Something Written by a Grafted Branch to the Tree

The following is a beautiful open letter I received from "a reader" of this blog who was sensitive to an urge from the Lord to write to a friend who had converted to Judaism. I thought it very appropriate to post this today, especially as Passover is nearly upon us. Perhaps there is a person out there who God will lead to this letter...

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This is an open letter from a grafted wild branch to the tree,

I believe with my whole heart in the God of Genesis 1....the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I love with all my heart the God of Deuteronomy 6 and I serve the God of Joshua 24.
I also believe in the God of Isaiah, Daniel, and the Psalms, and it is there I find the Saviour of my soul...my Kinsman Redeemer. My plea is for you to seek the Lord with all your heart (Deut 4:29) and search the scripture for the truth.

For your prayerful consideration.....

First, we must be on the same page that the Old Testament does prophetically point to a future messiah. The first reference is Deuteronomy 18:15....Moses is speaking to Israel..."The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him." Then the LORD speaking to Moses...vs.18..."I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account."

God said this coming prophet would be like Moses so that God's people would recognize him. An analysis of the life of Moses and the life of Jesus reveals at least fifty parallels. Both taught God's truth and confirmed their teaching with miracles. Both spent their early years in Egypt, miraculously protected from those who sought to kill them. Moses appointed 70 rulers over Israel, Jesus anointed 70 disciples to teach the nations. Moses stretched forth his hand over the Red Sea to command it and walked through the water on dry land, Jesus rebuked the Sea of Galilee to quiet the storm and he walked on water. Moses sent 12 spies into the promised land, Jesus sent twelve apostles out into the world. Moses and Jesus both cured lepers, were rebelled against by the people, and fasted for 40 days. Moses and the people were fed by God with manna in the wilderness...Jesus said "I am the bread of life." Moses struck the rock upon God's direction to provide the children of Israel water to drink....Jesus said "I will give them living water...and he was the rock that provided it. Moses lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness to heal the people...Jesus was lifted up on the cross to heal all people from sin. Isaiah 28:16...."So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." Isaiah 8:13-14...The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy...and he will be a sanctuary; but for both the houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." Psalm 118:22..."The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone...."

Isaiah 53:3-8...

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.

Here in Isaiah we are introduced to the idea of a suffering messiah and that this coming one would bear the sins of the world...it says he was wounded for our transgressions and by his stripes we are healed.

Next is Psalm 22:1-18,27,28.....

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

7 All who see me mock me;....
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:....

14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

The Psalms also tell us the messiah will suffer greatly, but amazingly, all will eventually bow down to him and he will rule the nations. This is another very specific and detailed blueprint for Israel’s messiah.

Even the timing of this messiah was foretold by the prophet Daniel.

Daniel 9:25..."“ Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
26 “ And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself..."

I must tell you at this point that this portion of Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled precisely, to the day, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, which was also prophesied. Zechariah 9:9..."Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Back to Isaiah....

Isaiah 7:14..."Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 9:6-7..."For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."

At this point I think we've established that the Old Testament clearly points to an extraordinary man, a man that is more than a man, who will both suffer and reign forever. And it brings forth another concept that should be proven from the Old Testament text, and that is the concept of the Trinity. Here in Isaiah we are told that this man will be called Immanuel which means "God with us". This man will be called Mighty God and Everlasting Father. How can that be, except for the Trinity...God in three persons.

Genesis 1:26..."Then God said, Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness...

Micah 5:2..."But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times."

Proverbs 30:4...."Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? ...Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name and the name of his son?

Do you see Jesus? Don't you see him throughout the pages of the Old Testament? He is out of the line of Jacob (Numbers 24:17), he is from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), from the house of David (2 Samuel 7:16, 1 Chronicles 17:14). He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He was preceded by a forerunner, a voice in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3-5, Malachi 3:1), began his ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2), spoke in parables (Psalm 78:2) and worked many miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6). He lived a sinless life (Isaiah53:9) so that he could be a spotless lamb, (Exodus 12:5,21) (Isaiah 53:7,11). Just as the prophets foretold, he was rejected (Isaiah 53:1-3), betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9), for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13), he was mocked and spit upon (Psalm 22:7-8, Isaiah 50:6), his beard was pulled out (Isaiah 50:6), he was bruised (Isaiah 53:5), and whipped (Isaiah 53:5), his hands and feet were pierced (Psalm 22:16), being punished as a criminal (Isaiah 53:12). Psalm 22 records his exact words as his blood was poured out as atonement for the sin of the world (Isaiah 53:12), he was buried in a rich man's tomb (Isaiah 53:9), and rose from the dead (Isaiah 53:11).

Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the alter; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

Now I must move on to the New Testament because that is where our only hope lies. But we will begin where we left off...with the blood of sacrifice, because...."...without the shedding of blood , there is no remission (of sin)." Hebrews 9:22 ...."the wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23.

God would not be holy if he didn't condemn evil and he would not be just if he did not punish sin. We are unable to be perfect and live without sin, so we must be judged and punished. He postponed our judgment and temporarily covered our sin with the blood of animal sacrifice, until the messiah would come and atone for sin once and for all. Jeremiah 31:31 "The time is coming...declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel...I will put my law in their minds and will write it on their hearts...I will be their God and they will be my people...I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." So Jesus lived the perfect, sinless life and became the lamb without blemish of Exodus 12. He took our punishment for us through his suffering on the cross, he atoned for our sin with his blood and paid the price of sin which is death. Hebrews 9:15 "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." He could bear the sins of the whole world because he was God and because by one man sin entered the world...so also by one man could all be saved from sin....Romans 5:12-21. Hebrews 7:27 "..Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." This is the gospel of grace...the good news...the free gift of God...the forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus Christ!!!

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." Romans 1:16.

Ok, I know this is really heavy on scripture, but for good reason. My words mean nothing and have no power of persuasion, but "....the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ....Knowing therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men..." 2 Corinthians 5:10-12

Paul, writing to the Galatians’ who were slipping from the gospel of grace back under the law, says ...."After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galations 3:3. I would ask the same of you. Are you now convinced that you can earn your way to heaven and cover your own sins with good works or the keeping of the law? This is contrary to all of scripture. Even the Old Testament! "For whosoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles at just one point, he is guilty of breaking all of it." James 2:10, Deut.27:26. Abraham became righteous in God's sight through his faith...not by his works or the keeping of the law which had not even been given yet. "...Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.." Genesis 15:6. The book of Hebrews goes down the whole list...."By faith Abel offered unto God....By faith Enoch...By faith Noah....By faith Abraham...By faith Isaac, Jacob, Moses,..." you see, man has never been justified or made righteous by the keeping of the law. All the Old Testament saints were saved by faith, not by works. "For by grace are you saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not by works, lest any man boast." Ephesians 2;8-9. Faith is believing God, taking him at his word. They believed God's promises by looking forward in faith for the Messiah. We are looking back in faith at Messiah's finished work on the cross.

We are all lawbreakers and deserve God's judgment. There is only one sacrifice that is sufficient and it has been provided for us by God himself.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself as a ransom for all men..." 2 Timothy 2:5-6.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12

"...the word is near thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. For the scripture says, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile: for the same Lord is Lord over all and richly blesses all who call on him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:8-13

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33

"...the LORD will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God." Hebrews 10:31

"...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:19-21

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~AMEN~

Related:

One Messiah: Two Comings
by James Jacob Prasch
www.moriel.org

Daniel’s 70 Weeks
www.truthnet.org

On Eating Certain Foods
moriel.org

Messiah in Prophecy
www.whoisthemessiah.org