The Fullness Is Yet to Come
In reading through the Torah, we cannot help but notice that there are several social institutions described that never seem to achieve their fullness in Israel’s history. For example:
- Judicial system
- Agricultural system
- Feasts and calendar
- Priesthood
- Settlement of land
If all these elements are in the Scriptures (and “Scripture cannot be broken,” John 10:35b), mustn’t there be a time when they will come into their fullness? Some dismiss all these passages as simply Old Covenant, that are done away with by the New, but we believe that through Yeshua, we will see “fullness of all things” —including everything in the Torah and Prophets, in heaven and on earth (Acts 3:21; Eph. 1:10).
Unfinished Business
With this in mind, we can read the Torah in a prophetic way, with a future fulfillment yet to come (Matt. 5:17-18). End-times prophecies are filled with references to Torah elements: Isaiah 2 describes the millennial kingdom in which “the Torah will go forth from Zion” (v. 3, TLV); Isaiah 60-66 speaks of a renewal of Zion and resettlement of the land; Isaiah 66 makes reference to food laws (v. 17), Levites (v. 21), new moons and Sabbaths (verse 23).
The last nine chapters of Ezekiel are perhaps the most challenging. A new temple is built, described in utmost detail (Chapters 40-41), that is then filled with the glory of God (Chapter 43), with a new priesthood and sacrificial system (Chapter 44), including all the feast celebrations (45), led by the Messianic King (46), in a renewal of nature and agriculture (47) and resettlement of the land according to the tribes of Israel (48). What are we going to do with all these chapters?
The end of the book of Joel describes a restoration of Zion both spiritually and economically after the events of the end times. Micah speaks of the former kingdom being reestablished (Mic. 4:8). Zechariah 14 describes as well a restoration of feasts and temple worship after the Second Coming of Messiah. From these quite numerous Scriptures, it seems that there will be a renewal and observance of the Torah during the Millennial Kingdom, which will be consistent with New Covenant priorities and emphases, as taught by Yeshua and the apostles.
God’s kingdom has order. The entire Bible, including the Torah, defines that divine order. (“Torah” means not only “law” but “instruction.”) The ultimate goal of the gospel of the kingdom, fulfilled in the Millennium, is to establish God’s order on the earth for Israel and the nations. Let us pray for wisdom to understand the right integration of gospel, law and kingdom in these end times. {eoa}
Asher Intrater is the founder and apostolic leader of Revive Israel Ministries and oversees Ahavat Yeshua congregation in Jerusalem and Tiferet Yeshua congregation in Tel Aviv. Asher was one of the founders of Tikkun International with Dan Juster and Eitan Shishkoff and serves on the board of the Messianic Alliance of Israel and Aglow International. He and his wife and full-time partner in ministry, Betty, have a passion for personal prayer and devotion, local evangelism and discipleship in Hebrew and unity of the body of believers worldwide.
This article originally appeared at tribe.reviveisrael.org.
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