mprophec

The Messiah is found in the scriptures and inter-Testament & Rabbinical writings.

In Jewish as well as Christian eschatology the Messiah is either declared or hinted at throughout the OT scriptures. Many messianic verses are held in common by both Christian and Jew. A frequent charge against Christians is that their messianic expectations have been drawn from the surrounding pagan culture and not from 1 ^st century Jewish culture or Hebrew scriptures. Looking into early Jewish writings and the Dead Sea scrolls reveals a picture of Jewish messianic thought that agrees very well with the NT expectations.

Before I show a the messianic scriptures there are several arguments that revive and re-circulate in liberal academic circles which need to be addressed concerning Jesus of Nazareth.

Pagan savior-myth argument

As I mentioned a common attack leveled at Christians is the pagan savior-myth similarity between Jesus the Messiah and pagan messiah/saviors. Liberal Protestants, Jewish and Muslim scholars describe the New Testament Jesus as the product of Pagan, Mystery religions but many rely on out-dated books like "Paulus" (1904) by Wede and Bruckner's Der Strebe und Auferstehende Gottheiland (1908), Bousset's "Kyrious Christos" (1913) and Bultman's, "Theology of the New Testament" (1951). The view of the NT originating from pagan theology is called the Werde-Bousset thesis. This view was thoroughly debunked long ago but is still taught and presented erroneously as solid scholarship. Several books that refute the Werde-Bousset thesis are "The origin of Paul's religion" (1925) by Dr. Gresham, "Paul and Jesus" (1958) by Ridderbos, "The origin of Paul's religion" (1981) by Seyoon Kim.

Many anti-Christian sites on the Internet present this view. What they don't explain is the reliability of the information. There is a great problem finding ancient "primary" sources because there is little or no early dated documents to tell us what these people believe before Christian influence. Most if not all pagan/mystery information is post Christian and therefore subject to the influences of Christian beliefs. Actually, most is written by Christians using "Christian terminology" to describe pagan beliefs. If your only extant document describing an ancient religion is 3 ^rd century AD or more and third party at that, how can that be scientific evidence? After a long time of contact how do you know who influenced whom? Speculation is not fact. The similarities between Isis, Horus, Dionysus, Mithras, Krishna or Buddha may be due to cultural interaction. Many of the so-called listed similarities are somewhat forced and when fully examined, reveal very different circumstances. For example in comparing "Virgin births", the Orphic story of Dionysus, has Zeus in the form of a serpent, impregnating Persephone. Also the preexistent Buddha enters the womb of his mother who was married and not a virgin. New Testament practices may be quite different than post "Edit of Toleration", 31 AD Church practices (i.e. Christmas & Easter celebrations) and should not be judge as the same.

"It must be remembered that SOME general similarities MUST apply to any religious leader. They must generally be good leaders, do noteworthy feats of goodness and/or supernatural power, establish teachings and traditions, create community rituals, and overcome some forms of evil. These are common elements of the religious life--NOT objects that require some theory of dependence. - article: Glen Miller "was Jesus Christ just a CopyCat Savior Myth?"

"All the deities that have been identified as belonging to the class of dying and rising deities can be subsumed under the two larger classes of disappearing deities or dying deities. In the first case, the deities return but have not died; in the second case, the gods die but do not return. There is no unambiguous instance in the history of religions of a dying and rising deity." The Encyclopedia of Religion [Macmillian: 1987; Jonathan Z. Smith, Professor at University of Chicago.

Pagan religions are notoriously syncretistic in that they freely change and incorporate other beliefs and practices. However, Judaism and Christianity quickly adopted rigid beliefs and doctrines. Christianity excels the most in this area as well as a fixed ecclesiastical structure. Even though orthodox churches are criticized for these very facts, all this is done to maintain continuity of faith from one generation to another.

Unlike pagan mythologies the God presented in the Bible is connected to time and space. Perhaps this is the great strength that was recognized and later copied by pagan/Christ syncretistic religions. This is also the point of attack for some modern critics.

Alfred Edersheim in chapter five of his book "The life and times of Jesus the Messiah", shows how the Synagogue taught the doctrine of the divinity of the Messiah long before the Christians came along. He uses rabbinical literature, the Talmud as well as the book of Enoch and other non-canonical literature to show the presence of these ideas in pre and post Christian Jewish culture. It is possible that the Egyptians and Greeks borrowed some of these ideas adapting them in to their own theologies. The point being that the divinity of the Messiah came from Jewish sources not as some try to argue the pagans.

