Saturday, April 28, 2012

Is Jesus of Nazareth the Jewish Messiah?

Christians accept that Jesus Christ, or in more Hebraic terms Yeshua ha Moshiach is the Messiah that the Jews have long been expecting. After all, that is upon what the entire belief system of Christianity is based. Jews on the other hand do not accept that Yeshua was the Messiah (with a small exception of a remnant of Messianic Jews), as He did not fulfill the expectations that they had regarding the Messiah. They expect the Messiah to be Moshiach ben David. According to what I have read from their expectations, he will be from the House of David, be learned in and observant of the Torah, will restore Israel back to God and to being Torah observant, and he will rebuild the temple and gather the dispersed. He will also fight wars and restore the land to its people. He will be a gifted human man (as opposed to being divine), but not a worker of many miracles, and most certainly not die and be resurrected. There is also a tradition that says that there is a second Messianic figure who is called Moshiach ben Yosef. (Joseph). Some traditions say that this Messiah will only come if the Jews are not ready or worthy of Moshiach ben David. Moshiach ben Yosef will carry out many of the expected functions of the Messiah, but he will be killed in battle at which point Moshiach ben David will raise him from the dead (apparently this is the one miracle that he may be able to perform) and finish fulfilling the Messianic expectations. He is a hero for Israel who may suffer in that capacity, but is not expected to be a redeemer of mankind for their sins. That is the reason for which they expect the temple to be restored. It will be the sacrifices, especially that of Yom Kippur which they will expect to cover their sins.

One of the first problems that the Jews have not acknowledged that is a major obstacle to a Messiah fulfilling their expectations (with the exception of Yeshua), is that there is not a person who can trace his ancestry back to King David. The genealogies were lost when the temple was destroyed. The only genealogy that exists that traces back to King David is Yeshua's, which can be found in the books of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament. Anyone who comes, other than Yeshua, will have to make people accept him without this requirement being met, unless they have come up with some DNA test that not only shows he is a Jew, but is of the line of David. I don't know that they have any DNA of David that would allow them to do this. One can only believe that whoever (antichrist) gets the temple rebuilt will be believed to be a descendant of King David by virtue of fulfilling that expectation rather than presenting any credentials. It will be this error in judgment and lack of understanding of the prophecies of the Tanakh (Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”) that will lead many to make a covenant with death. Isaiah 28:14-19 “Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.” This corner stone is mentioned again in the prophecies concerning the Messiah.

The Tanakh (the Old Testament) has given many prophecies concerning the Messiah or Moshiach. We need to look at some of them to see what the true expectations are that God gave, so that people would not be misled to follow a false Moshiach, as there have been and continue to be many who claim this title for themselves. There are too many prophecies about the Moshiach to cover all of them in this article, but some of the most important ones will be addressed.

Part of the reason that two Moshiach's are considered to be expected is due to the prophecies one finds about the Moshiach. The first prophecies that will be dealt with are the ones dealing with Moshiach ben David. He will be the king, the ruler who will unite Israel and punish their enemies. This is the Moshiach that Israel has long expected and awaited. This will be followed by prophecies about Moshiach ben Yosef, a Messiah that Israel does not really care about, as he is a suffering servant. One of the first, although not the first prophecy about the Moshiach is found in Genesis. Within the passages, I will put in bold print those things of which one needs to take special notice. After each prophecy, I will give a brief synopsis of the passage. Later in the article I will show the fulfillments of these prophetic passages. Comments by the author of this article will be kept to a minimum, as Scripture will be allowed to speak for itself. I would encourage any person of Jewish heritage who is curious as to why Christians accepted Yeshua as the Moshiach of Israel and follow after Him in fulfillment of Scripture, to carefully consider all the information presented, even though I know it is extremely lengthy. You might be very surprised by what you read. (Isaiah 11:10, 42:6 “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.......I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;”)

First the prophecies concerning the coming Moshiach ben David.

Genesis 49:10 “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

This verse tells us that the sceptre or rulership would not depart from the tribe of Judah, nor a lawgiver from his progeny until Shiloh (another name for the Moshiach) would come. He would gather people to Himself.

Ezekiel 34:6-31 “My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will
I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.”

In this passage, God states that He will gather Israel from all the places in the world that she has been scattered and bring her back to the land where she will live off the fat of the land. He will heal and strengthen her. Then He will judge those who scattered her and set a shepherd over her. He will be of the seed of David, a prince. God will make a covenant of peace with them and cause the evil to cease for them to dwell in safety. And God will bless them with showers of blessing. And they will know that God has delivered them. They will dwell safely forevermore with abundance.

Ezekiel 37:21-28 “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.”

This passage says that God will bring Israel back out of the lands of the heathen and reunite all of Israel (Judah and Israel into one nation) and shall give them one king to be over all of them. They will no longer be two nations, but one, nor will they ever again defile themselves with idolatry or sin. God will cleanse them of all their sins and they will be God's people. David (the son of David – his descendant) will be their king and shepherd. They will observe God's statutes and laws and do them. They will again own all of Israel only this time forever and “David” will be their prince forever. God will initiate an everlasting covenant of peace with them and restore the sanctuary (temple) in their midst. God will also again dwell in their midst and the heathen will know that it is God who sanctifies Israel and that they are His people.

Psalm 110:1-6 “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.”

In Psalm 110 God is speaking to His anointed saying that He will sit at God's right hand until His (the Moshiach's) enemies are put underneath Him as a footstool. He will be a ruler out of Zion in the mist of His enemies. The people will follow Him in that day. God's anointed is a priest of the order of Melchizedek. In the day of God's wrath the Moshiach will destroy the kings of the world and will judge the heathen.

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

This passage tells us that a Moshiach will be born to Israel. He will be the government. He will be a prince of peace and of His government and peace there will be no end. He will establish the throne of David again with judgment and justice forever. It is important to note here that there is something else said that cannot be ignored. Some names of this Moshiach are the mighty God and the everlasting Father. In Judaism, the Lord your God is one God, yet here we see the Moshiach being called by God Himself through the Scriptures the mighty God and the everlasting Father. Likewise we saw in Psalm 110 that the Lord “said to my Lord”. Yet there is only one Lord over us all. So who is this Moshiach whom God would call My Lord, the mighty God, and the everlasting Father?

