For Unto Us Jesus Is Born? Understanding Isaiah 9:6

Every Christmas season, Isaiah 9:6 is quoted in churches around the world as one of the clearest prophecies of Jesus. Many Christians are familiar with the familiar wording:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…”

For years, I accepted that interpretation without question. As a Christian, I assumed Isaiah was predicting the birth of Jesus approximately seven centuries before the events described in the New Testament. However, when I began studying the Hebrew text and examining the broader context of Isaiah, I discovered that traditional Jewish interpretation understands the passage very differently.

The issue is not whether Isaiah 9 is important. Both Judaism and Christianity recognize the significance of the passage. The question is whether Isaiah was describing a future messiah hundreds of years later or speaking about events unfolding in his own generation.

Reading Isaiah in Context

One of the most important principles of biblical interpretation is context. The Book of Isaiah was not written as a collection of isolated verses. Rather, it records prophetic messages delivered to real people facing real historical circumstances.

Isaiah chapters 7–12 are set during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah. The kingdom was facing a military threat from Aram (Syria) and the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim). The prophet Isaiah was sent to reassure Ahaz that these enemies would not ultimately prevail.

Isaiah 7 begins with a conversation between the prophet and King Ahaz. The king is frightened, and God instructs Isaiah to offer him a sign (Isaiah 7:10-11). The purpose of the sign is immediate and practical: to reassure Ahaz concerning the crisis facing Judah.

The sign Isaiah provides is found in Isaiah 7:14:

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman is pregnant and is bearing a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel.”

In the Hebrew text, the woman is already pregnant or about to give birth. The prophecy is directed to Ahaz, not to people living centuries later. The child serves as a sign that before he reaches a certain age, the threatening kings will be removed (Isaiah 7:15-16).

From a Jewish perspective, the passage is therefore understood as referring to events within Isaiah’s own lifetime rather than predicting a future virgin birth.

The Meaning of Immanuel

Christians often point to the name “Immanuel” as evidence that the child was God incarnate because the name means “God is with us.”

However, Hebrew names frequently incorporate the name of God without implying that the individual is divine.

Examples include:

  • Elijah (“My God is YHWH”)
  • Isaiah (“Salvation of YHWH”)
  • Jeremiah (“YHWH exalts”)
  • Hezekiah (“YHWH strengthens”)

No one suggests that these individuals were themselves God. Rather, their names conveyed theological truths about God’s relationship with Israel.

Likewise, “Immanuel” communicates the message that God is with His people during a time of national crisis.

Isaiah 8 and the Continuing Sign

The context becomes even more interesting in the next chapter.

Isaiah 8 records another birth associated with Isaiah’s prophetic ministry. The prophet’s wife conceives and bears a son named Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Isaiah 8:1-4). Like the child of Isaiah 7, this child serves as a time marker connected to events unfolding in Isaiah’s own day.

Before the child reaches a certain age, the wealth of Damascus and Samaria will be carried away by Assyria.

This repeated pattern is significant. Throughout Isaiah 7 and 8, children are used as prophetic signs concerning contemporary events. The focus remains firmly on Judah’s immediate political situation rather than on events hundreds of years in the future.

Isaiah 9 and the Promised Child

When Isaiah 9 is read within this larger context, the chapter continues the theme of hope for Judah.

The Hebrew text is often translated differently than the familiar Christian rendering. A more literal reading of Isaiah 9:5 (9:6 in Christian Bibles) contains verbs in the past tense:

“For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us.”

Rather than describing a future birth centuries later, the verse can be understood as celebrating a child already born or recently born.

Traditional Jewish commentators generally identify this child with King Hezekiah, the righteous son of Ahaz.

This interpretation fits the historical setting. Hezekiah became one of Judah’s most faithful kings and played a crucial role during the Assyrian crisis. Under his leadership, Jerusalem survived the Assyrian siege described in 2 Kings 18-19.

Understanding the Royal Titles

The titles found in Isaiah 9 have generated considerable debate.

Many English translations render them as:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

From a Jewish perspective, however, these titles are often understood differently.

Hebrew names and royal titles frequently contain references to God. Rather than describing the child as God Himself, many Jewish commentators understand the verse as declaring what God has done or will do through the child.

This approach is consistent with numerous Hebrew names that incorporate divine attributes without assigning divinity to the individual bearing the name.

The broader context also favors a royal successor in the line of David rather than a divine incarnation. Isaiah is describing God’s preservation of Judah through the Davidic dynasty during a period of national crisis.

The Messianic Question

Does Isaiah 9 speak about the Messiah?

Some Jewish commentators see messianic themes within the chapter because the Davidic kingdom ultimately points toward the future redemption of Israel. However, even among those who acknowledge messianic implications, the passage is not viewed as predicting a divine messiah or a virgin birth.

Traditional Judaism expects the Messiah to accomplish specific tasks described throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.

According to passages such as Isaiah 2:1-4, Isaiah 11:1-9, Jeremiah 23:5-8, Ezekiel 37:21-28, and Zechariah 14, the Messiah will:

  • Gather the dispersed of Israel.
  • Restore the Davidic kingdom.
  • Bring worldwide knowledge of God.
  • Establish lasting peace among nations.
  • Lead humanity into an era of justice and righteousness.

Because these events have not yet occurred, Judaism does not identify Jesus as the Messiah foretold by the prophets.

My Personal Journey

As I began studying Isaiah in Hebrew and examining traditional Jewish interpretations, I was surprised by how different the text appeared from the way I had previously understood it.

I discovered that many passages commonly presented as messianic prophecies look quite different when read in their original context. Rather than beginning with the New Testament and reading backward into the Hebrew Scriptures, I found it helpful to let the Hebrew text speak on its own terms.

That process led me to appreciate the depth of Jewish biblical interpretation and the importance of studying Scripture within its historical and linguistic setting.

Whether one ultimately agrees with Jewish or Christian conclusions, Isaiah deserves to be read in context. The prophet’s message was first delivered to the people of his own generation, and understanding that original audience is essential to understanding the text itself.

The more carefully I studied Isaiah, the more convinced I became that Isaiah 9 is best understood as part of a message of hope to Judah during the days of Ahaz and Hezekiah rather than as a prediction of Jesus seven centuries later.

~ Carrie R. Turner, revised June 15, 2026

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Below are some related graphics I discovered online many years ago from unknown sources regarding gods that various ancient cultures believed were born on December 25th. I did not create the graphics nor confirm all the information presented on the graphics. Nevertheless, I found them interesting, and something I want to investigate further.

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Are the 7 Noahide Laws the Only Commands Gentiles Should Obey?

Both Judaism and Christianity typically teach that God’s 613 commands are exclusively for Jews to obey while Gentiles are only obligated to obey general moral laws such as the “Seven Noahide Laws”. For those unfamiliar with the 7 Noahide Laws, they are as follows:

1) Don’t worship any other god, but the One True Living God (no idols);

2) Don’t curse God;

3) Don’t commit murder/bloodshed;

4) Don’t steal;

5) Don’t commit sexual immorality;

6) Establish a judicial system;

7) Don’t eat the limb/flesh of a living animal.

Some of these principles are established by Noah as instructions to his sons after the family and animals exited the ark upon being the sole survivors of the great flood in Genesis 9 while other alleged laws are assumed. In this chapter of the Bible thought to be the basis for the Noahide Laws, Noah urges his sons and their wives to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 9:1,7) as did God to Adam and Eve; Noah also informed his sons that the animals, the birds, and fish would be fearful of man, but man has dominion over them all (vs. 2); they can’t eat meat rare (with blood in it – vs. 3); and, lastly, they can’t murder or cause blood to be shed (vs. 5-6). If we were to go strictly by Genesis 9 alone, then, technically, these four commands would be the Noahide Laws. The Jewish sages expanded on them some to establish the seven, and various sects of Christianity have their own set of laws as well.

It is my position that while these Noahide laws are a great place to start, there appear to be hints of other laws Gentiles could obey and Gentiles of the future will obey. Moreover, whether Jew or Gentile, one ought to obey God’s commands, not suggestions, to the best of their ability and understanding out of their love for God. If one devotes their time looking for excuses or develops arguments against obeying God’s commands, therein reveals much, namely one’s heart and alleged reverence for God and His authority in their life.

In the Summer of 2020, I visited the Ark replication in Kentucky. That’s not a fake backdrop – it’s a huge real ark!

With that said, let us look at a few examples of Gentiles obeying what many would consider exclusive Jewish laws or laws not listed in the Seven Noahide Laws.

Sacrifices

First, consider neither Adam, Eve, their sons, nor even Noah were Jewish for the tribes of Israel and therefore, the tribe of Judah, had not existed at this point in the Genesis story, and yet, God evidently commanded or, at the very least, welcomed the first family to offer sacrifices to Him. Hence, the first case of domestic violence and homicide, sadly, as Cain was jealous of Abel’s sacrifice (Genesis 4). Second, notice that Noah understood the importance of sacrifices as he too offered sacrifices as soon as the flood was over (Genesis 8:20-22). Noah also made sure there were clean and unclean animals on the ark presumably for the purpose of making sacrifices and food (Genesis 7:2,8), instructions not yet documented until much later (Leviticus 1-7, 11). Likewise, many years post-flood, Abraham, who also was not technically Jewish, although the first Hebrew, fashioned an altar to worship God (Genesis 12:7; 13:4,18); although the text does not specifically say he also offered sacrifices, it is inferred. Later, when Abraham’s son, Isaac, was older, God tested Abraham’s devotion to God by instructing him to, you could say, lay his idol down as Abraham set out to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering on an altar. Abraham trusted God would provide a better alternative while demonstrating he loved God even more than his miracle-baby. Consequently, God indeed had a better plan and provided a clean animal instead of Isaac (see Genesis 22). Again, all of this took place well before Jews and Judaism existed or God’s commands were documented by Moses.

As another example of Gentiles making sacrifices, in the future, after God somehow physically rescues, regathers, and resurrects the scattered tribes of Israel and reigns on Earth (Zechariah 9-14), the surviving Gentile nations will be required to participate in making sacrifices for the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot in Hebrew, according to Zechariah 14:16-21. Did you catch that? It will be required of Gentiles by God Himself to sacrifice in the future – for Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles for certain! In that same time period, a temple will exist, according to the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37-47; so, evidently, Gentiles that survive the Battle of Gog of Magog will be bringing sacrifices to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot, or Feast of Booths or Feast of Ingathering.

