There are billions of people all over the world who have been taught the “Christian gospel,” which is that “God has reconciled us to Himself from sin through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus;” however, there is a problem.  There is not one verse or passage in the “New Testament” where Yeshua ever calls his death, burial, and resurrection “the gospel,” not even after his resurrection!  Instead, the only message he calls “the gospel” is the one he and his disciples taught throughout the land of Isra’el: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17).

“The Gospel” – “The Kingdom of God”?

The message of “the gospel” was not about his death on the cross and his resurrection, but it was about “the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14-15), or as we read in the book of Matthew, “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17).  But what is “the kingdom of God/heaven”?  Christians don’t really know, because there is no place in the “New Testament” where any kind of definition is given.  So when you ask Christians to define it, you will get all kinds of different answers.  Messianic believers define it to be a synonym for God, and there are times when it is used that way, but consider the following:

  • Is the “gospel,” or “good news,” that God has begun ruling and reigning?  No, He has been doing that even before Genesis 1:1.
  • Is it “the good news” that God begun ruling and reigning over the nations, including the nation of Israel?  No, He has been doing that since Genesis 1:1.
  • Is it “the good news” that God is ruling and reigning over individuals?  No, He has been doing that ever since He created Adam.
  • So what did he mean by “the kingdom of God/heaven”?  Many Messianics claim that it means that “the kingdom of God/heaven” has in some way been brought into this physical world through the birth and life of Yeshua.

‘The Kingdom of God/heaven” – Defined?

The Messianic answer sounds really spiritual, doesn’t it?  However, after the resurrection, Yeshua spends 40 days speaking to his disciples about “the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3), and what question does his discussion of the kingdom provoke: “Lord, is it at this time YOU ARE RESTORING THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL?” (Acts 1:6, NASB).  Their question deals with “the Restoration of Isra’el”?  Now why would they ask this if he was not speaking about it?  But I have heard numerous Christians scoff at these disciples and say, “They still don’t get it.” But I believe it is the Christian pastors and leaders who still don’t get it.

Yeshua did not say to them, “You still don’t understand,” as I just said that I have heard many ministers say.  Instead, he told them that the only thing that they got wrong was the timing.  So let’s take their question seriously, and see if the Scriptures support it, and I believe that it does. 

The Context of the Prophecy of the New Covenant

The Context for the Prophecy of the New Covenant is the Restoration of Israel.  Jeremiah 31:31-34 is where we are given the prophecy of the new covenant.  However, it is given in a section about the Restoration of Israel (Jeremiah 30:1 – 33:26), and this section is Jeremiah’s book of consolation.  The new covenant is prophesied as the means that God will use to bring about the bringing together Beyt Israel (“the house of Israel”, i.e., the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim) and Beyt Y’hudah (“the house of Judah”, i.e., the Southern Kingdom of Judah) and restoring the United Kingdom of Isra’el.
Now do I believe that every Christian is a descendant of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, as many Two-House proponents teach?  No, but I do believe that among the Christians, you will find those from the nations, those who are physical descendants of the Northern Kingdom, as well as those who are descendants of the Southern Kingdom (“Jews”).  So why would it be wrong to think that among those in the churches, there are those from the Northern Kingdom when the other two groups are there as well?   I do not believe we will definitely know who is who until Messiah returns.If we go back and look at David’s statement, we will note that it was made about “all Israel,” meaning the “whole House of Isra’el” or all twelve tribes combined.  So, the “good news of the kingdom” was that Yochanan (John) the Immerser and Yeshua were announcing the initiation of the restoration of the whole House of Israel, or what in Judaism is called the Ge’ulah.  Now I am sure you are wondering what I am basing this upon?  I am basing it on the following:

Isaiah 53 – The Restoration of Israel

The Prophetic Context for the well-known Isaiah 53 chapter about the Atonement of the Messiah is the Restoration of Israel (Isaiah 48:12 – 56:8).  Notice that Isaiah 53 comes right in the middle of this section.

