Concerning the Jew, Israelite and Hebrew Roots fanatic that pesters me about the Tanakh and their loyalty to same…
Jesus entered Time through the Tribe of Judah and came to a people under the Law Covenant and made every attempt to redeem those people for the Father’s eschatological plan for Time and Eternity but those people were stubborn and arrogant and clung to the Law through self-righteousness while rejecting faith and belief in their Messiah…the Tanakh failed as did Jacob’s children as are you. The Tanakh is a roadmap, not the destination. You weary me. The Judgment of Messiah against you will be righteous and dreadful.
The Deity of Messiah Jesus and your eternal destiny…
The Holy Spirit, who Authored the Scriptures as presented in the Canon, could not have been more clear concerning the deity of Messiah Jesus (John 1; Hebrews 1; Colossians 1); those who deny Messiah’s deity are absent the indwelling Holy Spirit who is the Guarantor of New Covenant relationship with the Father (Ephesians 1:13-14); therefore, those who are absent the indwelling Spirit are not redeemed by faith and therefore remain in their sin (John 3:5; John 8:24).
I will acknowledge, without apprehension, that understanding or acknowledging the deity of Jesus is NOT a prerequisite to entering into a New Covenant relationship with Elohim and subsequently receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor of New Covenant promise (John 3; Ephesians 1:13-14), but I do fully acknowledge that anyone who is born again by faith in Jesus as Messiah and has received the indwelling Spirit of Truth WILL KNOW and openly acknowledge that Jesus IS God, Elohim (Genesis 1:1), having manifest in flesh for the purposes of redemption-salvation from sin and the destruction of Satan’s works at Golgotha (John 1; Colossians 1; Hebrews 1; 1 John 3:8b); after all, it is the indwelling Holy Spirit who teaches this theological truism.
*The one primary differentiating theological Truth between the Christian and every cult and religion of the World is the knowledge that Jesus is Elohim, our Creator – eternally “I AM” and the confession of same publicly without apprehension (Matthew 16:13-20). If you do not know Jesus as Elohim, you do not know the Father or the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:23) and you therefore remain in your sin (John 8:24).
The unbelieving Jews during Jesus’ Earthly ministry knew the eternal import of the deific title “God’s Son” and “I AM” and sought to murder Jesus for blasphemy (John 8). This same mindset is prevalent today in a society inundated by “antichrists” seeking death in Hell via a false messiah they’ve created in their own image or an image of their own choosing (1 John 2:2). If you deny Jesus’ deity you are NOT a Christian; you might have a nice religion or religious cult but you are NOT a “born again” member of Elohim’s family…you do NOT know Messiah Jesus!
“Christians, how do you explain the book of Jonah and the people of Nineveh (gentiles) repenting and being saved prior to Jesus?”
Christian response,
From Adam forward, humanity was provided covenant righteousness with Elohim by faith-trust in Elohim as the One true Deity, our Creator and Sustainer; this same truism was relevant for those in Nineveh.
Messiah’s presence in Time and His work at Golgotha simply paves the path to life in Eternity in response to the prerequisite of Leviticus 17:11 which was first pictured for humanity in Genesis 3:21; that is, the shedding of innocent blood as atonement for sin. It is “faith” in Jesus as Messiah that initiates a covenant of righteousness with the Father and it is the blood of Jesus that permits entry into the Kingdom via satisfactory atonement as mandated by the Father (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Though men and women in the Old Testament found righteousness with Elohim via “faith” (Hebrews 11), their sin required atonement before entering the Kingdom, a Kingdom where “nothing impure is permitted to enter therein” (Revelation 21:27); therefore, the Old Testament saints were interned in Sheol/paradise (Hades in the Greek) awaiting Messiah’s work at Golgotha.
Subsequent Messiah’s atoning sacrifice, those who die in body having expressed faith in Messiah Jesus are now immediately translated into the presence of Elohim in a disembodied spiritual state awaiting the resurrection as modeled by Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 3:21). The imperishable resurrected body will be the eternal life form for all of redeemed humanity throughout Eternity.
Finally, it’s important to note that the people of Nineveh repented of their sin in response to Jonah’s preaching and sought righteousness through faith exhibited, validated, by their righteous efforts to eschew evil; unfortunately, much like the people of Israel, the Ninevites did not hold fast to their covenant of repentance and obedience but once again fell prey to defilement and were subsequently judged harshly for their unfaithfulness.