It should be noted that Noah offered sacrifices of praise upon his literal, physical salvation (Genesis 8:20-22) just as the future surviving Gentiles will do upon their literal, physical salvation (Zechariah 14). Likewise, Noah and the other family that survived the flood repopulated the renewed Earth just as the future surviving Gentiles will do.

Sabbath and Other Holy Days

In the previous segment about sacrifices, we briefly explored the Feasts of Tabernacles, a Feast of the LORD, and how it will be celebrated in the World-To-Come, or upon God creating the New Heavens and New Earth, in the New Covenant not yet activated. In Isaiah 66:22-24, we also see the seventh-day Sabbath and the monthly new moon celebrations (Rosh Chodesh) will be observed by “all flesh”, meaning all mankind. The Prophet Ezekiel also predicts during that era God’s Sabbaths and Feasts are obeyed as well as sacrifices by the reunited and resurrected twelve tribes of Israel (see Ezekiel 43-44). It would appear in the future because all of the once scattered Israelites will be fully restored in the Promised Land of Canaan (Israel), God’s laws will also be fully restored while Gentiles obey some additional laws such as the Sabbath and celebrate Sukkot.

Notice the passage says “all flesh”, not just Jews.

Fasting

Fasting is another command not found in the Seven Noahide Laws and yet the Prophet Jonah instructs the Gentiles of Nineveh to fast as a means to demonstrate their repentance. Fasting is a central part of Judaism, particularly on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), one of God’s Holy Days found in Leviticus 23, and all about repentance. Apparently, God appreciates the Gentile who fasts as a sign of repentance as well.

Lying

Technically, lying is not one of the Seven Noahide Laws either, but according to Nahum 3:1, the Ninevites (see Nahum 1:1), the ones who fasted and repented as mentioned above, were sinning by lying. In other words, lying was one of the offenses that caused God to send a prophet announcing God’s disapproval of their behavior and their need to repent to be spared from God’s wrath.

Sorcery

Likewise, sorcery was another command the Ninevites evidently violated, according to Nahum 3:4, and yet, is not listed in the Seven-To-Heaven list, or list that deems a Gentile righteous if obeyed according to the traditions of Judaism. Sorcery isn’t even in the 10 Commandments and yet clearly, a no-no, for both Jew and Gentile (Micah 5:11-14).

Unclean Food: No Bacon For You!

The vague translations of Genesis 9 make it sound like Noah’s sons can eat anything, but just the fact that Noah brings both unclean and clean animals on board the ark indicates otherwise. God specifically informed Moses much later what is food and not food in both Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 for Israelites, but it is interesting Noah understood what animals are clean and unclean before God gave Moses such instructions inferring the knowledge of what God defines as food predated the covenant given at Mt Sinai.

Clearly, God reveals throughout various Scriptures, albeit after carefully studying, that the Seven Noahide Laws may be a great place for Gentiles to start obeying God, but Gentiles should at the very least expect some more in the future (ie. Sukkot sacrifices & Sabbath). Moreover, consider the simple fact that Jews are “chosen” to be the light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6) designed to teach the light, being Torah or God’s commands, and all its wisdom and glory to the deceived world (Proverbs 6:23; Psalm 119:18,105-106; Ezekiel 44:23-24; Jeremiah 16:19; Zechariah 8). We also can learn throughout the passages of the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible, in the future, everyone will know who God is and what He expects (Jeremiah 31) – it will be a time when the whole world, will “learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:8-10) meaning Torah, God’s definition of light, His instructions on how to be the light, life, and love. Torah will be taught to the nations and consequently, there will be world peace (see Isaiah 2 and Micah 4).

Moreover, whether Jew or Gentile, everyone has specific responsibilities and purpose then, now, and in the future.

In conclusion, in addition to the benefits of learning Torah, it is apparent to me if certain commands were observed by Gentiles before the tribes of Israel were even established and some of the said commands will be observed by the world after all the tribes of Israel are reunited and re-established in the future, then obviously, they are neither done away with, as Christianity teaches, nor only 7 laws for Gentiles as traditional Judaism teaches. Therefore, I do not believe the 7 Noahide Laws are the only commands Gentiles should obey, but rather, it could be a good place to start.

“For this applies to all mankind..”
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Fear God, Not Ghosts

The craze to dress up like ghosts, goblins, or some other ghoulish costume continues to haunt Americans, including God-fearing Christians and Jews alike. The lucrative 9-million-dollar American industry tempts even the religious to celebrate the creepy time of the year. What’s more frightening is many, if not most Americans, are unaware of the origins of this spooky holiday, much less what the Hebrew and Christian Bibles say about ghosts or more specifically talking to ghosts.

According to numerous credible internet sources, Halloween essentially originated and still is considered a pagan holiday known as the most ideal day to speak to the dead and as a bonus, the dead may even predict the future for you. Even more fascinating is the Torah, the first five books of both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, specifically warn against speaking to the dead either on one’s own or through a medium/witch to learn of the future (Exodus 22:17, Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:10-13). The prophet Isaiah also warns not to do so in Isaiah 8:19-20. Just the fact that God states not to converse with the dead to learn of the future indicates it IS possible to do; otherwise, a command stating not to do so would not be needed. It also infers pagans have been communicating with the dead for thousands of years. Jewish interpretation of these sentiments is that it is permissible to talk to the dead, but not to ask them to reveal the future.

In this painting, King Saul falls prostrate upon seeing the ghost of the Prophet Samuel.

In fact, did you know there is a fascinating story found in 1 Samuel 28:7-25 where King Saul sought out a witch or medium to contact the deceased Prophet Samuel to get advice about what to do about a pending battle? In this story, not only did King Saul break both God’s law and his own law banishing mediums or any other form of witchcraft and sorcery to predict the future, but the medium was successful in summoning the peacefully rested Samuel. The medium was shocked to see the ghost of Samuel for it was then she realized King Saul was in costume and deceived her as he concealed his identity (since he banished such practices). So, the medium worried that King Saul would kill her as a result (see 1 Sam. 28:8 -12). Meanwhile, the ghost of the Prophet Samuel was irate that he was disturbed from Sheol, the place all dead go to (vs 15).

As if all that wasn’t remarkable enough, the Prophet Samuel could STILL prophesize to King Saul WHILE DEAD (vs 19)! Prophet Samuel accurately predicted King Saul would be joining him in death the next day along with King Saul’s descendants.

What we can learn from this Biblical account are a few things:

  1. We have an immortal soul or eternal life, without a belief in Jesus;
  2. Whether you are a righteous person or a wicked person, it appears that when you are dead, you are hanging out awaiting the resurrection to be judged on your deeds, not your mental beliefs (Job 14:10-14; Daniel 12:1-3; Ezekiel 36-37) and not instantly ushered to “heaven” or “hell” – even the Christian Bible teaches as such (see John 3:13; Acts 2:29); also, notice ancient Jews already believed in the immortal soul and the resurrection (except the sadducees) way before Jesus offered it. So, why does Jesus’ claim only followers of him can receive it? ;
  3. The familiar spirit also known as a ghost can be disturbed and communicated with (it’s called a familiar spirit because a ghost is likely familiar with you personally like a deceased loved one);
  4. Some mediums do indeed have a gift or craft for summoning and communicating with the dead;
  5. A ghost can inform you of things you shouldn’t know about or ask about (i.e. like when you are going to die or what tomorrow holds);
  6. And evidently, prophets can still prophesize even when dead! Put another way, your personality and giftings live on even after you’re dead.

In addition to God stating that ghosts exist, many individuals have experienced paranormal or supernatural events, leading them to come to similar conclusions. So, what’s the harm in wanting to reach out to your deceased parent, spouse, or other loved one for advice? After all, haven’t we gotten advice from our loved ones many times before when they were living? While it’s okay to talk to our deceased loved ones, perhaps the One True Living God wants us to seek Him instead for said matters, not the dead.

Moreover, while we are on the topic of ghosts, have you ever wondered if there is a Holy Ghost or Spirit of Holiness, or however you want to label God’s Spirit, then that would indicate there also are unholy ghosts or evil spirits. Otherwise, the adjective of “holy” would not be needed to distinguish that Spirit from other spirits. Perhaps just like there are righteous and evil people, there too are good ghosts and bad ghosts, angels, and demons. Makes sense when you ponder our personalities live on. The problem is both good angels and bad angels, commonly referred to as demons, are allegedly all around as are possibly the dead, so who do we know for certain we are talking to when consulting the dead or when a medium is communicating with them on our behalf? How do we know whatever spirit we are communicating with isn’t a demon in a costume of his own, disguising himself as Aunt Betty, hoping to lead us into destruction?

As we study the Torah, God appears to focus on life, providing little information about death; and yet, validating that the dead live on just without a physical body. Torah teaches the living to seek the Living God for guidance. Go to His instructions (Torah) for answers to life.

To summarize, even though ghosts indeed exist as the immortal souls of those gone before us, we only need to fear God, not ghosts.

👻 Updated 10.30.2023 👻

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Questions Every Christian or Messianic Should Investigate

Since we each must give an account for ourselves and ideally should be able to explain one’s faith, I have wrestled with some difficult questions over the years all of which cumulated in this eye-opening year of 2020 vision. This, like all my thought-provoking articles, are not an attack against an individual person, but rather it is exposing what I now see is a false ideology called Christianity, specifically what God labels as idolatry, and moreover, an invitation to dig into the Holy Scriptures for oneself while pondering, praying, and pursuing such critical concepts.

