Is the OT relevant to Christians?
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Those who were of the believers before the (theirs and ours) Messiah appearedd were very much loved. Perhaps the Psalms would lead you to t
The OT is directed to the Israel within it. Judah is but one of twelve tribes, that is eleven and two half tribes of Josef.
If understood without the veil of Moses, the reader will understand the Godpel of Jesus Yeshua, for the prophets and the law point to Him.
The OT is directed to the Israel within it. Judah is but one of twelve tribes, that is eleven and two half tribes of Josef.
If understood without the veil of Moses, the reader will understand the Godpel of Jesus Yeshua, for the prophets and the law point to Him.
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We are to learn from the kingdom of Israel as it was in the OT, but Jesus replaced it with the kingdom of heaven. John the Baptist announced it when he said in Matt. 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
The kingdom of Israel had earthly commands and it produced earthly blessings for obedience. Christ came to communicate with us through our heart, speaking of the spirit of the law rather than the law in stone. The spirit of the law has love in it and is the true law of the Lord.
The kingdom it replaced had a geographical territory, the kingdom of heaven's territory is heaven itself and it is eternal. The laws of this kingdom are given to us by Christ. We are to have faith in Christ as we become citizens of this kingdom. Our home is heaven.
The kingdom of Israel had earthly commands and it produced earthly blessings for obedience. Christ came to communicate with us through our heart, speaking of the spirit of the law rather than the law in stone. The spirit of the law has love in it and is the true law of the Lord.
The kingdom it replaced had a geographical territory, the kingdom of heaven's territory is heaven itself and it is eternal. The laws of this kingdom are given to us by Christ. We are to have faith in Christ as we become citizens of this kingdom. Our home is heaven.
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For me the old testament helps learn about truth. To think about difficult things and uncomfortable questions. But the key to answers for OT is Jesus. Without truth about Jesus OT is sealed and a puzzle. Jesus is a solution to OT puzzles. The OT reveals that I have sinned. I got revelation that I have done lot of wrongs to people around me by reading through commandments and espeacially through Salomon proverbs. As I understand that to come to faith to Jesus I need first to see the need for Jesus and that is that I cannot fulfill Gods standards, which are written in OT commandments. So I perceive OT as my School teacher that teaches me about Gods righteousness and Gods standards for man to live. But Jesus teaches me much more - Jesus teaches me how to full fill this standard through love and forgiveness.
We all aawait the New Jerusalem to be brought down by our Maker. We all await the King.
New Jerusalem is the capital of the Israel of Yah.
The Head of Israel is our King.
Something given to me in my sleep decades ago made me understand the roles of the first israel and the true dIsrael well.
A voice came saying, "The children of Israel , while in the wilderness, were disobedient, and by their disobedience salvation was gained by the nations."
For me, at least, this was all I needed to understand why the failure of the first Israel, and just how much more we have to look forward to in the Israel of Yah, the Jew firsst and then the Greek.
New Jerusalem is the capital of the Israel of Yah.
The Head of Israel is our King.
Something given to me in my sleep decades ago made me understand the roles of the first israel and the true dIsrael well.
A voice came saying, "The children of Israel , while in the wilderness, were disobedient, and by their disobedience salvation was gained by the nations."
For me, at least, this was all I needed to understand why the failure of the first Israel, and just how much more we have to look forward to in the Israel of Yah, the Jew firsst and then the Greek.
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It is.
There are four categories of old testament laws:
1. The sundry laws. This includes cleanliness and laws concerning what to eat and what was unclean for consumption. Jesus declared throughout His ministry that what the Father blesses is always fit for consumption. However, avoiding eating raw pork is still good advice for us today in 2021.
2. The sacrificial (ceremonial) laws. These are the Levitical laws that governed the types of sacrifices you'll find from Leviticus forward. Since Jesus is the unblemished, sacrificial Lamb of God, and He died on the Cross for your sins and mine, we no longer have to make animal sacrifices. As part of the New Covenant, Jesus became the one-time sacrificial lamb for all humankind.
3. The judicial laws. One of the most noteworthy of the judicial laws was the penalty of death if caught in the act of adultery. But Jesus made clear that even this part of the law was to be fulfilled by the New Covenant. I would encourage you to read about the woman caught in adultery here.
4. The moral laws. These are written in the ten commandments. And these are the laws that God commands us to obey today.
The first three sets of laws were fulfilled by the new covenant. Jesus dying on the cross to atone for our sins was the final sacrifice. There is nothing else to do now but accept the free gift of salvation through His work on the cross.