Isaiah 11:1-12 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

The Moshiach will come forth from the line of Jesse, who was King David's father. The spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him. He will understand the things of the Lord from a very young age. He will not judge based upon what He hears or sees, but will judge in righteousness and fairness. He will slay the wicked and smite the world for its wickedness. He will exemplify righteousness and faithfulness. The time of His reign will be one where even the animal world is at peace with each other. Little children will be safe with wild animals. Animals will no longer be carnivorous. Snakes will not be poisonous. The world will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. The root of Jesse, the son of David, the Moshiach will be a sign for the people. The Gentiles will seek after the Moshiach. The time of His reign will be glorious. It will be a time when God will have brought the remnant of Israel back from all the lands where they have been dispersed.

Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

This verse tells us that the Moshich would be born in a town of Judah called Bethlehem. This was the hometown of King David's family and where the family line lived. This ruler of Israel will have existed from everlasting. This implies someone beyond just a mere man, as everlasting means from eternity.

Psalm 2:1-12 “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

The kings of the earth will take counsel together to be against the Lord and the Moshiach. The Lord will laugh at their plans. He will take His wrath out upon them, for He will set His king (the Moshiach) on the Holy Mount of Zion. God says of this Moshiach “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” God is saying this Messiah is His begotten Son. He tells this Son that anything He asks He will give to Him as a possession. That the Moshiach will break the nations and kings of the earth and dash them to pieces. God then tells the kings and judges of the world to kiss the Son and give Him homage lest He kill them in His wrath. Those who put their trust in the Moshiach will be blessed.

Malachi 3:1-9 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to this temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifer of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

God will send His messenger (His Moshiach) before He returns to dwell in the midst of His people. This messenger will come unexpectedly to the temple with the message of the covenant. But the day of His coming will be a day that men will not be able to stand, for he will cleanse and purify the people. He will purify the sons of Levi so that they may work in the temple again as in days of old. God will judge the people for their sins. He accuses them of robbing Him and curses them.

Isaiah 42:1-9 “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

The chosen servant or Moshiach is one who will bring judgment not only to Israel, but to the entire Gentile world. He will be a man who is not contentious or seeking to make himself known abroad. He will be quiet, and gentle and humble, yet one of justice and truth. He will not be one to oppress those who are weak and in need, but will deal with all in righteousness. He will not fail nor be discouraged to set all right and bring justice to all. People will await that justice. God will give this Moshiach as a covenant to Israel and a light to the Gentile world. He will open the eyes of the blind, release people from prisons, and bring people out of the darkness. This is taken as a spiritual application more than a literal one, but it does not say that it cannot be fulfilled literally as well. The former things of the Lord will pass and the Lord will start all things anew.

Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

This verse tells us that when the Moshiach the King appears, he will ride into Jerusalem in a lowly manner, on the colt, the foal of an ass, not with pomp and circumstance of armies and wealth. Moshiach will bring salvation to the people. The king isn't coming with armies to conquer, but with lowliness offering salvation to the people.

Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion.

These verses tell us that one like the Son of man comes in the clouds of heaven. And God gives to Him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people of the world will serve Him, for His kingdom is an everlasting one.

One prophecy that is not specifically designated for either Moshiach ben David or Moshiach ben Yosef is the following:

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

This verse says that the Lord God would give His people a sign to know the Moshiach. He would be born of a virgin and His name would be Immanuel, which translated means “God with us.” This name implies God would be in and of this Moshiach. He would be God on earth with the people.

The next prophecy seems to apply to both Moshiach ben David and ben Yosef.

Isaiah 49:1-7 “Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

This passage tells us that God named and made known from the womb the Moshiach. He made the Moshiach's mouth like a sharp sword, cutting people with the truth. Through Him, God would be glorified. His work in life is to work for God. It will be His job to bring Israel back to God, even before Israel is gathered. He will be glorious in the eyes of God, even though Israel be not yet gathered. Yet He will eventually raise up and restore all the tribes of Israel, and He will be a light to the Gentiles and salvation to the entire world. Notice that it mentions the Redeemer of Israel and His Holy One, as being two separate people speaking to the one whom man despiseth. The Moshiach will be despised by man and abhorred by the nation of Israel. Yet kings and princes will worship Him, because the Lord is faithful. The Lord and the Holy One will choose the Moshiach. This last part will be addressed a little later.

Now we will look at the prophecies concerning Moshiach ben Yosef,

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

This passage of Scripture tells us about the man who would be the Moshiach ben Yosef. God has a servant who will be exalted and extolled and be very high, after the fact of his appearance. This person will be a person whom history will exalt as an extraordinary man. He will be held in high esteem by God and man alike after his death. It must be after his death, as it says he will be rejected, despised and not esteemed for who he is during his life. He will be brutally assaulted. It says that his visage and form will be marred more than any other man from this torture. And he will suffer this torture on behalf of mankind's transgressions or sins and iniquities. We have all gone astray from God's law, but God will lay upon him the iniquity of mankind. By what he suffers, (his stripes or whippings) we will be healed. And yet while suffering this, he is reviled as a man being judged by God. Even as he is brought as a lamb to slaughter for this torture and death, he does not open his mouth to defend himself or complain. He remains silent throughout this treatment. He is taken forth as a prisoner from the judge's court and is killed. He dies for the transgressions or sins of his people. He dies with the wicked, yet his grave is with the rich. And all this is done in spite of the fact that he has not been known to have done anything violent or deceitful. In other words, he is killed as an innocent man. Yet God is pleased to allow this to happen to him. God deliberately allows it, as his soul is being given and poured out to death as a sin offering. God's righteous servant's death will justify many people, for their sins and iniquities will be borne by him. Again we are told that while in death he is among sinners, he will bare the sins of many, and make intercession for sinners.

Isaiah 50:4-10 “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.”
In these verses we learn that the Moshiach is obedient to God's every will, that he is not rebellious. He even gives His back to those who would smite or whip Him and the beard on His face is plucked out by His persecutors. They spit upon him and He is shamed. But in spite of this, He sets His face like flint to endure knowing that He will not be shamed for obeying God. He will be justified. Those who fear the Lord should obey His servant the Moshiach.