Naturally, when people can’t explain or can’t overcome such objections, they become angry at the person exposing error or at the very least challenging their belief, not realizing the person, such as myself, typically are motivated by love to do so. After all, iron sharpens iron. Nevertheless, I understand the mentality, the passion, and emotion of the Christian, as I, too, was appalled and even angry upon learning such truths below – first, at the person or people sharing, and then, more appropriately my anger became directed at Christianity or idolatry in general for propagating such blatant and now obvious to me fallacies. Though I readily admit, I know not all of God’s truth, for none of us can, today, I am in complete peace (Psalm 119:165), more in love with God and others than ever and daily learning to surrender to God, His will, and His Spirit of Holiness. It has been a long process of truth-seeking that eventually led me to the LORD when I thought I would be leading others to Him! You could say it’s been a journey of flip-flopped faith, though certainly not my intention when I picked the name “Flip Flop Fellowship” for my ministry. God clearly has a sense of all-knowing humor. It is my prayer these questions, as well as my various articles and testimony, spurn you, dear student of the Bible, to continue to seek Abba Father and His will for you with all your being and by continually comparing and examining your will and theology to His as defined in His Holy Scriptures. But I both confess and warn, it is not easy to lay our idols down.

As always, much love, shalom, and blessings! ~Carrie, 10.5.2020

1)What criteria did God give the Israelites regarding how to discern a false prophet, false teacher, or false messiah?

FACT: In Deuteronomy 13, God specifically instructed the Israelites to beware of and test a person based off two criteria: 1) Does the person implore the Israelites to worship any other person, thing, or other gods as “God” for God alone is to be worshiped – not His son, not anybody, or anything but God. 2) Does the person teach that G!d’s instructions being God’s law or Torah is done away with, old, irrelevant? For Israel is only to obey God and His instructions, not man’s, not Paul’s, not Jesus’ commands, but God’s alone.

2) What are the Jews, Israel, or Twelve Tribes of Israel chosen for? “Chosen” to do what exactly and why?

FACT: Israel, being the Twelve Tribes, specifically the Jews, are chosen to make God, His name, and His Torah known. They are chosen to be the light of the world, to set the captives free, so that all the world may also experience salvation. They are chosen as God’s “Servant” (Isaiah 44:1, 21, 45:4, 48:20, 49:3, 52:13) or commissioned to instruct the world in Torah, which the Scriptures define as light itself (Psalm 119:105,130; Proverbs 6:23; Isaiah 62:1-2), the way of salvation or righteousness, and moreover, living a lifestyle of loving God and loving others. According to the prophets, eventually, in the World-To-Come/Messianic Era, they are elevated and honored while some of them are specifically commissioned to help teach Torah to the world as the world “learns righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9-10). See Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 6, 7:6-8, 26:17-19; 2 Samuel 7:23-24; Psalm 105; Isaiah 2:1-5; 26:1-12; 32:16-20; 33:20-24; 35:1-10; 42:6-7; 48:17-19; 49:6; 51:4-7; 52:1-2; 62:1-12; 66:5-24; Jeremiah 29-31; Zechariah 8, 12; Ezekiel 44:23-24; Amos 9:11-15; Obadiah 1:15-21; Micah 4:1-5; Joel 3; Zephaniah 3:8-20; Daniel 12:3; Hosea 14. Nearly every prophetic book foretells this glorious event and outcome for the children of Israel, wherever they are scattered in the past, present, and future world!

3) If both Jew and Gentile can be forgiven by simply repenting and striving to keep God’s commands, which are His instructions for life found in Torah, why did Jesus have to die for people’s sins?

FACT: God has always eagerly forgave people who authentically repented. His grace has always been available well before Jesus arrived. See Deuteronomy 4:29-31; 1 Kings 8; 2 Samuel 12 (Did King David have to make a sacrifice for forgiveness of his sin?); Isaiah 1:16-17; 42:6; 43:25; 44:22; 45:22,25 ; 49:10; 55:6-7; Psalms 24:3-6; 25:6,10; 30:5; 32:1,5; 34:22; 36:5,10; 37:18,29,34,37-40; 51:1-4, 7-9 (really all of Psalm 51); 68:19; 72:12-14; Psalm 103; 119:118,132,155-156; 146:17-20; 147:11; Micah 7:18-20; Book of Jonah (notice even the Gentiles had to repent- repent from what? Did they have to have a blood sacrifice for forgiveness?). To study more passages, read this article: Always Have Been Saved By Grace

4) Since forgiveness has been and still is granted without any blood sacrifice and by simply repenting, why did Jesus need to spill his blood as a sacrifice?

FACT: God forgave people with or without blood sacrifices and /or if they only offered other items instead of blood sacrifices such as flour, money, or jewelry when a temple was in place. See passages above in #3 as well as Leviticus 5:11-13 (flour), Exodus 30:15-16 (money), Numbers 31:48-52 (jewelry). The sin sacrifices were a tangible act in order to teach them to not forget God’s instructions/His law like requiring your kid to sacrifice their electronics when they disobey for sin has consequences – best to learn to obey Abba Father/God for our own good (Deuteronomy 5:29; 6:24-25; 10:12-13). To learn more, read this article: Why Jesus Didn’t Die For Anyone’s Sins (but his own)

5) Why would the unknown authors* of the gospels claim Jesus is God’s one and only son (John 3:16) when Scripture reveals the twelve tribes of Israel/the Jewish people (and their descendants) are God’s sons and daughters; therefore, G!d has many sons?

*scholars don’t know for certain who exactly penned each gospel

FACT: When God speaks to the Israelites/Israel/Judah or when the prophets refer to God, God or the prophet often identifies Himself/God as Father inferring He has many sons and daughters – see Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 64:7; Jeremiah 3:19, as a few examples. Similarly, God says in Isaiah 56 that non-Jews/Gentiles/foreigners who choose to enjoin themselves with God and His holy covenant (meaning Torah) by willingly obeying it (Judaism refers to this as “Jews-By-Choice”) are considered “better than sons or daughters” indicating the naturally chosen are sons and daughters while the “Jews-By-Choice”, or adopted if you will, are even more honored and also brought to Mt Zion upon being literally saved, regathered, or resurrected. Also, see Psalm 82:6 and even Jesus referred to his audience of Jews also as sons in John 10 when quoting Psalm 82:6. And yet the mysterious author of John* made it seem like Jesus is the one and only begotten son of God a few chapters earlier in John 3. In other words, Jesus was one of God’s many children.

6) Why would God instruct one of His sons, since Jesus was a Jew, to die for the sins of the world as the New Testament claims when God already informed Israel no person can die for another person’s sins?

FACT: According to Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:1-32; 33:12-20; Jeremiah 31:29-30 (which is also what Eze 18:1-2 says), and Psalm 49:7 no person can die for another persons’ sins even in the New Covenant chapter of Jeremiah 31.

7) Why would God instruct one of His sons, much less God’s other kids, to believe God would offer His child as a sacrifice when God specifically told His kids, being the Israelites, never to offer their children as sacrifices?

FACT: God often instructed the Israelites to not mimic other religions such as offering their children as sacrifices to a god(s), or as a form of worship, and labeled such behavior an abomination. See Leviticus 18:21, 20:3; Deuteronomy 12:29-32; 18:10; 2 Kings 3:27, 16:3, 17:17; 2 Chronicles 28:3, 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Psalm 106:35-38; Ezekiel 16:20-21 as some examples.

8) Why are we still teaching each other about who the One True Living God is if we are currently in the New Covenant?

FACT: According to the only chapter in the Holy Scriptures that refers by name a “New Covenant”, found in Jeremiah 31, no one will need to inform one another who God is for all will know Him (see verse 34). Incidentally, most Christians seem to not notice what the ambiguous author of Hebrews pens in chapter 8:13, which says referring to the “old” and “new” covenants, “Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” inferring the “old” covenant isn’t obsolete or done away with yet because the New Covenant hasn’t manifested just yet -obviously, since there is no world peace and everyone obeying Torah (but more on that later). Equally fascinating, is the New Covenant isn’t activated until there is a New Jerusalem, New Heavens, and New Earth – hence, all the references to “Behold, I will do (future tense) a NEW thing..” Isaiah 43:19. More accurately, RENEWED covenant, RENEWED earth, RENEWED Jerusalem, etc. How interesting God is referring to do a “new thing” upon literally saving Israel from their oppressors and restoring them all to the land of Canaan/Israel as discussed in #2.

8) Why in the New Covenant / World-To-Come / Messianic Era (the future, whatever you want to call it) are there still sacrifices if Jesus was the final sacrifice? Moreover, how can Christians honestly believe another man, namely Paul, when he says God’s laws are a curse and not to be obeyed when clearly it is not just commanded by God, but the future of the world?

FACT: Ezekiel chapters 36-48 describe both the literal resurrection of all of Israel, regathering, and restoration of Israel, both dead and alive, to the land of their inheritance in Israel, a magnificent event nearly all the prophets describe but hasn’t manifested nowhere near its entirety just yet. In this future era, there is a unique temple established along with sacrifices led by the ruler/prince including not just the praise sacrifices, but sin sacrifices as well (see specifically Ezekiel 43-44). Additionally, Zechariah 14:16+ informs us in the future, after God literally physically saves Israel from their enemies, all the remaining survivors of the nations must participate in bringing sacrifices to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, or what is known in Hebrew as “Sukkot”, in order for it to rain, or put another way in order for them and their economy to survive. Sukkot is in the Fall (September/October on the Gregorian calendar) and is the initiation of the rainy season. In fact, as I pen this, it is Sukkot, a festival of rejoicing, for one day, it will indeed be a whole new world full of joy and peace! To learn more about the Feasts of the LORD, read Leviticus 23. Also, in Isaiah 65-66 God describes the future and how He wants to be worshiped, as well as how He is specifically angered at those who consume pork, which He instructed not to eat in Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14, and describes worship as participating in the Sabbaths and festivals of the LORD in the New Heavens and New Earth (aka New Covenant). Furthermore, Zechariah 8 tells us Gentiles will be clinging to Jews to learn more about God one fine day.

9) Why would the “New Testament” and Christianity be all about propagating one must “believe” Jesus is Messiah in order to be spared from hell and go to heaven when there is absolutely no prophecy in the Hebrew Bible stating one must believe in a future Messiah in order to experience salvation much less the heaven vs hell concept?

FACT: Search the prophets out for yourself, you will not find any prophetic word regarding anyone must believe in a Messiah to be saved. But what you do read in Amos 3:7 is God does nothing without revealing it to His prophets first. Also, you will find a very different definition of salvation unfolds. Plainly said, salvation is a literal, physical experience, not solely spiritual mental ascent, while both salvation and righteousness are repeatedly linked with obeying God’s commands, His laws, His Torah, His Voice. Whereas many passages infer or directly state those who disregard God’s laws are considered wicked (Psalm 50; Psalm 119), without knowledge, and will perish (Hosea 4:6). You will not find in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, the law, and the prophets where salvation is merely a mental belief in a Messiah, but rather reward is based on your conduct, the exact opposite of what the New Testament, namely Paul, teaches.