Because the penalty of sin is eternal separation from God, the only way you can go to heaven and spend eternity with Him is by saying out loud you acknowledge that you fall short of the Glory of God and you wish to sin no more. Then you say out loud that Jesus Christ saved you, that He rose from the dead in three days, and that He is Lord over your life.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:9-13 (ESV)
It's a life-changing experience, one that can be a bit scary at first. But once you make the decision to follow Christ, you receive the following:
I gave my life to Christ when I was twelve. And my parents had nothing to do with it. I chose to attend church even though they were unwilling.
I felt the supernatural power of God tugging at me at an early age. As an eight-year-old, I would sit for hours at a time reading my Good-News bible and all the stories about Jesus and how he was tempted by Satan in the desert.
Finally, with the encouragement of my pastor, I said this prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess all my sins. I turn away from them now to follow you. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me to pay the penalty of my sins. And I make Him my Lord and Savior from this day forward. Amen.
And if you've never prayed that prayer, I would encourage you to do it now. Why? Because everyone will live forever in eternity. It's just a matter of which place you want to be.
There are four categories of old testament laws:
1. The sundry laws. This includes cleanliness and laws concerning what to eat and what was unclean for consumption. Jesus declared throughout His ministry that what the Father blesses is always fit for consumption. However, avoiding eating raw pork is still good advice for us today in 2021.
2. The sacrificial (ceremonial) laws. These are the Levitical laws that governed the types of sacrifices you'll find from Leviticus forward. Since Jesus is the unblemished, sacrificial Lamb of God, and He died on the Cross for your sins and mine, we no longer have to make animal sacrifices. As part of the New Covenant, Jesus became the one-time sacrificial lamb for all humankind.
3. The judicial laws. One of the most noteworthy of the judicial laws was the penalty of death if caught in the act of adultery. But Jesus made clear that even this part of the law was to be fulfilled by the New Covenant. I would encourage you to read about the woman caught in adultery here.
4. The moral laws. These are written in the ten commandments. And these are the laws that God commands us to obey today.
The first three sets of laws were fulfilled by the new covenant. Jesus dying on the cross to atone for our sins was the final sacrifice. There is nothing else to do now but accept the free gift of salvation through His work on the cross.
Because the penalty of sin is eternal separation from God, the only way you can go to heaven and spend eternity with Him is by saying out loud you acknowledge that you fall short of the Glory of God and you wish to sin no more. Then you say out loud that Jesus Christ saved you, that He rose from the dead in three days, and that He is Lord over your life.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:9-13 (ESV)
It's a life-changing experience, one that can be a bit scary at first. But once you make the decision to follow Christ, you receive the following:
- A one-on-one relationship with the Creator of the universe. It may not seem fair at first that the only way is through Jesus Christ. But at least God the Father is giving you a second chance which lasts the rest of your life. Best of all, there's no religion needed. And it's the gift that keeps on forgiving.
- Your own personal Lord and Savior. This is huge. Not only do you get to spend eternity with God Almighty, but you also have a teacher, a friend, a mentor, an intercessor, a comforter, and a life coach all wrapped up in one person who knows you inside and out. And His love never fails.
- The Holy Spirit. Once you die to yourself and surrender to Christ, he sends to you the third person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit of God becomes your new conscience. He comforts and nurtures you, even when you are at your worst. He constantly reminds you that you are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
I gave my life to Christ when I was twelve. And my parents had nothing to do with it. I chose to attend church even though they were unwilling.
I felt the supernatural power of God tugging at me at an early age. As an eight-year-old, I would sit for hours at a time reading my Good-News bible and all the stories about Jesus and how he was tempted by Satan in the desert.
Finally, with the encouragement of my pastor, I said this prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess all my sins. I turn away from them now to follow you. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me to pay the penalty of my sins. And I make Him my Lord and Savior from this day forward. Amen.
And if you've never prayed that prayer, I would encourage you to do it now. Why? Because everyone will live forever in eternity. It's just a matter of which place you want to be.
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S
Salome, right from the start in Genesis, God said, Let there be LIGHT. Now consider; Who is the Light of the World? The Bible is called the Word of God, the Logos. Jesus Christ is THE WORD. If God is the author of the Bible, the Son of God is, too! He is that WORD without whom nothing was made. Everything in the Old Testament points to God’s plan of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.
