Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: Are you one of those people who thinks the genealogies in the Bible are boring? Well, you may change your mind after you hear today's edition of Messianic Perspectives.

This is Messianic Perspectives, where we look into the scriptures from a distinctly Messianic point of view. Today Dr. Gary Hedrick is leading our Bible study with the ten Gentile patriarchs who lived before the flood. If you have your Bible handy, we invite you to turn to Genesis chapter five and join in. I'll be back at the close of the program with news about a special offer. And now with today's message, here's Dr. Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Thank you and welcome, listening friend, to another edition of our program. We're so glad you joined us today, whether you're at home or in your car or wherever you are. My name is Gary Hedrick and my job here is to present the scriptures in a Hebrew Christian context. In other words, what we do here is interpret the scriptures in their original Jewish setting because there are a lot of things you'll never understand in the Bible until you understand their historical and cultural context.

Let me give you an example. Let's say that somehow you're able to travel forward through time a thousand years into the future. When you arrive a thousand years in the future, you find there's a denomination where after every Sunday service, the parishioners all walk down to the front of the church where there's a huge brown bag. And one at a time, they take turns punching the bag.

Curiosity gets the best of you, so you catch the preacher after the service and you say, "Why does everybody have to punch that bag after the service?" And the preacher explains that this denomination is based on the writings of a great Christian leader of the 20th century, a thousand years earlier. One of the things this great preacher wrote in his memoirs was, "When I'm bushed after church, I like to hit the sack."

Since you're from the 20th century, you would know what the preacher meant. He meant that when he was tired after church, he liked to lay down and take a nap. But a thousand years later, people would have trouble understanding what he meant. Why? Because in any language, words and phrases change their meaning over a long period of time. And that's precisely what has happened with respect to the scriptures. Remember, the Bible was written two to three thousand years ago. Parts of it are even older than that. There are many words and concepts whose meanings have changed over the past several thousand years.

So, what we have to do is interpret the scriptures in the light of their original Jewish cultural setting in order to understand what the Bible is really saying. Let me give you a couple of examples of what I'm talking about. First, you'll never truly understand the sequence of events associated with the second coming of Christ until you know something about ancient Jewish wedding customs.

You say, "Gary, that's crazy. I've never heard that before." That's why there's so much confusion in the church when it comes to prophecy and eschatology, because most of the Gentile church doesn't have a clue as to the connection between ancient Jewish wedding customs and the events of the second coming. And yet, when Jesus and Paul and the other New Testament writers talked about the return of the Messiah, that is precisely the imagery they used—a Jewish wedding where the bridegroom comes to snatch away his bride and take her to his father's house.

And what about baptism? No other subject in the history of the church has engendered more division than the subject of baptism. People have actually been killed over baptism. Do you sprinkle? Do you pour? Do you dip? And if you dip, do you do it once, twice, or three times? And can you be saved without being baptized? Blood has been shed over the answers to these questions.

But if you know something about the ancient Jewish Mikvah, which is where baptism came from, if you know something about the Mikvah, 90% of the controversy over baptism disappears. The Mikvah was baptism by immersion. Gentile converts were required to be baptized in order to identify themselves with the Commonwealth of Israel. It symbolized their identification with the people of God. Right there in about 30 seconds, I settled 2,000 years of debate in the Gentile church over baptism, simply by taking you back and letting you see baptism in its original historical Jewish setting.

That's what we're talking about, and that's what we try to do here on this program. We try to interpret the scriptures in their original historical Jewish context. Does that mean the Jews always have the right answers? Not at all. In the case of Yeshua of Nazareth, for example, the Jews blew it big time. Because when it came to their understanding of who the Messiah would be and what he would come to do, the Jewish traditions were wrong.

The result was that when the Messiah finally came, they didn't even recognize him. He came unto his own, the Bible says, and his own received him not (John 1:11). The leaders of first-century National Israel were blinded by tradition, and they didn't even recognize their own Messiah. So Jewish tradition is not always right, just like Christian tradition is not always right. The only thing that is always right is the Bible. But an understanding of Jewish culture and tradition can be helpful in interpreting the Bible.

At any rate, we're glad you've joined us today, and we're beginning a brand new series of studies entitled, "What's in a Name?" Names were very significant in Bible times. God often used a person's name to reveal aspects of his background, character, or destiny. For instance, I'm sure you're familiar with the case of Abram in the Old Testament. God changed his name from Abram, which means "exalted father," to Abraham, which means "father of a multitude."

