Introduction
Quite a few ex-Christian teachers and theologians approach this question starting from the Christian Gospel and working backwards. However, that’s not how I am going to approach it. If we ever want to understand what ‘gospel’ / ‘good news’ means in its broader Yahwist Israelite context, then we have to stop taking it as meaning solely, ‘the Message of Jesus Christ’. Yes, Yeshua taught one distinctive message, but not all prophetic ‘good news’ was the exact same piece of ‘good news’. Different prophets had different good news, applicable to different audiences and to different time-periods, so we have to take a look at the Author of all their good news – YHVH – in order to discover what YHVH’s universal and eternal Good News is (if you wish to go straight to what that is, it appears near the end of this article, under the heading, The Yahwist Good News for the Nations).
The reason why this article is so long, is because it is essential for us to unlearn the Christian string of logic that most of us grew up with, and instead, go back to the very beginning – get back to the original Yahwist starting point – so that we can then restart the journey afresh and move forward, unencumbered by Paullist methods of deduction, along a progression of reasoning that will lead us to an authentically Jewish and biblical way of approaching this comparison – the one between the Christian Gospel, and the Yahwist Good News for the Nations. I am basically looking at the issue of the Good News as if Paul and Christianity had never existed, so that whatever position we take, is because it is from YHVH; Talmidaism is not just a reaction to Paul and Gentile Christianity, but a complete reset, returning to YHVH’s original intent, YHVH’s will.
What ‘Gospel’ has come to mean in mainstream Christianity
In Paullist Christianity, the term ‘Gospel’ (Koine Greek εὐαγγέλιον euangélion, originally meaning, ‘a piece of good news’) is a central concept. It has gone far, far beyond what the word meant originally in ancient Greek, and has taken on a very specialised and specific meaning. This is mostly due to the use of the term by Paul. It was his gospel that he propagated, not the message that Yeshua preached (Paul calls his message, “my gospel”, 2Tim 2:8, Rom 2:16, 16:25). He even contrasts his ‘gospel’ against that of the Jewish followers of Yeshua (Gal 1:6-7), which is very telling.
In Paul’s writings, the Greek euangélion came to mean more than simply ‘good news’; he made it mean something like, ‘the central core essence of my teaching’. Today, the word ‘gospel’, apart from referring to the books in the New Testament containing the ministry of Jesus, now has one sole meaning: ‘The Message of salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ’. However, neither in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek or even Old English, were the various words for ‘good news’ originally that specialised in meaning – all these languages used ‘good news’ in a much broader range of contexts.
This difference is important to realise, because the way ‘gospel’ is used by Christians, it means something very specific: ‘Believe in the death and resurrection of Christ, and you will be saved from your sins (that is, become a Christian and you have a cast-iron assurance of salvation). In Aramaic and Hebrew, the words bėsortā / bėsorāh are not so specific. Realising all this will enable us to see how YHVH’s Good News is relevant today, and how it is much broader in scope than the ‘gospel‘ most people are familiar with.
In this article, I want to cover:
— The original meanings of the various words for ‘good news’ in their own languages, in order to remove their (often misleading and unrealistic) mystique;
— We have to stop restricting ourselves to thinking that ‘gospel’ only means ‘message’ (‘good news‘, in its biblical context, refers instead specifically to the positive parts of God’s Message, the consolations)
— Where Yeshua’s allusion to ‘good news’ comes from
— What Deutero-Isaiah meant by ‘good news’, and who the Messenger bringing the good news was (it’s not a prediction of Yeshua, nor even of a messiah)
— What audience Yeshua’s ‘good news’ was intended for, and what his good news was about
— The difference between the Christian and the Jewish definitions of ‘Salvation’
— What Yeshua‘s ‘good news’ for Jewish people was
— What the Yahwist ‘Good News’ for the Nations really is (YHVH’s Twelve Proclamations of Good News for the Nations
Definition of Koine Greek euangélion
When Christians define the origins of the word ‘gospel’ in various languages, they often give us the impression that there was something intrinsically special about the word euangélion, and that there was something inherently salvific about the Hebrew verb basar (‘to proclaim good news’) in Hebrew. There isn’t.