10) In the early 1990’s, did you believe David Koresh when he claimed to be Messiah? His followers claimed he performed miracles and was prophetic. He and presumably his followers were writing manuscripts to spread his good news, his message. Would you put your trust in him? How about if he and or his roommates, who all tragically and unnecessarily perished, claimed he WAS actually God? Would you pick up your cross and follow him? On what criteria do you judge a person and their message? Is not the Hebrew Bible, the law and prophets, the foundation for which all are to be judged? Hence, the very label “the law”. What makes you put your trust in Jesus, or more accurately, Paul since Christianity is mostly based on Paul’s message and spiritual experience of seeing Jesus in the sky allegedly? Did Jesus, Paul, or other Apostles entice you to worship someone or something other than God, or worse, did Jesus or his followers indicate Jesus WAS/IS God; therefore, replacing God or elevating oneself to be as God or as part of God? Did Jesus, Paul, the other Apostles, or any of their followers, then and now, instruct you to disobey God by not keeping His law? Do you or your church have an Easter ham for dinner, as an example of breaking God’s law? Do you rest, reflect, and spend time with God and family on the 7th day or are you out grocery shopping, mowing the grass, or doing laundry? Does your church celebrate Easter, Halloween, or Christmas, but not the feasts of the LORD, His holy holidays? Why do some, if not all, denominations of Christianity claim everybody should keep the 10 commandments, but not the one about Sabbath or worshiping other gods?

FACT: Every Christian, whether Catholic or Protestant or even Messianic Jew/Gentile, knows that according to the writings of the New Testament, Jesus, but especially Paul as well as the other Apostles and the unknown authors of the gospels, elevated Jesus to be God (John 1), for Jesus to be worshiped and obeyed (Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2; Colossians 2), as well as instructed their audience, their disciples to disregard God’s laws (Galatians 3)or at the very least, the church instructs congregants to disobey most of God’s laws, the eternal law (Psalm 19, 119:142,152,160: Isaiah 2) of then, now, and the future. Hence, eternal. So with all that said, back to Deuteronomy 13, what were the two criteria God specifically said to watch out for? See #1.

“Choose this day whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:15.

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Miracles: Evidence Jesus is God?

Many Christians feel Jesus must be God and or The Messiah simply because he performed miracles or because the Christian has witnessed or personally experienced a miracle such as a healing, for example. I also have had various spiritual experiences, which seem to solidify one’s faith in say, Jesus. But what if God, in His abundant love, simply allows miracles to help you along your faith journey while not validating “Jesus” or whatever you believe in is absolute truth? Many religions currently and throughout history have had documented miracles of various kinds or spiritual experiences , not just Christianity.

In fact, according to an article by Britannica titled “Miracles In The Religions of The World,” they write:

“Hellenistic religion presents one of the best examples of a civilization in which miracles play a major part. The intervention of the gods in the affairs of the Homeric heroes takes place in a cosmos in which the divine and human spheres still interact. Later Hellenistic syncretism conceived of the sublunar world as a distinct sphere, though higher powers could miraculously irrupt into it. Miraculous cures (e.g., at the sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus), divine manifestations of various kinds (e.g., voices, dreams, and theophanies), and even virgin births and resurrections were widely reported.”

It is said one reason Christianity was an “easy-sell” to the Greeks or Gentiles is because some of their gods were born of a virgin and or died and were resurrected. In other words, miracles, including alleged miracles of virgin births and resurrections, were well-known and reported due to Greek mythology or Hellenism.

Additionally, according to the above linked article as well as many others, faiths like Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and a variety of pagan religions over the centuries, including witchcraft, all report miracles – not just Christianity. In other words, thinking Jesus must be God by passionately saying, “in Jesus’ name!” as if it is a magic charm and then seeing a miracle manifest is not exclusive or indicative as one must know the One True God or be the One True God. If you recall from the Exodus story found in Exodus 6-15, you will notice the Egyptian magicians could conjure up many of the same miracles God’s prophets, Moses and Aaron, did (see Exodus 7: 10-11,22; 8:7). In fact, God warns in Deuteronomy 13 that He will specifically send false prophets or false messiahs, or magicians, if you will, to test your heart to see if you will turn away from the absolute truth of the One True Living God and His documented voice, His instructions for life and love, found in Torah (first 5 books of Bible). For God warns if a person comes along performing miracles or signs that actually manifest, but then implores you to worship them or another god and or instructs you to do away with God’s Torah, His law, then you should NOT follow, NOT believe, NOT trust in that person or religion for it is false and simply a test to know what is in truly in your heart. Notice the verses specifically states “Follow none but Adonai (the LORD) your God, revere none but Him, and only follow His commandments” – not Jesus’ commands, not Paul’s or any other person’s – especially if their instructions or epistles contradict God’s!

So while other religions or people come along proclaiming and manifesting fascinating miracles, which inevitably will continue to happen, consider the following possibilities:

  1. It is a test as just discussed.
  2. Even though it is a test to see if a person who already knows the One True God will remain faithful to their Abba Father (God) and His word (aka Jews), God can use any illness or any healing miracle, or even false prophets for His glory (read the story of Balaam, a false prophet, in Numbers 22-24), or an oppressive leader like Nebuchadnezzar, as documented in the Books of Jeremiah and Daniel, to make His true name known to a person and others who learn of such miracles or events. God specializes in making His name known. Read the plethora of stories and statements made by God in the law and prophets. God says over and over again – He is all about making Himself, His name, made known for He is the ultimate Educator! So whether you are Jew or Gentile, God loves you and can and will allow illness or oppression, as a couple of examples, as well as miracles or deliverance, as a means to make Himself known to you in a meaningful and personal level.
  3. Know that whatever false prophet, false teacher, false messiah, seeming despair, seeming miracle, government leader, etc. that manifests, God may be using it as a test, and a means to reveal more of Himself to you, and has always been after circumcised hearts and wants a relationship with you. Therefore, He often allows said things as a means to draw you closer unto Him.

In conclusion, God graciously allows miracles in a variety of people, places, and even of differing faiths to ultimately bring us closer to Him, guiding us into more of who He is and His truth, not to necessarily validate a specific person or ideology is indeed abiding in His unchanging, absolute truth. Likewise, God graciously allows ailments or seemingly unfortunate circumstances in our lives to also bring us closer to Him, guiding us and others into more accurate truth of who He is and His will for us (just read the Book of Job), not to necessarily punish us for some wrong belief or sin. Moreover, according to the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 55:8 and the overall theme of the Book of Ecclesiastes, God’s thoughts and plans, or His will, don’t always align with our will or make sense to us, but for whatever reason, He allows, creates, and manifests such things as He deems. As the final verse of Ecclesiastes proclaims:

Learning to trust Him, surrendering to Him and His will, even when it doesn’t align with ours, that is the real miracle and authentic faith made manifest.

Carrie Renee, 10.4.2020

(Written exactly 14 years after I cried out, “JESUS, SAVE ME!” – Thank you, God, for hearing my misinformed prayer and miraculously saving me anyway.)

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Always Have Been Saved By Grace

As one who has traversed Christian circles, “Saved by Grace” is a common phrase indicating one is saved by believing Jesus died for one’s sins and consequently, gets to experience God’s grace or forgiveness. In fact, I used to wear a hat proudly stating this very expression. After discerning more and more of God’s word, and upon realizing the fallacy in the Christian message of Jesus had to die for one’s sins in order to receive God’s grace, I discovered that we always have been saved by God’s grace if only we seek Him and His ways.

At Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Wearing my “saved by grace” hat when I bought the boat in Texas.
On a friend’s boat in Kemah, Texas.

In 2020, when I sought to prove Jesus is the Messiah using only the Hebrew Bible, I discovered the Hebrew or Jewish definition of salvation is different than the Christian version of being saved. You can read more about those details here in an article I penned called “Beyond Heaven and Hell: A Jewish View of Salvation.” Moreover, I realized upon digging through the Tanakh (or what Christians refer to as the “Old” Testament), that God has always offered His love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy to those who genuinely seek Him and strive to obey Him. Inevitably, we will make mistakes, but all we have to do is authentically repent and try again. Look at King David’s sin of committing adultery and murdering the woman’s husband. Christians have been told only a blood sacrifice can atone for sins, but what did God say to David through the Prophet Samuel in 2 Samuel 12:13-14? God said He forgives David’s sins though there still will be consequences just as any good father would say to his disobedient child. Was there a blood sacrifice David had to make? Did he have to believe in a future Messiah? No. How about when the Prophet Jonah went to the Ninevites or Gentiles to warn them of God’s pending judgment should they not repent and turn to God. Where was their blood sacrifice for God’s grace and forgiveness?

Notice God was demonstrating grace way back when the Prophet Isaiah lived (circa 8 BCE – 7 BCE).

God’s Holy Scriptures never once say anyone needs to “believe” in a Messiah to be saved, much less that one will be coming to die for the world’s sins, which would be a hugely critical prophecy to reveal, don’t you think? If God does nothing without revealing it to His prophets first, according to Amos 3:7, then we can deduce, that the Christian doctrine of Jesus being the Messiah who allegedly had to die for our sins also is nothing except a replica of various pagan concepts. If you are Christian just learning of this, I know your blood is probably boiling right about now as was mine. First, you are angry at the one who enlightens you on said truth, then you become angry towards Christianity for propagating such gross and offensive errors and mourn your deception. Soon afterward though, you encounter a wave of peace and the lifting of a huge burden of guilt and manipulation you had been unknowingly carrying for years believing your sin caused some innocent god-man to die for you. Eventually, you will be so grateful to God for opening your eyes and rescuing you from the popular idolatry of the church. As God’s Spirit whispered to me one day early in 2020, “You can mourn over the lies you once believed or you can rejoice you have finally been set free from them.“

I encourage you, dear reader, to dig into the following Scriptures and ask yourself why would God need to send His son, Jesus, to die for one’s sins for forgiveness when these Scriptures clearly indicate God has been forgiving people well before (and still after) Jesus? Why would God instruct His child to be a human sacrifice when He instructed the Israelites to never sacrifice their children like the pagans do (see Leviticus 18:21, 20:3; Deuteronomy 12:29-32; 18:10; 2 Kings 3:27, 16:3, 17:17; 2 Chronicles 28:3, 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Psalm 106:35-38; Ezekiel 16:20-21 as some examples)? God even prohibited Abraham from sacrificing his only son, Isaac, to teach Abraham and his descendants that’s not God’s way of demonstrating love and grace. Furthermore, why would God cause Jesus to die for another person’s sins when God specifically forbids such things in the law and prophets (see Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:1-32; 33:12-20; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Psalm 49:7)? Also, why does the famous “New Covenant” chapter state everyone will still be dying for their own sins in the new covenant (see Jeremiah 31:30)? Shouldn’t that be an opportune time to state no one will need to die for their sins because a Messiah will do so for them?

