact, there is so much more in ‘Why Israel?’ to make it a worthwhile purchase in its own right, including two lengthy appendices, one on’ Jews and Church History’ (40 pages) and another on ‘Jerusalem Chronology’ (16 pages).

Chapters three to five explore three key ‘untils’. The first is in Matthew 23:39, “You will not see me again until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’”. The others are “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24) and “until the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). The main point made here is that ‘until’ is not the same as ‘unless’ – these things will happen! Moreover, ‘until’ implies a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ which are vital components of what is being promised. Overall, three fascinating chapters.

There is so much more in ‘Why Israel?’ to make it a worthwhile purchase in its own right.

Later chapters cover the roots of anti-Semitism, the Land of Israel (including the Balfour declaration and the British role), and Jerusalem and the Temple. There is also a chapter on aliyah. He asks ‘how does the Lord bring the Jews home?’ and answers with “Israel is on her way to glory and is being brought home by the non-Jews, the Gentiles. By you and me!” (p153). A wonderful thought, but also a challenge!

But the main challenge of the book is spelled out earlier: “God loves Israel as His first-born son, and Jesus, His only-begotten Son, was a Jew. Are you sure that you really love the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel? Or are you loving your own concept of God?” (p17).

Any book with a question as a title must provide an answer as you read it. In this case you will be left in no doubt by the end of the biblical significance of Israel and the Jewish people today.

Who has the authority to interpret God's teachings into everyday living?

We have discussed how Torah and halakhah are dependent on one another. In plain language the former is the instruction of God and the latter is the way to apply this instruction in all aspects of life – what the Jews would call a Torah lifestyle and what we could also meaningfully call a biblical lifestyle.

As Yeshua (Jesus) reminded those who questioned him, the Torah hangs on two commandments: to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We infer that all else that God teaches us in our Bibles leads us to understand how these two commandments are fulfilled.

There is much to consider: things that apply to our personal walk with God and witness to the world; things that apply to our families; things that we share together as a community. But who has the authority to interpret God’s teachings into everyday living?

Israel Under Moses: Torah, Mishnah and Talmud

Moses received the Ten Commandments and began to teach these and other instructions from God in order to lead Israel to be a Torah-observant community. These were later written down and have been passed on to us in our Bibles as what is called the written Torah.

There is also the oral Torah, which became codified by the Jews into the Mishnah, which is traditionally thought to contain other aspects of Torah passed on from generation to generation beginning with Moses – teachings of Moses that were not written down, but passed on orally.

Jesus reminded us that the Torah hangs on two commandments: to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Commentaries were later written on how to interpret the Mishnah. These commentaries, which include the Mishnah itself, make up the Talmud, of which there are two versions - one written in Babylon and the other in Jerusalem. This led to various branches of Judaism considering Torah, both written and oral, to be a complete set of teachings passed on from generation to generation as ongoing instruction from God. It also resulted in a legal form of halakhah.

However, all this lacks the flexibility that we discussed in the last article in this series. Indeed, my view is that some Christians in search of their Jewish roots have ended up taking this rather legalistic route in their re-discovery of Torah. To me, to a high degree, the Talmud is the alternative to the New Testament for Jews who have not yet accepted Yeshua as Messiah.

Torah Before Moses: The Walk of Abraham

Let us, therefore, retrace our steps to the time that Torah was given by God through Moses and see if there is continuity in God’s purposes and teachings for his people throughout Scripture, leading up to the New Covenant and even today.

Let us also recall that Enoch, some centuries before, had walked with God achieving a lifestyle that pleased God without, as far as we know, having being told what was later revealed through Moses regarding Torah. We might also recall that Abraham walked with God in faith before the giving of the Torah of Moses. Nevertheless, regarding Abraham we are told that God said of him (Gen 26:5) “Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my Torah.”

So how did Abraham, and possibly Enoch as well, obey God’s Torah prior to the time it was given to Moses? If we interpret Genesis 26:5 through the spectacles of the legal codification of written and oral Torah of the Talmud and Jewish halakhah, we might think that Abraham was told in advance what Moses later wrote down - or at least the relevant parts of the written Torah. But I find this hard to accept, particularly in the light of my view of halakhah as walking with God by the inspiration of his Spirit, as I outlined in a previous article.