The Greek word euangélion was the normal word in ancient Koine Greek for both imperial proclamations, and for good news transmitted between ordinary individuals (e.g. “I’ve got good news for you – your wife’s pregnant!”). It specifically means, ‘an item of good news’ – that is, news about one particular thing, not news in general. If it was news about a whole range of different things, then it would be in the plural, euangélia. So although euangélion could refer to official proclamations, it didn’t inherently refer to them, since the daily good news of ordinary people could also be covered by the same word.
Of course, in modern Greek, ‘good news’ would be καλά νέα (kalá néa), and just like the English ‘Gospel’, euangélion in modern Greek has taken on a very specific meaning, ‘the Christian message of the Gospel’.
The Etymology of the English word ‘Gospel’
The modern English word gospel comes from the Old English words gód spell (‘a good announcement’ / ‘a good story’, hence, ‘good news’). The verb spellian means to announce, proclaim, tell, or utter. On its own, the Old English word spell meant ‘something that is told or spoken’, so the specific meaning of ‘news’ depends on context. Spell can mean story (e.g. se spell Lótes: the story of Lot), history (e.g. spell Angelcynnes: a history of the English people), a speech (e.g. lárspell: an instructive discourse or speech); a sermon, saying, statement, message (se spell Godes: the Message of God).
To a speaker of Old English, gód spell would therefore have had the force of, ‘a good announcement / declaration / proclamation’, rather than specifically ‘good news’.
If you know Hebrew, it becomes obvious that the Hebrew equivalent is davar: a word, message, or proclamation; in the Anglo-Saxon period, euangélion was therefore being translated into Old English as if it meant, ‘a good proclamation’. This is likely because formal good news was proclaimed by the messengers of ruling officials, the forerunners of town criers. If they had interpreted euangélion simply as meaning ‘good news’ (i.e. news told by ordinary people to one another), they would have used tídung (tidings). So as a student of the Old English language myself, I find it interesting that they chose to use spell (announcement, proclamation) instead of tídung (tidings, news). They seem to have been focusing on ‘good news’ as being an official proclamation.
The Aramaic and Hebrew words
Just like the force of the Greek euangélion, the Aramaic word bėsortā, and the Hebrew bėsorāh, can refer to any item of news, regardless of who tells it (i.e. they don’t just mean, ’The Gospel of Jesus Christ’). In the Hebrew bible, this word appears as an independent noun in a couple of places, with the meaning of news in general, as well as ‘good news’ (2Sam 18:22, 25). However, in Isaiah, it does not appear as an independent noun, but as the word for ‘herald’ (that is, ‘someone who brings news’), and a couple of times as a verb (‘to bring news).
In Isaiah 52:7, the Hebrew mėvasseir refers to a herald or messenger, one who delivers news (so there’s no independent word used in this verse meaning ‘good news’ all by itself).
The root Hebrew verb basār (בשר) implies brightening the skin of the face with joy, and so in the piel form of the verb, it means, ‘to announce tidings’. The noun-form can refer to any herald who brings news, since there are some instances where the news is bad (eg 1Sam 4:17 – the defeat of Israel, the capture of the Ark, and the death of Eli’s sons).
In ancient Jewish Aramaic, just like in the Greek, bėsortā can be anyone’s news (e.g. 2Sam 18:20, 26); it doesn’t explicitly mean ‘good news from God’. Rather, it is context that makes it mean that. Furthermore, it is important to realise that the words bėsortā and bėsorāh do not automatically mean ’gospel’ or ’good news’ on their own, since the two words simply mean ’a single item of news’, whether it be good or bad. If you want it to mean specifically ’good news’, you would have to say bėsortā tabāh in Aramaic, and bėsorāh tovāh in Hebrew. And if you want it to mean specifically ’the gospel of Jesus’, you need to specify his name, so in ancient Jewish Aramaic you would need to say, bėsorteyh tabāh dishúa, and in biblical Hebrew, ha-bėsorāh tovāh lishúa.
In modern Hebrew, the word bėsorāh is considered archaic (as the equivalent of ’tidings’) and is no longer used; chadashot tovot is now used to translate ‘good news’.