Psalm 118:22-23 “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”

These verses tell us that the head stone of God's heavenly temple will be rejected by the builders of his earthly temple.

Psalm 22:1-31 “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.”

This psalm is prophetic of the Moshiach's cries. He cries out to God asking why God has forsaken Him. He is despised and rejected and scorned by men. People scoff at Him and ask why God does not deliver Him as He says that He is special to God. His life is being poured out, His bones are being pulled out of joint, His heart melts or burst within His body, His tongue cleaves to His mouth (from thirst). They pierce His hands and feet and cast lots for His garments. More pleas are made to God and then praises.
Psalm 34:20 “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”

This verse says that no bones of His body would be broken. This is in spite of the fact that the previous passages tell us he will be brutally tortured.

Psalm 16:7-11 “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

These verses tell us that the Moshiach will not be left in death to decay, nor would He remain in Hades, which is where souls went upon death. This means that He would not remain dead.
Zechariah 12:10-13:1 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”

When the Moshiach comes He will pour out upon the house of David and the people of Israel in Jerusalem the spirit of grace, and they will look upon the Moshiach, whom they have pierced and mourn in great bitterness. There will be great mourning in the land in every family. In that day, the fountains of forgiveness and possibly a mikvah fountain for the house of David and every inhabitant of the city for their sins and uncleanness.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for
they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

This passage tells us that there will come a day when the Lord God will make a new covenant with Israel and Judah. Not like the covenant made with Israel in the wilderness, which they broke, but a new covenant. This new covenant will write the Law upon their hearts and come from within them rather than being forced upon them from outside. It will emanate from their hearts. They will no longer have to teach people the Law, for all people will know the Lord from the least to the greatest. God will forgive people's sins and remember them no more, not requiring continual sacrifices.
There is one more prophecy that is crucial to look at, for it tells us the exact time that the Moshiach would appear in Israel. From this prophecy one needs to look to see if anyone appeared at the time who claimed to be the Moshiach, and if He did, did He fulfill all the prophecies given about the Moshiach. Did He fulfill the prophecies for Moshiach ben David or ben Yosef, or both?

In the book written by him, Daniel records a prayer he is praying to God about the fact that the seventy years captivity that was prophesied for Judah in Jeremiah is about to end. Daniel is confessing that they have done evil against the Lord, that they did not pray for forgiveness and that they deserved the punishment God has dealt out. Then he asks God to forgive them and to see that the city and sanctuary are desolate and that they are a reproach to the world. He asks God to lift this reproach for the sake of His own name. While praying, Gabriel shows up and tells Daniel that he has been sent to tell Daniel what is going to happen to his people in the future.

Daniel 9:2-4a,17,19-27 “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, ….........Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake............. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Now Gabriel tells Daniel that seventy “weeks” have been decided upon as a time length for the following to occur to Israel. It is the time until there will be an end of their transgressions and sins against God, and to make reconciliation for their iniquity. At the end of this time, everlasting righteousness will be established. It will seal up the end of all visions and prophecies, there will be no more of them, and all the prophecies about Israel will be fulfilled. And the most Holy will be anointed. Daniel would have understood this last to mean the temple being restored to its former glory with God's presence there (God had already left the temple). Now we are told how these “weeks” will be divided. From the giving of the command to restore and build Jerusalem the city (not the temple) until the Messiah [in Hebrew “mashiyach” (sometimes spelled in English as Moshiach, or Mashiach) ] there will be a period of seven “weeks” and sixty-two “weeks” which is sixty-nine “weeks” altogether. At the conclusion of this time, the streets and walls of the city of Jerusalem will have been rebuilt, but not without a lot of troubled times, and then at the end of these sixty-nine “weeks,” the Messiah will appear and be cut off or in other words killed (the Hebrew means “to cut down or destroy”). But this Messiah will not be killed on his own behalf, it will be on the behalf of others. And after this, people will come and destroy the city and the temple and the end when it comes will be with a flood (this can mean an overflowing deluge either literally or figuratively) and desolations (Israel has certainly seen its share of being desolated). The rest of the passage will not be gone into at this time, as it is not relevant to the subject at hand at the moment. (If interested, my end times blog http://endtimesstudies.blogspot.com can provide an explanation for the rest of the passage. Search the archives for Daniel)

Fulfillment of Daniel 9:2-4a, 17, 19-27

So we are given a time frame in which we are told the Messiah will appear, and then will be killed. And we are told how to measure this time period and from when to measure it. First we need to decided what a week is. The Hebrew “Shabuwa (or shabua, or shebuah)” means “sevened” or a “week,” but a week in terms of a week of years. We can see that this relates to the punishment that was given to Judah that they have been suffering and about which Daniel is praying. They had not observed the Sabbath year for 490 years. They were supposed to observe it every seven years, so they owed God seventy Sabbath years for the ones they did not keep. As a consequence, God sent them to Babylon for seventy years as prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 25:11-12 “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.”

Jeremiah 29:10 “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.”

This is the reference for the word “weeks” that we find in this passage in Daniel 9. So first we are told that from the giving of the command to rebuild the city there will be seven “weeks.” We know from the book of Nehemiah that Artaxerxes gave the command to restore the city and walls (the previous two commands given to Ezra were more about the temple than the city, so the command given to Nehemiah to rebuild the city is considered the command spoken of by Daniel). As there is difficulty pinpointing exact dates for something this far back in history, the best people can determine was that it seems to have been the year 445 B.C., so we will use that date. According to John 2:20 it took forty-six years to rebuild the temple. “Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?” This would account for the seven “weeks” period and we know from the Bible that the walls were indeed built in troubled times, with the people holding a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. So now we have verification that the term “weeks” is meant to mean a seven year period of time, or the Biblical week of years. Then we need to count forward sixty-two more weeks. That would be a period of 434 years. There are several ways of considering that length of time. The first way is a common method used by scholars that I understand, but am not so sure I agree is absolutely accurate. It says that one thing that must be considered in this count is the fact that Jewish prophetic years are twelve months of thirty days, which makes a year 360 days, which was how long a year originally seemed to be at creation, before the Flood altered the size and position of the earth. By converting the 483 years to 360 day years we end up with a little over 476 - 365 day years. As there was no year zero, that brings us to A.D. 32. In this method of calculation it then means that God sent Gabriel to tell Daniel that the Moshiach would be appearing roughly on the year A.D. 32 and then would be killed. While that sounds really good, the problem is that nobody knows what year Yeshua was born so this theory is only a theory. It is estimated He was born anywhere from 4 B.C. to 1 B.C. The second method would be to assume that the seven year weeks (of 365 days) do not have to be fulfilled to the exact day. In other words, it took seven sevens for the city walls & temple to be rebuilt, but according to the Scriptures it was really forty-six years, not forty-nine. However in terms of seven year weeks, it did take seven of them, as six would have only been forty-two years, thereby falling four years short. If we simply consider the 62 sevens to be anywhere from 428 to 434 years, with the event falling within that seven year period, just as finishing the temple fell within the 42-49 year period, we end up around the same time frame A.D. 32 and on. This would have just put it into the beginning of the 69th week. Unless of course the reason the division was made between the two was that when the fulfillment of the first group (seven sevens) was fulfilled in 46 years, the countdown of the second one began, which would move it back to A.D. 29. As all of these dates are not truly verifiable to the exact date, we can only look at the rough estimate, and either way the rough estimate puts it anywhere within A.D. 29 to A.D. 39.

