Jesus The Messiah Revealed from the Talmud and other = Jewish writings

Another passage indicating that the Messiah would be both = priest and=20 king is Psalm 110:1, 4:

=93The = LORD said to=20 my Lord: =91Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a = footstool for=20 your feet=92=85 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: = =91You are a=20 priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.=92 =93=20 NIV

In fact, David=92s sons were also called=20 priests:

=93David reigned over = all Israel,=20 doing what was just and right for all his people. Joab son of = Zeruiah was=20 over the army; Jehosphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Zadok son of = Ahitud=20 and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; = Beniaha=20 son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and = David=92s=20 sons were priests (cohanim).=94 2 Samuel=20 8:15-18

Since the Messiah is David=92s son, = this would=20 indicate that he too would be a priest much like his ancestors = that=20 preceded him.

Messiah would=20 Suffer

While the = Hebrew=20 Scripture portrays the Messiah as a glorious King as well as both = a human=20 and divine figure, the Bible also indicates that He will suffer = and be put=20 to death only to rise miraculously:

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 =93See my servant will act = wisely; he=20 will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there = were many=20 who were appalled at him - his appearance was disfigured beyond = that of=20 any man and his form marred beyond human likeness - so will he = sprinkle=20 many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For = what=20 they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, = they will=20 understand.

Who has believed our message and to whom = has the=20 arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a = tender=20 shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or = majesty to=20 attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire = him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of = sorrows, and=20 familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their = faces he=20 was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up = our=20 infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him = stricken by=20 God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced = for our=20 transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the = punishment that=20 brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are = healed. We=20 all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his = own way,=20 and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us = all. He was=20 oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led = like a=20 lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is = silent, so he=20 did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was = taken=20 away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off = from the=20 land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was=20 stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and = with=20 the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was = any=20 deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD=92S will to crush = him and=20 cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt = offering,=20 he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of = the LORD=20 will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, = he will=20 see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my = righteous=20 servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.=20 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he = will=20 divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life = unto=20 death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the = sin of=20 many, and made intercession for the transgressors.=94=20

Amazingly, this passage declares the fact = that the=20 suffering servant is being crushed for the sins of Isaiah=92s = people,=20 eventually being put to death. Yet, vv. 10-11 emphatically state = that this=20 servant would once more see =93the light of life=94 and reign in = order to=20 justify =93his offspring and prolong his days,=94 and that =93the = will of the=20 LORD=94 will =93prosper in his hand=94. This seems to imply a = bodily=20 resurrection. The only way for the servant to be =93assigned a = grave with=20 the wicked and with the rich in his death=94 and then =93see the = light of=20 life=94 is if He were to be miraculously raised from the=20 dead!

NOTE: That this too was considered a = messianic=20 prophecy becomes obvious when one reads the rabbinic commentaries. = However, in order to avoid the obvious Christian implications, = rabbis such=20 as Rashi (Rabbi Solomon Izaak, circa 1040-1105 A. D.) referred = this=20 passage to the sufferings of the nation of Israel, despite the = fact that=20 rabbis such as the great Maimonides and Crispin thought it was = wrong to=20 apply this to Israel. They rather maintained the belief that this = passage=20 of Scripture was about Messiah. The reason for Rashi=92s attempt = to make=20 Israel the central focus of this passage was due to his seemingly=20 anti-Christian bias, a fact to which he freely=20 admitted:

=93Since Christians interpret Isaiah 53 as = being a=20 prophecy concerning Jesus, we maintain that this is a prophecy = concerning=20 the people of Israel.=94 (Steve Schwarz, =93Dear Rabbi,=94 = p.15)

Rabbi Moishe Alshekh, famous = rabbinic=20 scholar who lived in 16th century Sfat states: "Our = Rabbis with=20 one voice, accept and affirm the opinion that the Prophet = (Isaiah)=20 is speaking of King Messiah."