The bottom line to take from all of this, is that ‘gospel’ originally did not mean ‘central core message’ (you often hear people say, “How many ‘gospels’ are there?” as if ’gospel’ only meant ’the message of Jesus’). Originally, ‘Gospel’ simply meant, ‘a piece of good news’, and there can be an infinite number of pieces of good news). The result of this realisation is that we are then able to discern what Yeshua was referring to as his good news. The question then becomes, What specifically was the good news that Yeshua preached? Who was it intended for? Is there any good news for non-Jews? If so, what is it?
Where the allusion to ‘Good News’ being from God comes from
Every prophet has their own ‘good news’ – a different gospel, if you will; this realisation is important to grasp when examining what YHVH’s good news for the Nations is. Deutero-Isaiah (Isa 40-55) was written by the school of prophets that studied Isaiah’s writings (similarly with Trito-Isaiah, Isa 56-66). Isaiah chapters 40 to 66 were basically chapters written by the followers of the prophet Isaiah, the ‘Isaianists’, who studied the words of the prophet Isaiah, much as we do the words of the prophet Yeshua. Whereas Isaiah wrote his words to warn of the Babylonian exile, the Isaianists of Deutero-Isaiah console the Jewish exiles, telling them that their time of exile is almost over, and that they will soon be returning to Judea. The message they deliver from God is the ‘good news’ of Judah’s redemption from Babylon and Persia back to Judea (just like the redemption of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land).
In captivity, some Jewish people may have lost faith in their God, perhaps thinking that God had abandoned them to a living death in a foreign land. Normally, prophets mostly gave warnings of things that were going to happen to the people unless they repented; it would therefore have been unexpected, but welcome, for them to hear good news.
The good news of Deutero-Isaiah was intended to help them regain their faith in the power of YHVH to save the Jewish people, and accept the call to return to Zion.
Who the Messenger is supposed to be in Deutero-Isaiah
In Isa 40:1-11, the prophecy is that the term of Judah’s exile will soon be over; this is the start of the prophecies of consolation, and introduces the idea that the Presence of God will return to Jerusalem.
The next major set of verses about good news is about the Messenger at Isa 52:7. The Messenger is not a human messenger – it cannot be the prophet writing the verse, since he/they are in Babylon, and it cannot refer to a messiah, because these prophecies overall are not about a messiah. Yet something will be a welcome sight to the watchmen of Jerusalem.
The messenger is in fact the very Message of YHVH personified, specifically, the message of YHVH’s redemption personified. The prophet imagines that the watchmen on the towers of Jerusalem will see YHVH’s message of Redemption coming to greet them, symbolising YHVH’s Presence returning to Jerusalem to dwell. How welcome on the mountains are the feet of the Message of YHVH’s redemption, and of YHVH’s return to Jerusalem! YHVH will even appoint (literally, ‘anoint’) a deliverer and liberator to return them to Judea, which, history shows us, was the Emperor Cyrus of Persia (Isa 42.1-9, 45:1), not a Davidic messiah.
Isaiah 61:1 has been used to claim that the messenger of good news must be the messiah, because it mentions that the speaker is ‘anointed’ (“The spirit of my Sovereign YHVH is upon me, because YHVH has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor”). But no, because prophets can also be ‘anointed’ (see Ps 105:15) – in which case ‘anointed’ is used as a metaphor meaning, ‘appointed for a special purpose’.
Even King Cyrus of Persia was called, ‘messiah’ (‘an anointed one’) – someone who was appointed by God for a special purpose: to free the Jewish people. So when Isa 61:1 says that ‘God has anointed me’, that does not automatically mean that the speaker is the messiah, since it can also refer to a regular prophet (who were metaphorically anointed to deliver God’s Message to God’s people). If there are places in the gospels which recount that Yeshua was anointed, that doesn’t automatically mean he was being anointed a messiah; it signifies his prophethood, and that he was being treated as a prophet.
The bottom line is that, being the bearer or herald of good news does not make someone a messiah; someone who brings good news to the Jewish people directly from YHVH is a prophet.
Isaiah’s Good News
People looking at the good news of Isaiah might be tempted to see it as predictive of the far distant future, especially if they are unaware of the original circumstances and intended audience of Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah. Some commentators pick and choose verses to make them fit later periods, according to their own man-made messianic theology, but if you read all the prophecies, it is evident that they refer specifically to the end of the Babylonian exile.