So we need to look historically to see who appeared in Israel around that time and proclaimed that He was the Moshiach sent by God. It does not take us long to discover that there was only one person who did this. One year, a few days before Passover of that year, a person rode into Jerusalem on an ass with the crowds shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matthew 22:9) A few days later He was killed by being crucified. He had made the claims that He was the Son of God, come to offer His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was resurrected after three days. That person was Yeshua of Nazareth. So if He is the Moshiach prophesied by Gabriel to Daniel, and He was the only person to come at the time prophesied by Daniel, then He should fulfill the other prophecies about the Moshiach in the Scriptures that were listed above.

In the order the prophecies were given above, (within the sections they occur) I will give the fulfillments, however I will start with the fulfillments of Moshiach ben Yosef first and show from the New Testament how Yeshua has fulfilled them, and then will backtrack and show how He will fulfill the prophecies of Moshiach ben David upon His return.

Fulfillment of Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Fulfillment of not opening his mouth and being taken from the judgment court to be killed: Matthew 27:12-14 “And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.” Mark 15:3-5 “And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.” Luke 23:9 “Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.” John 19:9 “And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.” John 19:13,16 “When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha........Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. ” John 18:28 “Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early.”
Fulfillment of innocence: Luke 23:4,13-15, 22-24 “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man..... And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him..... And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.” John 18:38, 19:4,6 “ he [Pilate] went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all......Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.....When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. ”

Fulfillment of visage and form being marred by torture: Matthew 27:30 “And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.” Mark 15:15,19 “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified..... And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him.” Luke 22:64 “And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face” John 19:1 “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

Fulfillment of death with the wicked: Matthew 27:38 “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” Mark 15:27-28And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.Luke 23:32 “And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.”

Fulfillment of being rejected, despised, esteemed as smitten of God and afflicted: Matthew 27:39,41-44 “And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads....Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” Mark 15:29,31-32 “And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads.... Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” Luke 23:35-36,39 “And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar.....And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

Fulfillment of grave with the rich: Matthew 27:57-60 “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” Mark 15:43,45-46 “Joseph of Arimathaea, and honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus....he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.” Luke 23:50, 52-53“And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counseller; and he was a good man, and a just....This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

Fulfillment of innocence, silence, wounded for our transgressions, whose stripes saved us when we go astray: 1 Peter 2:22-25 “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

Fulfillment of being cut off from the living, dying for our transgressions: Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Fulfillment of being exalted and extolled by God, became a servant like other men, made his soul an offering for sin, letting God lay the iniquity of us all on him: Philippians 2:6-11 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It can easily be seen how Yeshua fulfilled these horrible prophecies of being tortured and killed for our transgressions. His entire message was that He had come to save the lost, and that He had been sent to the House of Israel for that purpose. He indeed was Moshiach ben Yosef.

Fulfillment of Isaiah 50:4-10

Fulfillment of being spit upon and face beaten (beard plucked): Matthew 26:67; 27:27-31 “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands.........Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.” Mark 15:19 “And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.” Luke 22:64 “And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?” John 19:3 “And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.”

Fulfillment of being whipped: Matthew 27:26 “Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” Mark 15:15 “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.” John 19:1 “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.”

Again we see how these prophecies of being tortured, mocked, spat upon, and killed were fulfilled by Yeshua.

Fulfillment of Psalm 118:22-23

Matthew 21:33-44 “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Yeshua claimed to be the cornerstone spoken of in the Psalms. He indeed became a head of God's people in that the entire world knows about Him and He has a multitude of followers. He threatened that the kingdom of God would be taken from Israel and given to a nation who would bring forth fruits instead of rejecting Him and this did happen. Yeshua became a light to the Gentile nations who then brought the message of salvation to the world. Israel then became the rejected of God and was scattered to the winds, after He destroyed the temple.

Psalm 22:1-31 Fulfillment


Fulfillment of prophecy of casting lots for garments, being despised and rejected by men, mocked and challenged to have God save Him, asking God why He was forsaken: Matthew 27:35-46 “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Fufillment of being a reproach of men and despised by the people. Asking God why has He been forsaken. People challenging Him to have God deliver Him, casting lots for his garment, bones out of joint and hands and feet pierced (that's what crucifixion did) : Mark 15:16-37 “And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.”

Fulfillment of casting lots for garments, tongue cleaving to mouth with thirst, heart melting like wax: John 19: 23-24, 28,34 “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did...........After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. ….But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water (this happens when a heart bursts).”

These verses show that the prophecies of the Tanakh were fulfilled. Yeshua had no control over their casting lots for his garments, they did this in fulfillment of Scripture without knowing it. They pierced his hands and feet, just as the prophecies said. It was prophesied the Moshiach would die by crucifixion. His mouth was parched and he thirsted. God turned His back upon Him as God could not look upon Him when our sins were laid upon Him. He was cut off from God and cried asking why God had forsaken Him. People mocked and challenged Him that if He were the Son of God, then why wasn't God delivering Him. His heart burst in his chest and when pierced it pumped all the blood out of His body.

