Chapter I
The Principles and Concepts of the Old Testament, and the Relationship of the Gospels Authors with them
The relying of the Gospel authors and the various churches on the Old Testament, and considering themselves as an extension to it, whether by quoting the texts, or its history, requires us a pause for a comparison between the principles and concepts of the Old Testament and the principles and concepts of the Gospels to find out the truth of this reliance and this extension, and to discover the real sources that were relied upon by the Gospel authors, as well as, it requires us to show the relationship between the Old Testament and the Gospel authors, and their position on the Law in general.
For this, I will review the most important principles and concepts of the Old Testament, and compare them with the principles and concepts of the Gospels, to determine if they agree with each other or not; and if not, we should study and search to discover the sources that have been relied upon by the Gospel authors to write their accounts.
Principle IV: The Oracle or the Burden
The oracle, or the burden, is the one of the principles and concepts of the Old Testament, which means the words that were received by the Prophets from the LORD through the Spirit or an angel or in the night visions which is similar to the prophecy, but more general, i.e., it talks about general events, not on specific events as the prophecies, and does not contain commandments or laws, because the commandments of the Old Testament had been completed at the time of Moses, who had received it from the LORD.
Numbers 24:15 So he took up his oracle and said: "The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened;
Numbers 24:16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:
Numbers 24:17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
Numbers 24:18 "And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly.
Numbers 24:19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city."
This text is part of the story of Balaam the son of Beor, who was living in time of Moses, whom tried the king of Moab with him for cursing the Children of Israel but the Lord has sent his angel to him and preventing him from that, and commanded him to bless them and say these words, which is called Oracle, which is like a prophecy, as we read, but talks in general, and there is no specific time to fulfill it as is the case with prophecies, which we will talk about it later.
2 Samuel 23:1 Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel:
2 Samuel 23:2 "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.
2 Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.
2 Samuel 23:4 And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain’.
2 Samuel 23:5 "Although my house is not so with God, Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; Will He not make it increase?
King James Version
2 Samuel 23 Now these [be] the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man [who was] raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,
New International Version
2 Samuel 23 These are the last words of David: "The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel's singer of songs:
English Standard Version
2 Samuel 23 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
New Revised Standard Version
2 Samuel 23 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:
In this text we read that the Spirit of the Lord spoke by David, and the Word of the Lord on his tongue, which is expressed in some versions "oracle", and then begins talk about his house and the everlasting covenant with him, and here speaks in general and this differs from the prophecy as I said earlier.
Then after this we find that the word "Oracle" or "Burden" abound in the books of the prophets, as in the following texts:
Isaiah 13:1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
King James Version
Isaiah 13:1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
New International Version
Isaiah 13:1 An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
English Standard Version
Isaiah 13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
New American Standard Version
Isaiah 13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
New Revised Standard Version
Isaiah 13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw.
Isaiah 15:1 The burden against Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste And destroyed, Because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste And destroyed,
King James Version
Isaiah 15:1 The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to silence;
New International Version
Isaiah 15:1 An oracle concerning Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!
English Standard Version
Isaiah 15:1 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.
New American Standard Version
Isaiah 15:1 The oracle concerning Moab. Surely in a night Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined ; Surely in a night Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined.
New Revised Standard Version
Isaiah 15:1 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.
Isaiah 17:1 The burden against Damascus. "Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.
King James Version
Isaiah 17:1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from [being] a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
New International Version
Isaiah 17:1 An oracle concerning Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.
Revised Standard Version
Isaiah 17:1 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city, and will become a heap of ruins.
English Standard Version
Isaiah 17:1 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.
New American Standard Version
Isaiah 17:1 The oracle concerning Damascus. "Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city And will become a fallen ruin.
New Revised Standard Version
Isaiah 17:1 An oracle concerning Damascus. See, Damascus will cease to be a city, and will become a heap of ruins.
Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
Zechariah 12:2 "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
King James Version
Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
Revised Standard Version
Zechariah 12:1 An Oracle The word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus says the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:
Hebrew Names Version
Zechariah 12:1 An oracle. The word of the LORD concerning Yisra'el. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the eretz, and forms the spirit of man within him says:
World English Bible Version
Zechariah 12:1 An oracle. The word of Yahweh concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him says:
Malachi 1:1 Because if tre veruzim padtsword of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
King James Version
Malachi 1:1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
New International Version
Malachi 1:1 An oracle: The word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.