The intended audience of Isaiah was therefore not the Christian followers of ‘Jesus’ in the 1st or even the 21st century, but rather the Jewish exiles still captive in Babylon and Persia in the 6th century BCE; it is of supreme importance when reading Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah to understand that the captives and those in bondage were the Jews still in exile at that time.
When you know this and can grasp this, the ‘good news’ passages in Isaiah begin to make complete sense in their original context.
Here is a breakdown of what constitutes Isaiah’s good news for exiled Judeans:
1. Your time of suffering is over, because your sins have been paid for more than enough (Isa 40:1-2)
2. I chose you, I have not rejected you (Isa 41:9, 50:1)
3. I am the One who strengthens and helps you (Isa 41:10)
4. You will be freed (Isa 61:1) and brought home (Isa 40:3-4, 43:5-8, 60:4-7)
5. The Presence of YHVH will manifest (Isa 40:5) – you can believe this, because God’s promises are iron-clad and reliable (Isa 40:8)
6. Your God is here now! (Isa 40:9, 52:6); Sovereign YHVH comes with power! (Isa 40:10)
7. YHVH is bringing reward for those who have not abandoned their faith in YHVH (Isa 40:10)
8. YHVH God will look after you tenderly and lovingly (Isa 40:11)
9. I, YHVH, am your Redeemer and Saviour, the Holy One of Israel (Isa 41:16, 43:3, 60:16)
10. I, YHVH, will respond to the cries of the poor and the needy (Isa 41.17), and feed the hungry (55:1-2)
11. God will anoint (‘appoint’) a great leader who will free the Jewish people [which will be Emperor Cyrus, not a Davidic messiah] (Isa 42.1-9, 45:1)
12. YHVH will bring you back to Jerusalem (52:1-2), YHVH will redeem you (52:3)
13. YHVH your God is King! YHVH reigns now (Isa 52:7)
14. The Presence of YHVH will return to Zion (Isa 52:8)
15. Observe what is righteous, and do what is just, and My salvation will soon come (Isa 56:1)
16. Even the foreigners who come with you will be saved (Isa 56:3-8)
17. The effect of God’s Presence will be visible on you, and nations will be drawn to your light (Isa 60:1)
18. I will dwell with the penitent and the humble in spirit (Isa 57:15), and I will heal them (Isa 57:18)
19. Don’t practise your religion with hypocrisy; rather, seek Me, seek My ways, do justice, free the oppressed, feed the hungry, help the poor, then when you call on the Name of YHVH, I will hear you and save you (Isa 58:2-7)
20. The year of the release of Judah from Exile will be like a Yoveil Year (’Jubilee Year’), when slaves are freed from bondage (Isa 61:2, Nah 1:15)
If you read all these things in context, it is self-evident that they refer to the imminent release of the Jewish exiles from Babylonia and Persia, not to people living in any other time-period. However, there are some things in Isaiah’s good news that are eternal, and which will be applicable not only to Jews, but to all nations.
Why Yeshua used the term
If any Jewish prophet were to use the term, ‘good news’, pure context would mean that such a prophet was referring to God’s Good News, not good news about himself (e.g. the Isaianists’ good news was about the imminent coming of God as Redeemer and Saviour, not about the school of Isaianic prophets themselves).
In Lk 4:18-19, Yeshua reads from Isa 61:1-2. In the Three-year reading cycle our community follows, this was the haftarah portion for the 4th week of the month of Cheshvan (Oct-Nov), in the 3rd year of the cycle. If the story of Yeshua being called up to read from this haftarah portion is genuine, this would place it in November of either the year 25 CE or 28 CE. The latter date is the more likely, as this would give Yeshua a two- or three-year ministry (28-30 CE).
If the gospel episode is genuine, it would suggest that Yeshua saw himself in terms of a prophetic deliverer of God’s Message of Good News. As I mentioned earlier, the verses from Isaiah are specific to a particular time-period; they are not predictive of the events of the 1st century CE. If Yeshua were a true prophet, he would have known that these verses were not predictive of his time. Therefore, whatever way the historical Yeshua really responded to this reading, he would probably have been trying to point out that he saw his own message as one bringing good news from God, just like the writer of Deutero-Isaiah. His meaning would probably have been something like, “These words are similarly being played out right in front of you!”
