Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Where are the old and the new covenants? What does salvation look like under the
old and the new covenants?
Most people think that the first covenant in the bible is the one with Noah, the second with
Abraham, the third with Moses, the forth with David, and the New covenant is prophesied in
Jeremiah and found in Yeshua (Jesus name prior to the Hebrew to Greek consonant reassignment
followed by the Greek to Modern English loose transliteration in the late 1600s. Found in the
Tanakh over 100 times, means HaShem’s salvation or salvation.)
Grace and Truth. The Hebrew word for Grace is usually translated as lovingkindness. The
phrase Grace and Truth appears throughout the Tanakh. I.e.
Ps 119:142 142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law (Torah) is
truth.
1 Kings 2:3-4 3 Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His
statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is
written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you
turn, 4 so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If
your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all
their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ The promise is that Yeshua will sit
on the throne as king for eternity for those that receive eternal life, the promise. To the
damned they face the second death, divine wrath and do not receive the promise.
2 Sam 2:6 6 Now may the Lord show (lit. do) lovingkindness (2617 chesed – grace – An act of
chesed presupposes the existence of a relationship between the parties involved. It is central
to God’s character. It is closely tied to His covenant with his chosen people; in fact the
covenant may be thought of as the relationship from which the chesed flows. God’s chesed is
everlasting.) and truth to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have
done this thing.
2 Sam 7:28a 28 Now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth,
John 17:17 17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. Quoted from 2 Sam 7:28
(Remember Yeshua identifies Himself as truth John 14:6 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
As believers we receive the “Spirit of truth.” John 14:15-17 15 “If you love Me, you will
keep My commandments. 16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper,
that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides
with you and will be in you.
We are to worship in truth John 4:23-24 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father
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seeks to be His worshipers. 24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth.”
Ps 25:10 10 All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness (2617 grace) and truth To those who
keep His covenant and His testimonies.
Ps 61:7 7 He will abide before God forever; Appoint lovingkindness (2617 grace) and truth
that they may preserve him.
Ps 85:7-13 7 Show us Your lovingkindness, (2617 grace) O Lord, And grant us Your salvation.
(3468 Yesha from 3467 Yasha which is the root to Yeshua and Y’hoshua) 8 I will hear what God
the Lord will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; But let them not
turn back to folly. 9 Surely His salvation (3468) is near to those who fear Him, That glory may
dwell in our land. 10 Lovingkindness (2617 grace) and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11 Truth springs from the earth, And
righteousness looks down from heaven. 12 Indeed, the Lord will give what is good, And our
land will yield its produce. 13 Righteousness will go before Him And will make His footsteps
into a way. (see John 14:6 above where Yeshua says He is the way. An interesting study is to
follow Way, Truth, and Life (as in eternal life) through the Tanakh.)
Ps 117:1-2 1 Praise the Lord, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! 2 For His lovingkindness (2617
grace) is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!
But was eternal life through faith introduced at the time of Moses? No!
Gal 3:6 6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
Gal 3:8 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the
gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”
Gen 4:1 1 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, (Their act of cohabitation is recorded for
us so that we know that Cain is not the Messiah.) and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and
she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” (They look to Cain to be the
Next they have Abel in v2. Abel means withering; fading away; vapor; transitory. His name
foreshadows his untimely death and that his death will be as a vapor passing away not providing
eternal life like that of the Messiah.
Cain holds something against his brother yet brings his sacrifice to God. (Remember Yeshua
when He says in Matt 5:23-24 that if you have something against your brother, leave your
sacrifice at the altar and go; reconcile to your brother and then come and present your sacrifice
to God.) His sacrifice is rejected by God. (Note that fruit offerings are commanded within the
Torah so it obviously could not be a problem because he brought fruit.) Abel’s sacrifice is
accepted by God. Cain kills Abel. Abel cannot be the Messiah as he is dead and does not rise.
