BULLSEYE!
ACCURATE
BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!
FOR THE
TRIBULATION JEW?”
There are two theories about who Paul the Apostle was
writing to in his
Book to the Hebrews. Were they backslidden Christians or was it for
Jews in the
upcoming seven year tribulation? Neither.
When studying the English of the King James Bible for
what it says and
not what it means, the answer becomes obvious – it was to those Jews
who were
being persecuted by the hard liners of Moses (let’s call them the
Mosaics) for
leaving them, but had not yet received Christ as their Saviour as
Christians.
They were believers and followers of Christ as the Messiah (let’s call
them the
Messianics) when he was alive, but were now at loose end, and were
coming short
of believing that Jesus had to be their Saviour now that he was dead
after the
cross.
They were caught in the middle. They were not yet
Christians.
Paul in his epistle puts forward all the arguments as to
why
they must have JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOUR not just CHRIST AS THEIR MESSIAH.
Although the epistle
is written to all physical descendants of Abram the Hebrew (Gen 14:13),
Paul
writes the entire 13 chapters while in prison for the 2nd
time,
around 67-68 AD (Heb 10:34;13:23-24) and addresses a particular group
of Jews -
those who have received Christ as Messiah only (Messianics)
called the “illuminated” (Heb 10:32).
While Paul
acknowledges that they have believed that Christ is the Messiah, he
urges them
to consider and desire “the end”
(Heb 3:15
No. Under Aaron
(Heb 5:4), (his name means ‘enlightened’
Ex30:8, Num8:2), the
Jew under Moses is referred to as ‘enlightened’ (Heb 6:4). Now those whose beliefs
had shifted to the doctrine of Christ (Messianics) (Heb 6:1), Paul
addresses as
the ‘illuminated’ (Heb 10:32),
thereby being called ‘once
enlightened’ (Heb 6:4).
No. Paul’s readers
were not Christian but had tasted the word of God (Heb 6:5) and
partaken of the
Holy Ghost (not permanently) as had David (Mar 12:36
It’s the doctrine
containing all six elements (Heb 6:1-4) as taught by Jesus Christ
himself as
the Messiah.
In Hebrews, Paul
desires the final destination for the ‘illuminated’ Jew to be
‘the
end’ in Jesus Christ as the Saviour (Heb 6:11). There is
another
‘the end’ for the Jew (Matthew 24:14; Dan 12:8-13) involving
Tribulation faith
and works (
How does Paul describe
the Messianics struggle unto Jesus?
They are encouraged to
“…shew the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope unto the end” (Heb 6:11
No. Perhaps the reader
of this tract, can identify with the struggle that can go on for many
years for
the person wanting ‘spiritual rest’ (to be saved) and various attempts
may
produce temporary relief via other religions, new age, yoga and
meditation etc.
However, when finally saved by God’s grace by believing on Jesus the
Saviour,
the struggle stops and “Ah! The rest!
The end of the struggle!” You had a labour to get there, but you
weren’t
working for your salvation!
Yes. Firstly,
for the ‘enlightened’ Jew to become ‘illuminated’, meant a cataclysmic
separation from their traditions, kinsmen and beliefs.
For the Jew it has
always been the besetting sin of ‘unbelief’. While the ‘illuminated’
Jew knows
that Jesus is his ‘author’, he is in
two minds (Heb 3:12,Heb 4:11) about receiving him as ‘finisher’ (Saviour)
(Heb 12:2).
In rejecting Jesus’
blood, the ‘illuminated’ Jews, had, or were at least considering,
returning to
Moses’ law of animal blood.
Paul says “I’ve shown
you that Levitical blood is only a shadow of the real thing - and by
rejecting
Jesus’ blood, you wipe your feet on him. Furthermore, you shame the
once holy
animal sacrifice, by continuing to perform it.” (paraphrase of Heb
10:29)
This “…another day..” (Heb 4:8) is the
day
of entering the rest of Jesus. Today, many people join a church, get
baptized
and try to live a good moral life, but they can see “the day
approaching” when
they must make a decision to get saved or leave. Now a good pastor will
urge
these unsaved, to not forsake ‘the
assembling’ of themselves with Christians and counsel them to get
saved.
Paul urges the ‘illuminated’ to keep meeting with “ourselves” (
Paul doesn’t address
Christian churches with the Jewish language of this chapter. Despite
hoping the
Messianic is convinced by the first 12 chapters, he doesn’t let up on
them, as
he persists in telling them of the Saviour with their own Jewish terms
and
references.
Heb 13:1 ‘Brotherly love’ is not an exclusive term for Christians
(2Sa 1:26). Heb 13:2 Levitical law is
full of the treatment of strangers
and here Jesus is the stranger Heb 13:3 Keep
up your help for Christians in bonds Heb 13:4 A nice
way of alluding to their infidelity of returning to animal
blood instead of having the blood of Jesus Heb 13:5 Stop coveting and returning
to animal sacrifice Heb 13:5-6 Echoes Deut
31:6-8 with God Jehovah
being Jesus the Saviour. Heb 13:7
“We Christians have given you God’s word, now follow our faith to
‘the end’
in Jesus.” Heb 13:8 This reinforces Jesus of Heb 4:8; 6:20; 10:19 and Heb 12:24 Heb 13:9 animal blood sacrifice no longer
needed Heb 13:10-13 Paul uses
familiar Jewish ‘shadow’ terms and phrases to
describe Jesus Heb 13:14
Earthly Jerusalem
is passing away Heb 13:15 Animal
blood sacrifices have been replaced with lips of praise. Heb 13:16 God approves the sacrifices
that support
Christians Heb 13:17 See verse 7 Heb 13:18 A
good conscience is the purged conscience (
Paul loves all Jews
(Rom 9:3), but being rejected by the Mosaics, he writes to the
Messianic in
this Hebrew epistle, who, he hopes, just
might hear him one last time before Jerusalem is destroyed. God
knowing
that some Jews would get ‘stuck’ in the Messianic kingdom of heaven
gospel, and
in danger of going back to Moses, lovingly gives them their own
specially
written kingdom of God gospel of ‘believe’, just prior to Jerusalem’s
destruction.
None whatsoever. God
ceases to warn the Jew in this epistle, with their history of deafness
toward
God (Heb 5:11), as he only talks of “better
promises” (Heb 8:6); of a better “new
covenant” (Heb 8:8) where he’ll “…be
to them a God…they to me a people’;
‘merciful to their unrighteousness’;
‘sins and iniquities …remember no more’
(Heb 8:10-12). That’s all they could hear (Mat 13:15
What is the salvation
doctrine of Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews?
Only one - “Jesus’ ‘rest’
is ‘the end’,
resulting from your ‘labour’ unto (not into) ‘believing’ on him as
Saviour”. Tribulation faith and
works for salvation are absent from
this epistle.
No, it’ll be too late.
If any tribulation Jew attempts to prophecy or teach others about
‘enduring to
the end’ (Matt 24:13), he will be ‘thrust
… through’ (Zech 13:3) as God will open Jewish eyes not prophets or
teachers.
For the Tribulation
Jew, it will be a pointless exercise to study Hebrews for confirmation
that he
needs faith and works to be saved. Why?
It’s not there! However, prior to the
rapture, other passages (Matt 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and the book of
Revelation)
clearly outline their salvation efforts required in the Tribulation.
Please read on to
other titles about this subject; When is the End not the End
**** ****
Harley Hitchcock
This
website’s front page is:
www.
“When is the End not the
End?”
“Hebrews… Doctrine
for which
Dispensation?”
