This is the book we are working on, and it is about “Revealing the Jewish Gospel of Yeshua.”  I have been researching this book on and off now for about thirty – thirty five years.  My wife has been adding to it since 2016.  Some revelations have only come to my wife, Karen, and me in the last few years.  You can be a big help to us in completing this book by giving us feedback on the portions we share with you here.

What is “the gospel”?  The answer to this question really depends on whose “gospel” you are asking about?  Did you know that there are two world religions that each teach a message from the Scriptures that they call “the gospel,” but they are very different teachings.  The first one is Christianity, and its seen, for example, in JD Greear’s book, Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary (Nashville: B & H, 2011), where he writes,

The gospel is the announcement that God has reconciled us to Himself by sending His Son Jesus to die as a substitute for our sins, and that all who repent and believe have eternal life in Him.  (5)

And for many Christians, this is the message that comes to mind when you ask them, “What is ‘the gospel’?”  However, on the other hand, there is another world religion that also teaches a “gospel,” and it is the religion of Judaism.  The Jewish people have been teaching this same “gospel” now for over 3,500 years, ever since they received the Exodus and God’s revelation of Himself at Mt. Sinai. For instance, in their book, Jesus First-Century Rabbi (Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2014), by Rabbi David Zaslow with Joseph A. Lieberman, two mainstream Rabbinic Jews, who are correct in stating that the concept of the word “gospel” is not Christian in origin – but Jewish.  For instance, they write:

The word GOSPEL comes from an Old English translation of a Hebrew word meaning “good news,” first spoken of by Isaiah: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, WHO BRINGS GOOD NEWS, who announces salvation” (Isaiah 52:7).  The notion of a GOSPEL IS JEWISH IN ORIGIN, even though Jews are reluctant to use the term because of its connotation within Christianity. (12; emphasis added)

 The thing that I find interesting is that Rabbi Zaslow and Joseph Lieberman left off the last part of the verse, “Telling Zion, ‘Your God is King!’”  Now why was this part left out?  I assume it is because it was a part of the verse that they thought was not important to his point, but it is important and should have been included.  Also, Rabbi Zaslow is quite correct in pointing out that the notion of the word “gospel,” or “good news” is Jewish in origin.  But Lancaster is right in that the word’s origin is from “Middle English,” rather than “Old English.”  Old English is another name for Anglo-Saxon, and it did not begin until the 4th century, C.E., and went until the 11th century, C.E.  Prior to the 4th century, C.E., there was no form of English that existed at all.  Also, the idea of this word, basar [H1319] being first spoken by Isaiah is both true and false.  Isaiah was the first one to use it in connection with the word “salvation,” true, but he was not the first one to use it.  This Hebrew word, basar [1319], is used in 2 Samuel, I Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nahum, Psalms, and I Chronicles.  According to the Strong’s Concordance, this Hebrew word, basar [H1319] is defined as –

A verb meaning to bring news or to bear tidings.  The general idea of this word is that
of a messenger announcing a message, which may either be bad news (I Sam. 4:17, the
death of Eli’s sons) or good news (Jer. 20:15, the birth of Jeremiah).  It is often used
within the military setting: a messenger coming from battle lines to report the news (2
Sam. 18:19, 20, 26) or victory (I Sa. 31:9; 2 Sa. 1:20).  When used of God’s message,
this word conveys the victorious salvation which God provides to His people (Ps. 96:2;
Isa. 40:9; 52:7; 61:1).  (“Old Testament Dictionary” 1827).

However, what I have found interesting is looking at the first three times it is used in the Bible, as well as in the book of Jeremiah.

Its Use in the Hebrew Scriptures

I want to provide some examples of its early use and to point out something about this word’s use, which I believe is important.  Its first use of the word is in 2 Samuel 4 by David before he was crowned king when he heard about the deaths of King Saul and Jonathan:

The man who told in Ziklag that Saul was dead thought he was BRINGING GOOD NEWS.  But instead of rewarding him for the news, I seized and killed him. (2 Sam.
4:10, JPS)

The word translated as “bringing good news” is qim’vasser.  This word, m’vasser, does not just mean “news,” but it also includes the idea of “a messenger,” which is not communicated in how the word is translated into English from the Koine Greek.  Also, the Hebrew is actually more neutral in its use than the Greek word, euaggelion [G2098] since “the news” can be either “good” or “bad,” depending on how it is perceived by the one who RECEIVES the news.  This is seen here in this verse.  The messenger thought it was “good news,” but David saw it as “bad news,” and as a result, David killed the messenger.  I always thought that “the news” was “good news” because “the news” was intrinsically “good,” regardless of the perception of those who heard “the news.”  But when we take it back to the Hebrew, we can see that this is not true.