Cain cannot be the Messiah as he has visible sin in his life and is just like Adam and Eve. (Just
because a sin is not noted for Abel does not mean he was perfect. Other passages within
scripture make it clear that he sinned. “For all have sinned and fallen short…”)
Now we see that the “Old Testament” of the Bible is from Gen 1:1– Gen 3:14 and the “New
Testament” of the Bible is from Gen 3:14 to Rev 22:21. It should also be noted that the “New
Covenant” did not do away with anything from the original covenant but rather it “renewed” it
just as we have a “new Moon” each month. Furthermore, the covenant with Noah provided no
new plan of salvation, but rather presupposes a covenant of salvation, and was added on top of
the “Covenants” of Adam. (Note also that the Rainbow is for God to see and remember not to
destroy us via a universal flood because of our sinfulness. Think about it, a sign is only needed
to warn of something that is eminent. Seeing a rainbow is not a “good thing.”) The same is true
for the covenants with Abraham and Moses. They presuppose that salvation is provided
previously. After Moses no new commands are ever provided within the scripture. Jeremiah
31:31-34 (the “new covenant” passage) is addressing the future, at the judgment of the
righteous, (which occurs after the reunification of the house of Judah and the house of Ephraim
or Israel as one), where what changes is that we will no longer have the opportunity to break
God’s covenant by sinning like we did when we left Egypt (when we got saved here on earth).
The opportunity for sin is removed in eternity or else we would have to be removed from eternity
because of our sin, thereby making eternity temporary and requiring a second judgment, a
second opportunity for re-salvation or damnation etc. It then goes on to say that (Jer 31:33-34)
Jer 31:33-34 “I will put My law (lit. Torah) within them, and on their heart I will write it (The
Torah); and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again,
each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all
know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, ‘for I will forgive
their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Within this passage we see that the
pagans are not present. Israel is all that is present, and they (by definition) will know
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HASHEM, will be forgiven, and their sins forgotten. The pagan’s sins are not forgiven, nor
forgotten as we saw in Dt 29:20-21 above. Today we still teach our neighbors and brothers to
“know the Lord” as not all know Him. Note also that Yeshua uses similar phraseology
regarding “the least of them to the greatest of them” in the context of in eternity in Matt
5:17-19.
Matt 5:17-19 17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; (One
abolishes something Hebraicly by wrongly interpreting or applying something.) I did not
come to abolish but to fulfill. (One fulfills something Hebraicly by rightly interpreting or
applying something. It should be noted that that is exactly what Yeshua does from here to
Matt 7:12 and then from 7:13-8:27 He warns of false prophets, those who “say Lord, Lord,”
who prophesied in His name and cast out demons in His name, and performed miracles in
His name but practice “lawlessness,” or more accurately Torahlessness, He says “I never
knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice Torahlessness.” These false prophets are
also discussed in Dt 13.) 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not
the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law (Torah) until all is accomplished. (Until
eternity ends, not all that is commanded or promised within the Torah will be
accomplished.) 19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and
teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but
whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Note
that it is the one who keeps and teaches the Torah who will be great in the kingdom of
heaven. Obedience does not provide the salvation, nor does disobedience prohibit or
eliminate salvation. Continued or willful disobedience does however call into question
whether one truly is saved or not. Remember, If you love Yeshua, you will keep His
commandments.
If Adam and Eve (mankind) had not sinned, their/our eternal life would have remained secure in
their/our obedience under the old covenant.
The introduction of sin to mankind necessitated a new covenant to be ushered in at the time of
sin (not 4000 years later) with our salvation being manifested through faith the Messiah. The
Greek word for faith is 4102 pistis: being persuaded, faith, belief. In general it implies such a
knowledge of, assent to, and confidence in certain divine truths, especially those of the gospel,
as produces good works. Simply a knowledge and assent to religious truths without good works
is false faith.
Rev 14:12 12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and
their faith in Jesus. Alternate translation based on the meanings of the names and titles: “Here
is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of HaShem and their faith in
HaShem’s salvation.”