Acts 15 Council – The Restoration of Israel

In Acts 15, when Ya’acov (Jacob/James) gives his opinion on what should be done with all these in-coming Gentiles (Acts 15:16-21), he quotes from the prophet Amos :
“In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breeches; I will also raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old. That they may possess the remnant of Edom AND ALL THE NATIONS WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME.” (Amos 9:11-12, NASB)
This verse from Amos comes from a section dealing with the Restoration of Israel.

The Calling of Yeshua’s Disciples – The Restoration of Israel

When Yeshua calls his initial disciples, he alludes to Jeremiah’s prophecy about the Restoration of Israel:
“Behold, I am going to send for many FISHERMEN,” declares the LORD, and they will FISH for them;…” (Jeremiah 16:16a)

“And walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were FISHERMEN.  And he said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you a FISHER OF MEN.” (Matthew 4:18-19)

Was this coincidence?  No, there is no such thing as coincidence with God. 

The Epistle of James – The Restoration of Israel

I have more evidence, such as the epistle of Ya’acov (Jacob/James) is addressed to “the twelve tribes (i.e., the Restored Kingdom of Israel) who are scattered abroad,” even though at that time, the exact location of all twelve tribes was not known.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son – The Restoration of Israel

There is also Yeshua’s “Parable of the Prodigal Son,” which teaches Yeshua’s intention of bringing about the Restoration of Israel, of bringing back the younger son.  The youngest son is “the Northern 10 Tribes” that were taken away into exile, and the eldest son is “the Southern Kingdom of Judah.”  I have heard several tell this parable, and they always identify everyone as the “prodigal son” (the youngest son), but I have never heard them ever identify the “oldest son.”

Paul’s Olive Tree Analogy – The Restoration of Israel

There is also Sha’ul’s (Paul’s) teaching of “the olive tree” (the Restoration of Israel), and that Sha’ul (Paul) was teaching these new Gentile believers that God was bringing together the Northern and Southern Kingdoms together in this Olive Tree, but also these new Gentile believers, and that God treats them no differently than He does the Jewish people, just as He teaches in the Torah,

“As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien [Gentile] who sojourns with you, a perpetual/eternal (Heb. ‘olam) statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien [Gentile] be before the LORD.  There is to be ONE LAW and ONE ORDINANCE for you AND for the alien [Gentile] who sojourns with you.” (Numbers 15:15-16, NASB)

However, Christian Dispensationalism teaches that the “Christian church” and Israel are two separate communities, and that right now, Israel has been placed “on the back burner,” until “the Rapture” happens and the “church” is removed, and then God will put Israel on the “front burner” once more.  However, what I want to know is if God has His bride, Israel, and “Jesus” has his bride, “the church,” and these are two different brides (or communities”), then why does any of them need to be on the “back burner”?

Separating Israel and the church into two different communities is in violation to Scripture, just as Christian Supersessionism or “Replacement Theology” a violation of Scripture.  For example, in Isaiah 56, we read,

How blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it; who keeps from profaning the sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. LET NOT THE FOREIGNER [a non-Jew/Gentile] who has joined himself to the LORD say, ‘The LORD will surely separate me from His people…Also the foreigners [non-Jews/Gentiles] who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants [a description of Christians?], everyone who KEEPS THE SABBATH, and HOLDS FAST MY COVENANT (So much for the idea that the Sabbath and the Torah is only for Jews); Even those I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar.  For My house will be called a house of prayer FOR ALL THE PEOPLES [Jews and Gentiles alike].  The Lord GOD who gathers the dispersed of Israel gathers the dispersed of Isra’el, declares, YET OTHERS I WILL GATHER TO THEM, TO THOSE ALREADY GATHERED. (Isaiah 56:2-3, 6-8)

Obviously, God does not any Gentile (non-Jew) feeling separated from His people, Israel.  As long as they maintain the Sabbath and hold fast to God’s covenant which He gave to Israel on Mt. Sinai, then that Gentile (non-Jew) will be allowed to offer their sacrifices and offerings in God’s Temple, and they will be welcomed by God.

