“Tov Rose has written an advanced Old Testament study to show that the message of the Old Testament and the New Testament are completely consistent in presenting Jesus as the Word of God. His book shows that the New Testament is very much a product of 1st Century Jewish thought and messianic expectations. It is meaty enough for a 1st year seminary student, yet easy enough to read for any serious student of the Bible.” – Joel Richardson

"Jesus: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" is one of the most comprehensive books "defending the deity of Yeshua (Jesus) for Jews." (Dr. Daniel Juster).

This text delves into the life of Jesus and His relationship with the God of the Old Testament. It explores Ezra the Scribe's Midrashic Hermeneutic (Bible interpretation method), how it is used by the New Testament writers, and the history of the Bible's manuscripts, including the controversy surrounding the Divine Name.

It discusses the names and attributes of God, including the Word of God in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. It presents evidence from the Hebrew Bible, ancient and modern Jewish scholars, and New Testament writers to support the identity of Jesus as the Messiah, citing fulfilled prophecies, types, and especially how the ancient Jewish marriage structure is on of the main overarching themes or threads woven throughout the Bible that connected both the Old and New Testaments.

Unlike Anything Else

The book analyzes the personal appearances and references of Messiah in the Old Testament and provides nine ways to find Jesus in the Old Testament. It examines Bible verses stating Jesus is God and discusses His role as "God Among Us." The book also explores the concept of the "Son of God" and Jesus' ultimate purpose of presenting us to His Father.

Tov delves into the roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit revealed in Scripture, highlighting their distinct responsibilities and characteristics.

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“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15

The Father doesn’t like to step in for Judgment. He only does it as a last resort. It is His job as the head of His Government. He delegates everything to the Son, except those things reserved for Himself, such as knowing the exact day and hour Jesus will return.

I’ve noticed a lot of confusion around the issue of judgment at the end of the world. It is very unpopular today to teach people about the difference between the Judgment of Believers vs. the Judgment of Unbelievers. Maybe it has something to do with bringing so many wolf-cubs into the church.

I love the way my old Hebrew professor, John H. Sailhamer, used to say in class that Moses, Jesus and Paul all taught the same thing—Faith. Moses was the man of the law who did not receive the promises, because at the key moment, he did not have faith (Numbers 20:9-12). He hit the rock, rather than speaking to it (1 Corinthians 10:4). On the other hand, you have Abraham, who didn’t even have the law, yet please God by his simple acceptance that what God said was true (Genesis 22:2-8; Romans 4:20-22; Hebrews 11:1-19).

In other words, the purpose of Moses’ teachings is mostly missed by people. The cliff notes version of the first five books of the Bible is this: Moses is saying, “Don’t be like me, a man of doubt and unbelief, yet with the law! Be like Abraham! Be a man of faith! Faith is what counts!” If you look at the books that Moses wrote, Genesis through Deuteronomy through this perspective everything falls into place. It is easy to see that Moses, Jesus and Paul taught exactly the same message.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10

Judgment for believers is quite similar to the judgment of my ancestors, the ancient Israelis. God the Word set standards for his people to live by and called out for repentance when they fell short. When they didn’t walk by faith he executed judgment. When there was a failure of his people to repent the Son of God (revealed as the Word) had to follow through on the penalty for sin.

It was always about faith.

By faith each year the High Priest offered a sacrifice on behalf of Israel for the covering of sin. It was by faith that every time a person became aware of their sin, they went to the priest in the temple to offer the proper sacrifice whose innocent blood was then shed so the sinner could live. (Hebrews 11)

It really is the same today for believers in and followers of the Word of God made flesh, Jesus. The apostle Peter said it like this in 1 Peter 4:17-19:

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

Believers in Jesus go through judgment now. You may have noticed how those who do not believe in Jesus often appear to get away with all sorts of things that we do not get to get away with. Although it appears they are escaping the penalty for sin, they are actually heaping up wrath against themselves for the Day of Judgment (Romans 2).

Believers undergo a judgment now, because we have become part of the Kingdom of God. We do not have to pass before the Great White Throne of Judgment—the Judgment of Father God—because we are already in His Son. We pass before Jesus, The God of Israel, and The Word of God who created us. We pass before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Unbelievers, those who refused to repent and believe get to experience The Judgment of Our Father. All of their evil deeds, sins, thoughts, having not been cleansed by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus—will be heaped upon them. Because the Penalty for Sin is Death (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:22, Leviticus 17:11), and they did not accept the sacrifice that was offered for them, they will bare eternally the penalty of sin in their own bodies. They will live forever in an undead, living, eternal, waking and never sleeping torment called the Lake of Fire, which was never intended for them, but for Satan and those angels who rebelled against God with him.

Let’s look at the difference between the two Judgments.

Judgment of the Lamb

Also known as the judgment of believers; first, we are chosen and forgiven.

"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (Colossians 2:13-14)

Next, we are given the opportunity to grow in strength as believers, or as Paul explains it, we build on the foundation that was laid.