1 Chr 1:1-4a Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.
"Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow, (but) the praised God descends, instructing (that) His Death
shall bring to (the) afflicted rest."
Are you saying that I must obey the Torah to be saved? - No!
Gal 3:11-12 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law (This is speaking specifically of the Torah)
before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” (note this is a quote from Hab
2:4 written some 600 years before the birth of Yeshua. ) 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on
the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” (This is a quote from Lev. 18:5. Paul is
using the Tanakh to prove that Salvation is of faith not obedience to the Torah. He cannot quote
from the Torah to prove that the Torah is wrathful or evil, or done away with (Unless it is a
prophecy in the Torah to state that it would be done away with). Salvation sought by obedience
to the Torah is “legalism” and always results in damnation/death.)
You have the opportunity to obey the Torah because you are saved!!!
John 14:15, 21 15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments… 21 “He who has My
commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by
My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” (Yeshua speaking)
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Are “Jesus” commandments different than “God’s?” No, remember they are one not two.
John 10:30 30 “I and the Father are one.”
This list is far from comprehensive, but does give a bit of perspective on the Torah that so many
say has been done away with. If it has been done away with, we would be lawless or without
law. One who walks lawless or without law, is full of lawlessness. The Greek word for “Law” is
nomos. It goes to civil or Roman law, oral law/rabbinic tradition, and most frequently to
Torah/Pentateuch also known as the Law of Moses. The inverse of nomos in the Greek is anomos
or anomia (lawless or lawlessness). In all cases of the use of lawless or lawlessness, the law
being discussed it is the Torah (Gen., Ex., Lev., Num., Dt.), the Law of HASHEM and in a few cases
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it is both the Torah and Roman law that are being discussed. Those who are called lawless, the
man of lawlessness, or without law are always the anti-Messiah or pagans/gentiles. The faithful
or righteous are never to be anomia or anomos. If we are not to be anomia or anomos, then we
must be faithful to nomos as HASHEM intended. We do not have to keep or obey the law in order
to be saved, and we know that we cannot. In fact if we attempt to, we put ourselves under the
law, along with the pagans/gentiles and receive damnation as we cannot walk perfectly to the
law. No, instead we have to keep and obey the law because we are saved. John 14:15 “If you
love Me, you will keep My commandments. And Matt 24:12 “Because lawlessness
(Torahlessness) is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” We are no longer under the law
(judged according to how we did in comparison to the law) but rather we are under grace able to
now walk in obedience to the law. Before we were believers we were incapable of obeying or
keeping even one single command in the law as all that we did was sin (as our motive for our
action was never love and trusting of HASHEM). Now with the Spirit of HASHEM in us, we are
capable of doing obedience and not living in sin. Yet, so many choose to put themselves in the
place of a god, determining what is and what is not sin, claiming they are under grace. Yeshua
says in Matt 7:21-23 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to
Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out
demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (458 Torahlessness)
(Taken from “Torah attributes” revised 5765 02 27)
(HaShem speaking of Saul) a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles
and kings and the sons of Israel; Acts 9:15
he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues Acts 9:20
they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews Acts 13:5
on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. Acts 13:14
And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers Acts 13:32
The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord Acts 13:44
In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a
large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. Acts 14:1
they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And according to Paul’s
custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3
explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and
saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” Acts 17:1-3
to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were
more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great
eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Acts 17:10-11
the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea Acts 17:13
he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles Acts 17:17
he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks Acts
18:4
Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus
was the Christ. Acts 18:5
And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them Acts 18:11
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for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost Acts 20:16
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30
and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after them. Acts 20:29
20 And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother,
how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all
zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews
who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children
nor to walk according to the customs. (note this is the false accusation) 22 What, then, is to
be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do this that we tell you.