The account of Abraham shows him to be a man who learned to walk in personal relationship with God so that he obeyed all that God instructed him according to the circumstances through which he was taken. Among the clearest of instructions were the command to leave Ur, to trust God for the birth of Isaac, and to take Isaac onto Mount Moriah as a sacrifice.

How did Abraham, and possibly Enoch as well, obey God’s Torah prior to the time it was given to Moses?

These were not instructions of the nature of the Torah of Moses, but specific to Abraham’s own personal walk. Indeed, we would be unwise to take the sacrifice of Isaac into our own written or oral Torah for literal application! I would, nevertheless, believe that all Abraham was commanded and taught by God came from the two great commandments and would have been compatible with any of God’s later teaching through Moses. Indeed, we perceive shadows of the birth of Yeshua and of the New Covenant in Abraham’s walk of faith.

We also know that Abraham was familiar with the principle of tithing (Gen 14:18-20), but this seemed more spontaneous and from the heart than legalistic, similar to Jacob’s response at Bethel (Gen 28:18-22). Is this not an indicator of Torah being written on the heart, where God prompts a person to walk faithfully and obediently to him through all the circumstances of life that we encounter on our personal walk with him?

Is this not an indication of what God intended for Torah, rather than the legalistic framework that we can fall into so easily?

Authority to Interpret Torah

So on to Moses. With all the detail that was given through Moses encoded into the written Torah, there was still the need for interpretation into every aspect of life. Questions arose for individuals, families and in the more general aspects of community life. This multitude of questions was beginning to wear Moses out until his father-in-law told him to appoint elders to teach and interpret the easier aspects of Torah, as deputies (Ex 18:1-27). They were given a share of authority to interpret Torah.

That same authority was passed on to successive generations through the priesthood, down to the Sanhedrin and to the Rabbinic schools of Yeshua’s day. The point is that however many individual commands one can count in the written and oral Torah, there is always a new personal application that is a current manifestation of Torah principles, and the authority to interpret this application is given to those who are appointed as teachers. This cannot be fully codified and is part of our personal walks with God – just as for Abraham.

That Authority Transferred

Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount was an extensive teaching from the heart of God which seemed something fresh and different to those listening, whilst also being fully founded on the Torah of Moses. Yeshua’s entire ministry was founded on Torah, whether through word or deed.

Yet so ingrained were some of the religious leaders in their traditions by this time that to some he seemed a heretic. Much of the interaction between Yeshua and the teachers of Torah involved him challenging them (e.g. Matt 23). By contrast to the Rabbinic schools, however, the authority of Yeshua was clear (Matt 7:29).

Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount seemed fresh and different to those listening, but was also fully founded on the Torah of Moses.

When Yeshua cursed the fig tree (Matt 21:18), I suggest that this was not a sign of cursing Israel as a whole, but a sign to the teachers of the Torah. He was telling them, in a symbolic way that they would have understood, that authority would be taken from them and given to others (Matt 21:43).

The authority to teach and interpret Torah was going into other hands. The New Covenant in Yeshua’s blood was soon to be made manifest, whereby the Gospel would go to the entire world. Torah, the teaching of God, was still to be interpreted into the lives of all who would have faith in him, but a new authority would be released among the disciples of Yeshua, both Jews and Gentiles.

The Authority of the Holy Spirit

The new authority is given to all believers according to the promise of Jeremiah 31:33, that the Torah will be written on our hearts, free of the curse for disobedience (Gal 3:13), giving freedom to learn and to walk (halakh) with God (Rom 8).

This takes us back to the model of Abraham. Our Bibles give us the root and foundation through which our lives are to be built, but through a living relationship rather than through ritual observance. Instead of the elders at Moses’ time, we now have God’s Holy Spirit to give us meaningful interpretations of Torah principles and truths in every area of our lives - personally. Each of us can walk with God as a disciple of Yeshua. Obeying the call and teaching of God along this walk is to be Torah-observant, or biblically observant.

Authority is also given to Bible teachers to help disciples on this walk of faith. I wonder if more Bible teachers should think in these terms, because they have both a great privilege and responsibility. In New Covenant terms they inherit the ministry passed on through Moses to successive generations of God’s covenant family.

The Budding of the Fig Tree

I suggest that the budding of the fig tree in Luke 21:29-31 is not only related to the re-gathering of Israel in the end times but also to a re-awakening of the authority to interpret Torah amongst Yeshua’s disciples. If the cursing of the fig tree denoted a change at the time of Yeshua, the re-budding is a sign of restoration in our day.