Furthermore, = Rabbi=20 R. Elyyah de Vidas sights, =93The meaning of =91he was = wounded for=20 our transgressions, ... bruised for our iniquities=92 is, = that since=20 the Messiah bears our iniquities, which produce the = effect of=20 His being bruised, it follows that whoever will not admit = that=20 the Messiah suffers for our iniquities must endure and = suffer for=20 themselves.=94

Ninth century poet, Eliazer = Hakalir,=20 paraphrases Isaiah 53 in a prayer that comprises a part of = some=20 Jewish sects=92 traditional liturgical prayers recited on = Yom Kippur=20 (the Jewish Day of Atonement). The prayer begins: =93We = are=20 shrunk up in our misery even until now! Our Rock hath not = come nigh=20 to us; Messiah our righteousness, hath turned from us; we = are in=20 terror, and there is none to justify us! Our iniquities = and the=20 yoke of our transgressions He will bear, for He was wounded = for our=20 transgressions; He will carry our sins upon His = shoulder, that=20 we may find forgiveness for our iniquities; and by his = strips we are=20 healed ...=94 (Baron, Rays of Messiah=92s Glory, pp. = 225-230)=20

Midrash Tanhuma and Yalkut, vol. 2, par. 338 = on Isaiah=20 52:13 states that the expressions "exalted, and extolled and = be very=20 high" indicates that, =93Messiah shall be more exalted than = Abraham...=20 more extolled than Moses... and be very high; that is higher = than=20 the ministering angels...=94

This again = demonstrates=20 that Isaiah 52:13-53:12 was viewed by rabbis as a messianic=20 prophecy.

Also: =93=85 the weight of = Jewish authority=20 preponderates in favor of the Messianic interpretation of = this=20 chapter=85 that until recent times this prophecy has been = almost=20 universally received by Jews as referring to Messiah is = evident from=20 Targum Jonathan who introduces Messiah by name in chp. = LII.13; from=20 the Talmud (Sanhedrin vol. 98b); and from the Zohar... In = fact,=20 until Rabbi Rashi [Rabbi Solomon Izaak (1040-1105)], = considered the=20 originator of the modern school of Jewish interpretation], = who=20 applied it to the Jewish nation, the Messianic = interpretation of=20 this chapter was almost universally adopted by Jews..." = (Baron,=20 Rays of Messiahs Glory, pp. 225-229)=20

NOTE - There is evidence = that the=20 servant of Isaiah 53 was believed to be referring to national = Israel by=20 the Jews even before Rashi. The Church Father Origen=20 writes:

=93I remember that once = in a=20 discussion with some whom the Jews regard as learned I used these=20 prophecies. At this the Jews said that these prophecies referred = to the=20 whole people as though of a single individual, since they were=20 scattered in the dispersion and smitten, that as a = result of=20 the scattering of the Jews among other nations many might become=20 proselytes.=94 [Origen, Contra Celsum, I., p. 55 A.D.=20 248]

Hence, Rashi was seemingly = not the=20 first rabbi that tried to apply Isaiah 53 to national=20 Israel.

Zechariah 12:10 = "And I=20 will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Israel = a spirit=20 of grace and supplication. They will look to Me, the One they = have=20 pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only = child and=20 grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn Son."=20

An astonishing prophecy indeed! God claims = that they=20 will personally pierce Him. Yet, at the same time God refers to = the=20 pierced One as someone that is personally distinct from Him for = whom the=20 nations mourn and weep as for a firstborn Son.

This prophecy is confirmed = by the=20 Rabbis to be referring to the other =93Messiah=94 which the = Talmud=20 calls Messiah Ben Joseph, the suffering Messiah. (T.V. = Moore,=20 Zechariah, Haggai and Malachi [Carlisle, PA; Banner of Truth = Trust,=20 1974], p.199)

Edersheim states that this = prophecy=20 =93is applied to the Messiah the son of Joseph in the = Talmud=20 (Sukk.52a) and so is verse 12=85=94 (Edersheim, The Life = and Times=20 of Jesus the Messiah, [one volume edition], p.737)=20

T.V. Moore substantiates Edersheim=92s = statement by=20 declaring: =93=85 the later interpreters explaining it = of Messiah=20 Ben Joseph, or the suffering Messiah, whom they invented to = meet the=20 passages of Scripture that speak so clearly of this = characteristic=20 (i.e.,=85 the sufferings) of the promised redeemer. But as = they=20 believed that this Messiah son of Joseph was a mere man, the = difficulty met them that Jehovah declared =91they shall = look on ME=20 whom they have pierced=92, so that if it refers to the = Messiah he=20 cannot be a mere man, but must be divine.=94 (Ibid., = pp.199-200)=20

