Sunday 31 July 2016

Rightly Dividing the Old Testament

Zechariah's prophecy about nations keeping the Feast of Tabernacles and being cursed if they don't, is not necessarily in the future, "after" Christ's return, just because the rest of the passage describes things which seem eschatological. The Prophets sometimes discussed two or three themes in the same passage. 

If everything in such passages is still future, then Jesus was too early to be Messiah - because the Prophets sometimes spoke about Messiah's coming in the same passage as they spoke about still-future things. And that's the position of Orthodox Judaism.


But that's an impossible position - and it wasn't the position of the Apostles - nor of our Lord.

Rightly dividing Old Testament prophecy is really only possible in light of New Testament teaching, as given by Jesus and the Apostles. The New Testament rules-out a return to the shadow, to Judaism, in future.

The New Testament teaches that while we still await the second coming and eternal Kingdom, Messiah has already come and inaugurated the prophesied Kingdom-scheme - in those who believe: and without the rituals of the Law. 

This good news of the Kingdom was announced to Jews first (fulfilling Promise and Prophecy); then also to Gentiles (also fulfilling Promise and Prophecy).

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