We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them,
and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is
nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk
orderly, keeping the Law. 25 (If he is keeping the Torah, he would be hypocritical at best to
tell others that they don’t need to.) But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote,
having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and
from what is strangled and from fornication.” (This was stated in Acts 15 were we had
someone teaching that circumcision was a requirement for salvation (v1). The outcome was
that salvation is by faith (v9 and 11) and that works never saved anyone (v10) and neither
did circumcision (v9). As for the Gentiles they needed to do these four things to get into the
synagogues on Shabbat because then they could here the whole Torah (v21). These four
things were seen as the “essentials” (v28) or pertaining to being necessary and indispensable
to the occurrence of some event. That event was the getting into the synagogues on
Shabbat.) 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them,
went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the
sacrifice was offered for each one of them. (This is in accordance with the vow he started
before. The Nazirite vow from Num 6:1-21. See Acts 18:18 above. Note also that he was in
the temple doing the sacrifices required in the Torah. Paul was still offering sacrifices after
the ascension of the Messiah.) Acts 21:20-26
I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel,
strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.
Acts 22:3
Paul said, “But I was actually born a (Roman) citizen Acts 22:28
I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” Acts 23:1
I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” Acts
23:6
I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor in the
city itself did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or causing a riot. 13 Nor can
they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me. 14 But this I admit to you, that
according to the Way which they call a sect (a sect of Jews) I do serve the God of our fathers,
believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15
having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a
resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 In view of this, I also do my best to
maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. 17 Now after
several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings; 18 in which they
found me occupied in the temple, having been purified, without any crowd or uproar Acts
24:11-18
I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against
Caesar.” Acts 25:8
I have done no wrong to the Jews, Acts 25:10
King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; 3 especially because you
are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to
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me patiently. 4 So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the
beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem; 5 since they have known about
me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the
strictest sect of our religion. 6 And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made
by God to our fathers; 7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they
earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews Acts
26:2-7
So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but kept declaring both to
those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea,
and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds
appropriate to repentance. 21 For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to
put me to death. 22 So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to
small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take
place; 23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead
He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Acts
26:19-23
I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, Acts 28:17
he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to
persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from
morning until evening. Acts 28:23
Acts 9:11-17
HaShem spoke to Him in a vision saying:
Arise and go to the street named Straight
And inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul
For behold, he (Saul) is praying and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in
and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.
Ananias reply to HaShem
Lord, I have heard from many about this man,
How much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;
And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all who call upon Your name.
HaShem’s reply back to Ananias
Go, for he (Saul) is a chose instrument of Mine,
To bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.
Ananias replies in obedience to HaShem
Ananias departed and entered the house
And after laying his hands on him said,
Brother Saul, the Lord Yeshua, who appeared to you on the road
By which you were coming has sent me so that you may regain you sight,
And be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Qualifications:
Good reputation Acts 6:3
Full of the Spirit Acts 6:3, 6:5
Full of wisdom Acts 6:3
Full of faith Acts 6:5
Full of grace Acts 6:8
Full of power Acts 6:8
Congregational duty:
Serving of food to Hellenistic Jewish widows Acts 6:2
To serve tables Acts 6:2
Put in charge of this task. Acts 6:3
What was the false accusation against him and who brought it?
Men from the synagogue of the Freedmen (including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, some from Cilicia
an Asia)
They secretly induced men to say: Acts 6:11
We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses Acts 6:11
We have heard him speak blasphemous words against God Acts 6:11
They put forth false witnesses Acts 6:13
This man incessantly speaks against this holy place (the Temple) Acts 6:13
This man incessantly speaks against the Law (Torah) Acts 6:13
For we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus will destroy this place Acts 6:14
For we have heard him say that Jesus will alter the customs which Moses handed down to us
Acts 6:14
Acts 7:2-53 is Stephen’s reply to their false accusation. Note that it is all out of the Torah, it is all
about the Messiah and obedience to the Torah. Vv 51-53 are key summary verses that lead to
their being cut to the quick and their stoning of him.