Historical Jesus

The denial of a historical Jesus began in the early 1800s but is now the center of renewed discussion. Although it is true that there is little historical documentation about Jesus, it is understandable, considering the ravages of the Roman war on Jerusalem and Judea during the "great revolt" (70 AD) and during the Bar Kochba rebellion (134 AD). I might also mention the Jewish-Greek civil war at Alexander, Egypt in 116 AD in which the Romans killed or enslaved the entire Jewish population (With a population of some 150,000 Jews, Alexandria was Judaism's largest city). The whole Egyptian-Palestine area was in constant turmoil. To say the lack of historical documentation can only mean a non-historical Jesus ignores the social and political realities, brought about through the destruction of much of, what was later called, "Palestine". The magnitude of destruction can be gauged from the comments of Josephus, who estimated that a million Jews died in the 70 AD struggle against Rome. That's pretty destructive even by modern standards. Rome frequently persecuted both Jews and Christian with great cruelty and were not concerned with saving Jewish or Christian literature but rather confiscated and destroyed as much as possible. Furthermore, the writing medium of this time was papyrus, which deteriorated easily, unlike expensive animal skin or like parchment that came later. This is not a cop-out; it's a hard fact that critics conveniently ignore. Furthermore it is believed that the Gospel, like most ancient traditions, was chiefly at the beginning oral in transmission. Although there were written orthodox accounts besides the accepted gospels (Luke 1:1), they are now lost or yet to be uncovered. Papas, one of the early Church fathers, refers to a list of saying by Jesus, which have been lost. Lists like the Didache may have been more common than an actual gospel narrative.

If you discount the witness of the first century New Testament writers and the many writings of the early Church Fathers (i.e., Polycarp, Esuebeus, Irenaeus, Justin, Origen, etc) there is significant evidence from the comments of Josephus, Roman critics, and notations found in the Jewish Mishnah and Talmud. No single source by itself could confirm the historicity of Jesus without debate, but taken as a body of information I believe most people and scholars would concede that Jesus was a real person. Concerning the Gospels as a reliable witness, I think it is unjustified to dismiss out of hand witnesses closest in time to Jesus whose records have not only been numerous and well preserved but supported sufficiently by history and archeology (of course a driver's license and a DNA sample would help - humor!). Unless proved otherwise these ancient reporters should be taken at their word. Very few people doubt that there was a "Buddha", or Mohammed, of course, with Jesus the stakes are much higher. Buddha, a man, became like a god, Mohammed claimed to be the final prophet with the true message from God. Jesus claimed to be God, sent from God to become a man in order to reconcile mankind back to God. Because of the consequences of the claims made by Christ (i.e., the destiny of mankind), He is the focus of intense longstanding examination.

Non-Christian sources

From The Works of Josephus , The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 3, translated by William Whiston, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987

"Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works-a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day."

For the latest information on this controversial text click here

Antiquities 20. 9.1 199-203

The younger Ananus, who had been appointed to the high priesthood, was rash in his temper and unusually daring. He followed the school of the Sadducees, who are indeed more heartless than any of the other Jews, as I have already explained, when they sit in judgment. Possessed of such a character, Ananus thought that he had a favorable opportunity because Festus was dead and Albinas was still on the way. And so he convened the judges of the Sanhedrin, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, the one called Christ, whose name was James, and certain others, and accusing them of having transgressed the law delivered them up to be stoned. Those of the inhabits of the city who were considered the most fair-minded and who were strict in observance of the law were offended at this. They therefore secretly sent to King Agrippa urging him, for Ananus had not even been correct in his first step, to order him to desist from any further such actions. Certain of them even went to meet Albinus, who was on his way from Alexandria, and informed him that Ananus had no authority to convene the Sanhedrin without his consent. Convinced by these words, Albinus angrily wrote to Ananus threatening to take vengeance upon him. King Agrippa, because of Ananus' action, deposed him from the high priesthood which he had held for three months and replaced him with Jesus the son of Damnaeus. (Louis Feldman translation)

Celsus lived in during the 2nd century, AD. In a 3rd century Origen refutes the anti-Christian claims of Celsus. Celsus' writings do not survive in tact, but Origen quotes some of his work. Obviously, Celsus believes that Jesus had once existed but gives a different story of his origin. One example is found below. Origen, Contra Celsum 1.28 Translation, quoted from Mead