Revised Standard Version
Malachi 1:1 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Mal'achi.
English Standard Version
Malachi 1:1 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
Hebrew Names Version
Malachi 1:1 An oracle: the word of the LORD to Yisra'el by Mal'akhi.
New American Standard Version
Malachi 1:1 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.
Nahum 1:1 The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
King James Version
Nahum 1:1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
New International Version
Nahum 1:1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
Revised Standard Version
Nahum 1:1 An oracle concerning Nin'eveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
English Standard Version
Nahum 1:1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
Hebrew Names Version
Nahum 1:1 An oracle about Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nachum the Elkoshite.
New American Standard Version
Nahum 1:1 The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
Habakkuk 1:1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
King James Version
Habakkuk 1:1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
New International Version
Habakkuk 1:1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Revised Standard Version
Habakkuk 1:1 The oracle of God which Habak'kuk the prophet saw.
English Standard Version
Habakkuk 1:1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
Hebrew Names Version
Habakkuk 1:1 The oracle which Havakkuk the prophet saw.
New American Standard Version
Habakkuk 1:1 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
These texts, and many others, have mentioned "the Oracle" or "the burden", which talk about some peoples and some areas, and can be considered as prophecies but differs from it, because it does not speak specifically but in general.
After this review to the characteristics and tasks of the oracle in the Old Testament, we find something striking, and draws attention that there is no any mention to the oracle in the four Gospels, and all the descriptions of the Gospels like the Word of God and the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit was developed by the church councils after several centuries!
Here, I would like to mention a text that shows the difference between the oracle of the LORD and what is called by some people the word of God, although it is not a word of God or oracle from the LORD, which is as follows:
Jeremiah 23:32 "Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams," says the LORD, "and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:33 "So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, ‘What is the oracle of the LORD’? you shall then say to them, ‘What oracle’? I will even forsake you," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:34 "And as for the prophet and the priest and the people who say, ‘The oracle of the LORD’! I will even punish that man and his house.
Jeremiah 23:35 "Thus every one of you shall say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ‘What has the LORD answered’? and, ‘What has the LORD spoken’?
Jeremiah 23:36 "And the oracle of the LORD you shall mention no more. For every man’s word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.
Jeremiah 23:37 "Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the LORD answered you’? and, ‘What has the LORD spoken’?
Jeremiah 23:38 "But since you say, ‘The oracle of the LORD’! therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Because you say this word, "The oracle of the LORD!" and I have sent to you, saying, "Do not say, ‘The oracle of the LORD’!"
Jeremiah 23:39 ‘therefore behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you and forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence.
Jeremiah 23:40 ‘And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten’."
In this text we read that some people say about their words that it is the oracle of the LORD, and they do not mention the oracle of the LORD, for they have perverted and distorted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts.
So, is it true that what is written in the Gospels is an oracle from the LORD?
This is what we will know in the next chapters.
Principle V: The Prophecy
The Prophecy is the one of the principles and concepts of the Old Testament, which means what the LORD says by the prophets, whether directly or through the Spirit, or visions, on some events that will take place in the future, and in this meaning, it is like the Oracle, but it speaks about a specific event and a certain time.
Isaiah 34:16 "Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.
Isaiah 34:17 He has cast the lot for them, And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line. They shall possess it forever; From generation to generation they shall dwell in it."
In this text we read that all prophecies from the Lord by his prophets do not fail, for He has commanded it, and because the Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, therefore all what He says to the prophets shall be fulfilled, as well as, He said there is nothing too hard for the LORD as in the following text:
Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son".
There are a lot of prophecies in the Old Testament that have taken place as the Lord said and at the specific time, which extends from the time of Noah to the time of Zechariah, and Nehemiah after the Babylonian Captivity, the following is a review of some of these prophecies:
Genesis 7:4 "For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made."
Genesis 7:10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.
In the first text we read that the Lord has said to Noah that He will send rain after seven days on the earth forty days and forty nights, and that's what happened after seven days, as in the second text.
Genesis 17:21 "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."
Genesis 18:10 And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
Genesis 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.