Below is a list of some passages that reveal many over the course of history always have been saved by God’s grace.

Please study the following passages and read my other articles:

  • Genesis 4:8-16 (God forgave and even protected Cain)
  • Exodus 30:15-16 (money not blood sacrifice)
  • Exodus 34:6-7
  • Leviticus 5:11-13 (flour used not blood sacrifice)
  • Numbers 16:46-47 (incense)
  • Numbers 31:48-52 (jewelery)
  • Deuteronomy 4:29-31
  • 1 Kings 8 & 2 Chronicles 6 (notice both Jews and Gentiles are forgiven even without a temple/sacrifices)
  • 2 Samuel 12 (God forgave King David w/o blood sacrifices)
  • Book of Jonah – Jonah 3:8-10 (How is it the Gentiles could get forgiveness without a blood sacrifice?)
  • Isaiah 1:11-17 (sacrifices & other forms of obedience are phony without true repentance – doing good & just is what God wants)
  • Isaiah 27:9 (removal of idols atones)
  • Isaiah 42:6; 43:23-25; 44:22; 45:22,25 ; 49:10; 55:6-7
  • Isaiah 56: Notice even Gentiles/Foreigners who align themselves with God’s Covenant (i.e. keep Sabbath) are brought to Mount Zion one day and honored even more so than natural-born Jews for doing so.
  • Jeremiah 29:11-14; 31:3; 33:3,6-8,19-26; 50:4-5,20
  • Ezekiel 16:60-63; 18:19-32; 33:12-20; Chps 36-37
  • Micah 7:18-20
  • Hosea 14:2/3 (depending on Hebrew or Christian Bible you are using)
  • Daniel 4:24/27 (depending on Hebrew or Christian Bible you are using)
  • Lamentations 3:22-23
  • Psalms 24:3-6; 25:6-11; 30:5; 32:1,5; 34:22; 36:5,10; 51:1-4, 7-9 (really all of Psalm 51); 103; 119:132,155-156; 141:2; 145:17-20; 147:11
  • Proverbs 16:6; 21:3
  • Job 22:23
  • Why Jesus Didn’t Die For Your Sins
  • Why the New Testament Is Not the Inerrant Word of God

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Ponder & Pray | Zechariah 8

Zechariah 8 is a short and sweet chapter telling the people of Israel (and readers), one fine day, God will dwell in Jerusalem. At that time, He will end antisemitism and instead, not only bless the reunited 12 twelve tribes of Israel (House of Judah and House of Israel), but vindicate them. There are many chapters in the Hebrew Bible that describe a miraculous regathering or reuniting of the scattered Israelites across the globe, both the living and the dead, bringing them all to heaven on earth being Jerusalem (such as Ezekiel 36-37; Jeremiah 29-31). Also, notice the section of Zechariah 8:16, a prophecy about the very end of time as we know it. Right after the LORD describes and promises Israel’s future literal salvation, what does He instruct the must the Jews/Israel do in the meantime? Believe in the Messiah? Believe in God’s Son yet to be born (at the time this chapter of Zechariah was written)? Believe in Jesus? No, essentially, live righteously – obey the principles of Torah. Shouldn’t the concept of believing in Jesus to pay for your sins or even just stating “Believe in The Messiah” be inserted in this epic moment leading up to their salvation? I encourage you to pray and ponder as to why there is nothing like that mentioned in the Tanakh/Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and yet, Amos 3:7 says the Lord does nothing without revealing it to His prophets first. Moreover, always get in God’s word for yourself and ask Abba Father (Jeremiah 3:19) lots of questions. He will show you things you did not know (Jeremiah 33:3) as He does with me and many others.

Ask yourself and Abba Father (Jeremiah 3:19), why after He dwells on earth in Jerusalem described in Zechariah 8, the entire globe is seeking not just God in Jerusalem, but clinging to Jews, specifically their tallits, which are the garments with tzits-tzits attached (see Zechariah 8:23 below)? These are commanded by God to be worn and are symbols to help them remember the importance of obeying God’s commands (see Numbers 15:37-41).


Think about the connection –> At this future moment, people will be clinging to the Jews realizing God is with them. Notice the verse of Zechariah 8:23 specifically state people will be grabbing onto the Jew’s garment corners as if the prophecy is telling us people will cling to Jews and God’s Torah, which has already started to manifest today. God’s ways are found in His commands, His Torah, His instructions for living, which not only is His will, but they are the light (Psalm 119:105-106, Proverbs 6:23) and the Jews/Israel are called to be the light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). Hence, what they are chosen to do: Be the light – lead in love as they live by Torah.


Why doesn’t the prophet Zechariah describe the New heavens and New earth or New Jerusalem or New Covenant era (notice all the “NEW”s -pun intended) as…”And in that day the Christians will be the light of the world teaching people how to decorate Christmas trees, how to have successful Easter egg hunts and stand in line for the best Heavenly Ham, how to plan a great turn-out for Trunk or Treats, or teaching them about communion, how to successfully and secretly slip up that repentant hand and inwardly profess the sinner’s prayers without anyone knowing then or later, or how to memorize the Lord’s prayer, how to evangelize by handing out tracks about God’s son, how to go on mission trips and build things but tear down with our words..”, or whatever other definition Christians used to define as being the light?

I don’t think it’s possible for any of us, whether Jew or Gentile, to ponder and know God’s truth in it’s entirety, much less live it precisely as He intended it here and now, for how can we know infinite truth and all His thoughts or ways? But we do know truth is what He chose to reveal in the Tanakh and that is: Israel is chosen and God’s Torah is the light for all eternity. So much so the non-Jews will be looking to Jews and the instructions God gave them for guidance.

Carrie R. Turner, 9.3.2020

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Are We In the New Covenant Yet?

Christianity teaches that the New Covenant began with Jesus’ death and resurrection. However, according to the Hebrew Bible, the events that describe the initiation of the New Covenant are vastly different than Christian dogma wants you to believe.

Because God does nothing without revealing it to his prophets first (Amos 3:7) and He is BIG on reiterating concepts with at least two or three prophetic witnesses, it’s important we study what God specifies through these prophets to better understand important concepts such as the New Covenant and other related events.

THE TERMINOLOGY

In both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, there is a limited dialogue regarding the New Covenant. Nevertheless, the one and only time the terminology is used, the LORD provides a few critical clues through His prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29-31. Specifically, the term is used in Jeremiah 31:31.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – ” Jeremiah 31:31 NKJV (New King James Version)

FAMILY REUNION

In Jeremiah 31:31, the reader is introduced to the term “New Covenant” and that this New Covenant is made between God and two groups of people, the Northern Kingdom or ten tribes of Israel, being the House of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, primarily consisting of the remaining two tribes, the House of Judah. The slang term “Jew” comes from the tribe of Judah, which later evolved to be “House of Judah”. To understand how the kingdom of Israel split into two groups, read 1 King 12. Essentially, there was a family feud, but not the Steve Harvey type.

The famous Jeremiah 29:11 quote, which can be found in nearly every Christian Bookstore and Hobby Lobby across the United States, God says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future…” (NIV). Technically, this promise is given to Israel, not Christians shopping at Hobby Lobby. When we read Jeremiah chapters 29 through 31, at the time of these prophecies, both houses were in captivity. The House of Israel had been taken captive by the Assyrian Empire much earlier and the House of Judah was taken captive by the Babylonian Empire. Although the prophecy in chapter 29 primarily applied to the Jews held in Babylonian captivity, the prophecy of Jeremiah 30, applies for a much later time. In Jeremiah 30:7 it references a time of trouble for Jacob, meaning the nation of Israel, perhaps it could imply a greater captivity, if you will. Daniel 12:1-2 also uses the same terminology of “a time of trouble” and is referring to the Battle of Gog and Magog. Such an epic battle will be led by Gog, the ultimate villain, as he and numerous other nations surround and attack the nation of Israel. More details of this battle can be found in Ezekiel 38 and Zechariah 14 among other prophetic passages. Nevertheless, through the prophet Jeremiah, God is giving His people hope that even though life will be frightening for them in the future, God will literally and physically save them from their enemies similar to how He did when they were in Babylon and years earlier, in Egypt.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God expands in great detail exactly what He means when He says “a future and hope” or “a hope and a future” (depending on which version you are reading) in Jeremiah 30. Notice in Jeremiah 30:3, Adonai, the LORD says, “For behold the days are coming…that I bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah…I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers and they shall possess it..” So here we see God plans on rescuing and restoring all of the House of Israel and the House of Judah, uniting both the divided kingdoms and bringing them all back to the land of Israel to safely dwell.

Where in the world are the ten lost tribes reminded me of the “Where’s Waldo?” cartoon.

Interestingly, the House of Judah largely consisted of the tribe of Judah, Benjamin, and the Levites, but the House of Israel, the ten northern tribes that were taken prisoners by the Assyrian captivity and assimilated into the nations, have never been tracked, much less regathered. As a side note, texts from both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles reveal some of those Northern tribes merged with the House of Judah and therefore, it can be argued that the Jewish population today represents all or at least some of the twelve tribes, but for the most part, it would appear the vast majority of the ten tribes assimilated with the nations and are considered unidentified or lost. With that said, here in this text of Jeremiah 30, God declares He will be regaining custody of all His kids in a glorious and miraculous family reunion in the New Covenant. In other words, the lost will be found!