"Jesus had come from a village in Judea, and was the son of a poor Jewess who gained her living by the work of her own hands. His mother had been turned out of doors by her husband, who was a carpenter, by trade, on being convicted of adultery [with a soldier named Panthéra (i.32)]. Being thus driven away by her husband, and wandering about in disgrace, she gave birth to Jesus, a bastard. Jesus, on account of his poverty, was hired out to go to Egypt. While there he acquired certain (magical) powers which Egyptians pride themselves on possessing. He returned home highly elated at possessing these powers, and on the strength of them gave himself out to be a god. "

TACITUS, The Annals of Imperial Rome Book XV, chapter 47 (A.D. 64) [during the Great Fire of Rome]

...neither human resources, nor imperial generosity, nor appeasement of the gods, eliminated the sinister suspicion that the fire had been deliberately started. To stop the rumor, NERO, made scapegoats--and punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved CHRISTIANS (as they were popularly called). Their originator, CHRIST, had been executed in Tiberius' reign by the Procurator of Judaea, PONTIUS PILATUS (governor from 26 to 36 A.D.). But in spite of this temporary setback, the deadly superstition had broken out again, not just in Judaea (where the mischief had started) but even in Rome. All degraded and shameful practices collect and flourish in the capital. First, NERO had the self-admitted Christians arrested. Then, on their information, large numbers of others were condemned--not so much for starting fires as because of their hatred for the human race. Their deaths were made amusing. Dressed in wild animals' skins, they were torn to pieces by dogs, or crucified, or made into torches to be seton fire after dark as illumination.... Despite their guilt as Christians, and the ruthless punishment it deserved, the victims were pitied. For it was felt that they were being sacrificed to one man's brutality rather than to the national interest."

SUETONIUS, Life of the Emperor Claudius, chapter 25:

"Since the Jews were constantly causing disturbances at the instigation of CHRESTUS, he expelled them from the city..."

Osiris the Sun-deity of Egypt, was called Chrestos , (Christianity and Mythology, p. 331, J.M. Robertson). Also "the word Christos ... was confused with the common Greek proper name Chrestos, meaning 'good'." In the third century A.D, in the Synagogue of the Marcionites on Mount Hermon, the Messiah's title is spelled Chrestos. According to Tertullian and Lactantius, the common people usually called Christ Chrestos. Tertullian and Lactantius inform us that "the common people usually called Christ Chrestos". Clement of Alexandria, in the same age, said, "all who believe in Christ are called Chrestoi, that is 'good men.'

Life of the Emperor Nero, chapter 16:2

"[After the Great Fire]...punishments were also inflicted on the CHRISTIANS, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief....

PLINY (Governor of the Province of Bithynia-Pontus) Epistles Book 10 #96 addressed to the Emperor Trajan (ca. 112 A.D.)

"...I have never been present at an examination of Christians. So, I do not know the nature or the extent of the punishments usually dealt out to them, nor the grounds for starting an investigation and how far it should be carried...For the moment this is the line I have taken with all persons brought before me on the charge of being Christians. I have asked them in person if they are Christians; if they admit it, I repeat the question a second and athird time, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them. If they persist, I order them to be led away for punishment; for whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their stubbornness (contumacia) and unshakeable obstinacy ought to be punished. There have been others similarly fanatical who are Roman citizens; I have entered them on the list of persons to be sent to Rome for punishment.... I considered that I should dismiss any who denied that they were or ever had been Christians, once they had repeated after me a formula of invocation to the gods and had made offerings of wine and incense to your statue (which I had ordered to be brought into court for this purpose along with images of the gods), and furthermore had ursed the name of Christ. Real Christians (I understand) can never be induced to do these things....They declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately among themselves in honor of Christ as if to a god, and also to bind themselves by oath, not for any criminal purpose, but to abstain from theft, robbery and adultery, to commit no breach of trust and not to refuse to return a deposit upon demand. After this ceremony it had been their custom to disperse and later to take food of an ordinary harmless kind. But they had in fact given this up since my edict, issued on your instructions, which banned all political societies. This made me decide it was all the more necessary to extract the truth from two slave women (whom they call `deaconesses' by torture. I found nothing but a degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths... I have therefore postponed any further examination and hastened to consult you..."

THE EMPEROR TRAJAN TO PLINY:
"You have followed the right course of procedure, my dear Pliny, in your examination of the cases of persons charged with being Christians. For it is impossible to lay down a general rule to a fixed formula. These people must not be hunted out. But if they are brought before you and the charge against them is proved true, they must be punished. But in the case of anyone who denies that he is a Christian, and makes it clear that he is not, by offering prayers to our gods, he is to be pardoned as a result of his repentance--however suspect his conduct may have been in the past. But pamphlets circulated anonymously must play NO part in any accusation. They create the worst precedent, and are quite out of keeping with the spirit of our age."