The circumstances of Yeshua’s lifetime were very different to those of Deutero-Isaiah. Whereas Deutero-Isaiah was bringing good news that the time of exile was nearly over, and that the Jewish people would soon be going home, in contrast, the period during which Yeshua lived was the complete opposite: there was soon going to be a time of tribulation, not an end to it; and the Jewish people would soon experience a time of exile, not a return from it. Those are the important differences to point out between Isaiah and Yeshua, and a true prophet of YHVH would have been aware of these differences.
Yeshua’s overall message was one of warning (he warned of the tribulation, that God was soon coming in God’s rôle as Judge, and in response, called for national repentance), as well as being a message of consolation (the coming of God’s transformative Kingdom, and the coming of God in the rôle of Liberator, especially of the poor). It is therefore more appropriate to describe Yeshua as a bearer of YHVH’s Davar (‘Message’), rather than solely of God’s Good News alone. However, it is possible to separate out Yeshua’s prophetic warnings from his words of prophetic consolation – that is, separate out the good news from the bad. Perhaps Yeshua wanted to focus on the fact that his message wasn’t all bad – it contained positive hopes for the future.
What was Yeshua’s Good News?
Now that we understand that each prophet‘s ‘good news’ was different, let’s take a look at what Yeshua’s own good news was, and who his intended audience was.
I’ve never really stated before the totality of what Yeshua’s Jewish ‘good news’ was. I’ve dropped bits and pieces here and there, but I’ve never really collected together his ‘good news’ as a definitive list. So here I’m going to try.
In order to know what the good news is, you also have to know what the bad news is. The bad news was that, as a result of some people in the nation going against the righteous ways of God which bring peace and stability (such as the actions of the rich and powerful, the corrupt Sadducean priests, and the violent Zealots), as a natural consequence there is going to be a terrible tribulation – that is, a ‘Day of YHVH’, when there will be a period of trial and terrible upheaval, and enormous suffering for most people. For Yeshua’s fellow Jews, that was the bad news, and it came about in 70CE with the Jewish-Roman war, the destruction of the Temple, and the eventual exile of Jews from Judea in 135CE.
Bad news is always easier to bear when there is good news coupled with it. Yeshua explicitly uses the phrase ‘good news’ in Luke 4:18 (quoting Isaiah 61:1, which is also reflected in Matthew 11:5), to describe his mission of preaching to the poor and bringing release to prisoners (that is, the poor who are being oppressed). He also commands his followers to preach the ‘good news’ in Mark 16:15, referring to the message of the Gospel about God’s Kingdom.
If we can hold the thought in our minds that originally, ‘good news’ did not mean ‘message’, but rather, a set of prophetic good news that was specific to each prophet and their time, we will be able to see Yeshua’s own good news in its proper context, and realise that YHVH’s Good News is something much greater.
Yeshua’s good news was the following:
– God’s Kingdom / Kingship is close at hand (that is, YHVH is soon to come in God’s rôle of Judge and liberating King, who defends the poor, the righteous and the humble)
– The penitent will enjoy God’s Salvation (in the Jewish sense of the word, where ‘salvation’ means ‘being rescued from physical or spiritual danger’)
– By returning to the good ways of God’s Teaching (God’s ethics, principles and commandments), many people will be saved from this coming tribulation, and doing so will bring about an eventual restoration of peace
– The time of this tribulation can be shortened through the repentance of the many
– The Jewish people as a whole will survive
– Even if an innocent person dies during the tribulation, they will have eternal life if they follow God’s righteous commandments
Who was Yeshua’s ‘good news’ originally intended for?
Before anyone reading this next bit has a conniption fit, I’d better state here first as a preface, that it is YHVH’s Good News which is universal salvation for all the Nations, and that universality of salvation predates Yeshua’s ministry. Yeshua’s message of good news was specifically for the Jewish people, since it was the Jewish people who were in grave and immediate danger at that time – other nations around the world were not facing the same impending doom.
In order to approach this question logically, you have to ask yourself, ‘Who did Yeshua spend his ministry preaching amongst? Did he travel far and wide to different countries, preaching to Gentiles around the Mediterranean world, who were all polytheistic pagans? Where was the primary focus of Yeshua’s ministry?