The next time is in 2 Samuel 18 in a conversation between Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Joab.  In this passage, we read,

Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Let me run and report to the king that the LORD has
vindicated him against his enemies.”  But Joab said to him, “You shall not be the one
to BRING TIDINGS today.  You may BRING TIDINGS some other day, but you’ll not
bring any today; for the king’s son is dead!”  (2 Samuel 18:19-20, JPS)

In this passage, the first “bring tidings” is the Hebrew word b’ssorah, and there is a daghesh in the letter bet, making it a “b” sound, where the second “bring tidings” is uvisser’ta does not have a daghesh and makes it a “v” sound.  However, in all the examples of this word in the Hebrew, the letter sin has a daghesh in it, which doubles the letter, thus “ss.” Also, we can see two different views about “the news.”  Ahimaaz son of Zadak viewed “the news” as “good news,” but Joab knew that King David would view the news as “bad news,” and he would probably kill Ahimaaz as he had the messenger who told him about the death of King Saul and Jonathan.  Again, whether “the news” was good or bad was not intrinsically determined by “the news” itself – but by how it was perceived by those who carried it or by those who received it.  I found this incredibly insightful since the idea of what makes “the news” “good news” is not indicated within the Scriptures of the “New Testament.”

The next time it is used is also in 2 Samuel 18 by King David,

…the watchman saw another man running; and he called out to the gatekeeper,
“There is another man running alone.”  And the King said, “That one, too, BRING
NEWS.” (2 Samuel 18:26, JPS)

In this verse, the word translated as “bring news” is m’vasser.  Here again, we can see the neutrality of the term since King David has not heard what “news” the messenger is bringing.

A final example of whether “the news” is “good news” or “bad news” is in the book of Jeremiah,

Accursed be the man who BROUGHT my father THE NEWS and said, “A boy was
born to you,” and gave him such joy!” (Jeremiah 20:15, JPS)

Obviously, at the time of Jeremiah’s birth, everyone saw the news that “it was a boy” to be extremely “good news.” However, now that Jeremiah was older and suffered persecution for the prophecies God has given him about how the Babylonians were going to defeat Israel and take the Judeans away as slaves into Babylon, he now views his birth as “bad news.”  And since vasser [H1319] is the Hebrew word that comes into Koine Greek as euaggelion (2098), and translated as “gospel” or “good news,” then it should be seen in the same way as the Hebrew use of the word.  It is not intrinsically a “good news” message, but because of how the word is perceived by the messenger or the receivers.

I hate to correct a Jewish rabbi, but the word “gospel” is not from “Old English,” which was also called Anglo-Saxon (4th-11th century, C.E.), but it is a modernized version of a “Middle-English” compound word.  This is explained by D. Thomas Lancaster, a teacher with First Fruits of Zion (FFOZ), in the recorded video of the Y3K conference (2003; Disk 2):

The word “gospel” is the modern rendition of the Middle English word “godspel,” “god” not meaning “God,” but “good,” and “spel” meaning “spell” as we understand “a spell,” or another definition meaning “a story,” because “a spell” is “a story,” and a good storyteller can put “a spell” on you in a way.  This is the “good story,” the “good report,” the “good news.” It comes from the Hebrew word basorah, which means “good news.” The gospel is “good news.” So when we ask, “What is ‘the gospel’?” we are really asking “What is the ‘good news’?” (2003)

As Lancaster said, the word “gospel” is, in fact, the modernized version of the Middle English compound word, “godspel,” which was the Middle English translation of the Greek word, euaggelion [G2098].  This Greek word is used as the equivalent for the Hebrew phrase m’vasser tov [H1319; H2896] found in Isaiah 52:7, as quoted by Rabbi Zaslow.  However, he is also wrong about Isaiah being the first one to use this word.  The earliest reference I found for the word m’vasser [H1319] goes back to 2 Samuel 18:20, and it was used by King David:

This is the closest I could find to the Hebrew basorah claimed by Lancaster that is actually used within the Tanakh.  Although the Hebrew word, basorah, may be its basic root form, it is not the form we see used in many Hebrew texts

And For many years, I fully believed that Christianity was preaching “the true gospel,'” but then a few years ago, God opened the eyes of my wife, Karen, and I to the “true gospel of Yeshua,” and I had to hang my head in shame as to how far off the true way of God Christianity has wandered away from teaching the truth of the Scriptures.