"According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or stubble---each man's work will become manifest (openly visible), for the Day (of the Lord) will disclose it, because it will be revealed (unveiled) with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Finally, after reaching the end of our lives, and being resurrected, we are called before Jesus:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men..." (2 Corinthians 5:10-11)

And being called before Jesus we are to answer for everything done, and hopefully, we live up to the standard that everything we did was done in Jesus:

"For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." (Romans 14:7-13)

We are considered to have entered into a race and have to some extent managed to make some kind of headway toward the finish line.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

All of those who are professing belief in Jesus appear before Jesus himself for Judgment. If you have submitted to the purging and cleansing fire, the conviction and discipline of the Holy Spirit here on Earth, (Matthew 5:13; 1 Peter 4:17), you are judged only for the rewards you will be given!

There is an important issue that gets raised here, something that is hard to accept for some but none-the-less important for everyone to consider: Matthew 25:31-46. I am going to make you go and read it, consider it, and “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” concerning what it says. (Philippians 2:12) I will say this about the passage. Everyone who confesses Jesus will appear before him, but not everyone will be given the reward they are hoping to receive along with these words, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34-35, NIV)

Not everybody finishes the race in Jesus, but if I had a choice, I would rather make sure I do everything possible to be judged by him now, and not found wanting later (1 Cor. 9:27).

Judgment of The Father

I have often heard people say that the God of the Old Testament is like a mean man who only judges and never does anything good. I know Christians who truly believe this and refuse to read the Old Testament because of this false understanding about God. They don’t realize that every time God speaks in the Old Testament it is their very own Jesus who is doing the talking. He is always compassionate and loving, even when trying to correct people for their lack of faith and outright rebellion. It is only as a last resort that negative action occurs. Take for example the promise of God to Abraham that his descendents would spend 400 years in Egypt, because the sin of the Canaanites had not become great enough that God would wipe out an entire group of people. (Genesis 8:6-9, 15:13) You can be assured of the fact that as long as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their families lived in the Land of Canaan God was speaking through these Patriarchs of our Faith calling all of Canaan’s population to follow God. Not many did.

That being said, there are several times in the Old Testament where the Word of God (Jehovah), does make it clear that he is speaking on behalf of his Father. When these instances come up in the Bible, it is after The Word of God has called for repentance for a very, very long time. The judgments of The Word have been ignored, so finally Daddy steps in with strong Pleading, before an even greater judgment comes.

Ezekiel 18:1, 30-32

“The word of the LORD (The Word) came unto me again, saying…Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD (The Father). Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”

The following is an example of the Judgment of Daddy against those who would destroy what He loves. Several examples of this are found in the Book of Ezekiel. Notice here, it is The Father that is speaking through The Word, against the Spiritual Prince of Ezekiel 38-39.

“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD [The Father]; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.” Ezekiel 39:1-5

This may have some serious ramifications for Bible prophesy teachers. The battle of Gog and Magog is overseen by The Father, not The Son. It is a completely separate battle from the one commonly known as Armageddon (Zechariah 12 – 14; Rev. 16:16).

In Zechariah, it is The Son who is in charge. In fact, he goes out of his way to explain that he is the God of creation and the maker of man trying to clear up the confusion for us when talking about it in Zechariah: “The burden of the word of the LORD [God the Word] for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God… In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.” Zechariah 12:1-5, 11

Compare this passage with the companion story in Revelation chapter 16, especially this part:

“Behold, I [Jesus] come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Revelation 16:15-16

It might be worth noting that in the Book of Revelation, Jesus is called “The Lord God of the Holy Prophets,” a name he also bore as Jehovah, in the Old Testament. (e.g., Psalm 105:15; 1 Chronicles 16:22; Hosea 6:5). Jeremiah 35: 13-15:

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? Saith the LORD…notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.” (See also, Luke 13:34, following)

And in Jesus’ own words, here he is declaring himself to be that God of the Old Testament who sent the prophets, in response to Jeremiah 35:

“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 12: 34-39 (See also 1 Kings 19:10; Romans 16:26; James 5:10; 1 Peter 1:10; Rev. 10:7; 22:6, 9, 16)

Jesus made it clear that men had heard of The Father, but no man had seen The Father except the one who came from The Father, i.e., Jesus himself, The Word of God, and The Creator of all things.

“It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” John 6:45-46 

The only place I can really go at this point is where we started this chapter. The Father is in charge of judging those who have rejected His Son. The Father has reserved for Himself assigning of humans who have rejected Jesus to eternal torment in flames. That in itself is a great weight I don’t think any man can understand. GOD the Father is the one who is in charge of The Lake of Fire, which means He must maintain its existence throughout all of eternity. (Matthew 9:48, Isaiah 66:24). And yet, what grace it is that the Father extends to His Son, that He allows Jesus to enjoy fellowship with His Body (The Body of Christ), without having to be burdened having to maintain in some measure of conscious thought this place where the damned live in torment forever. 

“And I saw a great white throne, and him [God the Father] that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God [The Father]; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15

Can you imagine? All of humanity gets to stand before God the Father at some point. For those of us who win the race, we will do so in Worship and Praise forever, but those who are judged get cast from His Presence forever. Once again, if you can’t say amen, can you at least say “ouch”?