During Yeshua’s ministry, his good news was very specific. However, by the end of each of the gospels, it is artificially made to become something entirely different by the gospel writers themselves.
At the end of each gospel, ‘Jesus Christ’ gives the instruction to preach ‘the gospel’ to the Nations. But what gospel would that have been, given that Yeshua’s ministry was spent preaching to the immediate needs of the Jewish people? I suspect that such words to preach ‘the gospel’ to the Nations were later additions, to justify the ministry of Gentile Christian preachers, since Yeshua’s ministry to Jews – the actual message he had until then been preaching to Jews – was completely irrelevant to Gentiles. I also suspect that this need to make his preaching relevant to Gentiles resulted in back-editing invented episodes into the story of Jesus.
The ‘Christ’ of John 11:25-26 makes the gospel all about himself, with no relevance to Jews whatsoever (in fact, Christ’s presence among Jews is subtly portrayed more as a hindrance). However, most reputable historians do not see the Gospel of John as reliable, if you want to examine the historical Jesus; the ‘Jesus Christ’ of John’s gospel is more like a Greek philosopher, rather than a rural Jewish teacher named Yėshúaʽ from the Galilean countryside.
The likelier reality would have been the one reflected in Mt 10:5-6, “Do not take any road leading to the Gentiles, and do not enter any towns of the Samaritans, rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
The Difference between the Jewish and the Christian definitions of ‘Salvation’
At this juncture, it will be useful for you to be aware that there is a vast difference between the Yahwist / Jewish understanding of what salvation is, and how Christianity has redefined salvation.
In Christianity, salvation means ‘being saved from the effects of sin, so that you have the assurance of getting into heaven’. In Judaism, even though humans will always be judged for the wrongs we have done if we don’t repent of our sins, nevertheless, every human being, regardless of their religion, will eventually reach heaven.
The Jewish definition of salvation is therefore very different. ‘Being saved’ means ‘being rescued by YHVH from spiritual, psychological or physical danger, which would otherwise be humanly difficult or impossible to escape from’. Whereas the Christian idea of salvation is otherworldly and not provable, and limited only to Christians, the Jewish idea of salvation is this-worldly, tangible and visible in the real world; it is also universal, regardless of one’s religion, or even one’s lack of religion. The Christian idea of salvation is about assured entry into heaven only for those who believe in the death and resurrection of ‘Christ’; the Jewish idea of salvation is about being rescued by God from danger.
The Message (Davar) of YHVH
Many ex-Christians who sympathise with our theology, nevertheless still use ‘gospel’ to refer solely to the message of Yeshua. If Paul and Christianity had never existed, the approach would have been very different; the Yahwist Good News would have been understood in its broader context as being part of the Davar YHVH, the Message of God.
In Yahwist theology, there are certain attributes which are considered inherent qualities and powers of YHVH – because of YHVH’s Unity, you cannot separate them out from YHVH (i.e. you cannot take YHVH’s individual attributes, and turn them into separate and distinct beings or persons). So, for example, the Glory is YHVH, and YHVH is the Glory; divine Holiness is YHVH, and YHVH is divine Holiness; divine Love is YHVH, and YHVH is divine Love. So too with divine Compassion, divine Wisdom, and so on. All these things are inseparable from YHVH, an essential part of the overall concept of divine Oneness.
One of these attributes is the Davar YHVH, the Message (‘word’) of YHVH. In this context, the term Davar encapsulates the sum of every principle, teaching, belief, ethical value, moral precept and commandment that comes direct from YHVH. In Hellenist philosophy, Wisdom (Sophia) and Word (Logos) were beings separated off from God, to become the literal daughter and son of God. Christian theology borrowed this belief to make ‘Jesus’ into the incarnation of the divine Message or Word, the Logos.
If you remove the influence of Paullism, Christianity and even Hellenism from our history, in Yahwist thought these things go back to being inseparable and indivisible parts of what YHVH is – together with divine Love, Creatorship, divine Judgehood, Saviourship, Redeemership, divine Sovereignty, etc.