Rabbi Moshe Alshekh also confirms the = messianic=20 overtones of this prophecy:

=93I will do yet a = thing, and=20 that is, that =91they shall look unto me for they shall lift = up their=20 eyes unto me in perfect repentance, when they see Him whom = they have=20 pierced=92, that is Messiah, the son of Joseph; for our = Rabbis, of=20 blessed memory, have said that He will take upon Himself all = the=20 guilt of Israel, and shall then be slain in the war to make=20 atonement in such manner that it shall be accounted as if = Israel had=20 pierced Him, for on account of their sin He has died; = and=20 therefore, in order that it may be reckoned to them as a = perfect=20 atonement, they will repent and look to the blessed One, = saying,=20 that there is none beside Him to forgive those that mourn on = account=20 of Him who died for their sin: this is the meaning of = =91they shall=20 look upon me.=92=94 (Schwarz, =93Dear Rabbi,=94=20 p.10)

The only person who ever claimed to be both God and the Son of = God, as=20 well as being the only self-professed Messiah that was pierced, = was Jesus=20 Christ. (cf. John 10:30; Mark 14:61b-62; Luke 24:44-47). =

He=20 is the only self-professed Messiah to be born in Bethlehem and to = come=20 forth from Galilee. (cf. Matthew 2:1,22; Luke 2:4-7; Mark 1:9) = The=20 life of Jesus the Messiah is the only one that bears an amazing=20 correlation to the Hebrew passages being studied. An examination = of Psalm=20 22 and the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus as recorded = in the=20 New Testament solidifies this point:

Old = Testament=20 Prophecy - Psalm 22	New = Testament=20 Comparison
v. 1: "My = God, My God why=20 have you forsaken me?"	Matthew = 27:46: "About the=20 ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi lama = sabacthani?,' which means, 'My God, My God why have you = forsaken=20 Me?' "
6-8: "But I = am a worm and=20 not a man, scorned by men and despised by people. All who = see me=20 mock me. They hurl insults shaking their heads; 'He trusts = in the=20 Lord, let the Lord rescue Him. Let Him deliver Him, since He = delights in Him.'"	Matthew = 27:41-44: "In the=20 same way the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the = Elders=20 mocked Him. 'He saved others.' they said, 'But He can't save = Himself! He's the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from = the=20 cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God, let God = rescue=20 Him now if He wants Him, for He said "I am the Son of God." = ' In the=20 same way the robbers who were crucified with Him also heaped = insults=20 on Him."
14-15: "I am = poured out=20 like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart has = turned=20 to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried = up like a=20 potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you = lay me=20 in the dust of death." (NOTE=20 - This is a precise description of the crucifixion = process where=20 the hanging weight of a person's body would eventually cause = his=20 bones to come out of joint, and would make him as one lying = in the=20 "dust of death") =	John 19:34: = "Instead one=20 of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a = sudden=20 flow of blood and water." (NOTE - Medically the flow of blood and = water would=20 mean that the heart of the person had literally burst , i.e. = had=20 "turned to wax" and "melted away", in complete fulfillment = of this=20 verse of the Psalm!) John=20 19:28: "Later, knowing that all was completed, and so that = the=20 scripture may be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.' "=20
16: "Dogs = have surrounded=20 me; a band of evil men have encircled me; they have pierced = (kaaru)=20 my hands and feet." (NOTE - This prediction was made = when=20 crucifixion did not even exist at the = time!) 17-18: "I can count all my = bones;=20 people stare and gloat over me. They have divided my = garments and=20 cast lots for my clothing."	John = 19:23-24: "When the=20 soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes, dividing = them into=20 four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment = remaining.=20 This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to = bottom.=20 'Let's not tear it,' they said to one another, 'let's decide = by lot=20 who will get it.' " =

Even more amazing still is the fact that the Psalmist indicates = that=20 after suffering all this pain and torture which eventually causes = the=20 sufferer to lie in "the dust of death", the sufferer will then be = able to=20 proclaim the name of God in the sacred assembly: =