Fulfillment of Psalm 34:20

Fulfillment of no bones being broken: John 19:32-33 “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs.

None of Yeshua's bones were broken although that was the procedure used in crucifixion.
Fulfillment of Psalm 16:7-11

Fulfillment of His soul not being left in Hades (the paradise portion) or body not being left to corruption. Matthew 28:5-6 “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” John 20:1-17 “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” Acts 2:22-33 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”

Fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10-13:1

Fulfillment of those who pierced Him looking upon Him.: John 19:33-37 “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

Fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34

Fulfillment of a new covenant or testament: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.” Hebrews 8:7-13 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”

Fulfillment of Genesis 49:10

Fulfillment of the scepter not departing Judah until the Moshiach comes: The tribe of Judah had the scepter or throne from David on through the kings of Judah to Zedekiah. God had put a curse on Coniah (also known as Jehoiachin or Jeconiah) that no heir of his would ever sit on the throne. Jeremiah 22:30 “Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.” The last king after Jehoiachin was Zedekiah, his uncle. From that point on there was no king, only governorships until the Roman empire took it as a province around the time of the beginning of the Common Era. (a little over 2000 years ago). The scepter in the sense of kingship ceased with Zedekiah and Jewish leadership ceased under Roman rule. There has not been a king until the Moshiach came. He is now the King of the Jews, as Pontius Pilate so aptly had put over his cross. John 19:19-22 “And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.”

To see how Yeshua fulfills this prophecy, it is first necessary to prove His lineage. Matthew and Luke both provide a lineage, although the two lineages trace a different line. In Matthew Yeshua's lineage is traced through Solomon down to Jeconiah and then down to Joseph. This genealogy provides the legal lineage of the heir to the throne, but as God put a curse on Jeconiah that none of his descendants would sit on the throne, had Yeshua been the blood descendant of Joseph, He would have been disqualifed to be king because of the curse. However because He was the legal son of Joseph, he was in line for the throne. In Luke we read another genealogy. This one goes back to David through a different son, Nathan. This lineage gives Yeshua the necessary bloodline back to David, but bypasses the curse by going back through a different son. This genealogy is assumed to be Mary's, even though Joseph's name is found in the line, but as a son-in-law, he would also have been considered a son under a number of conditions, and Mary's lineage might very well have used Joseph's name, as the genealogies were listed as through the men. Some people feel that both genealogies are Joseph's, possibly one through his maternal grandfather and one through his paternal grandfather, but that does not work. Yeshua needed to be of the physical bloodline of David, as well as heir to the throne. The right to the throne could come legally through his adoption as Joseph's son, but had He been Joseph's biological son, the throne could not have come to Him because of the curse. But as He was not Joseph's physical son, He would not be of the blood of David unless He was a blood descendant through His mother. Thus the lineage in Luke must perforce be that of Mary, as she is the only human parent Yeshua had.

Yeshua's genealogy through Joseph as heir to the throne is given in Matthew 6-16 “And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”

In Luke we find Mary's genealogy. According to Jewish tradition the wife's ancestry could be given in her husband's name. It lists another father for Joseph who is probably his father-in-law. Her genealogy is provided in Luke 3:23-31 “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David.” So it can be seen that Yeshua fulfilled that part of being from the tribe of Judah and a son of David. He can hold the scepter as He is exempt from the curse. Now as the scepter departed from Judah when it passed into Roman hands, and God promised that the scepter would not depart from Judah, it is clear that Yeshua now holds that scepter and has since He came and will continue to after He returns. There is no other person on earth that can trace their lineage back to David and prove they are heir to the throne. Yeshua is the only possible king. Revelation 5:5 confirms this. “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” Revelation 11:15 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Yeshua is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, and the kingdoms of the world will be His upon His return, and He will reign forever.

Fulfillment of Ezekiel 34:6-31 and Ezekiel 37:21-28

Fulfillment of delivering Israel and binding up their brokenness, establishing a covenant of peace, and having one shepherd over them, the Son of David. Romans 11:7-27 “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Fulfillment of Israel having one shepherd over them, the Son of David. Revelation 1:7-8 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Fulfillment of the shepherd being of the root of David. Revelation 5:5-6 “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

Fulfillment of the tribes of Israel being united again. Revelation 7:4 “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

Fulfillment of being the King of Israel. Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS

Fulfillment of a kingdom for Israel. Revelation 20:4b “they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

Fulfillment of a new covenant. Hebrews chapters 8-10:22 “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.(Jeremiah 31:31-34) In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. (Psalm 40) He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.(Psalm 110) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Fulfillment of Psalm 110:1-6

The fulfillment of David's saying the LORD would say, “My Lord” to anyone. is found in the following passages: Matthew 22:41-46 “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.” Acts 2:34-36 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Hebrews 7:11-22 “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”

Fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6-7

Fulfillment of a child being born whose name if God and who will have an everlasting kingdom: Isaiah 9's fulfillment is found in the following verses: Luke 1:30-33 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Fulfillment of the child being the Mighty God. Revelation 1:7-8 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1-12

Fulfillment of the Gentiles seeking after the root of Jesse (Son of David). Romans 15:12 “And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.” Revelation 21:9 “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.”

Fulfillment of Micah 5:2

Fulfillment of being born in Bethlehem. Luke 2:1-15 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea,
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

Matthew 2:1-6 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star (Numbers 24:17 “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.) in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Fulfillment of Psalm 2:1-12

Fulfillment of God begetting a Son. Matthew 3:17 “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” John 3:16, 18 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life....He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Acts 13:33 “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” Hebrews 1:5-6 “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” Hebrews 5:5 “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.” 1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” 1 John 5:1 “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.”

Fulfillment of the Father begetting a Son and His name is the Word, setting Him up as King and as King He will dash the nations in pieces and break them with a rod of iron. John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Fulfillment of Malachi 3:1-6

Fulfillment of coming suddenly to the temple. Matthew 21:10-13 “And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

Fulfillment of Is. 42:1-9

Fulfillment of the Jewish Moshiach being a light unto the Gentiles. Matthew 12:9-21 “And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.” Romans 15:8-12 “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.”

Fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9

Fulfillment of the King of Israel coming into Jerusalem in a lowly manner, riding upon an ass and the colt of an ass. Matthew 21:1-11 “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14

Fulfillment of Son of Man coming in the clouds. Matthew 24:26-30 “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Mark 13:24-26 “But in those days, after that tribulation, (time of Jacob's trouble – Daniel 12:1) the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 14:60-62 “And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Luke 21:20-27 “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. (time of Jacob's trouble – Jeremiah 30:7) And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Revelation 14:14-16 “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
Fulfillment of the kingdoms of the world becoming the kingdoms of the Son of man. Revelation 11:15,18 “And the seventh angel sounded (his trumpet); (the last trumpet blast when the Moshiach is supposed to come and the dead resurrected.) and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.......And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14

Fulfillment of being born of a virgin and Him being “God with us” or Emmanuel. Matthew 1:18-23 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” Luke 2:26-35 “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Fulfillment of Isaiah 49:1-7

Fulfillment of coming to set prisoners free and be a light to the Gentiles. Luke 4:16-20; And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

Fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14

Fulfillment of Son of Man coming in the clouds. Matthew 24:26-30 “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Mark 13:24-26 “But in those days, after that tribulation, (time of Jacob's trouble – Daniel 12:1) the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 14:60-62 “And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Luke 21:20-27 “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. (time of Jacob's trouble – Jeremiah 30:7) And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Revelation 14:14-16 “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
Fulfillment of the kingdoms of the world becoming the kingdoms of the Son of man. Revelation 11:15,18 “And the seventh angel sounded (his trumpet); (the last trumpet blast when the Moshiach is supposed to come and the dead resurrected.) and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.......And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

If you are Jewish and you have managed to get this far, God bless you. This has been a lot to go through and quite difficult for a Jewish person. By now you may be thinking that to say that Yeshua was God incarnate is blasphemy, but let's take a minute to consider some things. First, has God ever manifested Himself in a body before? If you say no, then you do not know your Torah or Tanakh. The first time we hear about God taking a form was right at the beginning with Adam and Eve. He was walking in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. How does one hide from an omnipotent spiritual being. One doesn't. They were trying to hide from the bodily manifestation of God.

Next we see the bodily manifestation of God known in the Old Testament or Tanakh as the “angel of the Lord”. When Sarah throws Hagar out, the angel of the Lord, which Hagar calls God, appears to her in the desert. Genesis 16:7-13 “And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And
she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

Genesis 18 tells us the story of the Lord and two angels stopping to see Abraham on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. Verses 1-3 “And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:” This clearly says that the Lord God appeared to Abraham as one of three men, the other two men being angels. Abraham asks them to stay for something to eat, and while he prepares the meal, the Lord asks where Sarah is. Verses 10-15 “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.” Clearly this is God, for it is God who gave Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. The story continues with the Lord telling Abraham that He is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Who else but God could and would do this?

Verses 16-23 “And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” Abraham continues to bargain with the Lord and finally God agrees that if there are ten righteous people He will spare the cities. There are not.

If there is any doubt that the “angel of the Lord” is indeed God Himself, God clears that up for us by having the angel of the Lord refer to Himself as God. Genesis 22:11-18 “And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” The angel of the Lord says that Abraham has not withheld his son from Him (the angel of the Lord), but Isaac was being offered to the Lord God. He says that He has sworn by Himself. God can swear by nobody but Himself. God is the one who would bless Abraham and multiply his seed like the stars and sand on the seashore. So clearly the angel of the Lord by His own admission is the Lord God.

The next time God appeared as a man was when Jacob wrestled with him. Genesis 32:24-30 “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”


We definitively find out that the angel of the Lord is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the I am when He appears to Moses in the burning bush. Exodus 3:2-22 “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.” Here the angel of the Lord finally identifies Himself by name. I am that I am. This is the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The angel of the Lord is the bodily manifestation of the God of Israel.

We are not done looking at passages about the angel of the Lord, but for a moment we need to consider a conundrum. The angel of the Lord appears to people and they look upon Him as one looks upon a man. Jacob is wondering at how he could look upon God and have his life preserved. We will shortly see that Manoah and his wife wonder the same thing, how can they look upon God and live? There is good reason for wondering this. Moses wanted to look upon God's glory, and God told him that he could not look upon His face and live. Exodus 33:18-23 “And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”

Notice something further about the previous passage. God, the God whose face cannot be looked upon, says that He will proclaim the name of the Lord. As if the Lord is a person other than Himself. Yet look what happens in the next chapter. The Lord (the angel of the Lord) descends in a cloud (this is certainly prophetic of Yeshua's Second Coming) and does what? He proclaims the name of the Lord. But how is that the God who cannot be looked upon was proclaiming the name of the Lord and now the God who can be looked upon is proclaiming the name of the Lord, as if they are proclaiming it for each other? One seems to be the glory of His being, and the other seems to be a physical manifestation which man can look upon.

Exodus 34:5-7 “And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

The next time we see the angel of the Lord, He is standing in the path of Balaam and his ass. Numbers 22:22-35 “And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.” So here God is angry with Balaam and stands in his way, but when finally Balaam sees Him, He tells Balaam that he is to go, but he will only speak what the Lord God tells him to speak.

The angel of the Lord makes a lot of appearances in the book of Judges. The first is when the angel of the Lord appears to Joshua and the people in Judges 2:1-4 “And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.” The angel of the Lord talks about the covenant He made with the people. We know that God made the covenant, so again we see that the angel of the Lord is God. The angel spoke to all the children of Israel.

Judges 5:23 “Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.”

Judges 6:11-12 “And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

Judges 6:20-23 “And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” Gideon was also afraid that he might die, for he had looked upon God. These people (Jacob, Manoah and his wife, and Gideon) all knew that they had been visited by God when the angel of the Lord appeared to them.

Judges 13:3-22 “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”

This passage talks bout Manoah and his wife being visited by the angel of the Lord. Yet not an angel as other angels, but a manifestation of God as they are worried they might die for having looked upon God. This “angel's” name is secret or unknown. But God has revealed to Moses His name, “I am”. So who is this angel whose name is not known to mankind yet?