Genesis 21:2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
In these texts we read the prophecy of the angel of the Lord about Sarah that she will have a son, which is what happened at the exact time as God had spoken to Abraham.
Deuteronomy 1:34 "And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying,
Deuteronomy 1:35 ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,
Deuteronomy 1:36 ‘except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD’.
Deuteronomy 1:38 ‘Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
Deuteronomy 1:39 ‘Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
In these texts we read that God said that it would not enter into the Holy Land one of the sons of Israel who were with Moses except Caleb and Joshua and the children, and set the time after forty years, which is what happened as is mentioned in the Old Testament.
2 Samuel 7:11 "since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.
2 Samuel 7:12 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
2 Samuel 7:13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Samuel 7:14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
2 Samuel 7:15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
2 Samuel 7:16 "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."‘"
2 Samuel 7:17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
In this text we read the prophecy about Solomon, that he will build a house for the LORD's name after the death of David, which is what happened as is mentioned in the Old Testament.
1Kings 14:12 "Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.
1Kings 14:13 "And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
1Kings 14:14 "Moreover the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now!
1Kings 14:15 "For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the LORD to anger.
1Kings 14:16 "And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin."
1Kings 14:17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.
1Kings 14:18 And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
In this text we read that the prophecy which the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet has been fulfilled.
1Kings 12:15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the LORD, that He might fulfill His word, which the LORD had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
In this text we read that the Lord has fulfilled His word which He had spoken by his prophets.
1Kings 13:1 And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
1Kings 13:2 Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you’."
1Kings 13:3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out."
1Kings 13:4 So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Arrest him!" Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself.
1Kings 13:5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
1Kings 13:6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.
In this text we read the prophecy of the birth of Josiah, and that he will sacrifice the priests of the high places, and gave them a sign that the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out, which is what happened later as it is written in the Old Testament.
2Kings 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron’?
2Kings 1:4 "Now therefore, thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die’." So Elijah departed.
2Kings 1:17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.
In these texts we read the prophecy of Elijah concerning the king of Samaria, that he will not come down from the bed to which he has gone up, but he will surely die, which is what happened according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken.
2Kings 7:1 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria’."
2Kings 7:2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it."
2Kings 7:16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
2Kings 7:17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
These paragraphs are part of the story of the siege of Samaria by the king of Aram, and we read the prophecy of Elisha about the end of the siege and hunger, and this is what happened according to the word of the LORD which Elisha had spoken.
2Kings 9:35 So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
2Kings 9:36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;
2Kings 9:37 ‘and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, "Here lies Jezebel."‘"
In this text we read that the prophecy of Elijah about the end of Jezebel had been fulfilled as he said; and was expressed in the following text:
2Kings 10:10 "Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah."
So, the words of the Lord the Creator of the heavens and earth shall not fall to the earth, and should be fulfilled on time, yet the children of Israel have not believed in it at many times, who were saying that these prophecies will not be fulfilled on time, but the Lord showed them that everything He says; will be fulfilled on time, as in the following text:
Ezekiel 12:26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 12:27 "Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off’.
Ezekiel 12:28 "Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done," says the Lord GOD’."
After this explanation of the meaning of prophecy, and reviewing some of the prophecies of the Old Testament, we find that the difference is clear between it and what is written in the four Gospels about the prophecies of Jesus, the Gospels say that the words of Jesus should not pass away, as in the following texts:
Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
The Churches feel proud of these texts, and consider them as an important texts in the Gospels, and to prove the truth of these texts they said that Jesus has predicted about the destruction of the temple, and say that this has occurred in the year 70 AD!
Here, I will not talk about the prophecies of Jesus, which has not been fulfilled, because I discussed most of them in detail in my book "Jesus the Son of Joseph the Carpenter… Confusing Questions", but I will just mention the prophecies that were mentioned in the context of these texts to figure out if it has been fulfilled or not.
Matthew 24:34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Mark 13:30 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Mark 13:32 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Luke 21:32 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
In these texts, which the gospel authors had written in context of them that the word of Jesus will not pass away, we find that he was talking about the signs of the End of Time, and that all those things will take place before that generation pass away, and this didn't happen, because that generation passed away, and later, several generations passed away, and nothing of what is written in the Gospels about the signs of the end of time has been achieved, which means that what is written in the Gospels about the signs of the end of time had pass away, and the heaven and the earth still have not pass away!