Lucian, Perigrinus, 11ff.
It was then that he [Perigrinus] learned the wondrous lore of the Christians, by associating with their priests and scribes in Palestine. And--how else could it be? He made them all look like children; for he was prophet, cult-leader, head of the synagogue, and everything, all by himself. He interpreted and explained some of their books and even composed many, and they revered him as a god, made use of him as a lawgiver, and set him down as a protector, next after that other, to be sure, whom they still worship, the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world. ... The poor wretches have convinced themselves first and foremost, that they are going to be immortal and live for all time, in consequence of which they despise death and even willingly give themselves into custody, most of them. Furthermore, their first lawgiver persuaded them that they are all brothers of one another, after they have transgressed once for all by denying the Greek gods, and by worshipping that crucified sophist him-self and living under his laws. Therefore they despise all things indiscriminately and consider them common property--receiving such doctrines traditionally without any definite evidence. So if any charlatan or tricksters able to profit from them, comes along and gets among them he quickly acquires sudden wealth by imposing upon simple folk.

Hey some people also debunk the above quotes as Christian interpolations but they have an anti-Christian agenda rather than a serious debate. I guess they see Christian redactors behind every pagan work. Their arguments reflect more conjecture rather than real substance, and their purposes seems to be that of casting doubt and ridicule.

Mishnah and talmud

The Mishnah and Gemara are combined into a Jewish commentary called the Talmud. The Mishnah covers material up to AD. 220, called the Tannaite period. The Gemara is a commentary on the Mishnah and covers material up to the Ammoraim period (fifth century). The Gemara is thought to contain older Mishnahic statements. The Talmud contains material on many subjects, from legal disputes to questions about Halakah . The Haggada, is composed of sayings, legends, and anecdotes illustrating traditional laws. There are two Talmuds, Talmud Yerushalmi and the Talmud of Jerusalem, compiled around AD 400. The Jerusalem Talmud was the produced by Palestinian rabbis. The Talmud Babli or the Talmud of Babylon, was compiled during the 6 ^th century AD.

In the Talmud we can find uncomplimentary references to Jesus, Mary and his disciples, which should not be, surprising considering the NT gives similar views of the Jewish ruling council. For many centuries the Talmud and other Hebrew writings were condemned, censored and even confiscated and publicly burned because of the presumed or otherwise known insults to Jesus written therein. From the mid -13th century the Jewish community has suffered greatly from this tragic hostility and persecution.

It may be of interest to note that some 17 ^th century Jewish rabbis took steps to expunge all references to Jesus due to Christian persecution of the Jews.

"Thus in 1631 the Jewish Assembly of Elders in Poland declared: �We enjoin you under the threat of the great ban to publish in no new edition of the Mishnah or the Gemara anything that refers to Jesus of Nazareth ... If you will not diligently heed this letter, but run counter thereto and continue to publish our books in the same manner as heretofore, you might bring over us and yourselves still greater sufferings than in previous times." - Morris Goldstein, pg.4 Jesus in the Jewish tradition

Fortunately, uncensored pre-1631 texts can be found in Oxford University and several other European libraries. The "Jesus statements" are published separately in numerous editions and studied by Jewish scholars in private. Although the Soncino edition of the Babylonian Talmud is a censored text, the editors usually give the uncensored original readings in a footnote.

Because of the Christian censors, Jesus is often referred to a "so and so", "that man", "Ben Strada", "Yeshu". Goldstein ( Jesus in the Jewish tradition ) thinks that Ben Strata refers to Simon Magnus instead of a Jesus, contrary to other authorities. A few examples of Talmudic reverences are noted below.

Jesus heals

This is an admission that the name of Jesus had power to heal others and prevent them from dying.

It happened with R. Elazar ben Damah, whom a serpent bit, that Jacob, a man of Kefar Soma, came to heal him in the name of Yeshua ben Pantera ; but R. Ishmael did not let him. He said, "You are not permitted, Ben Damah." He answered, " I will bring you proof that he may heal me ." But he had no opportunity to bring proof, for he died. (Whereupon) R. Ishmael said, "Happy art thou, Ben Damah, for you have gone in peace and you have not broken down the fence of the Sages; since everyone who breaks down the fence of the Sages, to him punishment will ultimately come, as it is in Scripture: 'Whoso breaketh through a fence, a serpent shall bite him.'" (Tosefta Hullin 2.22; Jerusalem Talmud , Shabbath 14d and Abodah Zarah 40d, 41a; B abylonian Talmud , Abodah Zarah 27b)

Jesus is accused of sorcery

(Shabbath 104b): There is a tradition: Rabbi Eleazor said to the sages, Has not the son of Stada brought magic spells from Egypt in an incision on his skin? They answered him, He was a fool, and we do not accept proofs from a fool.

