PART 6 — THE TORAH TEST
The previous part showed that the apostles repeatedly applied to Yeshua things Scripture had already said about Yehovah.
That brings us to an important question.
Would the Torah allow Israel to follow Yeshua if He were another god beside Yehovah?
The answer is no.
Moses warned Israel:
"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet."
Deuteronomy 13:1-3
Even if signs and wonders happened, Israel was not allowed to follow another god.
Miracles were not enough.
Power was not enough.
The test was whether someone was leading Israel toward Yehovah or away from Him.
Yehovah had already said:
"Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me."
Isaiah 43:10
And:
"I am Yehovah, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me."
Isaiah 45:5
So if Yeshua were another god beside Yehovah, the Torah would require Israel to reject Him.
No miracle could change that.
Not healings.
Not casting out demons.
Not raising the dead.
Not even resurrection.
The Torah test would still stand.
So did Yeshua lead Israel away from Yehovah?
No.
Yeshua affirmed the God of Israel, the Scriptures, and the commandments.
He said:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
Matthew 5:17
And lest anyone misunderstand His meaning, He immediately went on to say that not even the smallest part of the Law would pass away until all things are fulfilled and until heaven and earth pass away:
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Matthew 5:18
He then added that whoever breaks even the least of the commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom:
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:19
When asked about the greatest commandment, He answered:
"The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; Yehovah our God is one."
Mark 12:29
Yeshua did not teach Israel to abandon Yehovah.
He did not reveal another god.
He did not set aside the Torah.
He revealed the Father.
This is why the apostles could proclaim Him without believing they had left the God of Israel.
They knew the Torah.
They knew the Shema.
They knew Israel was forbidden to serve another god.
Yet they worshiped Yeshua, preached salvation through Yeshua, and applied Yehovah’s names, works, and prophecies to Yeshua.
They did not see this as idolatry.
They saw it as revelation.
Yeshua said:
"I and My Father are one."
John 10:30
The people understood the weight of His words.
They answered:
"For blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God."
John 10:33
They knew He was not merely claiming to be a teacher or prophet.
They understood that He was identifying Himself with God.
So the question is not whether Yeshua made an enormous claim.
He did.
The question is whether He spoke falsely or truthfully.
If Yeshua were a separate god beside Yehovah, He would fail the Torah test.
If He led people away from Yehovah, He would fail the Torah test.
If He taught rebellion against Yehovah’s commandments, He would fail the Torah test.
But that is not what He did.
He honored the Father, obeyed the Father, taught the commandments, fulfilled the prophets, and revealed the Father to His people.
He said:
"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father."
John 14:9
And:
"The Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works."
John 14:10
Paul wrote:
"God was in Messiah, reconciling the world unto Himself."
2 Corinthians 5:19
That is why the apostles could proclaim Yeshua and remain faithful to the Shema.
They were not leading people after another god.
They were proclaiming that Yehovah Himself had come near to save His people.
Even the name Yeshua points to this.
Yeshua means Yehovah is salvation.
Isaiah said:
"I, even I, am Yehovah; and beside Me there is no saviour."
Isaiah 43:11
Matthew says:
"Thou shalt call His name Yeshua: for He shall save His people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21
If Yehovah alone is Savior, and Yeshua saves His people from their sins, then Yeshua is not a rival to Yehovah.
He is Yehovah’s salvation revealed in flesh.
The Torah test does not weaken the testimony of Yeshua.
It strengthens it.
Because the Torah would never allow Israel to follow another god.
The only way the apostles could faithfully proclaim Yeshua is if Yeshua is not another god at all.
He is the visible revelation of the one Yehovah.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The God who spoke at Sinai.
The God who gave the Torah.
The God who promised to come and save His people.
In the next part we will look at the Spirit of Yehovah, the restoration of all things, and the promise that God will be all in all.