What do these two verses have in common?
Together, they paint us a picture.
The Big Picture

What do I mean by this?
We could interview a thousand Christian pastors and ask them what the big picture of scripture is…
We’d get an overwhelming response that Jesus died on a cross for our sins, so that we might be forgiven. And He did so because He loves us.
They would be absolutely correct.
Yeshua Messiah did die for us so that we might be forgiven.
But is this the big picture?
I propose that Messiah is a piece of the big picture, and absolutely necessary and critical.

Bear with me here…
The Big Picture of scripture is that Yehova created all that there is, and there was no fault in all of Creation.
But man committed sin, introducing death into the world.
The Big Picture is getting back to His original Creation, and Messiah plays the key role in this plan.
But our churches neglect much of scripture, and concentrate only on the parts they like.
Their “Big Picture” is not the same as Yehova’s “Big Picture”. Even though the church’s big picture is derived from words written in scripture, it is important for us to see Yehova’s big picture, not to create our own from portions of the Word.
So let’s summarize Mainstream Christian Big Picture, along with Scripture’s Big Picture:

Christianity:
God created all there is, and it was perfect.
Man committed sin, introducing death into the world.
God gave His law to man.
Man failed to keep the law.
Jesus died on the cross and did away with the law.
Man is forgiven by believing in Jesus.
Everybody who believes in Jesus goes to heaven.
Everyone else goes to Hell forever.

Scripture’s Big Picture [I could spend days on this, but I’ll try to keep it short]:
Yehova created all there is, and it was perfect.
Man committed sin, introducing death into the world.
Yehova created His chosen people, the Hebrew nation.
Yehova gave His instructions for living to these people, and to the non-Hebrews who lived among them (the instructions are for everyone).
The people (Hebrews and the strangers among them) failed to follow the instructions.  The Hebrew nation split into two kingdoms. Both rebelled against Yehova and His ways.
One nation (Judah) was punished by exile for 70 years (Ezekiel 4) and they repented and partially turned back to Yehova.
The other nation, Israel, did not repent. They were divorced from the covenant and scattered among all the nations of the earth.
Torah states that a divorced bride cannot be remarried unless the original groom dies.  In order to restore the nation of Israel to Yehova, the original groom must first die. Messiah came to earth and died on the stake, thus fulfilling Torah, allowing the divorced nation of Israel the ability to return into covenant with Yehova. This action also gave Messiah the power over death, for the wages of sin are death. His death without sin gave Him the power to overcome death, which allows Him to forgive us when we repent of our sins.
Per Ezekiel 4, the exile of the nation of Israel was to last 390 years.  But they did not repent, so the exile lasted 2730 years instead, in accordance with Torah instructions (multiplied by seven for lack of repentance).
This nation’s punishment ended in 2009-ish (exile began in 720BC when the Assyrians defeated and began scattering them).
People began turning back to Torah, the ways of the Father.
Jeremiah 16 tells us there will be a second exodus, greater than the first.  The people who have turned back to the ways of the Father will be gathered and protected.
Tribulation will come to test the people, in an attempt to get them to turn to the Father.
Messiah will return in the end, when time is up.
All people, throughout all of time, who were in covenant with Yehova will be given incorruptible bodies, restoring Creation to what Yehova had intended from the beginning.  The City of New Jerusalem will be placed upon the restored earth, and the saints will live there for eternity in the presence of Yehova.
Those people, throughout all of time, who were not in covenant with Yehova will experience second death in the Lake of Fire.

As you can see, my representation of the Big Picture of scripture is quite different from that of the mainstream church.
Why the big difference?
Because I read and believe all of scripture.
The churches disregard most of the bible and build false doctrine using the writings of Paul (we are warned specifically not to do this in scripture — 2Peter 3:14-17 — and Jeremiah tells us it will happen anyway — Jeremiah 16:19-20).

Where do we land today, in 2018? What is our place in the Big Picture?
We live in a culture where most people interested in scripture are chasing after the traditions of men, developed from the twisting of Paul’s writings, as we are warned NOT to do.
But the exile of Ezekiel 4 is over. Many are returning to the ways and the instructions of the Father.  Many are returning to be in covenant with Yehova. But the masses reject this idea because they love their lies.  Messiah says who will not be in His kingdom in Revelation 22:15
But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

All the way back in Deuteronomy, in the Torah, Yehova tells us that His chosen people [to include the strangers among them who want to be in covenant with Yehova] will be scattered because of their disobedience, but will be gathered again one day when they return to His ways.
In Jeremiah 16, we see the promise of the gathering, the second exodus.

The church believes Messiah came to die for us, so that we might be forgiven.  That is part of His purpose.  But before His death, what did He teach?
Messiah came to teach us how to return to the Father [which Deuteronomy 30 tells us is necessary] , by teaching what the Father taught…
John 12:49-50
 For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Therefore what I say, I say just as the Father has told Me.”
John 7:16
Yeshua answered, “My teaching is not from Me, but from Him who sent Me. 
John 14:10
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own; but the Father dwelling in Me does His works. 
John 8:42-47
Yeshua said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for from God I came and now I am here. For I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. ⁴³ Why don’t you understand My speech? Because you’re not able to hear My word! ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks lies he is just being himself—for he is a liar and the father of lies.
⁴⁵ “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts Me of sinning? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe Me? ⁴⁷ He who belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you don’t hear is because you do not belong to God.”

Messiah said this:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.”
The Law (the Torah instructions) are how we return to the Father.
The Prophets all taught that we are to return to the Father, by keeping His instructions.

This is the Big Picture: We must return to the ways of Yehova.
Messiah plays a crucial role.  He is the cornerstone to allow all of this to play out…
John 14:6
⁶ Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Mainstream Churches teach that Jesus is the destination.
He is not.
He is the path to the Father.
We must come to Messiah, but we keep going to the Father.
If you stop at the foot of the cross and stay there, then you have not finished your race.
Is any of this making sense?
I understand it is different than what most of us were taught.
It is different than what billions of people believe.
Will you side with the masses, simply because they are the masses?
Or will you side with scripture?
Read the whole bible.
Believe the whole bible.
Get rid of the mis-taught words of Paul’s writings.
Choose life.
Choose blessing.

Deuteronomy 30:15-16
 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, ¹⁶ in that I command you today to love the Yehova your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Yehova your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”
Our churches say this only applies to the people of that time.
Our churches say this only applies to Israel, to the modern day Jews.
Well, scripture says otherwise.
The Jews only comprise the nation of Judah.
The ten tribes of the nation of Israel are scattered among all the nations. Much of the bible is about the restoration of these people!!
Churches do not teach this.
Even Messiah says so:
Matthew 15:24 [words of Messiah]
 But He responded, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Do you wish to be restored?
Or do you love and practice lies?
Jeremiah 16:19 tells us that our churches teach lies:
Yehova, my strength, my stronghold,
        my refuge in the day of affliction,
    to You will the nations come
        from the ends of the earth and say:
    “Our fathers have inherited nothing
        but lies, futility and useless things.”

What will you believe?
Will you be restored?