Tosephta, Shabbath XI, 15: 'He that cuts marks upon his flesh'--Rabbi Eleazor condemns, the sages permit. He said to them, And did not Ben Stada learn only in this way? They said to him, Because of one fool are we to destroy all reasonable men?

In parallel, the accusation of sorcery can be found in the apocryphal "Acts of Pilate" also known as the "Gospel of Nicodemus".

Jesus had five disciples

Our Rabbis taught: Yeshu had five disciples -Mattai, Nakkai, Netzer, Buni, and Todah. (Sanhedrin 43a)

The purpose for singling out only five of Jesus' disciples could be due to the fact that other rabbis in the Talmud such as Yohanan ben Zakkai and Akiba are also said to have five disciples. (McDowell & Wilson, p. 65)

Jesus was crucified

"And it is tradition: On the eve of Passover they hung Jeshu [the Nazarene]. And the crier went forth before him forty days (saying), [Jeshu the Nazarene] goeth forth to be stoned, because he hath practiced magic and deceived and led Israel astray. Anyone, who knoweth aught in his favor, let him come and declare concerning him. And they found naught in his favor. And they hung him on the eve of the Passover. Ulla said, 'Would it be supposed that [Jeshu the Nazarene] a revolutionary had aught in his favor?' He was a deceiver and the Merciful (i.e. God) hath said (Deut. xiii 8), `Thou shalt not spare, neither shalt thou conceal him.' But it was different with [Jeshu the Nazarene] for he was near the kingdom. ''' (Sanhedrin 43a)

Jesus made himself to be God

"Rabbi Eliezer ha-Kappar said: God gave strength to his (Balaam's) voice so that it went from one end of the world to the other, because he looked forth and beheld the nations that bow down to the sun and moon and stars, and to wood and stone, and he looked forth and saw that there was a man, born of a woman, who should rise up and seek to make himself God, and to cause the whole world to go astray. Therefore God gave power to the voice of Balaam that all the peoples of the world might hear, and thus he spake: Give heed that ye go not astray after that man , for is written, 'God is not a man that he should lie.' And if he says that he is God, he is a liar; and he will deceive and say that he departed and cometh again at the end . He saith and he shall not perform. See what is written: And he took up his parable and said, 'Alas, when God doeth this.' Balaam said, Alas, who shall live- of what nation which heareth that man who hath made himself God ." (Yalkut Shimeon, [S alonica] sec. 725 on wayissa mishalo [Num. 23. 7], according to Midrash Y'lamm'denue)

From the above we can see that the contributors to the Talmud at least saw Jesus as a real man. Now lets move to the scriptural evidence.

Below is some NT scripture that tells of the Messiah Jesus in the OT. (I know this is circular proof but for now just follow along so I can make my case.) Following this, I will give a short list of messianic prophecies that point to Yeshua as Messiah. "the scriptures" - the Torah, prophets and writings. In John 5:36-39, Yeshua said: "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who has sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me , yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

-"the Torah" or first Five Books of the Bible. John 5:45-47

"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me , for he wrote about me . But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

"all the Scriptures" - same as above Luke 24:13-27:

"Now that same day two of them (disciples) were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Yeshua (Jesus), himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He said to them, "how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah (Christ) have to suffer these things and then enter glory?"
"And beginning with Moses (the Torah) and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself ." Yeshua clearly expresses that the Torah and prophets tell of His coming. At first upon examining these prophecies, the message may not appear all that clear. The prophecies are not intended to "tip you off" so you may take some sort of preemptive action but that in retrospect, taken with other scripture, God's sovereign "hand" may be seen in history. God's actions are not limited to some remote time and place. The God of Israel is seen in his dealings with His people as history flows along. Granted, some things like the "Holocaust" defy explanation. However, so much other evidence ultimately can only lead you to the single most important acknowledgment of your life, and that is, that the Messiah of Israel has come and He is Yeshua. If you think the Bible codes are intriguing then you should be even more intrigued by the numerous scriptures that tell of the coming "Messiah". He would die a substitutionary death for sin then rise again from the dead to redeem both Jew and gentile.