The Yahwist Declaration of Faith
YHVH is God of all nations. YHVH’s Kingdom is a Universal Kingdom for all peoples. If you look in the Hebrew Bible at declarations of faith by Israelites, along with statements proclaimed by non-Israelites, declaring their faith in YHVH, a common theme comes through. Throughout Isaiah chapter 45, the central theme is that YHVH alone is God, and there is no other saviour; this is the focus of Israelite and Gentile Yahwist declarations of faith throughout the Miqra (Hebrew Bible):
“From this day forth, I shall say, ‘I belong to YHVH’.” (cf Isa 44:5)
“For YHVH my God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is none else.” (cf Dt 4:35, 39; Josh 2:11b, 1Kgs 8:60, Isa 45:14b)
“YHVH alone shall I worship, and YHVH alone shall I revere; YHVH alone shall I serve, and to YHVH alone shall I remain loyal; YHVH alone is my splendour, and YHVH alone is my God.” (cf Dt 6:13, 10:20-21)
“Today, it is Yahveh whom I have affirmed to be my God, and that I will walk in Yahveh’s ways; for YHVH’s ways alone shall I follow, and to YHVH’s principles alone shall I cleave.” (cf Dt 26:17, 11:22).
By way of self-conversion, a non-Jew becomes a Yahwist by taking on board these declarations of faith in YHVH alone as their God, and in YHVH’s ways, values, principles and precepts as their way of ethical living.
It also needs to be pointed out here that if you compare ethical Yahwism for Gentiles, which Talmidaism provides, and contrast that with Paullist Christianity for Gentiles, which Paul of Tarsus invented, you can plainly see that they are two completely separate religions. Ethical Yahwism for Gentiles is from YHVH; it has YHVH as the only God, and sole Saviour and Redeemer of humanity; it is the fire of God’s Glory that provides expiation and cleansing of sins, without a mediator; salvation is universal; and its ideals and values are biblical and Yahwist in origin. In contrast, Paullist Christianity for Gentiles is an invention from Paul of Tarsus; it has Jesus Christ as god, saviour and redeemer; it is the death and blood of Christ which provides forgiveness and atonement of sin; salvation is only for Christians; and its belief-system is pagan in origin, from the Mystery Religions of the ancient Mediterranean region.
The Yahwist Good News for the Nations
YHVH’s Davar, in pursuit of a mortal understanding of what it is, can be categorised into several parts: Ethics, Beliefs, Positive Injunctions, Negative Injunctions, Exhortations, Consolations and Warnings. God’s Good News focusses on all the positive aspects of YHVH’s Davar.
By following God’s ways of justice and righteousness, a non-Israelite can walk the path that leads directly to YHVH, so that even a non-Israelite can dwell safely in the blessed Presence of YHVH. YHVH’s ways will bring peace, stability, fairness, goodness and righteousness to such a Gentile society – that is the promise of YHVH for those who follow God’s ways. All peoples are citizens of YHVH’s Kingdom.
Yahwism – that is, following YHVH and YHVH’s values – is always a free choice. If you need to force people, frighten people, harass people, threaten people, or impose sanctions on people into following your way, then your way is not from God; it is from the darkness of your own heart. In contrast, the ways of YHVH are inherently wonderful, and the human heart was created to recognise this. That is why a decent human being instantly knows their God, and automatically recognises the good ways and values of their God.
A Positive Future for all Humanity
In Paullist Christianity, because they have misconstrued and misused Yeshua’s prophecies about a coming tribulation, they tend to view the future in terms of death, destruction and apocalypse. However, in the Israelite faith, the far distant future is seen very differently. Prophecies of future universal peace appear throughout the Hebrew Bible, notably in Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3 – both describe nations beating swords into ploughshares – as well as Isaiah 11:6-9, which paints a picture of natural harmony and the cessation of all harm.
One of the aims of the Yahwist Israelite faith is to help heal the world (Tikkun Olam), to restore it to what God intended it to be like, and set it back on the path to becoming something better and greater. This mission is universal, applicable to all peoples and all nations. Although there will be upset and sadness along the way, ultimately the distant future envisioned by the Israelite faith is very positive. This is something we can give to the nations – spiritual optimism, instead of religious pessimism. All this predates Yeshua’s ministry, something you would not see if you were only looking at Yeshua’s prophecies.
So, what are the items of YHVH’s Good News for the Nations?