RESURRECTION | RESTORATION

Jeremiah 30, verse 9, reads, ”They shall serve the LORD their God and David, the king whom I will raise up for them.” Now, if you aren’t familiar with the plethora of other passages in the prophets discussing this same prophecy you might glaze over the “raise up” phrase but this is referring to the resurrection and restoration of the House of Israel and the House of Judah described in Ezekiel 37. I believe this verse indicates the LORD is literally going to resurrect King David, as well as all of the deceased Israelites (twelve tribes), and David will rule and reign once more. Other Jews state this verse means, God will provide someone from David’s lineage, specifically through the line of David’s son, Solomon, to rule. Christians typically assume this David figure refers to Jesus’ alleged past resurrection and yet, obviously, this reference to resurrecting, rescuing, and restoring Israel cannot be about Jesus’ alleged resurrection because #1 all twelve tribes were not rescued from the Roman Empire, in fact, the Jews weren’t rescued at all, though they were oppressed, AND #2 nobody was raised up to be a literal, visible-to-all king of Israel after Jesus’ alleged death and resurrection. Just the opposite manifested. The House of Judah was scattered throughout all the nations in the years after Jesus’ alleged resurrection, not rescued to dwell in safety, much less restored.

It wasn’t until 1948, that a minority of Jews have been and still are being restored to the land of Israel in present modern times, but still not both houses. There still are many Jews scattered throughout the globe as well as the deceased House of Israel and their unknown descendants.

WORSHIP | SACRIFICES RESUME

As we continue to read the surrounding verses and context of the new covenant prophecy, notice we left off at Jeremiah 30:9, an important verse to grasp as it proclaims the House of Israel and the House of Judah, previously defined, will all be serving God collectively, not Allah or Jesus, mind you, but “their God”. Furthermore, that same verse adds they also will be serving David as their king. David was known as a “man after God’s own heart” and one of the greatest kings of Israel to ever have lived, who also authored most of the Psalms. You could say, David, the king/prince, was the ultimate worship leader as he will do once more in the New Covenant. In the prophetic Book of Ezekiel, the prophet Ezekiel also speaks about the reunion of both the House of Israel and the House of Judah in addition to describing David, a ruler or prince that leads the people in worship, including in making various offerings, even sin offerings (Ezekiel 34:23-24, 36:22-24, 37:24-28, 45:16-46:18). Ponder this as you study these passages: If Jesus was the final sacrifice, why does the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 45-46 and the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 14:16-21, very clearly detail sacrifices will resume as a critical means of worship in the future for both Jew and Gentile?

WORLD PEACE

Go to Ezekiel 34:23-31. Notice God reiterates here through a different prophetic witness being Ezekiel what He said in Jeremiah 30:9 that He will make David be like a shepherd to His sheep (of Israel), the LORD will be their God (not Jesus), and David will be a prince or governing ruler. Verse 25 describes the New Covenant as a “covenant of peace” made with them. Incidentally, Ezekiel 37, verses 25-26 express the same statement. Notice in Ezekiel 34, the prophet goes on to describe a time of peace and prosperity, where animals will no longer attack people or each other (Hosea 2:20 & Isaiah 11:6-9, 65:25 also speak to this), the earth will be a lovely garden producing delectable crops, Jews will no longer be persecuted by Gentiles anymore, and all will know who the LORD is (Ezekiel 34:25-31). Return with me to Jeremiah, specifically Jeremiah 31:33-34. Please carefully notate that the LORD makes it very plain and understandable in this New Covenant that “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, his brother, saying ‘Know the LORD’, for they ALL shall know Me..” There will be no more wars because there will be no religious or political debates for all will know God and His ways in the New Covenant time frame. Other prophetic witnesses such as in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 both speak to similar sentiments of all will know and be taught God’s instructions and there will be no more war.

A NEW WAY OF LIFE

Did these descriptive events manifest upon Jesus’ alleged resurrection? Of course, not. In fact, Jesus proclaimed the opposite, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34 NKJV). The Crusades and other heinous persecution of innocent Jews by the hands of Christians confirm the fruit of the Gospels. Jesus and the faith that developed in his name indeed failed to bring a covenant of peace to the globe. Rather, the prophets of the Hebrew Bible describe obvious physical changes as G!d more or less will provide a NEW way of life, or perhaps you could say, a type of NEW heaven and NEW earth; hence, the NEW, or more accurately termed, RENEWED covenant, a covenant of peace on earth. By describing the earth and this covenant as “new”, it is simply a figure of speech inferring a refreshed version of the existing earth and existing eternal covenant God has with Israel. Each covenant God has made with humans builds upon the previous. As a simple example, women are still experiencing pain in childbirth, which was part of the very first covenant God established. Several more have been established since then, but no covenant nullified the previous, it only builds upon it.

NO ONE CAN DIE FOR ANOTHER’S SINS

Lastly, in all these Scriptures foretelling a future era, have we read anything stating Israelites or anyone for that matter must believe in a Messiah in order to receive eternal life, be resurrected, be forgiven of sins, and miraculously make it to Israel? Do you notice the resurrection of the dead, as well as the rescue and reunion of both the House of Israel and the House of Judah, have been in the forecast even without any belief in Jesus? Moreover, if God can reveal all these other details to His prophets, why didn’t he reveal the most important detail that a person must believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, to be resurrected, or rescued? Christians are led to believe Jesus died for their sins and therefore, believe they are in the New Covenant, and yet, in addition to the fact that none of the events of the New Covenant have manifested yet, Jeremiah 31:30, quite literally the verse next to the “new covenant” verse, reiterates commands God already stated, which is “every one shall die for his own sin”. Just like God says numerous places elsewhere – nobody can die for your sins – each person is held accountable to God for themselves. Study Deuteronomy 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6, Psalm 49:7, Jeremiah 31:30; Ezekiel 18 & 33. Therefore, it is a direct violation of God’s word for another person, like Jesus, to die for the world’s sins.

WAIT & SEE

With all this overwhelming evidence, it is clear the new covenant has not manifested yet. While we can’t be certain WHEN exactly these prophecies will manifest, we do know WHO is involved, WHERE to be watching, and WHAT to look for as there will be glaringly obvious signs indicating the New Covenant has been activated. For now, we wait and put our trust in God alone.

To assist you in your Biblical studies, the PDF version of this article is available for download/print.

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Why Isaiah 53 Is Not About Jesus But Actually Is About Israel

Many Christians are told Isaiah chapter 53 is all about Jesus. If one were to only read that chapter in all of the Book of Isaiah while also ignoring what the other prophets of the Hebrew Bible prophesied about, then it would be easy to assume Isaiah is describing the death of Jesus on the cross. However, one cannot grasp all the author is conveying by only reading one chapter and jumping to conclusions. Whether Christian or Jewish, we must learn to stop making Scripture fit our preconceived notions and rather, let Scripture interpret Scripture within context and how the author refers to terms throughout.

Repeated Themes

Whenever one studies a book, they often start with: What is the series or book’s overall theme? Let’s explore the theme of the Book of Isaiah before identifying the character of Isaiah 53. As I read Isaiah 53, I recognized a familiar theme manifest. In several other chapters penned by Isaiah as well as others throughout the Hebrew Bible, God’s chosen people, particularly the righteous remnant, are often persecuted, and afflicted, not because of their actions, but because of the actions of others associated with them. Certainly, throughout the pages of the Bible and over the course of history, many of God’s chosen people at times were stiff-necked and rebellious (as some are still today); however, there are others, a remnant, who chose to live righteously by adhering to the laws of Torah, or God’s ways, that apply to them as individuals to the best of their ability and will be eventually rewarded. Consider how the prophet Jeremiah warned the House of Judah of their sins and pending captivity should they not repent. We see in the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Daniel, the righteous prophet, Jeremiah, as well as Daniel, were carried off into captivity alongside their rebellious brethren. Eventually, however, after 70 years, the House of Judah was redeemed and restored by the arm of the LORD. Isaiah was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, known as the House of Israel, many of whom were also rebellious while others were righteous. Nevertheless, prior to the captivity of the House of Judah, both the rebellious and the righteous remnant of the House of Israel were attacked and carried off by the Assyrians (too bad the House of Judah didn’t learn from the House of Israel’s sins). Consider how all of the Egyptians suffered the plagues because of Pharoah. Similarly, have you ever told your teenagers to be careful who they hang around with because if one friend does something illegal, the others associated with them can also be charged with the crime? For example, one kid uses drugs in a vehicle, while his friends are also in the car. The teens are pulled over by police and the cops end up arresting all of them because of the one’s rebellious, illegal choice. Guilty by association.

Conversely, we also see in the Bible, others can be spared because of their association with the righteous. Recall how Noah, a righteous Gentile, was mocked while being obedient, and yet, he and those associated with him (his family) were spared of the great flood of judgment by the arm of the LORD while the rest of the world drowned. Similar concepts are portrayed by the righteous deed of Rahab, a Gentile; subsequently, she and her house were spared of God’s judgment. As a sidebar, notice these Gentiles were saved by their response to obedience (their action), not mental belief. Furthermore, Abraham bargained with God that if there were just ten righteous in a city, would God not spare that city (Genesis 18)?

These concepts manifest repeatedly throughout the Jewish Bible, including in the Book of Isaiah. Righteous by association and guilty by association.

Now, as a Christian, you may be thinking those associated with Jesus will be righteous and subsequently, saved by association, and those who reject Jesus or never heard of Jesus will be condemned and excluded. Interestingly, many religious Jews perceive association with Jesus as guilty (idolatrous) and excluded by association because the first commandment God instructed Israel on (and to teach the world) is to not worship any other creature or thing as if they are God. Jews have learned this lesson repeatedly starting with the Golden Calf incident, the Assyrian captivity, and Babylonian captivity. So, you can understand why many Jews balk at Christian missionaries or Christian programs broadcasted in Israel — they don’t want to be guilty by association and find themselves suffering in captivity again!