The Problems with Christian Interpretation of the “New Testament”:

Christian interpretation and understanding of the “New Testament” actually has several problems:

  1.  They have removed Yeshua, his disciples, their teachings, and their writings out of their original intended Jewish contexts –  the Tanakh, Second-Temple Judaism, and the history of Israel – and specifically from its intended framework – the “Restoration of Israel” as I will show – and they have placed it instead in a completely foreign context and framework – the religion of Christianity – and they have re-interpreted, refocused, repackaged, and even re-identified them as “Christian writings.”
  2. They have a superficial understanding of Second-Temple Judaism, including the issues and problems that they were facing socially, culturally, religiously, and with their own leaders.  For example, in April 2004, I received my Ordination to be a pastor, which I did at a small struggling church on an Indian reservation for almost two years; however, after that I have let my certification die out, and I left that denomination because I could not in good conscience claim to represent them when my beliefs had changed.  But I said this to say that pastors get no training in Judaism at all, particularly Second-Temple Judaism, except only what meager scatterings are found in the “New Testament.”  Consequently, Christians ignore the importance and prevalence of the Oral Law (aka, Mishnah) during that time.
  3. Their interpretations and understanding violates the four Biblical tests for truth:’
    • The Torah Test (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)
    • The Berean Test – an extension of the Torah Test that includes the whole Tanakh (Acts 17:11)
    • The Prophecy Test (Amos 3:7)
    • The Repetition Test (Deuteronomy 19:15b; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1; I Timothy 5:19; and Hebrews 10:28)
  4. They do not use the Hebrew Scriptures to understand this collection of Jewish writings, aka., the “New Testament,” but instead, they use selections of the “New Testament” writings to re-interpret the Hebrew Scriptures and to back up and support their own denominational beliefs.

This is just some of the main reasons why I believe the Christian understanding and interpretations of the “New Testament” needs to be challenged, and this is especially true when it comes to “the gospel of Yeshua.”

Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel

In 1988, Dr. David H. Stern published his book, Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel (Jerusalem: Jewish New Testament Publications), and although I was quite excited when the book came out, I was later disappointed because the book does not live up to what the title promises.  In spite of my disappointment, however, I do believe that Dr. Stern made some critically important points:

There are aspects of the Gospel which are corporate, not just related to individuals.  Christians who understand that it is right to preach the Gospel to Jews often offer a Gospel which is inadequate because it is oriented only toward the individual and does not deal with the Jewish people as a corporate entity.  In my view a gospel only for individuals is inadequate not only for Jews but for Gentiles as well.  (28)

And I believe he is mostly right here; however, I would not say that “aspects of the Gospel which are corporate,” but the primary thrust of “the True gospel” that was announced and taught by Yeshua and his disciples is, in fact, primarily “corporate.”  The aspects of the message that deals with “individual salvation” is actually secondary. not at all primary.  But he does go on to say in this same section,

 But salvation is CORPORATE, for the community, as well as for the individual….Nevertheless  salvation for the individual Jew apart from concern for the deliverance of the Jewish people as a whole is simply not found in the Tanakh. On the contrary, much of its discussion of salvation is focused on the integrity and holiness of the Jewish people as a whole…an individual Gospel seems to them [the Jews] both selfish and inadequate, since it does not touch directly on national and universal aspirations. (29-30)

I absolutely agree that salvation is primarily corporate and secondarily individual.  All you have to see this is to look back to the Exodus from Egypt.  G-d brought the whole nation of Israel plus Gentiles (non-Jews) who had joined themselves to Israel, out of Egypt (Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4).  Although their deliverance was corporate, all the individuals who were part (or who had joined) themselves to this corporate body of Israel benefitted.

And although I agree with these statements made by Dr. Stern, he never discusses what constitutes the “corporate message” of Yeshua and his disciples, so in my mind, I do not feel he went far enough in his book.

What is “the Corporate Gospel of Yeshua?”

