Excerpt from the Harvest

The Church

We believe that the church began with Moses and the call for Israel to come out from Egypt. This Israel, who came out of Egypt, was comprised of both native-born and gerim—"sojourners" whose clan identity was outside that of the tribes of Jacob (Ex.12:38). Together they stood at Sinai and entered into covenant with Yahweh. According to the Exodus account, the native-born along with the foreigner constituted the covenant people who received the Torah at Sinai (Ex. 19). Collectively they, the native born and the foreigner who accepted the covenant, are referred to as Israel. This Israel is what Stephen referred to as the "church" in the wilderness (Acts 7:38). Those who were outside of Israel's descendants could and would be brought into the covenant community (church) by doing what father Abraham (a goy from Ur of Chaldee) did to become righteous—namely, he placed his trust and faith in the promised Seed (the Messiah). Just as many foreigners became part of Israel then, so today many from the nations are being grafted into the olive tree of Israel by placing their faith in the promised Seed of Abraham, Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah of Israel. Just as the prophet Isaiah foretold (Isa. 56), Yahweh is gathering many from the nations to those whom He already gathered (Israel). Together these individuals comprise the universal church (covenant community of Yahweh). These Jews and Gentiles in Messiah collectively are called Israel throughout the Scriptures. There is no other "church" or covenant community; just one new man, one torah, one Messiah, one Spirit, one God. Some of the physical descendants of Jacob have rejected Yeshua and remain cut off from the covenant community of Yahweh, but are still a part of greater Israel and will be grafted back into the church (covenant community of Yahweh) when they turn from their unbelief and place their faith in Yeshua as the promised Seed of Abraham (Rom. 11). Ethnic status is not altered by acceptance or rejection of Yeshua, but covenant status is. Covenant status is determined by faith in Yeshua the Messiah. In the end, it is not ethnic status but rather covenant status that fulfills salvific history.

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Excerpt from Hebrew for Christians

The Prophet Like Unto Moses

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you,
from your brothers - it is to him you shall listen. (Deut 18:15)

In this pasuk (verse) we find the only passage in the entire Torah where Moses explicitly identifies himself as a prophet of the LORD. Moreover, this is also the only passage where Moses identifies the coming of the Mashiach as “a Prophet like me” (Deut 18:15; cp. John 6:14).

In the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) we read that the soferim (scribes) had sent a delegation to question Yochanon the Immerser (John the Baptist), asking him two questions:

* "Are you Elijah?" (John 1:21) - This referred to Malachi's prophecy (Mal. 4:5) that Elijah would come as a messenger before the appearance of the Messiah. To this day Jews around the world still set out a cup of wine for Elijah at Passover - in anticipation of the his arrival as the forerunner of the Messiah.

* "Are you the Prophet?" (John 1:21). This referred to Moses' prophecy that God would send "a Prophet like me" (Deut. 18:15-19).

We further read that when Philip encounterd Nathanael, he said, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (John 1:45). After Jesus fed the five thousand, the people began to ask if this was "the Prophet a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.' " (Acts 7:37-38). who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). Peter identified Yeshua as the Prophet (Acts 3:22-23), and in his apologetic before the Sanhedrin, Stephen the martyr declared that Yeshua was the promised Messiah: "This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'The lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.' " (Acts 7:37-38).

John Parsons
Hebrew for Christians
PO Box 27061
Golden Valley, Minnesota 55427-0061

Email: info@hebrew4christians.com