"I declare your name to my brothers; in the = congregation I=20 will praise You" (v. 22)

The only way for the = sufferer to die and yet give glory to God in front of his brethren = is if=20 he were to be resurrected! Jesus Christ is the only man in history = to have=20 been raised from the dead to immortal glory. In fact, upon = rising=20 from the dead Jesus proceeded to declare God's name to His = unbelieving=20 brethren who became the Apostles that helped evangelize the world! = Therefore, He is the only one who has fulfilled this prophecy.=20
=20

The Pesikta Rabbati, Piska = 36: 1-2:=20 affirms that Psalm 22 was viewed as a messianic prophecy:=20

"(At the time of the Messiah's creation) the = Holy One,=20 blessed be He, will tell Him (Messiah) in detail what will = befall=20 Him: There are souls that have been put under My throne, and = it is=20 their sins which will bend Thee under a yoke of iron and = make thee=20 like a calf whose eyes grow dim with suffering... During the = seven=20 year period preceding the coming of the Son of David, iron = beams=20 will be brought and loaded upon His neck until Messiah's = body is=20 bent low... It was the ordeal of the Son of David that = David=20 wept, saying, 'My strength is dried up like a = potsherd.'=94=20

In refutation of certain Jewish claims that = Psalm=20 22:16 should more correctly read as lions (kaari), instead = of=20 pierced (kaaru), we find this passage in the Yalkut Shimoni = (687):=20 "'Many dogs have encompassed me'- this refers to = Haman's sons.=20 'The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me'- this refers = to=20 Ahasuerus and his crowd. 'Kaari my hands and feet'- Rabbi = Nehemiah says, 'They have PIERCED my hands and feet in = the=20 presence of Ahasuerus.'=94

(NOTE- It should be = stated=20 that the early Greek Septuagint [compiled nearly three = centuries=20 before the birth of Christ], Syriac and Latin versions of = the Hebrew=20 Scriptures all read =93pierced.=94)

Alfred Edersheim = observed a=20 remarkable comment in Yalkut on Isaiah 60 which applies = this=20 passage in Psalm 22 to the Messiah, and uses almost the = same=20 words as the Gospel writers in describing the mocking = behavior of=20 the surrounding crowds. (Edersheim, The Life and Times of = Jesus the=20 Messiah, p. 718) =

This is a clear indication that certain rabbis viewed Psalm 22 = as a=20 messianic prophecy.

This apparent paradox has puzzled = the=20 Jews from the very beginning, since they could not understand how = a=20 triumphant King-Messiah could suffer and die. As noted earlier, = this=20 paradox led to the belief that there would be two distinct = Messiahs to=20 fulfill two distinct roles; the Suffering-Messiah Ben Joseph, and=20 King-Messiah Ben David. Yet the truth is that there is only = Messiah,=20 Yeshua ha-Mashiach whose mission has been to fulfill both these = roles. The=20 first mission was to fulfill the role of the Suffering Servant, = while his=20 role as reigning King is to be fulfilled at his Second Coming. = (Cf.=20 Matthew 24:27-35).

The Timeline of=20 Messiah

Through = the prophet=20 Daniel we receive a timeline of when Messiah would=20 appear:

(Daniel = 9:24-26) "Seventy=20 sevens are decreed for your people and the Holy city to finish=20 transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to = bring in=20 everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to = anoint=20 the most Holy. Know and understand this; from the issuing of = the=20 decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One=20 (Messiah), the Ruler comes, there will be Seven sevens and = Sixty-two=20 sevens. After the sixty-two =91sevens,=92 the Anointed One will = be cut off=20 and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come = will=20 destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a = flood: War=20 will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. "=20

Daniel is given the allotted time for a) the decree = of the=20 rebuilding of both the city and the temple, b) the time it would = take for=20 the Messiah to appear after this decree, as well as c) the = destruction of=20 the temple and the termination of the Messiah=92s = life. Several dates=20 have been given as a starting point for the period of time stated = in the=20 book of Daniel (7 * 7 =3D 49 + 62 * 7 =3D 434 - total =3D 483).=20