Why did God change his name? Because of the prophecy of Genesis chapter 17, verses 4 and 5, where God said that Abram would become the father of many nations. So no longer is he merely an exalted father; now he's the father of a multitude. God changed his name to reflect his destiny. And what about Isaac, Abraham's son? Where did he get his name? The word Isaac, or Itzhak in Hebrew, means "he laughs."

Abraham and Sarah's first son was named Itzhak because they both laughed at the suggestion that she would bear a son. She was very old and past childbearing years, so when God told them she was going to have a son, they laughed. So God said, "All right, since you think it's so funny, that's what I want you to name the child when he's born. Name him 'Laughter,' Itzhak." And they did. Then what about the next son, Jacob? Where did he get his name? At birth, he took hold of his brother Esau's heel, signifying the fact that although Esau was the firstborn, Jacob would eventually take his place. In Hebrew, Jacob is Ya'akov, and it means "supplanter."

Again, here's a name that indicates someone's destiny. We could go on and on through the pages of scripture showing the significance of names in the Bible. By the way, do you know who has more names than anyone else in the entire Bible? Not surprisingly, it's Jesus of Nazareth. In describing the background, character, and destiny of the Son of God, the Bible lavishes no fewer than 103 different names on him. In fact, we could start with A and go all the way through the alphabet, but since our time is limited, I'll just give you the ones that start with A.

First, in 1 John 2:1, he is our advocate. Then in Revelation 1:8, he's the Almighty. In Revelation 22:13, he's the Alpha and Omega. Revelation 3:14, the Amen. Hebrews 3:1, the apostle and high priest of our profession. Isaiah 51:9, the arm of the Lord. Hebrews 12:2, the author and finisher of our faith. And in Hebrews 5:9, he's the author of eternal salvation. And those are just the ones that start with A.

After all, it's only appropriate that he should have more names than anyone else in the Bible because the Bible is mainly about him. It is more than history; it is His Story. There is one personality that stands out above all others: preeminent, eternal, and celestial. Just as in the fifth chapter of Revelation, we find the Lamb in the center of that heavenly throng, so we find that in the scriptures, the Lord Jesus Christ is its center and subject.

In type, figure, and simile, he is everywhere presented. The offering up of Isaac by Abraham is a picture of the offering up of Christ on Calvary. The lifting up of the brazen serpent in the wilderness is a type of the lifting up of Christ for the healing of the people. Joseph being sold into Egypt is a type of the betrayal of the Son of God. His full Hebrew name is Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach, or in English, the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).

In Philippians 2:9, when the apostle Paul declared that this is the name which is above every name, he was equating Jesus with God himself. You see, one of the Jewish names for God is HaShem, literally "the name." Any Jew who heard HaShem, "the name," knew that was the name for God. So Paul said in Philippians 2:9, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him what? A name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, or Yeshua, every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. Verse 11: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, that every tongue should confess that Yeshua HaMashiach is Adonai, to the glory of God the Father."

Now here's another example where a Jewish understanding of the scriptures helps us understand the meaning. When you understand the Jewish meaning of these terms and you read this third chapter of the book of Philippians, there is no doubt that Paul was saying that Jesus is God. And yet, one of the earliest heresies in the history of the Christian church was this idea that Jesus is not really God. But just ask any Jew what Adonai means. It means God. "Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad." Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. So the name of Jesus is the name above every name. He's the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, that's all we have time for today. We'll continue on the next program. Until then, this is Gary Hedrick saying God bless you. Take care. Bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Gary. And thank you, listening friend, for tuning into Messianic Perspectives. It was good to have you with us today. If you're one of our newer listeners, we hope you'll make our program a part of your daily routine. If you found today's program especially helpful and insightful, you'll be glad to know that we have placed the entire series of programs on one compact disc.

The title is simply "What's in a Name?" and it's available for your gift this week of just six dollars. Or if you prefer to have it in printed form, you can order the pamphlet. The pamphlet includes a helpful chart with the Hebrew names of the ten Gentile patriarchs. It shows how those names together form a remarkable acrostic that may be the first mention of the plan of salvation in your entire Bible. Again, the title of the pamphlet is "What's in a Name?" and it's available for your contribution of any amount to help us keep this program on your radio station.

Just visit our online store at messianicspecialties.com. If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, P.O. Box 345, San Antonio, Texas, 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397.

Have you enjoyed this edition of Messianic Perspectives? Why not continue to learn about the Jewish roots of your Christian faith by inviting a speaker from CJF Ministries? Call our toll-free number, 1-800-926-5397, and we'll be happy to handle all of the details. And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. This is Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series on "What's in a Name?" right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas, and is made possible on this station by the freewill contributions of our listeners in this area.