The failure to fulfill the prophecies of Jesus which are written in the Gospels indicates very clearly to the difference between him and the Lord the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who fulfilled everything that had said through His prophets, and also shows that the sources of the Gospels are not the same sources of the Old Testament.
Principle VI: The Prophet
The Prophet is the one of the most important principles and concepts of the Old Testament, who is a man the Mediator between the Lord the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who no one could see Him and remains alive, and people to convey His commandments, decrees and laws to them, and calling to worship Him alone.
And the prophet in the Old Testament is a man who is a righteous believer, who receives the word of the Lord, whether directly like Moses, or by the Spirit or by an angel or through visions in dreams, as is the case with the rest of the Prophets of Israel, and the common feature among all the prophets in the Old Testament is worshiping the Lord alone, and calling people to worship Him alone, and not to worship anything else besides Him, whether angels or human beings or statues of stone or metal, as well as to do and keep His commandments, decrees and laws.
And given the importance of the task of Prophet in human life, we find that the Old Testament warns of a class of people called them false prophets; and the false prophet is a man who claims that he receives the word of the LORD by the vision of dreams, or false divination, or envisioned futility, or through distorting the words of the LORD in Old Testament and saying that this is the word of the Lord to them and his revelation, yet they hope that their words be confirmed or be fulfilled!
The difference between the true Prophet and the false Prophet can be observed in three areas.
The first is that the true Prophet declares that the LORD is the only true God, no gods beside Him or with Him, and worships Him alone, and keeps his commandments and laws, and calls to worship Him alone, while the false prophet does not worship the Lord alone, does not keep His commandments and laws, and calls to worship other gods beside Him or with Him.
The second is that the true prophet receives the Word of God through the Spirit, or the revelation, while the false prophet relies upon his imagination or interpretation of the words of the Lord in the Old Testament, and says that this is his inspiration, as in the following texts:
Jeremiah 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed’!
Jeremiah 23:26 "How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart,
Jeremiah 23:27 "who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.
Ezekiel 22:28 "Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD’, when the LORD had not spoken.
The third is the prophecies of the true Prophet should be fulfilled and achieved, while the prophecies of the false Prophet never be fulfilled and achieved.
I've talked about some of these issues earlier, and here I will continue talking through the texts of the Old Testament.
Genesis 6:9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 9:8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:
Genesis 9:9 "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
In these texts we read that Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations and he walked with the LORD, which is making him eligible to receive the covenant of the LORD.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."
Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 22:15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
Genesis 22:16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son —
Genesis 22:17 "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
In these texts we read that Abraham believed in the Lord and committed to His orders, as well as we read that the Lord has spoken with Abraham through the visions and by an Angel.
Genesis 26:23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba.
Genesis 26:24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake."
Genesis 26:25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
In this text we read that the Lord has appeared to Isaac in the night visions, and renewed the covenant with him and blessed him, as we read also that Isaac built an altar and called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 35:1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."
This text says that the LORD has appeared to Jacob in the night visions, and spoke to him to make an altar to the LORD.
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Exodus 3:2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Exodus 3:3 Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn."
Exodus 3:4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."
Exodus 3:5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
This text talks about the first time that the Lord spoke to Moses, which was through the angel of the Lord, and then later, the LORD spoke to Moses through several ways, including direct speaking, as happened when Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai.
Hence, we find in the first five books, which called Torah, dozens of texts that call to worship the LORD alone, and warning of worship anything with the Lord or beside Him. Moreover, we read the laws of God and His commandments that the Children of Israel should keep them and do them, as well as we read dozens of texts that show that Moses was worshiped the LORD alone, and committed to the commandments of the Lord.
After Moses and the entry of the children of Israel into the Holy Land, and contact with the pagan peoples who were living there; the infidelity and disobedience the commandments of the LORD and His laws began to emerge among them, and the false prophets emerged during this period as well, who the Lord in the Law has warned of them, as in the following texts:
Deuteronomy 18:15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
Deuteronomy 18:16 "according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die’.
Deuteronomy 18:17 "And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.
Deuteronomy 18:18 ‘I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
Deuteronomy 18:19 ‘And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
Deuteronomy 18:20 ‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die’.