Most Christians and most Messianic believers (whether Jews or Gentiles) do not understand “the True gospel message of Yeshua” since their version of the message excludes the corporate message that G-d, the Holy One of Israel, sent Yeshua to announce and to teach to the whole House to Israel.  For example, the message that Christians and many Messianics call “the gospel” was –

  • NOT the gospel message that G-d sent Yeshua to preach;
  • NOT the gospel message that Yeshua preached to the Jewish masses;
  • NOT the gospel message that Yeshua taught to his disciples;
  • NOT the gospel message Yeshua sent his disciples to preach and teach to the nations; and
  • NOT the gospel message that Yeshua prophesied would be taught to the nations prior to the end.

What was “the gospel message” that Yeshua taught?  We can first see it in the book of Matthew:

From that time, [Yeshua] began to preach and say, “Repent, for THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is at hand.”  (Matthew 4:17, NASB)

Now although this is the message that Yeshua taught, he was not the first one to teach it.  The first recorded person in the “New Testament” to teach it was, in fact, a Levite, who was also a Nazarite prophet, named Yochanan bar Z’kharyah (John son of Zechariah), but who is more commonly known as “John the Baptist” or “John the Baptizer.”  We can find his message in Mattityahu (Matthew) 3:

The focus of his message was not on his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins, as Christians teach, but it was that the time for “the kingdom of heaven” was here, it had arrived.  In the book of Mark, we see his parallel version,

And after John [Heb. Yochanan] had been taken into custody, [Yeshua] came into Galilee, preaching THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and THE KINGDOM OF GOD is at hand: repent ye, and believe THE GOSPEL. (Mark 1:14-15, NKJV; emphasis added)

In this passage, we are told the full name of the message: “The gospel of the Kingdom of God,” and its shortened version, “the gospel,” and that the focus of the message was on “the kingdom of God.”  In the newer translations, including the Messianic translations, such as The Tree of Life Version (TLV) and the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), they translate the phrase as simply “God,” and they exclude the idea of “the kingdom,” but “the kingdom” is a critical part of understanding this message, which is why I used the I New King James Version (NKJV) here.  Now there are times when the phrase “the kingdom of God” does refer specifically to “God,”  such as Matthew 6:33, but when the phrase “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven,” like in Matthew, is being used in connection with the word “gospel” or in reference to it, it does not mean “God,” but it refers to “Restored, Re-United Kingdom of Israel;” therefore, the inclusion of the word “kingdom” is extremely important.

“The Kingdom of G-d/heaven” – an Expression used by David?

The phrases “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of heaven” are actually second-Temple equivalent terms that trace back to a phrase that King David used in the inauguration of Solomon over the United Kingdom of Israel.  This phrase is found in I Chronicles 28,

Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever.  For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me the king over all Israel.  And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons), He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of THE KINGDOM OF THE LORD over Israel.  (I Chronicles 28:5, NASB)

The phrase “the kingdom of the LORD” in Hebrew is malkhut Y-H-V-H, the sacred name of G-d.  During the Babylonian exile, the Jews stopped using the sacred name of G-d, except the High Priest once a year during Yom Kippur (the day of Atonement).  Instead, the Jews started using evasive synonyms for His sacred name.  For example, “heaven,” “power,” “Almighty” (Shaddai), and even “G-d.”  Therefore, it is not at all difficult to go from malkhut Y-H-V-H to malkhut Shamayim (“kingdom of heaven”), or malkhut Y-H-V-H to malkhut Shaddai (“kingdom of the Almighty”), as used in the Alenu prayer as seen in most Jewish prayer books, or malkhut Y-H-V-H to malkhut Elohim (“kingdom of God”).  So it is easy to see how the phrases “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” could have bee made from the phrase that King David used in his inauguration of his son, Solomon.

So what makes this so significant?

This phrase “the kingdom of the LORD” or “the kingdom of heaven” or “the kingdom of God” is significant for the following reasons:

  1.  It used in the inauguration of the son of David;
  2.  It is used in David’s speech to address the whole House of Israel, i.e., all of the tribes of Jacob;
  3.  IT is used in David’s inauguration of Solomon, which is clearly a political context – not a religious one.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God – What is it?

