WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL TO STUDY THE HEBRAIC ROOTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
REDISCOVERING THE HEBRAIC ROOTS OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, CIRCA A.D. 60
THE BASAR (the Good News)
"The Good News of the Kingdom of God"
"How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of Him who brings the good News" (Basar) Isaiah 49:8
The English words "good news" and "gospel" are synonymous. But they are not terms unique to the New Testament writings. They are derived from the original Hebrew word "basar". The "basar" is one of the oldest God-given precepts of ancient Israel and was derived from god's revealed prophetic plan of redemption. God's plan was demonstrated within the pattern of the tabernacle, the seven feast-days and the related spiritual life of Old Testament Israel.
In the most ancient book of the Bible, Job eloquently expresses the ancient roots of "the Basar". Here he speaks of his own resurrection where, on the latter day, "in his flesh he shall see God". Though long dead - with his own eyes he will behold the Redeemer ushering in the Kingdom Age: "taking His stand on the earth" (Job 19:23-27): the resurrection precepts are a major part of the "basar" and of the seven Festival days.
The "good news of glad tidings" of the "the Basar" began at Gen 3:15 and was gradually revealed by God to Israel, His Covenant nation. All the prophetic content of the Old Testament writings center on God's promises contained in "the Basar" and rightly define the context of the ancient precepts of resurrection and the restored Kingdom of God and how they apply at the end of the age.
Since the fall of Adam, God promised to restore man to the dominion and stature that he had once held. Adam had been created in the image of God. His environment was perfect: and if sin had not caused his fall, he would still be alive today. Driven from the garden because of sin, man became only a diminutive of what he had been. The earth also had changed, for sin had caused it's deterioration. Man's future was bleak with the exception of a hope seen in the PROPHECIES of a COMING ONE who would conquer sin, defeat death, and bring about the restoration of BOTH MAN AND EARTH. Hebrew Prophets, Kings and Priests have all spoken of the Messiah and of His ministry to cleanse the earth of the present sin. "I will give You as a covenant to the people to RESTORE the earth." (Isaiah 49:8) God was not intending to destroy the earth......"the earth abides FOREVER". Just as the earth after the flood was considered to be a "new earth", so the earth will also be a "new earth" after cleansing at the end of the age.
This precept of the restoration of God's creation became known in total as the "Basar" or "good news". It was defined in the Jewish mind long before Jesus walked upon the earth. As Adam had been a king over the earth under the rule of God, so the future Redeemer would also be a King on the earth. But unlike other earthly kings, He would be the King that HEAVEN would send for this purpose and His Kingdom will be the one that Heaven establishes. The Messiah (the anointed One) will end the present evil age and He will usher in the righteous kingdom Age of peace. All of God's creation, including mankind and the earth, will be restored to the original perfection of Eden. This was the "good news of the Kingdom of God" that Jesus preached in the New Testament Gospels. This precept in total is the "Basar" and is the context of Paul's teaching about the "second Adam": Yeshua/ Jesus. This precept in total goes far beyond the present understanding of salvation from sin for mankind: to include as it's essential part, the restoration of God's Kingdom upon the earth.
The future Messianic Kingdom Age was to be a time of physical as well as spiritual resurrection: therefore, healing, miracles and divine manifestations of the power of God were expected upon the Messiah's revealing. Jesus fulfilled these specific signs but His ministry in His first coming fulfilled only PART of the promised restoration. The complete restoration will be completed on His second coming when He ushers in the Kingdom Age and restores the throne of David at Jerusalem.
It was never believed by Old Testament Hebrews that utter destruction would visit mankind or the earth in the end times, or what Jesus called, "the end of the age". Indeed, the great anticipation of Basar kept God's people ever hopeful of "the good things to come" all through mankind's turbulent history.