Now in 2 Samuel 24:16-17 “And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.” Here we have a passage that clearly shows that the angel and the LORD are separately acting entities. The angel of the Lord is destroying the people. The LORD repents of doing it and tells the angel of the Lord to stop. Now some may say that the angel doing the destroying is not the angel of the Lord, it is just the angel of the Lord standing at the threshing place when the other angel stops killing people, but we have this same incident described in 1 Chronicles 21:15-18,27,30 “And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued. Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite......And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof..........But David could not go before it to inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD. ” This passage tells us that it was the angel of the Lord that was standing over Jerusalem with sword in hand ready to continue destroying people and that it was God who sent Him and it is God who tells Him to stop. David then speaks to God, and the angel of the Lord speaks back to David through Gad. David is afraid to go to the tabernacle to speak to God because he is afraid of the angel of the Lord. Multiple times now we have seen that the angel of the Lord who has said His name is “I am”, but who has also said His name is secret, is indicating He is God, yet it is seen that He is also a separate entity who acts independently from God. It always appears that God is a spiritual entity whose glory cannot be seen by man and live, but the angel is the bodily manifestation of that same person that can be seen by man and live.

Here is a list of other verses that mention the angel of the Lord.

1 Kings 19:7 “And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

2 Kings 1:3 “But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

2 Kings 1:15 “And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.”

2 Kings 19:35 “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”

1 Chronicles 21:12 “Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.”

Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”

Psalm 35:5-6 “Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.”

Isaiah 37:36 “Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

Zechariah 1:11-12 “And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?” These verses show the angel of the Lord speaking to the LORD God, asking Him a question. Again, this distinguishes the two as independent entities, while yet both speak of each other as if they are the same person in other passages.

Zechariah 3:1, 5-7 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him..... And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.”

Zechariah 12:8 “In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Here is a passage that makes a comparison and equates God as the angel of the Lord. Now what is more interesting is that we have seen this passage before as one of the prophetic passages of the Moshiach.

We see this “angel”of the Lord yet again in the book of Daniel. When Daniel was taken into captivity, there were three other young men taken with him. They were Hananiah, renamed Shadrach; Mishael, renamed Meshach; and Azariah, renamed Abed-nego. These three refused to bow down and worship the golden idol that Nebuchadnezzar had erected in the plains of Dura. As a result they were thrown in the fiery furnace. The king was astounded when he looked in and saw not only the three alive in the flames, but a fourth person. We are told who this fourth person was. Daniel 3:25 “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” We are told another name for this angel of the Lord. He is called the Son of God. Is it not interesting that this is the title that Yeshua is given? Clearly this separate entity the “angel of the Lord” who has called Himself “I am” and equates Himself with the LORD God, is also called the Son of God.

So now we see that the Tanakh or Old Testament teaches that there is an angel of the Lord, who makes statements about Himself that only apply to God, and who is also called the Son of God. This angel seems to be the bodily manifestation of God, whereas the glory of God cannot be endured by man and have him live. God and this angel speak back and forth to each other as two individuals, yet on the other hand they seem to make claim to being the same person.

In the New Testament we see that while here on earth, Yeshua made these same claims as the angel of the Lord, or Son of God, which is a term He applies to Himself.

John 8:52-58 “Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily,verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” In this verse, Yeshua was saying that His name was “I am” for with this pronouncement the people sought to stone Him for blasphemy for saying that He was God incarnate. John 10:36 “Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?”

Even the demons acknowledged His identity and knew Him. Mark 3:11 “And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.” Luke 4:41 “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.” Luke 8:28 “When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.”

But did not God say that He is one God and that we are to worship Him only? Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Deuteronomy 6:13-14 “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you.” Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

Even Yeshua, who claimed to be the Son of God and one with God said that the Lord was one. Mark 12:29-34 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

God has declared that He will not tolerate our giving worship to any other than Himself. Yet in Psalm 2:12 we find that God said, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” First of all, God is saying that He has a Son. Then He is telling us to “kiss” that Son. The word “kiss” here is used according to the custom of its usage. In that part of the world, and in that day, as well as in some cases today, one paid homage and showed allegiance to a king or superior by kissing the hand, dress, or feet. This then is God telling man to submit to the authority of His Son and pay Him worship. But God said there is no other God beside Himself. So how do we reconcile this problem?

We have to look to see what Yeshua said. John 10:30-38 “I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” Yeshua is saying that He and the Father are one person. They are two manifestations of that person. One is the glory that cannot be beheld by man and live, and the other is the bodily incarnation that man can look upon. Yeshua also has had two manifestions. In the Tanakh He appeared as the angel of the Lord or what is known as the pre-incarnate Christ, or Moshiach and the other is the incarnation of the Son of God known as Yeshua or Jesus. This is the human form that the angel of the Lord took upon Himself.

We already read some of Mark 12. From the verses above we continue with the following: Mark 12:35-37 “And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, (Ps.110) The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.” Psalm 110:1 “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” In this passage the Lord calls Yeshua “my Lord.” Why would God call anybody “my Lord”? He wouldn't unless He was referring to Himself in some capacity. In this case He is referring to the Son.

We find more about this in the book of Hebrews 1:1-3, 5-8 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high......................For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” We see that these verses are quotes from the Tanahk. Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Psalm 45:6 “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.” In these verses we see that just as Yeshua said He and the Father are one, God the Father says that He and Yeshua are one. God calls Yeshua, God, when He says, “Thy throne, O God.”

Isaiah 48:11-17 “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” Here God says that He will not give His glory to another and as also mentioned in Isaiah 44:6 above that He is the first and the last. Yet we have already seen that He does give His glory to another. He gives it to the Son. The Son also claims to be the Almighty, the first and the last, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:11 “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

Revelation 1:17 “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.”

Revelation 2:8 “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.