One such date is King Cyrus=92s decree to rebuild = the temple=20 in 539 B. C. Yet, none of these dates are correct since the dates = that are=20 commonly given refer to the rebuilding of the temple, not the = city. The=20 prophecy clearly states that the time frame would begin only when = the=20 decree goes forth for the rebuilding of the city and its walls. = The only=20 decree that fits the context of the prophecy is that of Artaxerxes = to=20 Nehemiah in 444 B. C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8), since this decree included = the=20 restoration of the city and the city gates as well as its walls.=20

The following quotation from the book =93Evidence That = Demands a=20 Verdict=94 by Josh McDowell, helps illustrate Daniel=92s amazing = timeline:=20

JPN=20 Note:
The Hebrew and Babylonian calendar at that = time used a=20 360 day year. The use of this 'prophetic year' in these = prophecies=20 is confirmed by comparing the 1,260 days (Rev 11:3, 12:6) = with the=20 42 month (Rev 11:2, 13:5) and with the 'time, times, and = half a=20 time' or three and a half years of Dan 7:25, 12:7, Rev = 12:14). =20

=93If Daniel is correct, the time from the edict to restore and = rebuild=20 Jerusalem (Nisan 1, 444B.C.) to the coming of the Messiah to = Jerusalem is=20 483 years (69 * 7), each year equaling the Jewish prophetic year = of 360=20 days (173,880). The terminal event of the 69 weeks is the = presentation of=20 Christ Himself to Israel as the Messiah as predicted in Zechariah = 9:9. H.=20 Hoehner, who has thoroughly researched this prophecy in Daniel and = the=20 corresponding dates, calculates the date of this=20 event:

=91Multiplying the sixty-nine weeks by seven = years for=20 each week by 360 days gives a total of 173,880 days. The = difference=20 between 444B.C. and A.D.33 then is 476 solar years. By multiplying = 476 by=20 365.24219879 or by 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45,975 seconds = (there=20 are 365 =BC days in a year), one comes to 173,885 days, 6 hours, = 52 minutes,=20 44 seconds, or 173,885 days. This leaves only 25 days to be = accounted for=20 between 444B.C. and A.D.33. By adding the 25 days to March 5 (of = 444B.C.),=20 one comes to March 30 (of A.D.33) which was Nisan 10 in A.D.33. = This is=20 the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.=92=94 (McDowell, = p.=20 173)

This prophecy once again predicts Messiah=92s = brutal=20 death:

"After the sixty-two = sevens, the=20 Anointed One will be cut off (yikaret) and have nothing. The = people of the=20 ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary = (temple)."=20 (cf. Daniel 9:26)

The Hebrew term, yikaret, = implies a=20 sudden, violent death. This is a precise description of Jesus=92 = brutal=20 death on the cross. Another astonishing aspect deals with = the fact=20 that the Temple was destroyed some forty years after Christ's = crucifixion;=20 clearly fulfilling Daniel=92s prediction of the "sanctuary" being = demolished=20 right after the death of the Messiah! Hence, Jesus must = be the=20 Messiah since the prophecy clearly states that the Messiah must = appear=20 before the destruction of the second Temple. The only person = who fits=20 the bill is Jesus Christ, since He is the only one who claimed = that his=20 death was essential in providing the atonement that was both = necessary to=20 usher in God=92s everlasting righteousness and to eradicate=20 sin.

Furthermore, any denial of Jesus=92 Messiahship = is=20 essentially a denial of Daniel=92s authenticity as a prophetic = book since=20 the condition of the prophecy rests upon the arrival of the = Messiah before=20 the Temple=92s destruction. Yet, if Jesus is not Messiah then = Daniel is=20 proven to be a false prophet since the Temple has been destroyed = and the=20 Messiah has not come. Hence, once the weight of historical=20 occurrences and mathematical calculations is thrown behind the = prophecies=20 of the Bible, it becomes increasingly impossible to deny the fact = that=20 Jesus is the promised Messiah.