Our Bibles give us the foundation for our lives, but through a living relationship rather than through ritual observance.

As there is a call to renewal in the Gentile Church, so a new authority to interpret Torah will coincide with the re-gathering of Israel in the days preceding the return of Yeshua. There can be a new co-operation between Christians and Messianic Jews. Surely this will also result in the provocation of Israel to jealousy as described by Paul in Romans 11:14.

In the excitement of these days, let us not revert to ritual and over-fascination for Jewish traditions so much that we miss this fresh move of God’s Spirit. Will this be revival, rooted as never before in biblical truth? Surely that is God’s plan.

Next time: Community

Clifford Denton addresses common misunderstandings about Torah.

In the last article we considered the subject of halakhah. Now let us consider Torah, on which halakhah is founded. These are Hebrew words, which will need some fresh investigation by many Christians, especially since some confusion has entered our Christian experience because of translation of these key words into other languages.

Our English Bible translations use the word ‘law’ where the Hebrew reads ‘Torah’ in the Old Testament. The New Testament manuscripts came to us in Greek rather than the Hebrew language. The word nomos is used rather than Torah or halakhah, again resulting in the word ‘law’ in English translations. This adds to our difficulty in re-thinking the relationship between Torah and halakhah because of the connotations of the word law in our lives and culture today.

This problem is increased because of the way Judaism has put the concept of halakhah into legalistic terms, further leading to many Christians rejecting serious studies of both Torah and halakhah, seeing law and grace as mutually exclusive.

We must look into the heart of God’s intent, and beyond legalism of either a Jewish or a Christian kind, to discover God’s purpose for all the family of faith. That is why we first of all, in our previous article, established that the Hebraic lifestyle was always intended to be a walk with God – the true interpretation of halakhah.

So now let’s put Torah into right relationship with this walk with God.

We must look beyond both Jewish and Christian legalism, to the heart of God’s intent for Torah and halakhah.

Compiling the Torah

It is instructive to consider the historical development of the Bible. The first five books of the Bible are called the Books of Moses. Before Moses’ time, oral tradition was the means of transmitting what was later to become the written word, recorded by Moses.

Enoch, Noah, Abraham and others learned to listen to God and walk with him. Then, when Israel was to become a nation within their own land, God caused Moses to record what is now the first five books of the Bible. This contains relevant earlier history, an account of the wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (itself a walk with God) and also the instruction that God gave by which Israel was to live. This included the Ten Commandments and a wide variety of requirements by which God’s chosen people should live as a nation, incorporating also the yearly cycle of Feasts of the Lord and the Sabbath Day.

The record of Moses came to be known as Torah. This word does not mean ‘law’. It means ‘teaching’ or ‘instruction’, drawing on the entire content of the first five Books of the Bible. God’s purpose was not to cause law to replace the foundational principle of walking with him in personal and corporate relationship.

Considered as God’s teaching programme, Torah was to be in balance with halakhah. This was the approach to be made in families, where children were to be taught by example and through parental guidance (Deut 6) and for the entire nation, for whom elders were appointed to interpret Torah on the walk of faith (Ex 18).

The Writings and the Prophets

Torah became Israel’s Bible, as it were. Other written records were compiled later, including the history of the nation, the Psalms and the Proverbs, which together were grouped as Ketuvim, the Writings. The Writings came out of a nation that was seeking to live in relation to God and to interpret his teaching as the foundation of that relationship.

When Israel fell away from God, their fall could be assessed by how far they had departed from Torah. The Prophets came along to point Israel back to God through reference to Torah. The third set of written material thus emerged which was called Neveeim, the Hebrew for ‘Prophets’.

The record of Moses came to be known as ‘Torah’, but this does not mean ‘law’.

Thus emerged the priority for the Hebrew Bible. With Torah (the five Books of Moses) at the foundation, Neveeim and Ketuvim were compiled with it, to make what comes to us as TaNaK, or the Tanakh (Old Testament).

Torah: Lost in Translation?

The true meaning and significance of Torah must be untangled from the concepts of English ‘law’ and Greek nomos if we are to re-connect with our Hebraic heritage. The key is in the Hebraic background of teaching, expressed as well as translators could in Greek, English and other languages.