Ephesians 2 – The Restoration of Israel

Another place where Paul teaches about the Restoration of Israel is in Ephesians 2.  The “Restoration of Israel” is the “mystery” that he received in revelation, and that he wrote “about it in brief” in what should have been his first letter to the Ephesians.  It is interesting that this was one of the four letters of Paul that somehow just managed to disappear and did not make it into our Bibles.  The missing letters are I Ephesians (Ephesians 3:3), I Corinthians (I Corinthians 5:9) and III Corinthians (2 Corinthians 2:3; we have what really is II Corinthians and IV Corinthians), and his letter to the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:15-16). In Ephesians 2, “those who are far off” refers to those descendants of the Northern Kingdom who have been scattered throughout the empire, and “those who are near” refers to those descendants of the Southern Kingdom of Judea, or the Jews.  The Gentiles are also are part of both Kingdoms, so when God is bringing all of them together in Messiah, he is bringing about “the Restoration of the whole House of Isra’el,” which would include those Gentile (non-Jewish) believers from the nations. 

The Word Ecclesia (“church”) – The Restoration of Israel

So has the “church” replaced Isra’el, as many Christian Supersessionists teach?  Absolutely not!  This brings another piece of evidence.

The Greek word Ecclesia was used for 620 years before the conception and birth of Yeshua, and it was used in the Greco-Roman world to mean “the gathering of those summoned,” and it was used for what we would call today, “a town meeting.”  Caesar also had his Ecclesia, which was what was also called “the Roman Senate,” so obviously, the word Ecclesia had a political meaning and connotation.  Did the disciples know this when they used it?  Of course, they did, which is why they used it.  This word obviously did not begin with Yeshua, but it was also used in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the word Ecclesia was used as an alternative term for the whole House of Israel.  The other term used was sunagoge (synagogue).  Thus, when Yeshua tells the disciples after Peter makes his renown confession:

“And I also say to you that you are Peter (Petros), and upon this rock (petra) I will BUILD My church (Gk. Ecclesia), and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:18, NASB)

The word translated “build” is the Greek word oikodomeo (G3618), and it is the same word that is used in I Corinthians 14:4, “One who speaks in a tongue EDIFIES himself; but one who prophecies edifies himself.” (I Corinthians 14:4, NASB)

Yeshua did not come to “build” some new assembly, called “the church;” instead, he said that he was going to “build up, edify, and strengthen,” his people, the whole House of Israel, with the confession that Peter had just made.  The amazing this is that he referred to the whole House of Israel here as belonging to him; thus, by doing so, he is making a Messianic claim, which most people do not get.

The Missing Connection

But I believe the connection we need is to see that the phrase “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven” is actually directly connected to the speech King David makes during the inauguration of his son, Shlomo (Solomon).  This is a connection that I have NOT heard any Christian or Messianic teacher, pastor, or rabbi ever mention or teach:

In 2 Chronicles 28, we read,

But God said to me, “You are not to build a house for my name, because you are a man of war, you have shed blood.”  However, ADONAI the God of Isra’el chose me out of my father’s whole family to be king over Isra’el forever; for he chose Y’hudah (Judah) to be the leader; and in the house of Y’hudah (Judah), in the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, it was his pleasure to make me to be king over all Isra’el; and of all my sons – for ADONAI has given me many sons – he has chosen Shlomo (Solomon) my son to sit on the throne of THE KINGDOM OF ADONAI over Isra’el.  (I Chronicles 28:3-5, CJB)

EXPLANATION:

The phrase “Kingdom of ADONAI” is the translation of the original Hebrew, malkhut YHWH.  When the Jewish people were taken into Babylon, they quit saying the sacred covenantal name of God, because their misuse of it got them into trouble, and so they created evasive synonyms to use instead.  “Heaven” (Heb. Shamayim) was one of these evasive synonyms that we see used by both Yochanan (John) the Immerser and by Yeshua himself.  So when we replace the sacred covenantal name with the word Shamayim (“heaven”), we get malkhut shamayim (“kingdom of heaven”), and if we use the word Shaddai, or even Elohim as an evasive synonym, then we get malkhut Shaddai (“kingdom of the Almighty”), which we see used in the Jewish prayer book, or malkhut Elohim (“Kingdom of God”), which either one could have been written into the Greek as basileas tou Theou, or “the kingdom of God.”