While we are on the topic of Christianity evangelizing Jews, you never see Jews forcing God or Torah onto others through violent means such as the Crusades or other forced conversions. More often than not, you will find Jews to be kind, inviting, and inclusive, knowing God also is kind, inviting, and inclusive. This isn’t to say all Christians are violent or evil, by any means. Many modern-day Christians are Israel’s biggest and only fans. Furthermore, while you will see Christians and Muslims persecuted for their faith sporadically over history and present-day, you will never see other religions suffer as much as the Jewish people consistently have. Whether righteous or rebellious, all Jews have suffered merely for being Jewish.

But Why?

Israel, wherever he (Israel) is scattered, has been “chosen” to serve the nations. Israel, or Jews, are commissioned to be moral ambassadors as they make the One True God and His ways, and literal salvation known through their lifestyle or their deeds, also known as their obedience to mitzvot (the commandments) See Isaiah 49:1,3,6-8. Because of his (Israel’s) appointed assignment to lead in love, the world historically loathes Jews. The world prefers to sojourn this life apart from a moral compass. Hence, the atrocities Jews have suffered, and still suffer. Israel, the Jewish people, are the suffering “servant” of Isaiah 53 for this reason. By the righteous Jews’ suffering, we are healed, or righteous by association.

Dissecting Isaiah 53

The subject of Isaiah 53 can be found in Isaiah 52:13 and in numerous places throughout Isaiah. The “servant” is Israel and all about God redeeming them, both the people and the land.

Let us dig further for a greater understanding. In the final verses of Isaiah 52, specifically verses 13-15, leading up to the often misunderstood Isaiah 53, we see “My servant” will be raised up and revered by many after having misunderstood the identity of “My servant”. It also says Kings will be shocked at the fact God’s servant is suddenly being elevated. Considering most of the world is under the umbrella of Christianity, will it really be shocking if Jesus is the so-called “servant” Isaiah is referring to? Is Jesus eventually being elevated to rule and reign a concept Gentiles are unfamiliar with? Of course not! It’s the entire hope of Christianity, no? Compare Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 62:1-4, 12. Notice Scripture doesn’t say Jews will be shocked upon the elevated servant, but rather, that Gentiles and Kings/Government leaders of other nations will be shocked. Interestingly, Jeremiah, the prophet, also reveals that the Gentiles (the nations) will be shocked upon realizing they inherited lies (while the Jews inherited truth) in Jeremiah 16:19. Furthermore, many other Scriptures reflect similar sentiments of Israel being eventually restored, extolled, and elevated (compare Deuteronomy 26:19, 28:1,10 as well as Isaiah 2,11, 60-62, 62:2-4; Ezekiel 34-48; Jeremiah 29-31; Micah 4; Zechariah 8; Zechariah 14, as some examples).

“What other passages refer to Israel as ‘him’?”

Now, that we have considered the theme and a few verses leading up to Isaiah 53, let’s discuss pronouns used in the Scriptures. In regards to Isaiah 52 and 53, I asked myself, “What other passages refer to Israel as ‘him’?” Surprisingly, numerous Scriptures refer to Israel in the masculine (Isaiah 45:11,46:8,56:8; Jeremiah 31:9-11,18,20-22; Hosea 7:8-10, 8:14, 10:6, 11:1,5, 12:1-4, 13:12-13). It would appear when collective people are referred to in the Jewish Bible, such as Israel/Jacob/Ephraim/Judah, pronouns such as him/his and them/their are used. Whereas when Scripture references specific cities such as Zion, Jerusalem, Holy City, Samaria, Babylon, etc, it uses the feminine pronouns (Isaiah 10:11,47:1,5, 51:17-18, 52:1-2, 62:1-2).

“Has Israel been defined as ‘My Servant’ such as in Isaiah 52:13?”

I then asked myself, “Has Israel been defined as ‘My Servant’ such as in Isaiah 52:13?” Again, surprisingly, yes. Isaiah 44:1-2,21-22, 45:4, 48:20, 49:3; (other general references 50:10; 52:13).

When reading any other book, would you insert a different subject just because they have similarities and then deem that one chapter is all about a different person not identified within the book? For example, while reading a book about the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust, no one would pick out one chapter and say, “Oh, this must be about Anne Frank, because she was a Jew that suffered in the Holocaust” when there is no mention specifically of Anne Frank.

More specifically, let’s examine each verse of Isaiah 53 to see other themes of these same sentiments further proving this text is about Israel, not specifically and exclusively Jesus.

Isaiah 53 | Verse-By-Verse

Isaiah 53:1 arm of the LORD = strength; see Isaiah 51:9, 59:16; 63:5 and Psalm 44:4 all of which speaks to this pattern is all of God’s doing, His strength and His will, the arm of the LORD;

53:2 no form or comeliness is likened to Zephaniah 3:12 referring to the remnant as meek and humble;

53:3 the servant is despised and rejected; despised and we did not esteem him is similar to Psalm 44:13-15, but especially Isaiah 49’s reference to Israel being rejected by men, yet later esteemed or raised up just as the later part of Isaiah 52 and 53 speak to. Notice the entire passage of Isaiah 49 is about Israel, the servant (vs 3), who is afflicted by men (vs 13-14), and just as Isaiah 52:13-15 speaks to the “servant” being miraculously extolled higher than kings which shocks the kings that this little nation is now honored, Isaiah 49:23-26, Isaiah 51 speak to the same prophecy as does all of Isaiah 60, but specifically Isaiah 60:14-15, as well as Isaiah 62:2-4;

53:4 wounded, stricken, smitten and afflicted by God – compare to the remnant of Israel being afflicted in Zephaniah 3:19, Psalm 44:24-25, Isaiah 51:7,12 (notice Isaiah 51:9 referring to the arm of the LORD just as Isaiah 53:1 and the close proximity of these parallel verses); also, see Isaiah 60:14-15;

53:5 all of Israel will suffer for the sins of Israel (i.e. even the righteous remnant such as Daniel and Jeremiah were carried off into the Babylonian captivity). Also, compare the servant being bruised for iniquities then healed to Israel being bruised for their iniquities in Isaiah 30:9-15, then bind up the bruise and healed in Isaiah 30:26;

53:6 is about the entire community being held accountable for sins. Should one person sin, they all suffer; hence, why there are incidents in the Jewish Bible of drastically removing the offender from the camp (i.e. Joshua 7-9). God is big on community, unity, and being in one accord; hence, why God stresses throughout Torah that we are responsible for one another (think Cain and Abel; love your neighbor; priests sacrificing for the entire community should there be unintentional sin members committed) or how God’s entire justice system is designed to hold one another accountable. Remember, the prophet Isaiah was the prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom of Israel/10 tribes/House of Israel. So when the majority of the House of Israel sins, hence “we (House of Israel) like sheep have gone astray”, everyone suffers including the few righteous ones just like Jeremiah and Daniel suffered in the Southern Kingdom/House of Judah when the Babylonians took the Jews to Babylon and held them captive. Some of Judah had sinned and consequently, God sent the Babylonians to discipline them for 70 years due to their violation of God’s land laws. Nevertheless, the righteous remnant paid heavily too (Jeremiah, Daniel, and others). We see that same concept in the second part of the verse, “and the LORD has laid on him (righteous remnant of House of Israel) the sins of us all (the majority of people of Israel/House of Israel)” and is likened to Zephaniah 3:13 as well as Ezekiel 34 and Psalm 44:11;

53:7 the servant/he didn’t open his mouth is also referenced of the righteous remnant of Israel learning to not open their mouth in rest and quietness Isaiah 30:15, Numbers 10:36, and Zephaniah 3:13, and Psalm 46:10/11 (depending on if you are using the Hebrew or Christian Bibles);  sheep for slaughter, the sheep being representative of Israel, is also found in Jeremiah 11:19 and 12:3 as well as Psalm 44:22;

53:8 the righteous servant/remnant being cut off from land of living is also referenced in Jeremiah 11:19 whereas Israel being cut off from the land/living in general is mentioned in 1 Kings 9:6-7 and  Ezekiel 37:11;

53:9 no deceit in his mouth is also referenced in Zephaniah 3:13 of no deceit being in the mouth of the righteous remnant (even the author of the Book of Revelation seemed to understand this reference is about Israel see Revelation 14:5 and how it is referencing the 144,000 righteous remnant of Israel found in Revelation 7);

53:10 again references bruising the servant as did 53:5 and 30:26; note: Jesus/Yeshua had no physical seed or offspring to carry on his legacy, but Israel’s descendants continue to be fruitful and multiply. The prophet Isaiah also prophecized a tenth of the holy seed will remain in chapter 10:13;

53:11 -12 by his knowledge – knowledge or wisdom in the Bible always refers to Torah/God’s laws see Hosea 4:6 as an example or Proverbs 3. Obeying Torah is defined as being righteous and received by God (see Psalm 95:6-11; 103, 119 and Isaiah 1:16-20, as just a few examples, but really it is everywhere in the Tanakh/Jewish Bible.) Also, notice Isaiah 26 speaks all about salvation and the importance of learning righteousness in Isaiah 26:8-12 or Isaiah 48:17-19. Israel, specifically the Jewish people, are called to be the light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6-8 and 49:3,6), and how are Jews to be the light? By living Torah, obeying God’s voice, which is Torah (Deuteronomy 28:1; Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23; 4:2) so that the world might come to know how to be physically saved or spared and therefore not perish (Hosea 4:6). The righteous remnant repeatedly intercedes and suffers on behalf of the people (see Moses and Aaron and all the prophets as examples), but moreover, the righteous remnant lead in love simply by example of a Torah-observant lifestyle (to the best of their ability). Isaiah 53 speaks to the affliction of Israel; Isaiah 54 speaks to the literal, physical salvation of the Jews/Israel; Isaiah 55 is an invitation for all to follow their example; Isaiah 56 explains the Gentiles/foreigners who also keep God’s covenant (Torah), are also saved/gathered to Mt Zion.

Notice the prophets say nothing about one must believe in a Messiah to die for their sins for forgiveness, they simply must repent and turn to the LORD and His ways.

Next, after pondering such concepts, I thoroughly researched the Scriptures to find where it indicates a person will need to die for my sins and that one is eternally damned in their sins. To my surprise, I found “salvation” is always referencing a literal, physical saving, no one can die for another’s sins for we each are held accountable for our individual sins (Deuteronomy 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6, Jeremiah 31:29-30, Ezekiel 18:19-24, 33:12-20) while often collectively subjected to disciplining judgments as previously discussed above. Moreover, to benefit from God’s grace, all one must do is repent and He will gladly forgive (see Psalm 103 and Isaiah 1:16-20 or the story of Jonah and how even the Gentiles had been forgiven simply for repenting or the repeated message of the Prophets).