The Greek nomos has shades of meaning that fit this original Hebraic background, but the English ‘law’ can easily be misinterpreted in our day, when it is connected with crime and punishment so readily. Yet, ‘law’ does also imply rules to bring safety and structure to the life of a community, and if we re-connect the concept with education we are not completely divorced from the original intent of the scriptures.

With Torah, interpretation was always necessary. Generation after generation of Israel’s elders and teachers, including rabbis in the Jewish tradition, helped the community of Israel to interpret Torah into a way of life. The call was not to make individual believers dependent on them, but to help them to be dependent on God. It is this link between Torah and halakhah that is so important.

This applies to the Christian world as much as it does to the Jewish world. Indeed, if we re-connect more firmly to the continuity from Old to New Covenant days, both Jews and Christians have the same objective – a walk with God as disciples, learning all that God wants to teach us.

Torah must be untangled from the concepts of English ‘law’ and Greek nomos and re-connected to our Hebraic heritage.

Yeshua Upholds Torah

During his Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua (Jesus) said that he had come to rightly interpret Torah (Matt 5:17). He confronted the religious teachers of the day for their controlling traditions and wrong interpretations (Matt 23). Moses’ seat, referenced in Matthew 23:2, was the seat in the synagogue set aside for a teacher to bring interpretations of the Torah.

Seen through these eyes, we see that much of the ministry of Yeshua was concerned with establishing the true foundations of halakhah through correctly interpreting Torah. He attacked dry ritual and challenged the attitude towards the Feasts and Sabbath (e.g. Mark 2:27-28). He showed that Torah was given by God to strengthen relationships between mankind and God and between men, women and children within Israel’s community (Matt 22:37-40) – the priority being for how we walk out our life in this world whilst also walking with God – halakhah.

Ritual Halakhah

By contrast to the true purpose of Torah, Jewish halakhah has become a form of legal interpretation of 613 dos and don’ts that have been identified in the written Torah.

Many of these commands, taken in a literal sense, are strengthened to give a margin of error so that the actual law will not be broken. This is called a fence around the Torah. However righteous the fence around Torah might seem, it carries with it the potential of robbing a person of their walk with God. Torah is deeper than this and more spiritual in application.

Further, if Torah is separated from the life and sacrificial death of Yeshua it will also lose its true purpose, because only through faith in Yeshua can one achieve the relationship with God that was always the goal of Torah.

Jesus’ ministry was concerned with establishing the true foundations of halakhah through correctly interpreting Torah.

Christians can also be found guilty of falling short of the purpose of what the Bible teaches, as Paul’s letter to the Galatians pointed out. On the one hand there is the possibility of misunderstanding Torah as law in the legal sense and so missing the true purpose of God’s teaching. Many Christians have thereby detached themselves from serious study of the heart intent of Torah foundations, misinterpreting Galatians 3:13. Yeshua (Jesus) took away the curse of Torah (the ‘law’) in that he took the punishment for sin away on the Cross for those who believe. He did not take away Torah itself.

On the other hand, in seeking to restore Torah observance, some Christians have taken a legalistic route, similar to that found in Jewish halakhah.

In Light of the New Covenant

Our challenge, therefore, in re-connecting with the Hebraic background to the Christian faith, is to be serious students of the entire Bible, re-establishing Torah foundations in New Covenant terms, helping one another secure a walk of faith in relationship with one another and with God and not being so legalistic as to spoil that walk, whilst learning together how to let our freedom in Messiah be submitted to the will of the Holy Spirit.

It must be said that the evidence is that it is far easier to slip into legalistic interpretations of Torah, leading to bondage to ritual more than freedom to walk with the Lord – something that takes a lifetime to learn in reality.

Take Psalm 119 as an illustration of where to start. Picture the author carefully constructing his psalm to express his delight in Torah. The psalm has 22 sections, each linked to one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of a section commences with a word beginning with that letter, aleph, beit, gimmel and so on.

The number eight in Scripture represents new beginnings, possibly new life, so this symbolism is wound into the construction of the psalm. Perhaps there are other symbols too, along with the emphasis on the alphabet.

Our challenge is to re-establish Torah foundations in New Covenant terms, helping one another secure a walk of faith in relationship with God, while not slipping into legalism.

Considering all this, we realise that the psalmist took great care in expressing his love of Torah. Every letter of every word was to express his love of God and recognition of the power of Torah to transform, protect and guide a person.