A short list of messianic scripture is given below.

Genesis 3:15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and the her seed...". This is the first hint of the Messiah. Hebraically speaking, women do not have seeds - this points to a very unusual situation in Isaiah 7:14

Jewish scriptural interpretations called the Targums may give interpretive insight on how the Synagogue durring the time of the second temple understood scripture.

Targum

(tär�gm) [Aramaic,=translation], Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Bible. When Aramaic replaced the Hebrew tongue among the Jews of Palestine and Babylon, interpreters were called to translate and explain the scriptural passages that were read aloud during synagogue services. The oral Aramaic paraphrases were, in the course of time, put down in writing under the name Targum. One of the best-known Targums extant is the Targum Onkelos (see Onkelos). The Targum is printed in the margin of corresponding parts of the Bible. A complete manuscript of a Palestinian Targum, the first of its kind, was found in 1956.
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Targum ⁽¹⁾ Palestine, Targum Jerusalem: And I will put enmity between thee and the WOMAN, and between the seed of thy sons, and between the SEED of her sons; and shall be when the sons of the WOMAN keep the commandments of the LAW. Thou wilt be prepared to smite thee on thy HEAD; but if they forsake ;the commandments of the LAW, thou wilt be prepared to wound them in the heel. Nevertheless for them there shall be a MEDICINE; and they shall make a REMEDY for the heel in the days of the KING MESHIHA
Targum Onkelos: And I will put enmity between thee and between the WOMAN, and between thy son and her SON. HE will remember thee and what thou didst to HIM from (at) the beginning, and thou shalt be observant unto HIM at the end."
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan : speak of this happening "in the days of King Messiah"

Genesis 49 : "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes..."

Targum Onkelos : "until Messiah comes, to whom the kingdom belongs.. Targum Palestine:
"Kings shall not cease, nor rulers from the house of Judah, nor sapherim teaching the Law from his seed, till the time that the King the messiah shall come, who will arise from Jehudah. How beauteous is the king, the messiah who will arise from Jehuda."
The lost of self rule of Judah narrowed this event to the early part of the first century AD (CE)!

Numbers 24:17 "I see Him but not now; I behold Him; but not near; A Star shall rise out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel...."

Targum Onkelos: "The Israelites said to God: How long shall we be in bondage? He replied: �Till the day comes of which it is said: �There shall come a star out of Jacob.'" Debarim Rabba, (Sec. 1.). When a king shall arise out of Jakob And the Messiah be anointed from Israel, He will slay the princes of Moab, and reign over all the children of man.
(Messiah, the Ruler will come from the tribe of Judah). The wise men saw His star in the east. This does not connect Him to the " Heylel /bright Morning Star " appellation of Isaiah 14:12 and Revelation 22:16, the latter of which I feel is a spurious book, as did many early Church Fathers.

Deuteronomy 18:15 "The LORD your God will rise up for you a Prophet like me (Moses) from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear..." (Messiah will be like Moses in greatness, he was not Joshua because Joshua was not a miracle working prophet, but rather a warrior.)

Targum Palestine "And a right prophet (prophet of Righteousness) will the Lord your God give you, a prophet from among you of your brethren like unto me with the Holy Spirit, will the Lord your God raise up unto you; to Him shall ye be obedient."

Psalm 2 "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill Zion." " The LORD has said to me, You are My son, Today I have begotten You..." (Messiah who is King, is call by God, son)

Psalm 22 (This psalm describes the crucified Messiah)

Psalms 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet."

R. Sa'adah Gaon "And this is the messiah our Righteousness, as it is said, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Psalms 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, "Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

Talmud Babylonian (Aboth p. 112). "Likewise we find (Zech. 4:14): 'These are the two sons of the clear-oil, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." This refers to Aaron and the Messiah and we do not know who is more beloved; but as it is written, (Psa. 110:4): 'The Lord hath sworn and will not repent of it, 'Thou shalt be a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Isaiah 11:10 "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse..." (Messiah comes from the seed of David, of the tribe of Judah)

Targum Jonathan "From the children's children of Jesse shall proceed Messiah, and 'His works shall be among you as flying serpents." Jonathan (on Isaiah 14:29).
And there shall go forth a King from the Sons of Jesse, and the Messiah shall be anointed from his children's children.

Isaiah 7:14 "Behold, the "virgin" (Ha Almah) shall conceive and bear a Son and His name shall be called Immanuel (God with us)."