Revelation 22:13 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

We notice also in Isaiah 48 (and in Genesis 1) that God laid the foundations of the world. But in Hebrews 1 that Yeshua created the world. We also find this in other passages. Ephesians 3:9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”

Another passage that addresses this and more is Colossians 1:12-20 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

We are told that Yeshua is the image of the invisible God. He is the physical manifestation of God. In Genesis 1:26-27 is says “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” God said, “Let US” make man in OUR image.” If the Hebrew is checked people will see that the word Elohim is both a plural and singular word. That is because both God the Father and God the Son (or the Son of God, Yeshua) are one and the same entity, but two manifestations. Does it not make sense that if man was created in God's image, and man has a spirit, a mind, and a body, that those three things, which exist independent of each other would also exist in the person of God? However being an entity that is far beyond our finite state, His manifestation would be somewhat different from ours. The spirit is what connects us to God, so our spirit is either alive, because we have accepted the Moshiach and have reconnected to God, or we are spiritually dead in our sins. It is independent of our living soul and mind, which is our will, thoughts, and personality. Our body is our physical manifestation and dies, yet our spirit and our intellect go on. We have three independent parts to our being. But that brings up another subject. If we are three parts, and we have only seen the Father and Son, who is the third person in God's triune being. We find that in the Tanakh also.

Isaiah 49:7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.” We see a mention of God as the Redeemer, yet we know Yeshua is the Redeemer. Then we see a reference to the Holy One. So God, and the Holy One are speaking to Him whom man despiseth (Yeshua). Here we see three persons – God, the Holy One, and the man (Yeshua). Who is this Holy One? We see that right in the first few verses of the Torah, we find out who this is. Genesis 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The Spirit of God is the third person in the Godhood.

In the following verses we see examples of the Spirit of the Lord or Spirit of God coming upon people to guide them in wisdom, understanding, and truth.

Exodus 31:3 “And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.

Numbers 27:18 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him.” Note that the Lord speaks of the spirit not as Himself but as another person.
Judges 6:34 “But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.”

Judges 5:14 “And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.”

1 Samuel 11:6 “And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.

1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

2 Kings 2:11,16 “ And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven......And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley.”

In the New Testament we see that Yeshua tells us more about the Holy Spirit. First the Spirit came upon Yeshua at His baptism to give Him the powers to do the miracles He did. Without the Spirit, He would have been a man without powers, just as we have no miraculous powers. It is the Spirit whose powers work miracles. It is the Spirit who can allow us to do things beyond our human abilities. The Spirit also led Yeshua to the desert to let Satan tempt Him. Mark 1:10 “And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him.” Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Yeshua credits His ability to cast out demons to the Spirit. Matthew 12:28 “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Yeshua tells us that the Father will give us the Holy Spirit to dwell on us like He dwelt on the prophets and people like Joshua and King David. Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, one does not enter into the kingdom of God.

Yeshua tells His followers that when He returns to the Father, He will send in His place the Comforter, or Holy Spirit who will lead them into truth and testify that Yeshua was indeed the Son of God. John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” Yeshua is clearly telling us that the Spirit comes from the Father, but is a separate part of God.

In Zechariah 12:10 it tells how in the Day that Yeshua returns, God will pour out the Spirit on the House of Israel. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

In that day, when Yeshua returns there will be much more going on in Israel. Chapter 12-14 in Zechariah tell much more, but in Zechariah 14 we really see Yeshua's Second Coming described. Verses 2-9 “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”

We can compare these verses to the ones in Revelation 16:13-19 “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I 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. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts.” Revelation 19:11-16, 21 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (* see below) And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.(**) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS..........And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” This passage in Revelation and the passage in Zechariah are describing the same event.

(*) John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Yeshua is the Word.

(**) Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” From this verse we see that the saints or Bride of Christ (the church) are the ones following Yeshua on the white horse. And in Zechariah we are told that the “Lord my God” will come with the “saints.”

So not only now have we shown that Yeshua is the Moshiach, but that He is God incarnate in the form of the Son, and that the Holy Spirit is a third person in that Trinity. So given that information, where does one go from here? For a Jewish person, it is a not a new idea that sins be forgiven by the blood of a lamb, but for 2000 years that has been an impossibility. However, God provided that the blood of Lamb that will for all time cover one's sins be provided, especially since He destroyed the temple making sacrifices impossible. And we know that God told us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. All of the patriarchs understood this and looked forward to the Moshiach's blood being shed on Passover. It is by faith in that shed blood that these people found righteousness and ultimately salvation.

Romans 4:2-16 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.”

But why is that blood sacrifice of Yeshua necessary? Why the need for an ultimate Passover lamb?

Romans 5:12-21 “Wherefore, as by one man (Adam)sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Who accepted this sacrifice and salvation? The Gentiles did, fulfilling prophecy.

Romans 9:22-33 “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, (*) I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.(**) And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha. (***) What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. Buts Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. (****)For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.(*****)”

(*) Hosea 2:23 “And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.”
(**) Isaiah 10:22-23 “For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.”
(***) Isaiah 1:9 “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.”
(****) Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
(*****) Isaiah 8:14 “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

What is Israel's problem? Why did they not accept the Moshiach?

Romans 10:1-21 “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)nOr, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? (Isaiah 53 see above) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” (Isaiah 65:1-2 “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts.”) Israel rejected Isaiah's report of who the Moshiach would be. They wanted righteousness on their own terms. They wanted Moshiach ben David, not Yosef. God was found by a people who was not his people. A people who were not searching after Him, to a nation that was not called by His name – the Gentiles. What did it say at the beginning of this article about the two Messiahs that Israel is expecting? That they believe that Moshiach ben Yosef will come if they are not ready or worthy of Moshiach ben David. He did.

So what is a Jewish person to believe?

Galatians 3:6-26 “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 4:3-5,22-28 “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons......... For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”

Salvation is a matter of faith and always has been.

Hebrews 11:1-16 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

How does one go about accepting Yeshua haMoshiach as their Savior?

First one must acknowledge that they are a sinner in need of blood redemption.

Romans 3: 10-23 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

And what is the consequence of sin?

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What is our hope?

Romans 5:8-9 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

How do we attain that hope?

Romans 10:9-10,13 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.....For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

How do we maintain that faith and keep it alive and well so that we might present ourselves worthy when we meet the Lord (either through death or His return)? We must abide in Yeshua, show our faith through works, and endure to the end to attain salvation. Justification is by faith, salvation comes by maintaining that justification and enduring to the end.

James 5:17-24 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (this is speaking of the 10 commandments, not the 613 laws of the Torah)

John 15:1-10 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.”

Hebrews 10:23-38 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

Matthew 10:22 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”

Matthew 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

John 6:27 “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

If you do all this, you like Paul can say:

2 Timothy 4:708 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

No comments:

Post a Comment