The phrase “Kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven” is a Second-Temple Jewish equivalent of a phrase used by King David at the inauguration of his son, Solomon.

The original phrase, “Kingdom of ADONAI” was given by King David in a clearly political context, and therefore, the phrases “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” when used in connection to “the gospel” / “good news” should also be viewed from this same political context.  God’s Kingship should not be seen as just a spiritual reality or in reference to some future coming kingdom, but it should be seen as a reality for us today and every day.

Something else we should note: the phrase was used in addressing all of the tribes of Isra’el – BEFORE there ever was a Northern Kingdom of Isra’el or a Southern Kingdom of Judah.  Therefore, I believe that “the gospel/good news of Yeshua and his disciples was that they were proclaiming the beginning of the restoration of Isra’el.”  And this fits in perfectly with Jewish interpretation of the Scriptures.  For example, in his book, Aspects of Rabbinic Theology (1993), Rabbi Solomon Schechter writes,

The idea of the kingdom is accordingly often so closely connected with the redemption of Israel from the exile, the advent of the Messiah, and the restoration of the Temple, as to be inseparable from it.  This is its national aspect. (98)

During the Second Temple period, the Messiah Yeshua did not have to argue for the rebuilding of the Temple, because during his lifetime, it still was standing.  However, not all of the Jews were back in the land, nor were the descendants of the Northern Kingdom back in the land either, nor had the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom been re-unified back into a single Kingdom under a single King as God promised through the prophets, such as in Ezekiel 37:15-28.  

The gospel, or “good news of the kingdom,” was that God was beginning the process of the restoration of Isra’el..  The death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua opened the way so that the restoration could happen. 

Therefore, I believe that Christianity is wrong in identifying “the gospel” as being about “the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua.”  Instead, “the gospel” is the announcement that God was beginning the process of the restoration of Isra’el.  Yeshua‘s death and resurrection was to fulfill an oath that God made to Avraham and by doing so, open the way for the restoration of Isra’el to happen.

What Oath?

The oath was not given in words – but in actions.  In Bereshith (Genesis) 15, we read,

As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell on Avram; horror and great darkness came over him.  ADONAI said to Avram, “Know this for certain: your descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs.  They will be slaves and held in oppression there four hundred years.  But I will also judge that nation, the one that makes them slaves.  Afterwards, they will leave with many possessions.  As for you, you will join your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.  Only in the fourth generation will your descendants come back here, because only then will the Emori [Amorites] be ripe for punishment.” After the sun had set and there was thick darkness, A SMOKING FIRE POT AND A FLAMING TORCH APPEARED, WHICH PASSED BETWEEN THESE ANIMAL PARTS.  THAT DAY ADONAI MADE A COVENANT WITH AFRAM.  [Bereshith (Genesis) 15: 12-18, CJB; emphasis added]

In this passage, ADONAI [God] enters into covenant with Avram [later renamed Avraham], and this covenant was made by cutting in half certain animals and putting half of it on one side and the other half on the other side [Bereshith (Genesis) 15:9-11].  Then the two parties would walk through the pieces of the dead animals in a figure 8, which is where many people believe the sign for infinity came from, and then they would meet in the middle and make vows to one another on what each would do for the other, and then they would make curses on one another about what would happen if either one of them would break the covenant. 

However, when it came time for the covenant ceremony, God put Avram “in a deep sleep,” so that he could not participate in the ceremony.  If he had, then the covenant would have ended as soon as Avraham died.  However, God not only walked the pieces for himself, but he also walked them as Avram’s legal proxy, and by God doing this, the covenant becomes eternal.  It does not end. 

