Restoring The Abrahamic Faith By Art Mokarow

 Dr.James D. Tabor, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) wrote one of the best books on The Abrahamic Faith I have ever read.  I couldn’t disagree with any of the book according to my biblical and scriptural understanding.  Never have I read such a biblical book about The Abrahamic Faith and God’s Plan.

Dr. Tabor’s flow of The Torah which leads to life is very precise and very accurate.  His notes on The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel being scattered about the world is biblically solid.  Too many theologians isolate a few countries where they are supposed to be.

The Law is never done away with, but changes with Priesthood from revealing what sin is, to actually changing a Christian’s heart and mind.  The Old Covenant (The Old Testament) tells you right from wrong, whereas The New Covenant (The New Testament) changes your very nature.

Abraham kept The Commandments, Statues and The Torah through faith under The Melchizedek Priesthood.  However, Israel under Levi had a wrong heart and could not keep The Commandments by faith.  They were carnal, stiff-necked and when they broke a commandment, their penalty was a sacrifice (works). This was only a reminder that they had sinned.  God wanted them to keep the commandments in their hearts, whereby they wouldn’t think of sinning (Deuteronomy 5:29).

Rather than giving details of the book, which should be read by every student of God’s “word,” my intention is to present my point of view as to why Jesus is The Messiah and The Anointed High Priest, Melchizedek.

Taking only the major points by Dr. Tabor where he believes there are biblical conflicts with Jesus being The Messiah is my focus.  Dr. Tabor himself told me the great respect and love he has for Jesus.  If he proves wrong about Jesus, he is sure Jesus will forgive him.  Even the Muslims believe Jesus was a great prophet but not The Messiah.  The Jews themselves had Him crucified.

Very aptly and correctly the major chapters cover significant truth covering the significance about The One, True God and His great plan.  Mostly, my analysis picks up Dr. Tabor’s scriptural research and tries to supply what this author finds missing or incomplete.  Hopefully, my findings are as biblically detailed to enlarge the scope of Dr. Tabor’s writings about The Abrahamic Faith.

Incomplete Covenant

All of The Abrahamic Faith is scripturally accurate but is not complete according to my analysis.  The Abrahamic Covenant made with Abraham in The Torah clearly reveals it did not begin with Moses.  The Old Covenant was only made with Israel (Deuteronomy 5:3).  The Fathers of Israel were not under this covenant made with Israel or The Aaronic Priesthood administered by Levi with Moses as the head.

Points Well Taken

The contents of Dr. Tabor’s book are not only biblically accurate but actually assist in proving He is The Messiah.  The 1^st chapter in his book, God as The One True, is well documented scripturally.  The proof of One God (JHVH ─ The Elohim) is absolute.  There were not two or three gods existing before the birth of Jesus.

“The Way” or “Torah” biblically speaks for itself.  The Torah is not The Law.  The Torah was a teaching path or the way to Christ and is undeniable.  The Law of Moses did not become The Old Covenant Law until added as The Book of Deuteronomy four hundred and thirty years after Abraham.  The Torah was occurring or taking place (from creation to Moses) 1,500 years before The Law and Moses.  All this is well covered in Dr. Tabor’s book The Abrahamic Faith.

The Keeping of The Commandments, statues and Torah was kept by faith or trust in God’s voice and not The Law which followed four hundred and thirty years later and comprised The Torah (Genesis 26:5).

The chapter on God’s Plan of how God fulfills His purpose is “right on” but misses the previous 1,500 years as if The Gospel was not known.  We will deal with this shortcoming later.

The understanding of having many Messiahs is absolutely correct.  Joshua or Yashua in Hebrew is a savior.  Also, as pointed out by the book, even Cyrus, A Gentile King, was A Savior or Messiah.

The Bible is filled with many Messiahs as Tabor proves.  Even the final chapter in Tabor’s book on turning to God, The One True God (JHVH), is scripturally unique.  It shows humanity as a whole doesn’t even know The One Real Father and True God is JHVH.  Getting to know The True God is vital.  All these biblical truths are proven by Dr. Tabor’s book.  The Abrahamic Faith is well written and should be read by all.

There is nothing “biblically stated” which isn’t scripturally proven in his book.  Our analysis is basically what was not covered in The Abrahamic Covenant and The Torah.  Our purpose is to analyze what was missing.  The truth can be biblically proven and accurate.  We need to analyze what was prior to Moses in
The Torah and, especially, The Prophets.

Two Abrahamic Promises

Dr. Tabor clearly relates the first promise to Abraham.  In Genesis 15:1-21 God tells Abraham that because he left Ur of The Chaldeans that he would be given a legal son.  God gave Abraham Isaac who would become a nation.  However, they would be in slavery for four hundred years until the sin of The Amorites in Canaan was fulfilled.  Then God would lead this nation (Israel) to The Promised Land.  God made a covenant with Abraham at that time covering only The Promised Land.  God, also, made another covenant with Abraham giving the blessings of Eternal Life.

Then in Genesis 17:1-13, at ninety years old, God seals His covenant with Abraham with the circumcision of every male child.  This covenant with Israel is forever, eternally.  Abram has his name changed to Abraham as a father of many nations.  Those nations will come out of Abraham (not only Israel) and these nations will have kings come from Abraham.  This Land of Canaan is for an everlasting possession and JHVH will be their God.  This is included in the first promise made to Abraham who included Israel as God’s people by circumcision.