Christianity teaches if you don’t believe in Jesus you are damned to hell, eternally lost, part of the Anti-Christ Spirit, etc. while the Hebrew/Jewish Scriptures teach if you believe in Jesus you are an idolater and will be held accountable for your sins as we all are. In fact, it could be argued the trouble of Jacob, as prophecized by Daniel 12 (and other passages of judgment on Israel), could be because of Christians and Messianics propagating idolatry (the worship of Jesus) in the land of Israel. Choose this day whom you will serve and choose wisely.

Friends, Israel, more specifically the righteous Jewish remnant, are the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. I hope you will research all these Scriptures prayerfully.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Shalom and blessings to Gentiles and Jews alike!

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Why Jesus Didn’t Die For Your Sins

Christianity teaches that Jesus, the perfect sinless lamb-of-God had to die for people’s sins so they can be forgiven and make it to heaven. Christianity also touts that it is only through a blood sacrifice a person can receive atonement for any sin, whether intentional, unintentional, past or future sin. It is propagated to congregants that all of us, whether Jew or Gentile, are eternally doomed unless we believe Jesus is the Messiah who died and overcame sin and death through the resurrection. Guilt, condemnation, and fear are the key ingredients while dangling promises of heaven and eternal life to motivate people to believe. These beliefs come from various places throughout the New Testament, which just by cleverly labeling it the “New” Testament sends the message anything before it is old news, invalid, and irrelevant. Out with the old, in with God’s new and improved way of doing things. And yet, Malachi 3:6 and 1 Samuel 15:29 clearly state God is neither a human nor does God change. We do. With that said, let us explore what the “Old” Testament, or Hebrew Bible, has to say about sin, sacrifices, forgiveness, believing in the Messiah to be saved, etc.

These verses of 1 Samuel 15:29 are from Christian versions.

While it is true that all of man sins eventually as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:23 and it is true sin has consequences as he further explains in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death,” it is not necessarily death or blood of an animal or blood of a human in Jesus’ case that can make it right or to put in Biblical terms, make atonement. It can be confusing, however, when a Christian cherry-picks verses, as they (formerly we) seem to specialize in doing in order to propagate a doctrine. Christian missionaries and ministers often point to Leviticus 17:11 which in part states, “For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” That is their AH-HA GOTCHA moment. And yet, when studying sacrifices and other passages found in the Hebrew Bible, we see God provides a variety of methods to teach His people a tangible lesson about sin and forgiveness; moreover, He provides grace and mercy well before Jesus and still today regardless of Jesus.

First, understand, that there are many different types of sacrifices, most of which are a form of praise and worship and have nothing to do with sin such as the burnt offering, meal offering, the daily morning and evening offerings, various offerings during the feasts of the LORD, etc. In fact, the sin and trespass offerings, also known as the purification and guilt offerings, are only for unintentional sin, meaning you, your household, the congregation, or the nation accidentally violated God’s law without realizing He had a law against such a thing.

Second, please study and know there is no sacrifice for intentional sin only unintentional sin. Understanding this concept is critical. I encourage you to get a Strong’s Concordance or Google the terms unintentional and intentional in the Bible. You will not find any sacrifice for intentional sin for if you knowingly and purposely sinned, you went through God’s judicial process and would have been eventually stoned or cut off (same thing) should the account of two or three witnesses manifest. The sin or purification offering is for if a sin was unintentionally committed against the LORD whereas the trespass or guilt offering was if a person unintentionally sinned against another person and by default the LORD as well. You will notice Leviticus chapters 4-6 states that those who unintentionally sinned against their brother, neighbor, or another person had to make restitution to the person they accidentally sinned against. Hence, love God, love others concept taught in both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. While reading about the trespass also known as the guilt offering, notice in Leviticus 5:6-13, that the Torah teaches if a person cannot afford to bring a lamb, goat, turtledoves, or a pigeon, they can instead simply bring flour for forgiveness. Flour for forgiveness?! And yet, there is no blood in flour so based on Christian theology, how could that person be forgiven? Nevertheless, Scripture reveals that a person shall be forgiven indeed (see vs. 13). The overall message, God is teaching His people is, yes, sin has consequences, and He uses the concept of sacrifices whether it be ideally a costly sacrifice of an animal or even flour to reveal even unintentional sin is not to be taken lightly (pun intended) and yet certainly forgivable upon repentance. Now learn your lesson and don’t let it happen again.

The Book of Hebrews, along with other New Testament books, replaced words from various Scriptures found in the Hebrew Bible. Consequently, Christians are led to believe God required a human sacrifice to put an end to animal sacrifices. Compare Hebrews 10:5-8 to the Psalm the author cited in Psalm 40:6-8. We can see in this example the anonymous author of Hebrews significantly revised the Psalm, making it seem like a human sacrifice was required.

Rather, the sin sacrifice of animals is simply a tangible physical means God uses to reveal the concept of consequences and accountability for ourselves and one another. God recognizes humans need physical, tangible memorials to help us remember Him and His instructions for living – see Numbers 15:37-41 as another tangible physical reminder. God commanded the Israelites to wear tzittzits, strings from the hem of their garments to remind them to obey God’s commands.

Similar to the lesson of the sin sacrifices, as a parent, at times you take away your kid’s electronics or TV time when they sin. Upon doing so, it’s not because you need their electronics, rather you are insisting they sacrifice something with the hopes of teaching them what they did is not permissible in your eyes and they ought not to do it again. You, like our Heavenly Parent, hopefully, are fair and just upon deciding what they must sacrifice on an age-appropriate and offense-appropriate level or affordability level. Flour.

Third, understand sacrifices cannot be made in your backyard or just anywhere you please, but rather can only be made in the place the LORD chooses being in the Temple in Jerusalem (see Exodus 20:24; Leviticus 17:3-6; Deuteronomy 12:13-14, 16:5-6), which at this point in time does not exist. This is the only reason sacrifices are not currently happening. Nevertheless, notice what King Solomon proclaims in a prophetic prayer as he dedicates the first temple. In 1 Kings 8:22-53, but especially highlight verses 44-50 for it is there we see Solomon describes a variety of scenarios for both Jew and Gentile to receive forgiveness including when Jews are dispersed in various lands, taken captive, etc. with no capability of accessing the Temple, all they must do is repent and God will forgive them! Lamentations 3:22-26 as does Psalm 50-51, Psalm 103, Isaiah 1:16-20, and numerous other passages throughout the Hebrew Bible clearly state all one must do is pray to God and repent for their sin and He will gladly forgive them! I implore you to search this out for yourself. Explore terms like sin, forgiveness, salvation, etc. in the Hebrew Bible – an enlightening picture will unfold.

Fourth, did you know that Torah, God’s teachings, will be taught to the entire world from Jerusalem? Several passages such as Isaiah 2; Micah 4; and Ezekiel 44 reveal Torah will be taught. Moreover, the nations must also comply with Torah, God’s voice, His law one day INCLUDING worshipping God on the Jewish Sabbath according to Isaiah 66:22-24 AND bring sacrifices, according to Zechariah 14:16-21.

Fifth, please study the future prophecies found in Ezekiel 36-48, which include the resurrection, regathering, and restoration of all twelve tribes of Israel to the land of Israel. Within those incredible chapters notice the prophet Ezekiel shares that not only will God’s Torah be willingly obeyed by the House of Judah and the House of Israel, but that sacrifices will once again resume. What’s fascinating is these sacrifices are being led by the prince, presumably what some refer to as the Messiah, or an anointed ruler (see Ezekiel 44-46). Notice in Ezekiel 45:15-25, that the “prince” makes sin or purification offerings as well as all the other offerings on behalf of himself and the people, but only for unintentional sins as discussed previously. If Jesus is the one and only Messiah or “prince,” the perfect sinless lamb of God who made a sacrifice once and for all as the anonymous author of Hebrews proclaims, why does the Hebrew Bible prove otherwise?

Also, you will find there is no sinless Messiah described in the Hebrew Bible for it clearly states there is no one without sin according to 1 Kings 8:46 and Ecclesiastes 7:20.

Lastly, in Jeremiah 31, the chapter that predicts the new covenant, notice verse 30 says, “But everyone shall die for his own iniquity.” That’s strange don’t you think? Why doesn’t it say that Jesus will be the final sacrifice as he will die for everyone’s iniquity and the world will live happily or heavenly ever after? Why doesn’t it say this here in Jeremiah 31 particularly when it is discussing the New Covenant? The entire chapter of Jeremiah 31 is revealing the future full regathering and restoration of Israel one fine day in the New Covenant and yet, is still speaking of people dying for their own sin – being responsible for their own sin not trusting in Jesus to do it for them.

The law and prophets clearly speak to this several times as if giving plenty of advance warning of a future religion that will teach such concepts – most likely because this concept of human sacrifices has been a pagan practice since before ancient Israel even existed! Please review Deuteronomy 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6; Psalm 49:7; Ezekiel 18 and 33, all of which speak to the fact that a human cannot die for another human’s sins. Everyone is accountable to God for themselves. So why do we think Jesus, a human, can die for our sins?

Also, now knowing the law and prophets speak nothing towards such concepts of a Messiah dying for our sins, nor do we need to believe in a Messiah to be saved, and we now understand human sacrifice for the atonement of sin is forbidden, plus forgiveness is granted simply by repenting when a temple is not in place, and when it is in place, flour can be used as a substitute for blood, and if God does nothing without revealing it to His prophets first as Amos 3:7 states, why would we suddenly think God changed not only His pure language (see Zephaniah 3:9) from Hebrew to Greek, did away with His instructions found in Torah, and yet didn’t reveal it to His prophets of such dramatic changes or that a person must believe in His one and only son, the Messiah, in order to be forgiven and saved?

Ironically, I discovered this and so much more when I attempted to write an article proving Jesus is the Messiah using only the Old Testament. Needless to say, upon doing so, over many astonishing and grievous months, God “flip-flopped” my faith as His word clearly declares Jesus did not die for my sins, your sins, or anyone’s sins but his own!

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