When it comes to “the gospel of the kingdom of God,” Christians and most Messianics really do not understand this phrase, as it was used by Yeshua during the days of the Second-Temple period.  This message was what Yeshua’s life and ministry were all about, and most of them cannot give you any type of real explanation what he meant by this message.  We should use the Hebrew Scriptures to understand the “New Testament,” or what should be seen as the “Continuation of the Tanakh,” or more specifically, the continuation of the third section of the Tanakh, called the Ketuvim (or “Writings”).

The word “gospel” simply means “good news,” and there is nothing implicit about this word that connects it to Christianity, then the fact that Christians use it quite often.  Therefore, the phrase “the gospel of the kingdom of God,” simply means “the good news about the kingdom of God.” So what is the “good news” about G-d’s Kingdom?

  • Is it that G-d has started ruling and reigning over the created order? No, He has done that since the very beginning.
  • Is it that G-d has started ruling and reigning over the physical universe?  No, He has done that over the very beginning.
  • Is it that G-d has started ruling and reigning over the nations?  No, He has also started doing that since the very beginning.

So what is the “good news”?  According to Rabbi Solomon Schechter, in his book, Aspects of Rabbinic Theology (Woodstock: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1993; orig. pub. 1909) that the phrase “kingdom of God” has two aspects: “the invisible kingdom of God,” which he explains is over the spiritual realm, and “the visible kingdom of God,” which is both “universal” (over the physical universe and the nations) and “national” (over the people and kingdom of Israel).  In fact, Rabbi 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)

And this message about this national aspect of “the kingdom of God” is the message that Yeshua called “the gospel” (or the “good news”).  The “good news” of his “gospel” was that G-d was going to begin the PROCESS of bringing both the descendants of the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of God back to Him and begin the PROCESS of bringing about “the Restoration of Israel.”

What Christians Call “the Gospel” – Out of Context

This is not the focus and subject matter of what Christians call “the gospel,” but the message they call “the gospel” is about an event – not a process – the death and resurrection of Yeshua for the forgiveness of sins, and I have heard ministers either argue that “the gospel” that Yeshua taught was only for the Jews and only for a short season, but there is not one single verse or one single passage in the whole “New Testament” where that is taught.  Instead, they have replaced his “gospel message” with another teaching that he gave to his disciples to prepare them for what they were about to experience in Jerusalem, but he never called his death and resurrection “the gospel,” even after his resurrection!  However, what Christians call “the gospel” is based on four verses (I Corinthians 15:1-4) taken out of context.  In this passage, Sha’ul Paulus (Paul) is not giving us a comprehensive explanation of “the gospel,” but he is using this to lay a foundation for a greater counter argument against those who were arguing that there was no such thing as “the resurrection.”  The death and resurrection were not “the gospel,” but it opened the way so that “the gospel” (the redemption and restoration of Israel) could happen.

The “gospel of Yeshua” was not about starting a new religion, called “Christianity” but to begin what I am calling a “Kingdom Restoration Movement” within Second Temple Israel, but this message about God beginning a restoration of the United Kingdom of Israel, as prophesied in all three parts of the Tanakh – the Written Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings – threatened the political and social establishment, and it got him killed by crucifixion by the Romans.  The death of Yeshua was not against G-d’s will, but it was in obedience to G-d, since it was G-d who told the Jewish leadership what they were to do.  In the book of John, it is written:

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing?  For this man is performing many signs.  If we let him go on like this, all men will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”  (John 11:47-48)

This fear of the religious leaders was not groundless.  There were 200 proclaimed or self-proclaimed Messiahs between 200 B.C.E. and 200 C.E.  That is one new Messiah every two years, and Yeshua was number 198 out of the group.  This means that the religious leaders had watch the same pattern repeat itself 197 times: a person would be proclaimed to be the Messiah, he would gather a group of followers, and then when they got to be a problem for Rome, the Romans would come down and kill the leader and the followers.  Imagine seeing that happen 197 times.  Now here comes Yeshua, number 198, and I can imagine them thinking, “Ah great, here we go again.” However, instead of Yeshua’s movement being just a small group, his movement is becoming national, even international, and if Rome repeats their pattern, the Romans will wipe out the entire country of Israel.  So yes, their fear was quite real.

However, G-d comes in and gives the religious leaders a plan.