So what does this mean for God to walk between the pieces for both of them? Christians believe that this was just a fancy way of God saying, “I promise.”  They believe that by God walking these pieces by Himself, He changed the nature of the covenant from being a conditional covenant to being unconditional since God would take care of both parts.  However, they never think through what this means for God.  So let me do that here:

For God’s Part:

  • He promises to keep the covenant;
  • He also promises that if the other party breaks the covenant, He promises to kill him in the most physically painful way possible as illustrated by the cut up pieces that he had just walked between.

For God as Avram’s Legal Proxy:

  • He promises to provide everything that Avraham or any of his descendants will need to keep the covenant; and
  • If Avraham or any of his descendants should break the covenant, God promises as their legal proxy to die a physically painful death.

In the Scriptures, we have plenty of textual evidence that is presented that the people of Israel has violated their covenant with God multiple times.  As soon as they did, God came under the penalty of death, because it was God who walked the pieces alone.  Avraham did not walk them.  He was “in a deep sleep,” but in a vision, he could watch and see what was happening.

So since the children of Israel violated their covenant with God multiple times, how does God, who is an eternal Spirit, die a physically painful death?  The answer: the Incarnation.  And the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua was where God was keeping His promise to Avraham.  His death did not erase the Torah, but it revealed the nature of the God: He is the covenant-keeping God [Devarim (Deuteronomy) 7:9]!  In Sha’ul Paulus’ (Paul’s) letter to the congregation in Corinth, Greece, he writes,

And it is all from God, who THROUGH THE MESSIAH has reconciled us to Himself and has given us the work of that reconciliation, which is that GOD IN THE MESSIAH WAS RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF, not counting their sins against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. [2 Corinthians 5:18-21, CJB; emphasis added]

Yeshua – “A Second Adam” – “A Living Temple”?

To keep His promise to Avraham, God created Yeshua as “a second Adam” for Him to dwell within.  Notice that the passage does not say that the Messiah Yeshua “reconciled us to himself,” but that it was “God” who was dwelling inside “the Messiah” working through the Messiah’s suffering and pain to “reconcile us to Himself [God].”  

In effect, Yeshua was “a living Temple” where God was dwelling and using to reach out and touch his hurting world.  For example, in Yochanan (John) 2, after Yeshua cleansed the Temple during the feast of Passover, the religious leaders asked him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove you have the right to do this?” And then Yeshua answered them,

“Destroy THIS TEMPLE, and in three days I will raise it up again.”… But the “temple” he had spoken of was his body. [Yochanan (John) 2:19, 21, CJB; emphasis added]

Yeshua does not speak on his own initiative, but he says, “but the Father Himself who sent me has given me commandment, what to say and what to speak” [Yochanan (John) 12:49].  This is in fulfullment of what God told Mosheh (Moses) in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy).  He writes,

ADONAI will raise up a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your own kinsmen.  You are to pay attention to him, just as when you were assembled at Horev and requested ADONAI your God, “Don’t let me hear the voice of ADONAI my God any more, or let me see this great fire again; If I do, I will die!”  On that occasion ADONAI said to me, “They are right in what they are saying.  I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH, AND HE WILL TELL THEM EVERYTHING I ORDER HIM.  Whoever doesn’t listen to my words, which he shall speak in my name, will have to account for himself.  [Devarim (Deuteronomy) 18:15-19, CJB; emphasis added]

Yeshua was this prophet “like unto Moses,” whose life and ministry God worked through to do miracles, heal, raise the dead, walk on water, and it was God who raised him from the dead and took him up into heaven, as He did to Hanoch (Enoch) and to the prophet Eliyahu (Elijah).  And I believe that God will return him to the earth.  So Christians and Messianics who teach that “the gospel” are the “death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua” are not teaching the actual “gospel,” but they are teaching what God needed to do to open the way so that “the gospel” could actually happen.  It is time for us to return to the authentic gospel of Yeshua and his disciples!  It is time for us to return to the gospel of Yeshua about the restoration of the whole house of Isra’el!

 

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