1) Have ye not read
The Christian world relies largely on the writings of the New Testament. However Y’shua and the Apostles declared that the writings of the prophets were relevant and an understanding of them was fundamental to the Christian message. Y’shua frequently asked the Jews of his day,
Have ye not read?
The four Gospels give instances where the Jews were directed to their scriptures, not the NT, as it was not written then, but to their sacred writings, to Genesis, the Law of Moses, Chronicles, the Psalms, Isaiah , Zechariah, Daniel and the Prophets. Examine the following:
But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? (Matthew 12:3-5 [KJV])
The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, (Matthew 19:3-4 [KJV])
For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, (Matthew 22:30-31 [KJV])
And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? (Mark 12:1-11 [KJV]
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? (Mark 12:25-26 [KJV])
And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, (Luke 6:3-4 [KJV]
Expanding on this there are many references made by the Messiah related to specific prophecies. Here are some examples of Y’shua’s references to Isaiah.
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: (Matthew 13:13-14 [KJV]
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:7-9 [KJV]
and to Daniel:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:14-15 [KJV])
He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judæa flee to the mountains: (Mark 13:13-14 [KJV]
And to the Law:
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. (Luke 10:25-28 [KJV])
He said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:30-31 [KJV])
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:45-47 [KJV])
and to the Prophets:
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: (Luke 18:31-32 [KJV]
without knowledge the Jews failed to see the outcome:
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:33-34 [KJV])
I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. (John 13:18-19 [KJV]
Following his resurrection his words to two of his followers stress the importance of the understanding of the Hebrew scriptures.
And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. (Luke 24:13-15 [KJV]...
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27 [KJV]...
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:44-48 [KJV]
Y’shua’s expectation was that the Jews should be acquainted with their sacred writings.
How much then does this advice, “Have ye not read?”, relate to the OT today?
There are many passages in the NT where the Apostles direct the reader to the OT. Below is a reference by Matthew in chapter 12 to the opening of Isaiah 42.
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,...Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. (Matthew 12:18-21 [KJV] quoted from Isaiah 42:1-4)
In John’s Gospel there is a quotation from Isaiah:40:3
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (John 1:22-23 [KJV])
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (John 1:22-23 [KJV])
This is an issue that the Jews should have taken heed to. It was relevant to events that they would soon see, but would they recognise, the man who was Israel’s future Messiah?
Two directives from the disciples also indicate the importance of the Hebrew scriptures in the Christian era.
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:1-11 [KJV]
And to Timothy:
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (II Timothy 3:14-17 [KJV]
Y’shua’s prophecy concerning the future, which is relevant to us, is recorded in Luke 21.
It points to a future time: our time.
It relates to Jews and Jerusalem. For two thousand years the Jews were dispersed world wide and were unable to claim their rights to their historic capital Jerusalem. In an amazing miraculous victory against the aggressive Arab nations and overwhelming odds in the 1967 Six Day War, they reclaimed Jerusalem and Donald Trump has declared Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital.
And they(the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:24-27 [KJV]
Compare this with the prophecy of Daniel:
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)... And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:3-4 [KJV]
Comparing these two prophecies there is a common factor of a time of trouble for mankind.
These verses refer to the Last Days of man’s rule on earth by the kingdoms of men. There are two very applicable statements, but do we acknowledge that we see in them our world today in which Israel has been restored as a nation and as a witness to the world?. Man has acquired amazing knowledge, and, today we see people flying back and forth across the globe and carrying a plague, a nasty virus, to most countries on the earth. Daniel refers to
the time of the end and a time of trouble and Y’shua refers to the end of Gentile rule when Israel is restored to its land.
The prophecy of Daniel in earlier chapters prophesied of the identifiable kingdoms that would rise following the fall of Babylon. We are living in the final stage of that prophecy. See https://biblefocus.net/living-word/daniel-the-prophet/index.html
Many references in the Psalms prophesy the destruction of the wicked. Consider just a few of these:
Yahweh
preserves all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of Yahweh:
and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.(Psalms
145:20-21)
and also “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares,
fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the
portion of their cup”. (Psalm 11: 5-6) (Psalm 34: 22 and many
other Psalms.
Now consider the prophecy of Isaiah:
In the last days, ... the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and all nations shall flow unto it. ...And he(Yahweh ) shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. ...The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and Yahweh alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of Yahweh of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: (Isaiah 2: 2-4 , 11-12 [KJV])
A few passages from the Hebrew Scriptures are given below to stress the need for a knowledge of what has been before written of the destiny of mankind. and the Creator’s expectation of mankind,
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. Rev 11:18-19
The question is, will there be some on the earth who will regard the prophetic woord as related to events that we see today? Please consider: Mal 4:1-4; Deut 32:42-43; Isa 24:19-23: Isa 11:2-5; Joel2:9-13; Zech14: 2-5; Ezek38; 18-23; Mal 4:1-5.