   But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient [better] for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.”  Now he DID NOT SAY THIS ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE; but being high priest that year, HE PROPHESIED THAT [YESHUA] WAS GOING TO DIE FOR THE NATION, AND NOT THE NATION ONLY, BUT THAT HE MIGHT ALSO GATHER TOGETHER INTO ONE THE CHILDREN OF GOD WHO ARE SCATTERED ABROAD. (John 11:49-51, NASB)

The idea of Yeshua dying for the nation was not the idea of the religious leaders, but it was given to them by G-d Himself.  It was given to them by prophesy, and here we can see that in and through his death, he would not die for the nation but also so that “he might also gather together into one the children of God” – the descendants of the twelve tribes – “who are scatted abroad.”  Indicating here that Yeshua death would bring about “the Restoration of Israel.” So why do Christians blame Jews for the death of Yeshua when they were only obeying G-d?  In fact, according to the teaching of Christians, if the Jews did not obey G-d and hand him over to the Romans to be killed, then none of us would be saved, and we would all be headed to Hell.  If anything, we should thank the Jews for being obedient, right?

But what we need to realize is that there is a wider Jewish context for which to understand the collection of Jewish writings that have come to be called the “New Testament.”  Dr. Stern in his book was still presenting what Christians call “the gospel” in a Christian context, and even on the cover of his book, there is a drawing of Yeshua wearing a tallith katan while carrying his cross.  The death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua is, in fact, the central focus of what Christians identify as “the gospel,” as I have explained, but it was not the central focus of the message that Yeshua spent his life and ministry announcing and teaching.  The message of the “death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua for the forgiveness of sin” is “a replacement gospel.”  It is not “the gospel” that G-d sent Yeshua and his disciples to announce and to teach.

Insights into the True Gospel of Yeshua

The true gospel (“good news message”) of Yeshua actually dealt with the Ge’ulah (Redemption) and the Restoration of Israel.”  This is the wider context in which we should understand everything that we read within the collection of writings, which should be seen as a continuation of the Tanakh (Scriptures), and which has come to be called the “New Testament.” We can see this by going back and looking at the prophetic contexts of several of important references from the Tanakh given in the “New Testament.”

Prophetic Contexts

Prophecy of the New Covenant

For example, did you know that the prophecy of the B’rit Chadashah (“New Covenant”), later translated by the Greek, Kaine Diatheke, which is mentioned or alluded to in several messages of the “Continued Tanakh” (aka, “New Testament”), such as      .  The phrase Kaine Diatheke can be translated as “New Covenant” or “New Testament,” which is why in the King James Version and other older versions, it is translated as “New Testament,” but in the Newer Versions, it is translated as “New Covenant.”  But the prophecy of the “New Covenant/Testament” is found in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which comes in the midst of Jeremiah’s “Book of Consolation” (Jeremiah 30:1- 33:26) – I think it should go to Jeremiah 38:26 – and it is a prophecy about the “Restoration of Israel.”  This is the major theme we find for all of the major prophetic passages quoted within the “Continued Tanakh” (aka, “New Testament”).

The Calling of Fishermen

At the beginning of his ministry, Yeshua called his first four disciples, who were all literally fishermen, and when he called them, he said, “Follow me, and I will make you FISHERS OF MEN” (Matthew 4:19, see Matthew 4:18-22; emphasis added).  The phrase “fishers of men” alludes back to another prophecy by Jeremiah.  It is found in Jeremiah 16.  In this chapter, we read,

“Assuredly, a time is coming – declares the LORD – when it shall no more be said, “As the LORD lives who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt,” but rather, “As the LORD lives who brought the Israelites out of the northland, and out of all the lands to which He had banished them.” For I will bring them back to their land which I gave to their fathers.  Lo, I am sending for MANY FISHERMEN – declares the LORD – AND THEY SHALL HAUL THEM OUT (i.e., “fish for them”)….” (Jeremiah 16:14-16a, JPS; emphasis added)

In this passage, part of this passage about the “Restoration of Israel,” has to do with the promise by G-d that He would send for “many fishermen” who would “haul them out.”  The “fishermen” during the Second Temple period used nets to fish, so when their nets were full, they literally “hauled them out.”  By beginning his ministry by calling these “fishermen,” he was hinting at what his ministry would be about: the “Restoration of Israel.”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

One of Yeshua’s most renowned parables, “the parable of the Prodigal Son” (Luke 10: 30-37), is actually about the “Restoration of Israel.”  In the writings of the prophets, some of the things they speak of are the following –