This same inspiration can be carried over to New Covenant love of God’s teaching. Do we love God’s teaching through his Holy Spirit in such a way that we respond to it with the same heart as the psalmist? How many Christians have seen it that way? Torah was always spiritual and with the gift of the Holy Spirit to write it on our hearts, we are in a privileged position to live a Torah lifestyle - free of bondage, free to learn, discovering how heart manifestations of Torah principles are intended to guide and strengthen our individual and corporate walks with God.

Next time: Some illustrations from Torah

Edmund Heddle's series on the prophetic ministry comes to a close as we study the greatest prophet of all: Jesus the Messiah.

"Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?" The question which John the Baptist addressed to Jesus from his prison cell is the one that had echoed down the ages of biblical history. "Are you the coming one?" (in Greek ho erkomenos) (Matt 11:3).

Messiah's Threefold Office

The 'coming one', called Messiah because he was anointed by God's Spirit for his ministry (Isa 61:1), had a threefold office to fulfil: prophetic, priestly and kingly. He was to be a prophet to save us from our ignorance, a priest to save us from our guilt and a king to save us from our self-will.

Eusebius, one of the early church fathers, spoke of him as "the only High Priest of all men, the only king of all creation and the Father's only supreme prophet of prophets". In Christ all the prophecies of Old Testament Scripture are fulfilled, as Peter told his hearers in one of his earliest sermons: "Indeed. all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days...the promises of God through the prophets are for you, and you share in the covenant which God made with your ancestors" (Acts 3:24-25, Good News Bible).

The promised Messiah was to be a prophet to save us from our ignorance, a priest to save us from our guilt and a king to save us from our self-will.

The Prophet God Will Raise Up

We now turn our attention to the role of prophet and seek to understand how Israel was made to expect the coming of a prophet. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses announces: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him".

Fuller details of the raising up of this prophet are given in verses 15-18. First, he will be raised up by God, he will not be appointed by the men of Israel or their leaders. He will be God's choice. Secondly, he will be like Moses and resemble his ideals and outlook. Thirdly, he will be "one of your own people". No foreigner will be appointed to that office. He will speak God's words and God's people are required to obey him in an unquestioning way. There will be serious consequences for those who refuse to obey. God himself will make him answer for any disobedience. This was the kind of prophet Israel was told to expect.

The Circumstances that Demanded a Prophetic Ministry

There are three reasons why it was important to receive the promise of a prophetic ministry at that time in Israel's history:

1. Moses their leader was shortly to be taken from them.

2. The promised land ahead was riddled with occultic and spiritualist practices (Deut 18:14)

3. They were afraid of God's voice and the fiery aura that surrounded him. "For this is what you your¬selves begged of God at Mount Horeb. There at the foot of the mountain you begged that you might not have to listen to the terrifying voice of God again, or see the awesome fire on the mountain, lest you die" (Deut 18:16, Living Bible).

The promise of a prophet who would speak only God's words was of vital importance to the Israelites as they proceeded into Canaan, where horrible practices such as the offering of live babies into Molech's dreadful fire were conducted. How such a practice must have grieved a loving God! The Israelites would find themselves among peoples who practised divination, sorcery, witchcraft, casting spells, practising spiritualism, listening to mediums and calling up the spirits of the dead (Deut 18:10-13). Such customs are still carried out today in so-called Christian countries, bringing down the wrath of God on people who practice things he regards as destestable (Deut 18:12 and 14).

The Lord showed his approval of their reaction to his holiness: "The Lord said to me: What they say is good. I will do as they have requested. I will raise up for them a prophet" (Deut 18:17, 18).

Israel needed the promise of a prophetic ministry. Moses was to be taken from them, they were afraid to hear God directly and the land of promise ahead was riddled with witchcraft.

A Succession of Prophets?

The text of Scripture refers to one single prophet (Deut 18:15 and 18). Moffatt in his translation refers to a succession of prophets in his rendering: "The eternal your God will raise up for you prophet after prophet like myself". It is clear on reflection that both are true.

Moses is requesting a prophet who will go into action as soon as they enter the Promised Land and who will continually stand up against the powers of darkness throughout the coming years of the nation's history. Clearly a succession of prophets would be necessary to accomplish this obligation. The New Testament places the stress on one exceptional prophet, concerning which the question of John the Baptist was asked, "Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?" (Matt 11:3).

Corporate or Individual?