Devout men buried Stephen Acts 8:2
Acts 6:1-15 1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose
on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, (Note how the Greeks (pagans)
were becoming Jews as they are compared with those that were born Hebrews) because their
widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the
congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in
order to serve tables. 3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good
reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 “But we
will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The statement found approval
with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,
and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And
these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. 7 The
word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in
Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. (Jewish priest
were becoming obedient to the faith. They were no longer doing their works of obedience for
salvation but rather were obedient because of trusting HaShem for their salvation. What they
were doing did not change (with the possible exception of the rabbinics that were contrary to the
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Torah), only their motive.) 8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great
wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of
the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose
up and argued with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit
with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him
speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 And they stirred up the people,
the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him
before the Council. 13 They put forward false witnesses who said, “This man incessantly speaks
against this holy place and the Law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will
destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.” 15 And fixing their
gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel. Acts 7:1-
60 1 The high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And he said, (Stephen’s defense is
completely taken from the Tanakh) (Abraham) “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory
appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and
said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’
4 “Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died,
God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5 “But He gave him no inheritance
in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would
give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 “But God spoke to this effect,
that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and
mistreated for four hundred years. 7 “ ‘And whatever nation to which they will be in bondage I
Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place.’ 8 “And
He gave him the covenant of circumcision; (Isaac) and so Abraham became the father of Isaac,
and circumcised him on the eighth day; (Jacob) and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and (the
twelve tribes) Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 9 (Joseph) “The patriarchs became jealous of
Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions,
and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him
governor over Egypt and all his household. 11 “Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan,
and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food. 12 “But when Jacob heard that
there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13 “On the second visit Joseph
made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. 14 “Then
Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five
persons in all. 15 “And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. 16 “From
there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a
sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. 17 “But as the time of the promise was
approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,
18 until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. 19 “It was he who
took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their
infants and they would not survive. (Moses) 20 “It was at this time that Moses was born; and he
was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. 21 “And
after he had been set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own
son. 22 “Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in
words and deeds. 23 “But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit
his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24 “And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he
defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. 25 “And he
supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but
they did not understand. 26 “On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting
together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you
injure one another?’ 27 “But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying,
‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us? 28 ‘You do not mean to kill me as you killed the
Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ 29 “At this remark, Moses fled and became an alien in the land of
Midian, where he became the father of two sons. 30 “After forty years had passed, an angel
George Hunt, Messianic Minister 27 of 29
Roots of the Messiah, www.rootsofthemessiah.com 5769 07 26 BeReishit
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from another source.
appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. 31 “When
Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came
the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’
Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. 33 “But the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the
sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 34 ‘I have
certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have
come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’ 35 “This Moses whom they
disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a
ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. 36 “This
man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in
the wilderness for forty years. 37 “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise
up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’ 38 “This is the one who was in the
congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai,
and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. 39 “Our fathers
were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to
Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out
of the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ 41 “At that time they made a calf
and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 “But God
turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the
prophets, ‘It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness,
was it, O house of Israel? 43 ‘You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god
Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’ 44
“Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses
directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. 45 “And having received it in
their turn, (Joshua) our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom
God drove out before our fathers, (David) until the time of David. 46 “David found favor in God’s
sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 (Solomon) “But it
was Solomon who built a house for Him. 48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in houses
made by human hands; as the prophet says: 49 ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is the footstool
of My feet; What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Or what place is there for
My repose? 50 ‘Was it not My hand which made all these things?’ 51 (present day) “You men
who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you
are doing just as your fathers did. 52 “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?
They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose
betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law (Torah) as
ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” (now we see their reply to his defense.) 54 Now
when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.
(HaShem’s reply to his defense.) 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into
heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said,
“Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
(Back to their response to his defense.) 57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered
their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58 When they had driven him out of the city, they
began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named
Saul. (Stephen’s response provided by the strength of HaShem.) 59 They went on stoning
Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then falling on his
knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this,
he fell asleep. Acts 8:1-2 1 Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that
day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Some devout men buried
Stephen, (devout to what and to whom? From what is seen in Stephen’s defense, the Torah and
Yeshua.) and made loud lamentation over him.