  • Two Families (Jeremiah 33:24)
  • Two Sisters (Ezekiel 23:2-4)
  • Two Branches (Zechariah 4:11-14)
  • Two Sticks (Ezekiel 37:15-28)

Now why this repetition of the number 2?  Because after the death of Solomon when his son, Rehoboam, takes the throne, the United Kingdom of Israel splits into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which is comprised of the ten northern tribes, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which is comprised of three tribes: Judah, Benjamin, and Levi.  When we speak of the twelve tribes of Israel, we are really on speaking of those tribes that received an inheritance of the Promised Land.  So all these 2’s spoken about in the prophets refers to the two houses of Israel: Bet Israel (house of Israel), also called Ephraim, and Bet Judah (house of Judah), and it is to these two kingdoms/houses that G-d would make the “new covenant”:

  “See, a time is coming – declares the LORD – when I will make a new covenant with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH.”  (Jeremiah 31:31, JPS; emphasis added).

So did G-d make this covenant with the whole world as I have heard Christian pastors teach?  No, He did not.  Am I saying that the “new covenant” is only for the Jewish people?  No, they are only part of the descendants of the “house of Judah” since the word “Jew” is a shortened form of the word “Judean,” or one from the tribe of Judah.  This does not include any of the descendants of the northern ten tribes, the “house of Israel.”  But I do feel it is important to note that Yeshua said to the Samaritan woman,

“You worship that which you do not know; WE worship that which WE know, for SALVATION IS FROM THE JEWS.” (John 4:22, NASB; emphasis added)

Here we can see, Yeshua is including himself with the Jewish people.  He is not separating himself from them, but he is saying that all of the Jews worship the same G-d whom they all know.  He did not say, “salvation is only from me and one day, you will get it from Christians.”  He does not say this at all, although this is what most Christians believe.  But in the Written Torah (the first five books), Levi did not receive any land as an inheritance since G-d was their inheritance, and their jobs were in caring for the Tabernacle and the things of G-d, including the sacrifices and offerings.

But The number 2 is associated with Jacob.  If you study his life, you will find that his life is full of things that happen to him twice or that comes in 2.  For example, he married two sisters, who each had a servant, so he also had two concubines, and Rachel, the one he loved the most, had two sons.  Also, he was named “Israel” twice: once by the stranger that he wrestled and once by G-d.  And why was Jacob’s life full of the number 2?  The number 2 is the letter Bet, which means “house,” and it is in Jacob’s life, where He begins to build the “House of Israel.”

So Yeshua tells a parable about “a certain man who had two sons.”  The two kingdoms were named “Israel” and “Judah,” but in the writings of the prophets, “Israel” is also named “Ephraim,” who was Joeph’s younger son.  “Judah” was the fourth son of Jacob by Leah, so “Ephraim” was younger than “Judah,” so in this parable, “the younger son” represents “the northern kingdom of Israel,” and “the older son” represents “the southern kingdom of Judah.”  And through this parable, G-d through Yeshua is telling the Judean religious leaders that He was going to bring back “the northern kingdom,” or more specifically “the descendants of the northern kingdom” to Himself and the land, and He is wondering how the Jewish leaders will react when this happens.  In this parable, “the older son” does not reply to the father (representing G-d), and so the ball is left in their court.

The Renown Isaiah 53 Passage

Also, the renown Isaiah 53 passage is also in the prophetic context of the “Restoration of Israel.”  If you study Isaiah 48:12 – 56:8, the main theme of this section of Isaiah is on the “Restoration of Isaiah,” and Isaiah 53 is part of these readings.  So am I saying that the death of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua had something to do with the “Restoration of Israel?”  Yes, absolutely! and I will explain this later in this article.

The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15

In the Jerusalem Council that we find in Acts 15, we find another reference to the “Restoration of Israel.”  The council was about what the Jewish people should do with all these “Gentiles” who were coming to faith in the Jewish Messiah of Israel?  These “Gentiles” were not only the descendants of the northern kingdom of Israel, but they were also those from the nations who came to faith as well.  When those from the nations come to faith in the Jewish Messiah of Israel, they are engrafted into the northern kingdom.  But in this council, when Jacob (trans. “James”) gives his rationale on how to treat this situation, he quotes from the prophet Amos:

Amos 9: 11-12

Acts 15: 16-18
In that day, I will set up again the fallen booth
of David: I will mend its breaches and set up its ruins anew.  I will build it firm as in the days of old, so they shall possess the rest of Edom and all the nations once attached to My name – declares the LORD who will bring it to pass.		 After these things I will return, and I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RETORE IT, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, and all the Gentiles who are called by MY NAME,’ says the LORD, who makes these things known from of old.