The Abrahamic Faith thoroughly covers this promise but now the second promise made to Abraham came after Isaac was born and Abraham offered him as a sacrifice to God.  What was that promise and what did it include?  When the angel of The Lord stopped the sacrifice of Isaac, here is what the messenger of The Lord said,  “By myself have I sworn, said the Lord, for because you have done this thing (willing to sacrifice Isaac) and have not withheld your son, your only son: That in blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate [rulership)] of his enemies.  And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:16-18).  This is a second promise to Abraham based upon his faith of always obeying God’s voice, The Word of God.

Circumcision is not part of this second promise.  This agreement is predicated upon Abraham’s faith and not by his works.  This is a prophecy that this Messiah or Savior will bless the whole world.

This Messiah is unique from all the others in that this Savior comes from the bosom or lineage of Abraham.  It is not because of Abraham’s faith or by circumcision of a human genealogy such as the first promise.  This Savior or Messiah is specially based upon faith and not by The Works of The Law or any other human works.  Who can this Messiah be?  This promise given to Abraham is different than the first promise which mandated circumcision.

The Gospel of King David

Psalm 24 in its entirety preaches the full gospel and is predestined by God Almighty, The One True God (Ephesians 1).  The Psalms claim God is the property owner of the earth and He created everyone in it.

God lives on top of a high hill in a

Holy Place

; His “house” and Temple.  The question is posed.  Who can ascend this hill and enter God’s Holy House?  Then Psalm 24:5 declares only those who have clean hands, a pure heart (God’s motives) and have not spent their time with vanity or greed.  They also must be dependable and not live a lie.

The result is to receive God’s blessings, all God is, has and can be, (The JHVH) as well as receive God’s Salvation or Eternity.  Then, The Psalm concludes with God’s Glory which is all His goodness (Exodus 23).  God will then dwell with those who are “the tsedaqs” or righteous ones in His Holy Temple House.  Christians will be in God’s rest or Paradise.  Christ was the first to fulfill that requirement of living by every word of God.  He followed God’s will in faith.  Christ became the Messiah because He was the first to fulfill the requirement.

This Messiah, therefore, is different than any other savior Dr. Tabor writes about.  Joshua was a savior to take Israel into The Promised Land.  Cyrus, The Mede was a savior to Judah by his desire to restore The Temple.  What kind of savior is the coming Messiah of Judaism, Islam and Christianity?  King David in Psalm 24 is quite clear.

Only those who have clean hearts, clean hands and have not spent their time with vanity and don’t lie but are always truthful, know Jesus is The True Messiah.  That is exactly what Jesus said to prove He is The Messiah.  He is The Author or The First Born Son of God,  Here is what Jesus said, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John 14:11).

King David describes who can enter God’s Holy House and what kind of works they must do.  Interestingly, Dr. Tabor loves Jesus because of His works on earth.  Even the Muslims accept Jesus as A Prophet of God.  Why?  This is because of The Works or life Jesus lived.  He is The First Son of God because He fulfilled the works David said must take place to enter God’s Holy House.

The proof of Jesus being The Messiah is that He did the works of Psalm 24:5; which makes Him The True Messiah or Savior because He did everything to enter and be in The House of God or The Holy Temple.  He was also The Anointed One because He loved righteousness and only sought peace.  This made Him of The Order of The Priesthood of Melchizedek (which saves).

When did Jesus know He was The Messiah?  Luke 2:40 declares, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”  As a boy He grew to realize He was The Messiah from what His mother told Him and by His growth in wisdom of what He was doing.

We know that when He was 12 years old (like a bar mitzvah age) He knew He was The First Begotten Son of God.  When He was supposedly lost and talking to The Temple Leaders He told His parents they should have known.  He knew He was The Messiah at age 12 (Luke 2:42-49).

What proved His Messiahship is the life that He lived.  It fulfilled the demands of The Gospel that were preached by King David.  Gnostic books state Jesus survived his death and lived out His life on earth.  Mary, becoming pregnant by a centurion, had to be reviewed as false because Jesus did The Works of His Father and it proved His Messiahship.  Jesus fulfilled the demands of The Abrahamic second promise of Abraham’s seed.

Deuteronomy 18 also revealed this prophet, speaking only God’s words and completing The Will of God, which made Him God’s Son.  He was The First Begotten Son.  His works is what, biblically, proves Jesus is The Christ.  He is The Savior and Anointed One.  He was completely different from other biblical saviors as Dr. Tabor writes.  In that His works didn’t lead into The Promised Land like Joshua or Cyrus, but the proof was that He was The First Son of God and would be followed by many others who were doing the same works as Christ.

Dr. Tabor’s book Restoring Abrahamic Faith has completed “the first promise” given to Abraham and is all factual and should be read.  What is missing is “the second half of Abraham’s promise through faith after he offered Isaac for a sacrifice.”  The blessing of the promise seed, The Messiah, who was Christ, blesses all nations.

You can order the book by Dr. Tabor at http://Genesis2000.