Restoration of the Scriptural Narrative

As talmidim of Yeshua, in the 21st it is our mission to build upon the work started by the 1st century Messianic Community, which developed during the forty-year period between the death and resurrection of Yeshua and the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 CE. The seven stages of human development expressed through the Chiastic Metaphor, were fully expressed by to end of the 1st century and should have moved out into the wider world of the nations, during the 2nd century and beyond.

However, since the early years of the 2nd century CE, the scriptures became divided into two separate portions, with Rabbinical Judaism embracing only the words of Tanakh, while having rejected Yeshua as their long awaited Mashiach. Conversely, Christendom embraced the B’rit Hadashah and considered the Tanakh as little more than Jewish history that had little or no direct bearing on the way the Churches operated. As a consequence, the Christian world referred to the Tanakh as the Old Testament and the B’rit Hadashah as the New Testament, which meant the Sovereign Plan of God, was split into two separate portions. It became a divided book, which assisted in driving the 1st century Messianic Community out of sight for a period of 1900-years.

In the year 67 CE, just three years before the 2nd Temple was destroyed, the religious Zealots from the Galil (Galilee) provoked a rebellion against Roman rulership of Y’hudah, which marked the beginning of the 1900-year long Gentile domination of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). However, the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948 CE paved the way for the Six-day war in June 1967 CE. That war returned the sovereignty of Yerushalayim back to the people of Y’hudah as prophesied by Yeshua in the words of Luke 21:20-24, where he said:-

“When you see Yerushalayim surrounded by armies, then you are to understand that she is about to be destroyed. Those in Y’hudah must escape to the hills, those inside the city must get out, and those in the country must not enter it. For these are the days of vengeance, when everything that has been written in the Tanakh will come true. What a terrible time it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress in the Land and judgment on the people. Some will fall by the edge of the sword, others will be carried into all the countries of the Goyim, and Yerushalayim will be trampled down by the Goyim until the age of the Goyim has run its course.

Those verses were finally fulfilled in the Six-day war. However, 100-years earlier the rebirth of the long suppressed Messianic Movement began in London, England in 1867 CE. In that year with the formation of the first modern Hebrew Christian Alliance, as an extensive outreach programme began and was directed toward the Jewish people who by that stage were scattered throughout the world. From those humble beginnings a number of other Hebrew Christian Alliances developed throughout Europe and USA and in 1975, the International Messianic Jewish Alliance was formed. It took until the latter half of the 20th century before the Christian domination over the Jewish members of the Messianic Community began to decline!

The dawn of this 21st century saw the publication of the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) – authored by Dr. David Stern, which brought back the Hebraic character of the scriptures and for the first time 1900-years and both the Tanakh and the B’rit Hadashah were brought together as one complete book. No longer was there a separation between the so called Old and New Testaments. Instead both became one continuous narrative!

Just as the Sovereign Plan of God, is revealed in seven distinct stages, so also is the scriptural narrative comprises seven distinct portions, a feature that is only visible when the Tanakh and the B’rit Hadashah are united as one complete book. Only then is the Sovereign Plan of God seen as a fully developed progressive revelation which are brought together in seven parts:-

The first ten chapters of Genesis – Creation to the tower of Bavel,
The Patriarchal Era – Avraham going to Kena’an through to Ya’akov going to Egypt,
The giving of Torah – Exodus to the destruction of the 1st Temple,
The 2nd Temple Era – between the return from Babylon to Eretz-Yisra’el and the birth of Yeshua,
The Besorah – the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Yeshua HaMashiach,
The 1st century Messianic Era – the letters and the teachings of the emissaries (Apostles),
The Book of Revelation – which explores life beyond the end of the 1st century C.E.

These seven stages cover the whole development mankind and form the complete Scriptural narrative, which when brought together as one complete inspired work of the Ruach HaKodesh do they truly represent the universal Sovereign Plan of God.

The Task for Talmidei Yeshua

The task set before all who are called to be Talmidim of Yeshua, is to ensure the restoration of the whole Scriptural narrative, by revealing the unchanging pathway that leads toward the return of our Master Yeshua. Hence, complete restoration the scriptural narrative, through the Ruach HaKodesh enables both Jews and Gentiles to unite as one, in accordance with the 1st century model expressed through the words of Sha’ul in Ephesians 2:13 and 15b:- Now, you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah’s blood.... v15b He did this in order to create in union with himself from the two groups a single new humanity and thus make shalom.

A Modern Midrash (Allegory)

The tragic division of the scriptural message into two distinctly separate portions defined as the OT and the NT can perhaps be best understood by applying the following 21st century Midrash, which allegorises how the separation occurred and how the reunification of both portions brings the whole scriptural narrative into shaper focus as expressed through the use of modern versions like the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB).

