The Jewish apostle Paul, and others with him, were given the opportunity in a certain instance to give an exhortation to the people gathered in a Jewish synagogue. That invitation came from the rulers of the synagogue after ‘the reading of the law and the prophets.’ Here is an excerpt from Paul’s message to those who were present:
Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. (Acts 13:26-31)
Folks this is an awesome, bold and true exhortation which Paul spoke to the Jewish people that day, and I might also add, that this statement by the apostle Paul still stands as true today, as when Paul first spoke it! Paul was speaking to people who were of the lineage of Abraham, and he specifically called it ‘the word of salvation.’ In other words, Paul was dealing with the subject of the salvation of their souls. He told the people present, that the people of Jerusalem and their rulers, did not know Him [Christ], nor the ‘voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day.’ In other words, Paul was making it very clear to the people present, that although the people gathered week after week, to listen to the scriptures read [the law and the prophets], they completely missed the Christ [Messiah] of the scriptures, which the prophets had prophesied about! That is exactly the point that Paul was bringing to the Jewish people. Here we are almost two thousand years later, and while those very same scriptures are read every Sabbath day, the people still do not hear the ‘voices of the prophets’ which clearly reveal Jesus as the Christ [Messiah]! Here are some of the ‘voices of the prophets’ which the Jewish apostle Paul was referring to:
The prophet Micah prophesied of the birthplace of the Messiah in Bethlehem. [Micah 5:2], and that is exactly where he was born! [Luke 2:4-7]
The prophet Isaiah prophesied of the suffering, rejection and death of Christ, for our iniquities. [Isaiah 53:1-12] and that is exactly what took place. [Luke 17:25, 23:18, John 1:11, 5:39-47]
The prophet Zechariah prophesied of the betrayal of Christ for thirty pieces of silver [Zechariah 11:12] and Judas betrayed Christ for that exact amount! [Matthew 26:15, 27:3-10]
The prophet Zechariah prophesied of Christ riding into Jerusalem, ‘having salvation’, and riding upon an ass.(donkey) [Zechariah 9:9] and that was perfectly fulfilled when Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on an ass. (donkey). [John 12:12-15]
The clincher to all of this is what Jesus Himself said after he rose from the dead. Please pay attention to the words of Jesus, and what he declared about the law and the prophets.
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:36-47)
Folks, these words were spoken almost two thousand years ago by the risen Jesus Christ, [AMAZING]. This is the same one who declared that He was the only way! [John 14;6, Acts 4:10-12] He allowed his followers to inspect the very holes and gashes in his body, and then he shared a meal with them also. But most importantly, was the statement that Jesus spoke regarding the law, the psalms and the prophets concerning Himself. Jesus told his followers that all of the things which happened including his very death on the cross had to take place just as it was prophesied! Jesus then gave them the Gospel message to bring to ALL nations, including Israel. In fact Jesus told His followers to begin their preaching at Jerusalem. Folks, there is absolutely no other message for any person on planet earth. The people of Israel need the Gospel message just as much as any other person in the world. The spiritual veil [blinders] will remain upon the heart of all people [Jewish and Gentile] who refuse to repent and believe the Gospel!
And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:13-17)