So when we compare these two passages, we can see that Jacob (trans. “James”) quotes from Amos 9:11-15, which that whole passage deals with the “Restoration of Israel.”  Implied in this is that Jacob/”James” sees these “Gentiles” as coming to faith to be a part of God’s “restoration of Israel.”

The Olive Tree of Romans 11

A sixth reference to the “Restoration of Israel” is found in Romans 11.  In this letter by Sha’ul Paulus (Paul), it is actually teaching about the “Restoration of Israel,” represented by “the Olive Tree,” and how G-d engrafts people into His kingdom, whether they are from the northern kingdom, the southern kingdom, or the nations.  And Rav Sha’ul Paulus (Paul) refers to the “Restoration of Israel” as “a mystery.”  In Romans 11:25, Rav Sha’ul Paulus (Paul) actually quotes from Jacob’s blessings over Joseph’s son, Ephraim, the same name as the prophets call “the northern kingdom:”

Genesis 48: 19

Romans 11:2526a
But his father refused, and he said, “I know, my son, I know; he too will become a people, and he too will be great. But his younger brother will be greater than he, and his children[‘s fame] will fill the nations.” (Chabad.org) For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this MYSTERY, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until THE FULNESS OF THE GENTILES has come in; and thus ALL ISRAEL will be saved;….

Now in the Chabad version, someone inserted the part in the bracket.  It is not in the actual text.  In fact, the last two words in the Hebrew text is m’lo hagoyim, and it is these two words I want to focus on.  The word m’lo speaks of a process of filling something up until it is full.  So when it is “full,” then we have the word “fullness,” and the word ha is the Hebrew word for “the” and the word goyim is the word for “nations” or “Gentiles.” Therefore, this phrase m’lo hagoyim could be translated as “the process of filling up until the eventual fullness of the nations/Gentiles.”  And once we understand this, we can see that Rav Sha’ul is directly referencing this “Olive Tree Mystery” with the “Restoration of the two kingdoms – Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah – back into one Restored United Kingdom under One King, the son (descendant) of David, the Messiah Yeshua.

One New Man in Ephesians 2

A seventh place where we see this being discussed in Ephesians 2.  The backdrop for this whole chapter is the “Restoration of Israel.”  I want to show this by going through this passage:

Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles [the descendants of the Northern Kingdom and those from the nations] in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” [those from the Southern Kingdom of Judah], which is performed in the flesh by human hands – remember that you were at that time separate from [Messiah] [as King he represents the new restored United Kingdom of Israel], excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise [which are only given to Israel], having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in the [Messiah Yeshua] you who formerly were far off [the descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and those from the nations] have been brought near [or made a part of the coming Messianic Kingdom] by the blood of Messiah.  For he himself is our peace, who made both groups [the Northern and Southern Kingdoms] into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,…. (Ephesians 2: 11-14, NASB)

Now through this passage when we place it within its original intended contexts and framework – the Tanakh, Second-Temple Judaism, and the history of Israel – we can see that Sha’ul Paulus (Paul) is really speaking about the “Restoration of Israel.”  But what was it that caused this division?  It was the sins of Idolatry, and the abominations that Israel was practicing under King Solomon, and when Solomon got old, G-d told Solomon what would happen (I Kings 11:1-13): ten of the tribes would be torn away from his son, Rehoboam, and given to Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam, and this is exactly what happened.  Although the sin of Adam may have brought “death into the world,” it was not the more immediate reason for the division of the United Kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

An Interesting Question

So if “the gospel/good news of Yeshua” was about G-d beginning the Ge’ulah (Redemption) and the Restoration of Israel, then why didn’t this happen back in the Second-Temple period?  There is not one easy answer to this question, but a couple of different answers (both complex):

The one deals with the covenant upon which our relationship is based; and

The other deals with the problems that began when the Gentile (non-Jewish) believers broke away from the Jewish movement began by Yeshua and his disciples, and they formed themselves into their own religion, which they called “Christianity.”  It began in the beginning years of the second century, C.E., after the death of John the beloved, the last living disciple that had walked with Yeshua.

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