In our understanding of the scriptures we need to realise that certain titles like 'the prophet', 'the servant of the Lord', 'the son of man' and others have both a corporate and an individual significance. To get the fullness of the meaning we need to accept both interpretations.

So to grasp the meaning of the Deuteronomy reference we need to see the ultimate appear-ance of some special person, one preceded by a long line of prophets who were able to speak God's word to their succeeding generations.

Jesus - the Final Fulfilment of Deuteronomy's Prophet

It is evident from the gospels that the believers had become convinced that Jesus was 'the prophet'. He is referred to as Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee (Matt 21:11). After the people saw the miracles that Jesus did they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). "On hearing his words, some of the people said surely this man is the Prophet" (John 7:40).

The central revelation conveyed to the people of Israel is that it is Jesus of Nazareth who is the fulfilment of the prophet promised by Moses and recorded in Deuteronomy. Peter in his sermon in Solomon's Porch at the Jerusalem Temple refers to Jesus, the one whom God raised up, as the fulfilment of the Deuteronomic prophecy (Acts 3:22-26).

The Deuteronomy prophecy refers to the ultimate appearance of some special person, preceded by a long line of prophets who spoke God's word to their succeeding generations.

The prophet "powerful in word and deed before God and all the people" is revealed by the Lord himself to the two travellers on the road to Emmaus. It is surely no wonder that, as they listened to his exposition of "Moses and all the prophets", their hearts burned within them (Luke 24:19-32).

Reasons Why People Believed Jesus to be the Prophet

The woman of Samaria cited the evidence that had led her to believe that Jesus was the prophet when she described to her fellow Samaritans how "he told me everything I ever did!" (John 4:29). The widow of Nain received back her dead son when Jesus said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" When the man subsequently started to talk the people were filled with awe and praised God. The crowd cried out, "A great prophet has appeared among us" (Luke 7:14-16).

On the last and greatest day of the feast, when Jesus was expounding the scriptures to both religious leaders and ordinary people, there was some discussion as to whether or not he was the prophet promised in the Old Testament scriptures. Some at least reached the right conclusion: "Surely this man is the Prophet" (John 7:40). There was, however, no clash of opinion after Jesus had fed the five thousand. "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world'" (John 6:14}.

Some Had Difficulties in Accepting Jesus as the Prophet

The Jewish leaders refused to accept Jesus because he had come from Galilee. They were saying, "Look into it and you will find a prophet does not come out of Galilee" (John 7:52). But that was not all the scriptures had said about the Messiah's birthplace: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler in Israel" (Mic 5:2). It was true that Jesus was brought up in Galilee. but it was in Judea that he was born.

After Jesus had opened the eyes of the blind man, the Pharisees were sent to investigate what had happened. The blind man had reached the only sensible conclusion that Jesus was a prophet and that he was operating with God's power. The religious leaders could not accept that conclusion because the man had been healed on the Sabbath (John 9:16, 17, 33).

There are still many people today who do not believe that Jesus is the prophet promised by Moses. Some have drawn inadequate conclusions by refusing, like the Pharisees, to accept parts of Scripture. Others do not acknowledge him because, like the religious leaders of the time of our Lord, they allow their own traditions to stand in the way of accepting the evidence which to ordinary people was so clear and convincing.

At the time, many people did not believe Jesus was the promised Prophet because they failed to accept parts of Scripture, or were blinded by their religious traditions.

God's Greatest Prophet

The answer to the question that has titled this series of Bible studies, What is a Prophet?, cannot be adequately answered simply by studying, as we have done, the prophets of the Bible. We need in the end to come face to face with Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.

He, like Moses before him, "knew the Lord face to face" (Deut 34:10) but in his case uninterruptedly. Other prophets, like Samuel, were able to communicate God's word to the people (1 Sam 3:21). And what was true of Samuel was supremely true of Jesus in that God let none of his words fall to the ground (1 Sam 3:19).

Jesus is greater than Jonah (Luke 11:42), Solomon (Matt 12:42), Jacob (John 4:12), Abraham (John 8:53) and Moses himself, concerning whom the writer to the Hebrews said, "Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses" (Hebrews 3:3). To quote again the words of the early father Eusebius, Jesus is "the Father's only supreme prophet of prophets". Listen to him and learn to prophesy by his prophetic spirit.

If we are to understand what a prophet truly is, we must in the end come face to face with Jesus the Messiah.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 7 No 6, November/December 1991.

Catch up with the rest of this series by following this link.