The use of the Hebrew word "Ha Almah" implies virgin as well as young maiden. Jewish translators made this very apparent in the Greek Septuagint translation (200 BC) Almah appears seven times in the scriptures and always in the context of the maiden being a virgin. The direct article "Ha", prefixes Almah" The girl (young woman)" three times in scripture. Meaning a very specific girl. It first appears in Genesis 24:43 describing Rebecca. Next it appears in Exodus 2:8 Describing Moses young sister Miriam. The third time it appears in the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy. The first two were certainly virgins and so must the third because it was to be a sign (or miracle). Too many people second-guess the Jewish interpreters. They were closer to the original prophetic work and had access to ancient scrolls that are no longer available to us. Their interpretive views were in accord with their own times and not tainted with "Common Era" anti-Christian polemics.

Isaiah 9:6-7 "For unto us a son is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Councilor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His Government and peace there will be no end."

The Isaiah Targum : "...the Messiah in whose days peace will increase upon us."

(These titles or attributes given to the "son" can be found in the book of Isaiah, referring also to the LORD)

Isaiah 28:29 "...this also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in council and excellent in guidance." Same attributes as: Pele-yo'ez
Isaiah 10:21 " The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God" El gibbor
Isaiah 63:16 "...thou, O LORD are our father our redeemer, thy name is from everlasting." This attributes the word "father" directly to the LORD. Avinu -our father
Isaiah 26:12 "LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us." Many verses show God as the source of peace. This would make His Son the King, and the prince of peace. Sar shalom

Isaiah 49:6 "Indeed He says, it is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the gentiles, that You should be My Salvation to the ends of the earth." The Messiah is sent also to the gentiles as their salvation

The Isaiah Targum , Isaiah 52: "Behold, my servant, the Messiah, shall prosper, he shall be exalted and increase..."

Isaiah 53 vs. 8 "...for He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of the people to who the stroke was due."
(The Messiah is the suffering servant who dies vicariously for the transgressions of the people.) Vs. 10 "...when you make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days..."
(Messiah dies then rises from the dead) Vs. 11 "...He poured out His soul unto death and was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
He really was a sin offering for many as well as a mediator between God and man.

Targum Jonathan. He (Messiah) shall intercede for many sins, and the rebellious for His sake shall be forgiven.
B'reshith Rabbah (pp. 430, 671.) And when Israel is sinful, the Messiah seeks for mercy upon them, as it is written, "By His stripes we were healed, and he carried the sins of many; and made intercession for the transgressors."

Jeremiah 23:5-6 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, `The LORD our righteousness.'" Laminations 1:16 Midrash Soncino edition: "What is the name of King Messiah? R.Abba b. Kahana said: His name is 'Lord' as it is stated, 'And this is the name whereby he shall be called, 'LORD' (YHWH) our Righteousness'" (Jer. 23:6). (VII: 135-136)

Daniel 7:13 "And behold, One coming like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven!"
(When He returns all will see Him) Daniel 9:25-26 "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even In troublesome times."
The Messiah must come 483 years from command to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem - which brings us exactly to the time of Jesus! Vs. 26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary."
(Messiah dies before the second Temple is destroyed In 70 AD) - Only Jesus fits this prophecy.

Sohar (Num. fol. 85, c. 340 ). God has decreed to build up Jerusalem and show a star... This star is the Messiah.
R. Moses Abraham Levi. "I have examined and searched all the Holy Scriptures, and have not found -the time for the coming of messiah, clearly fixed, except In the words of Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, which are written in the ninth chapter of the prophecy of Daniel."

Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, through you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler In Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." Messiah, the One from eternity, was to be born In Bethlehem of Judea

The Targum of the Minor Prophets : "...from you shall come forth before me the Messiah, to exercise dominion..."

Zechariah 6:12-13 The Man whose name is Branch - He shall be a Priest on His throne
(Zemach, or Branch is His name, he is a Priest and King) - Jesus returns as High priest and King Zechariah 9:9 "Behold, your KING IS COMING He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey a colt, the foal of a donkey."
(Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on Nisan 10 [Palm Sunday], 4 days before Passover) Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication: then they will look on me whom they pierced. Yes they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn," Israel will believe in the Messiah when they again see Him, "whom they have pierced". According to the Hebrew wording, the one pierced is the one speaking, which is the LORD Himself.) Some translations avoid this conclusion by adding words and ideas that are not in the original Hebrew. This is polemic commentary passed off as translation.