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in Daniel 3, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were bound & thrown into the fire, to be destroyed,
but a fourth was there with them, the Son of God, giving them salvation because they put their trust in Him
that great king Nebuchadnezzar saw this and marveled - he praised God as the Lord of all lords, and declared that any nation, people or tongue that blasphemes Yah will be cut into pieces and their houses turned into an ash heap
why is this written for us?
is this not the gospel
but a fourth was there with them, the Son of God, giving them salvation because they put their trust in Him
that great king Nebuchadnezzar saw this and marveled - he praised God as the Lord of all lords, and declared that any nation, people or tongue that blasphemes Yah will be cut into pieces and their houses turned into an ash heap
why is this written for us?
is this not the gospel
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in Daniel 3, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were bound & thrown into the fire, to be destroyed,
but a fourth was there with them, the Son of God, giving them salvation because they put their trust in Him
that great king Nebuchadnezzar saw this and marveled - he praised God as the Lord of all lords, and declared that any nation, people or tongue that blasphemes Yah will be cut into pieces and their houses turned into an ash heap
why is this written for us?
is this not the gospel
but a fourth was there with them, the Son of God, giving them salvation because they put their trust in Him
that great king Nebuchadnezzar saw this and marveled - he praised God as the Lord of all lords, and declared that any nation, people or tongue that blasphemes Yah will be cut into pieces and their houses turned into an ash heap
why is this written for us?
is this not the gospel
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yes, Christ is God -- the Son of God, the invisible made visible, the exact image of Yah Who humbled Himself, taking off the robe of His glory ((which is that pillar of fire and cloud, the Shekinah that filled the temple)) and putting on flesh, becoming a man.
if you don't believe this you will not truly understand what you are reading - as JaumeJ said in post #43, that unbelief is a veil over your heart & mind ((2 Corinthians 3:14-16)), blinding you, so that you cannot see Him for Who He is, and Moses & the Psalms & the prophets are hidden from you, so that you wonder if they are really relevant at all, and you wonder even if God is not God in those accounts.
if you turn to Him, that veil is taken away, and all these scriptures will be opened up, so that you realize they are all testifying of Him. that is the whole purpose of what is written & what is left out: the last book in our Bibles is called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" but the entire Bible is the revelation of Him
if you don't believe this you will not truly understand what you are reading - as JaumeJ said in post #43, that unbelief is a veil over your heart & mind ((2 Corinthians 3:14-16)), blinding you, so that you cannot see Him for Who He is, and Moses & the Psalms & the prophets are hidden from you, so that you wonder if they are really relevant at all, and you wonder even if God is not God in those accounts.
if you turn to Him, that veil is taken away, and all these scriptures will be opened up, so that you realize they are all testifying of Him. that is the whole purpose of what is written & what is left out: the last book in our Bibles is called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" but the entire Bible is the revelation of Him
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Jesus is the one who declares it to be so:
when we read this we must ask ourselves:
because they rejected Him, they tried to kill Him.
Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM!”
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
(John 8:57-59)
(John 8:57-59)
when we read this we must ask ourselves:
are we just like these Jews? or do we believe Him?
and if we believe Him, what is the implication of what He is telling us?
the Jews understood immediately that He was declaring Himself to be YHWH, I AM THAT I AM. and if we believe Him, what is the implication of what He is telling us?
because they rejected Him, they tried to kill Him.
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and again, so you don't suspect i am pulling this from only one verse:
- contextually He is clearly not talking about 'over the last few years' when He says "how often!"
He is talking about through all of history. and if He is saying He Himself has longed to gather them under His wing throughout history, but they were unwilling, then Who is He?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
(Matthew 23:37-39)
He says "how often He wanted to gather you under His wings" (Matthew 23:37-39)
- contextually He is clearly not talking about 'over the last few years' when He says "how often!"
He is talking about through all of history. and if He is saying He Himself has longed to gather them under His wing throughout history, but they were unwilling, then Who is He?
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Of course OT is relevant to the NT. The OT is a witness and testimony to the NT. The NT is also a witness and testimony to the OT.
The OT provides literal examples of spiritual truths. These spiritual truths are concealed in the OT and are revealed in the NT. Does this make any sense?
I will give you one example: Jonah being swallowed by the whale and spit out three days later is a literal example of the spiritual truth that one must be born again. One must die to his old self and be born again.
Jonah is a literal example of a spiritual truth.
We can only be born again through faith in Jesus Christ who also was dead for three days before coming back to life.
The OT provides literal examples of spiritual truths. These spiritual truths are concealed in the OT and are revealed in the NT. Does this make any sense?
I will give you one example: Jonah being swallowed by the whale and spit out three days later is a literal example of the spiritual truth that one must be born again. One must die to his old self and be born again.
Jonah is a literal example of a spiritual truth.
We can only be born again through faith in Jesus Christ who also was dead for three days before coming back to life.
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But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.