Additional confirmation of = the=20 messianic overtones of Daniel 9:25-27 comes from the Talmud=20 itself:

=93In Daniel is delivered to us the = end [=91the=20 time of His appearance and death=92 - Rabbi Jarchi] of the=20 Messiah.=94 The Talmud also records that about the time = of the=20 Roman general Titus=92 destruction of the Temple (70 A. D.), = the=20 Messiah was believed to have already come, yet His = identity was=20 concealed from the Jews until they were rendered more worthy = of His=20 appearance!=94 (Frank Delitzch and Paton Gloag, The = Messiahship of=20 Christ / The Messianic Prophecies of Christ [Minneapolis, = MN; Klock=20 & Klock, 1983 rpt.], pt. 2, p. 226)

Rabbi = Moses=20 Abraham Levi stated: =93I have examined the Holy = Scriptures, and=20 have not found the time for the coming of the Messiah, = clearly=20 fixed, except in the words of Gabriel to the prophet = Daniel,=20 which are written in the ninth chapter of the prophecy of=20 Daniel.=94

Rabbi Azariah states in the = words of=20 Daniel: =93To seal the vision and prophecy, and to = bring in=20 Messiah our righteousness.=94

Rabbi = Nachmonides=20 claims: =93This Holy of Holies is the Messiah who is = sanctified=20 more than the sons of David.=94

Finally, in = the words of=20 Jonathan ben Uzziel: =93That the =91vision and = prophecy=92 may be=20 fulfilled even unto Messiah, the Holy of the=20 Holies.=94

This again strengthens the case for = the=20 Messiahship of Jesus since He is the only person that both = claimed=20 to be the suffering Messiah that was to die and who appeared = before=20 the year 70 AD.

In fact Rabbi Nehumias, who = lived 50=20 years before Christ, is cited as saying that the time given = by=20 Daniel for the Messiah=92s appearance could not go beyond = fifty=20 years! (Ibid.)

LOOK: Another = amazing fact is=20 that the Talmud admits that forty years prior to the = destruction=20 of the Temple, God refused to accept the high priestly=20 sacrifices:

=93Our Rabbis taught that = throughout the=20 forty years that Shim=92on the Tzaddik served ... the = scarlet cloth=20 would become white. From then on it would sometimes become = white and=20 sometimes not ... Throughout the last forty years, before = the=20 Temple was destroyed ... the scarlet cloth never turned = white.=94=20 (Yoma=20 = 39a-39b)

Genesis 49:10: =93The scepter shall = not depart=20 from Judah, nor a Law-giver from between His feet until Shiloh=20 come.=94
=20

Thus, according to this passage, two things would take place = following=20 the appearance of the Messiah:

1. Removal of the = scepter or=20 identity of Judah.
2. Suppression of the judicial=20 power.

NOTE: Although Israel suffered 70 years = of=20 captivity under Babylonian rule, it never ceased from having its = =93tribal=20 staff,=94 since they still had their own lawgivers and judges. = (cf. Ezra=20 1:5, 8) The removal of Judah=92s scepter came during the = reign of Herod=20 the Great who, having no Jewish blood, succeeded the last reigning = Jewish=20 leaders in Jerusalem; the Maccabean princes of = Judah. Secondly, the=20 legal right of pronouncing death upon criminals was stripped away = from the=20 Jews in 7 AD., approximately 23 years before Christ=92s = crucifixion. This=20 nullified their judicial authority to execute lawbreakers.

The fact of the matter was that the Messiah had already arrived = and was=20 a young 12 year old Jewish boy living in Nazareth whose name was = Jesus!=20 (For further reading see Evidence That Demands a Verdict, = vol. 1,=20 pp.168-170)
=20