Deuteronomy 18:21 "And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken’? —
Deuteronomy 18:22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
In this text says the Lord that the true prophet is the one who speaks to the people all words that He has commanded him, and the false prophet is the one who presumes to speak a word in His name, who has not commanded to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, and showed the method to find out the true prophet and the false prophet, and in order not to try anyone to deceive the people by his words; the LORD said that the true prophet is the one who his prophecies should be achieved and fulfilled, and the false prophet is the one who his prophecies never be achieved and fulfilled, and should not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 13:1 "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
Deuteronomy 13:2 "and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ — which you have not known — ‘and let us serve them’,
Deuteronomy 13:3 "you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 13:4 "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
Deuteronomy 13:5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.
This text shows very clearly who is the false prophet, saying, he is a man who calls to worship other gods with the LORD or beside Hem; even if he did miracles or wonders, and his signs that was speaking about them had been fulfilled, because this is a test from the LORD to know who worships Him alone and who worships other gods beside Him, and says that the false prophet should be put to death.
The Lord has warned against the false prophets because of their gravity through many Prophets, including Ezekiel, as in the following text:
Ezekiel 13:1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 13:2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the LORD’!"
Ezekiel 13:3 Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
Ezekiel 13:4 "O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.
Ezekiel 13:5 "You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD.
Ezekiel 13:6 "They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD’! But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed.
Ezekiel 13:7 "Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The LORD says’, but I have not spoken."
Ezekiel 13:8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you," says the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 13:9 "My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
In this text the Lord condemned the false prophets, who call to worship other gods with Him or beside Him; and say that the Lord has sent them and inspired them, yet He indeed has not sent them, and has not inspired them, but they follow their own spirit and have seen nothing, and their visions are false, and they have false divination, yet they expect that their words will be fulfilled, even after two thousand years or more!
And whenever the children of Israel moved away from the Lord and His commandments appears a lot of false prophets among them, and increased their influence and their danger; and the Old Testament describes this situation in the following text:
Micah 2:11 If a man should walk in a false spirit And speak a lie, saying, ‘I will prophesy to you of wine and drink’, Even he would be the prattler of this people.
The people who believe in the false prophets, they trust them even if the false prophets prophesy to them of wine and strong drink!
The Lord has described these false prophets by saying that they will deceive the people or make them go astray, by preaching the peace and love, but in fact they have chewed by their teeth the bounties of the Peoples, and for those who resist and oppose them; they wage war against them and punish them the strongest penalties! As in the following text:
Micah 3:5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant "Peace" While they chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Who puts nothing into their mouths:
In this text the Lord says that the false prophets used their power to exploit people and taking their bounties even if it leads to wage many wars and killing millions of people, even though they say that their mission calls for peace and love!
From this review of the meaning of the true prophet and the false prophet in the Old Testament, an important question arises; are the Gospels authors and the rest of authors of the New Testament true prophets or false prophets?
We have read earlier that the most important characteristics of the true prophets is worship the Lord alone and call to worship Him alone, while we find that the Gospel authors worship three gods and call to worship them!
And the true prophets in the Old Testament were calling the Children of Israel to keep and do the commandments of the LORD, while the authors of the New Testament did not call to keep these commandments so some of them said, i.e., Paul, that the commandments do not justify anyone, as in the following texts:
Galatians 2:16 "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:21 "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
Galatians 5:2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
And the true prophets in the Old Testament; their prophecies have been fulfilled on time as they said, while all the prophecies of the New Testament have not been fulfilled, I have talked in detail about them in the book "Jesus the Son of Joseph the Carpenter …. Confusing Questions", but here I will mention three of them, which are as follows:
Matthew 16:28 "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
Mark 9:1 And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."
Luke 9:27 "But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."
These texts say that Jesus will come in his kingdom before the death of all the disciples; and we live now after the death of all the disciples more than nineteen centuries, and did not come, and no one saw him yet!
This shows the difference between the prophecies of the prophets in the Old Testament and the prophecies that have been attributed to Jesus in the Gospels, as well as the difference between the prophets of the Old Testament and the authors of the New Testament, which indicates that the sources of the Gospels are not from the same source of the Old Testament!
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