YHVH started God’s universal plan of salvation by introducing it to one man, then to a people, and then to a host of peoples. YHVH’s salvation is not restricted to Israel, but goes out to all peoples. All the nations are God’s people too.
From the teachings of Yeshua, non-Jews can derive many good ethical teachings which are universally applicable. However, YHVH’s ethical teachings for all Nations (ethical Yahwism), and God’s covenants with all nations, predate the ministry of Yeshua; the Way of Righteousness (Prov 8:20) is for all Nations. If you don’t restrict yourself to Yeshua’s teachings alone, but cast your sights to a wider panorama at the great breadth of YHVH’s values and ideals throughout the Miqra (Hebrew Bible), you can see that there is much more there for all peoples.
YHVH is One, YHVH alone is God, King, Saviour and Redeemer, and YHVH’s saving and liberating Kingdom is for all Nations – that is the heart of YHVH’s universal and eternal Good News for the Nations. These therefore are the 12 Proclamations of Salvation and Good News for all the Nations; everything else proceeds from these 12 affirmations:
1. YHVH alone is God, the God of Israel and of all Nations (2Chr 20:6, Ps 22:27-28, 82:8, 86:9, ) – before YHVH, there is none else (Dt 4:35, Isa 45:5);
2. YHVH alone is King, the universal Sovereign who reigns over all the earth (Ps 47:8, Dan 4:17);
3. YHVH, and YHVH alone, is Saviour and Redeemer of all humanity – there is no other (Isa 43:11, 52:10);
4. We don’t have to wait for our King and Saviour – YHVH is already with us, right here and right now! (Ps 96:10, 1Chr 16:31)
5. It is YHVH’s Glory which cleanses our souls of sin – it is YHVH alone who blots out our transgressions, and remembers our sin no more (Isa 43:25)
6. Through repentance, any human being, Jew or Gentile, can be forgiven, to come before the Glory of YHVH to be cleansed, healed and made whole again (e.g. God forgave the sins of the Ninevites in the Book of Jonah).
7. YHVH is your source of courage and strength in difficult times (Dt 31:6, Josh 1:7-9), and your source of joy in good times (Isa 58:14);
8. YHVH’s good ways, ethical values, noble ideals and highest principles, will eventually bring universal peace and salvation to all the earth (Isa 2:4, Mic 4:3);
9. A righteous Yahwist society is a free and liberated society, where no one is oppressed, subjugated or enslaved (Isa 61:2, Nah 1:15);
10. Follow YHVH’s ethical commandments and principles, and you will have eternal life (Mk 10:17-22); Observe what is righteous, and do what is just, and YHVH’s salvation is yours (Isa 56:1);
11. Don’t practise your religion with hypocrisy (Ps 26:4, Mt 23); rather, seek YHVH, seek God’s ways, love mercy, do justice, free the oppressed, feed the hungry, help the poor; then when you call on the Name of YHVH, God will hear you and save you (Isa 58:2-7).
12. By following this Way, humanity will one day be perfected (Dan 7:13-14, 18, 27), so that the Light of YHVH’s Glory will dwell on earth, bringing universal blessing, so that heaven and earth will one day be one (Isa 60:19-20, Rev 21:22-26, 22:5).
Summary
Yeshua’s good news to the Jewish people in the time of their impending tribulation, was not the only good news humanity ever received from God. Because YHVH is the originator of all prophetic messages, and because YHVH is the One who puts the Message (ha-Davar) in the mouths of the prophets, all prophetic Good News comes from YHVH – the Good News is all good news from YHVH, not just from Yeshua. So it is YHVH that we turn to, in order to uncover the universal Good News from YHVH for all the Nations.
There is One God – YHVH. There is only one Saviour and one Redeemer – YHVH alone. YHVH is Sovereign King over all the earth. YHVH has elected a people to represent God’s Way of Righteousness, to act as a light to the Nations. Other nations and peoples are invited and welcome to join in YHVH’s plan. The realisation and implementation of that plan will bring about universal peace – the universal reign of the Kingdom of God on earth! The good news is therefore universal salvation, joy and peace for all nations, because YHVH is King of all nations. It is YHVH who cleanses all sin without death or blood; it is YHVH who forgives and heals; it is YHVH who is the Saviour and Redeemer of us all!