Aben Ezra "And the heathen will look unto me to see what I will do to those who have pierced messiah, the son of Joseph."
Talmud Babylonian (Succah 52, 1). "It must be granted 'him that says, for Messiah the son of Joseph that shall be slain as it is written, 'And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.'"

Zechariah: 14:3 "...the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations..."

Zechariah 14:4 "...His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives..."

Zechariah 14:5 "... Thus the LORD my God will come and all the saints with you."

Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth..."

The LORD i.e., Yeshua (Acts 1:11-12) will stand on the Mt. of Olives, deliver Israel from their enemies, then reign forever as King over all the earth.

Circumcision of the heart and the New Covenant

In Deuteronomy 10:12-16 the LORD explains what is required of Israel: "Fear the LORD, walk In His ways, and love Him with all there heart and soul". They must keep His commandments and statutes. To do these things He says In vs. 16:"Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no more." Unfortunately they were not willing or able to do this. Foreseeing that Israel would forsake Him, the LORD pronounces curses and blessing Deuteronomy. 27,28. They would be scattered among the nation - Deuteronomy 28:64-65. Even though Israel saw all the miracles and judgements against Egypt, they would turn away to other gods. Considering all these things, Moses says (Deut.29: 4), "Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day." In Deuteronomy 30:6, Moses points to the day when a wayward Israel would return to the LORD and obey Him. God would then bring them back from among the nations and He would change their hearts! "And the LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the heart of your descendants." The LORD further reveals through Jeremiah how God will change their hearts. (31:31-34). Looking to the future beyond the Babylonian captivity he reveals that "The LORD will establish a New Covenant with Israel and the house of Judah". It will not be as the former Sinai covenant, which they broke. This time The LORD will put His Torah (LAW) In their minds and write it on their hearts, instead of stone tablets. Everyone therefore will know the LORD and He will forgive all their Iniquity and sin.
Ezekiel 11:19 adds: " Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stoney heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk In My statutes and keep My judgments and do them;"
The spirit that the LORD will put In them is the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 36:27) which will empower them to walk In His statutes and judgments. Moses himself prophesied the giving of God's Spirit when God's Spirit rested upon the seventy elders (Numbers 11:25-29). Eldad and Medad remained in the camp but received the Spirit and prophesied. When informed by Joshua, Moses replied: "Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!"
Looking to the future, the prophet Joel (2:28-29) says: "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions and on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit In those days." That outpouring would come four hundred and eighty three years after the command to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, as prophesied in the book of Daniel. Recorded In the book of Acts chapter two is the fulfillment of this prophecy. "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as a rushing mighty winds, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one set upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues (real languages of men), as the Spirit gave them utterance." This was a sign of the New Covenant being inaugurated, first to the Jews and then the gentiles. The LORD is the God of salvation and the Messiah Yeshua is the agent of that salvation. Now consider the words of Yeshua as He spoke to Nicodemus a member of Jewish ruling council.
John 3:3 "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven." If you, like Nicodemus, do not know what it is to be born again, but desire to follow God and have Him forgive all your sins, (past, present, and future) then you must follow the simple message of the gospel. And that is:

You must recognize that you are a sinner before God and In need of forgiveness. (Everyone is a sinner, even those who think they are morally good) "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans

In a simple prayer to God you can do the following:

You must repent of your sins and ask God to forgive you.

You must believe on the Lord Yeshua who died in your place, paying for your sins. (You must trust In Him as your only Savior)

You must surrender your life to Him and serve Him with your whole heart. (Invite Him to take control of your life)

Finally, thank Him for forgiving you and taking control of your life!

In the very moment that you pay this sincere prayer God will forgive all your sins and cleanse you from all your unrighteousness. He will come to dwell within you and cause you to follow after Him.

What do I do next?

From this point on, to grow in this "new birth" you must find a local fellowship to participate In (Messianic assembly or Church) - the fastest way to wither is detach from the vine.

It is critical to establish a daily time of Bible study and prayer. Prayer in the early morning is best for me! The fast way to fall out of fellowship with God is to forget these two things!

Remember most of all, God loves, and He went the limit in order to bring you back to Him. He spared nothing to save you from your sin, by becoming a man and then dying in your place. So if you stumble, He will pick you up. If you sin, you need to sincerely repent and ask Him to forgive you and He will do it according to I John 1:9.By trusting Him daily you will experience the great adventure He has plan for your life.

Lastly, Jesus always encouraged people to have faith in God and not to doubt. He also encourages them to obey God's commandments as an outward expression of love for God.

If you have any questions or have any suggestions, please contact me at my E-mail address.

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