The Midrash - The separation and reunification of the Scriptures can be likened to the restoration of a badly damaged two storey house. Imagine a magnificent house that was designed by a master architect and constructed by a well qualified builder. The lower and upper storeys of the house having well crafted walls, with doors and windows correctly placed to provide light and comfortable access for the occupants. Every element of the house worked together to provide protection from wind, rain and scorching sun and at the centre of the house a grand staircase providing access between lower the upper storeys. The interior walls were adorned with high quality pictures from many communal activities and events, along with portraits of important people. Both the architect and the builder were well pleased with the completed house.

The owner drew the first occupants from many different cultures. But, as time went by they trashed the house and owner decided it should be occupied only by his family. Having thrown out the earlier tenants, twelve clans of the owner's family had sole occupancy for a long period. But slowly even they trashed the house and had to be evicted. In their absence the owner refurbished the dwelling and re-established just one of the twelve family clans in the restored house. Again, after another prolonged period, the owner sent his son to enquire why the family members had let other people into the house without the approval of the owner. The family responded by killing the owner’s only son, their own flesh and blood. However, the son left behind his agent to help the family make good the dilapidated condition of the house. The agent even brought in some foreigners to help with the work but to no avail. A short time later a strong societal earthquake occurred, and the house was severely damaged. The upper and lower floors were torn apart and the roof became dislodged. Following the earthquake, the owner’s family reclaimed occupancy rights and continued dwelling in the lower storey only. Meanwhile some former family members joined with other foreigners from many cultures and claimed their right to live in the house. They took possession of the broken and displaced upper storey, which had fallen to the ground and lay unoccupied.

The new occupants forced a door into the upper storey and dwelt there totally separated from the lower storey. Neither portion of the house sat on a solid foundation and neither was watertight and self sustaining. A very long time passed with both groups living like squatters in their portion of the house. As time lingered on the errant family members and their foreign friends who had moved into the upper storey continually mistreated the owner’s original family members who had moved back into the lower storey demanding the family leave the house completely or join with them in the upper storey.

Restoration of the House

Finally, after a very long absence the owner decreed that the house should be restored to its former glory and that both his original family and the foreigners should dwell together in unity. But could such a badly damaged house be restored to its former glory? Finally, the restoration process got underway and late in the 20th century the agent of owner’s son arranged the supervision of the restorative work. He called the son's brothers and sisters together and assigned each one a task as part of the rebuild. Both the upper and lower storeys were put back together onto the original foundation and the roof was reinstated. The internal staircase was rebuilt, and the integrity of the whole house was restored to its former glory.

So, what is the significance of this midrash and how does it relate to the Scriptural narrative and who are the characters involved?

The owner of the house is God the Father, and his son is Yeshua.
The son’s agent is the Ruach HaKodesh,
The original family is Isra’el, and the single returning clan was Y'hudah.
The foreigners were people of many nations,
The foundation and lower storey is the Tanakh. The upper storey is the B’rit Hadashah,
Revelation is the roof, which latterly protects all occupants who dwell together in the house of God,
Finally, the staircase is Yeshua who enables the occupants of both the lower and upper storey's to integrate together as united body of people.

Bringing the lower and upper storeys back together on a solid foundation was the first major step toward restoration. Reuniting the Tanakh and the B'rit Hadashah as one, paved the way for the two waring parties of Judaism and Christianity to slowly unite as one family. Reinstatement of the roof and the internal staircase restored could both groups to fully integrate. Only when all the restoration work is complete will the scriptural narrative, be fully restored and functional, in the way God originally intended. Only then will the family living in house of God collectively bring Glory to the owner of the house.

Unity Through Yeshua

As the restored house only needs one entrance door it must be through the lower storey. Then the staircase provides access to the upper storey, so that the whole united family can have access to the whole house. The having been put back in place ensures that all who dwell in the house are protected from the forces of the adversary. Finally, the whole family along with foreigners invited by the owner will all be able to fully integrate. The owner’s son being the staircase that had been fully restored is the only means by which the two storey’s can function together as one.

When Yeshua returns as the staircase between heaven and earth, will there be lasting unity between Isra’el and the nations and the age to come Yeshua will fulfil the words in Genesis (B’resheet) 28:12, we read about the ladder to heaven that Ya’akov saw in his dream and in Yochanan 1:51, Yeshua himself will be the ladder like the staircase between the lower and upper storeys and heaven and earth and between the Jews and the nations.

The Twelve Aspects of Messianic Life

As Talmidim of Yeshua it is our privilege and task in this 21st century to restore fully the house of God. Only through the complete restoration of the scriptural narrative as one Book will the world be able to see the long ago intended Sovereign Plan of God. Now it is now time to look in detail at the Twelve aspects of Messianic Life as set forth in the twelve panels that follow.

"This essay was written by Graeme Purdie – Founder of Talmidei Yeshua Messianic Ministry of NZ and may only be shared in full and must include this citation at all times. All scriptural references, unless stated otherwise, have been taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029 www.messianicjewish.net."

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