Jewish = Scriptures=20 & Thought	New = Testament=20 Comparison
Other quotations taken from = the Jewish=20 Scriptures include the promise of Isaiah 42:1-9 that God=92s = Spirit=20 would dwell on the Messiah. One Targum state "Behold my = Servant=20 Messiah, I will draw Him near, My chosen One, in whom my=20 Memra (Aramaic- =93word=94) is well pleased."=20	The identification of God=92s = Word with=20 the Messiah is similar to what the Apostle John states in = his=20 prologue: "In the beginning was the = Word, and=20 the Word was with God, and the Word was God=85 = and the=20 Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.=94 = John 1:1,=20 14
Another tradition states that = the world=20 was created for Messiah: "Rabbi Yohanan = taught that=20 all the world was created for Messiah. What is His name? = The=20 school of Sheeloh taught; His name is Shiloh as it is = written (Gen.=20 49:10)." Sanhedrin 98b	This also agrees with what = the New=20 Testament states: "For by Him (Jesus) all = things=20 were created: Things in heaven and on earth, visible and = invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or = authorities;=20 all things were created by Him (Jesus) and for Him = (Jesus)."=20 Colossians 1:16-17 (cf. John 1:1-4; Hebrews = 1:2)
The Yalkut states: = " 'And=20 God saw the light and it was good.' This is the Light of = the=20 Messiah... to teach you that God saw the generation of = Messiah=20 and His works before He created the universe, and He hid the = Messiah... under His throne of Glory. Satan asked God, = Master of the=20 Universe: 'For whom is this light under your throne of = Glory?' God=20 answered him, 'It is for... [the Messiah] who is to turn you = backward and who will put you to scorn with shamefacedness." = (Sanhedrin 99a; Berachot 34b; Shabbat 63a) =	Compare this with Jesus=92 = statements:=20 "While I (Jesus) am in the world, I am the = Light of=20 the world." John 9:5 (cf. John 1:4-5) =
Finally, the Rabbis confirm = that the=20 prophets wrote only in regards to the future advent of the=20 long-awaited Messiah: =93Rabbi Chiyya ben-Abba = said in=20 Rabbi Yochanan=92s name: =91All the prophets prophesied = [the good=20 things] only for the days of the Messiah=85=92=94 = (Sanhedrin 99a;=20 B=92rakhot 34b)	In the words of Jesus Christ = himself:=20 =93You diligently study the Scriptures because = you think=20 that by them you possess eternal life. These are the = Scriptures=20 that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have=20 life.=94 John 5:39-40=20

From the preceding examples and prophecies one thing remains = certain.=20 Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. As the High Priest = himself=20 found out when questioning Jesus at His trial: =

=93Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed = One?=94=20

To which Jesus = replied:

"I AM, and you will see the Son of Man sitting = at the=20 right hand of the Mighty One and coming with the clouds of = heaven.=94=20 Mark 14:61b-62

He's coming back! Are you = prepared to=20 meet Yeshua ha-Mashiach, Ha Adonai, Ben Elohim? We pray that you = are.

Appendix = A
Isaiah 53: Of Whom Does The Prophet=20 Speak?

We present additional Jewish = references=20 that uphold the messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53.

According to an ancient = Jewish tale,=20 God asked Messiah if he wanted to take upon himself the = suffering=20 for Israel=92s sins. The Messiah = replied,

=93With gladness=20 in my soul and with joy in my heart I accept it, so that not = a=20 single one of Israel should perish; and not only those who = will be=20 alive should be saved in my days, but even the dead who have = died=20 from the days of Adam the First man until now.=94 (Raphael = Patai, The=20 Messiah Texts, citing Pesikta Rabbati, pp.=20 161a-b)

Sanhedrin 98b:The rabbis say: =93The = Leprous of=20 the House of study is his name, as it is said, verily he has = borne=20 our diseases and our pains - he carried them and we thought = him=20 stricken, smitten of God and = afflicted.=94

According to=20 another legend, Elijah will take the head of the dead = Messiah Ben=20 David, placing it on his lap and say: =93Endure the = suffering and=20 the sentence of your Master who makes you suffer because = of the=20 sin of Israel.=94

The story then concludes = with a=20 quotation from Isaiah 53:5: =93=85 he was wounded for = our=20 transgressions.=94 (Patai, The Messiah Texts,=20 p.115)

Midrash Rabbah on Ruth 2:14: He is = speaking=20 of the King Messiah: =93Come hither=94 draw near to the = throne and =93dip=20 thy morsel in the vinegar,=94 this relates to the = chastisements as it=20 is said, =93But he was wounded for our transgressions, = bruised for=20 our iniquities.=94

Midrash Tanhuma, Parasha = Toldot,=20 (end of section), states: =93Who art thou, O great = mountain?=94=20 (Zech. 4:7) This refers to King Messiah. And why does he = call him=20 the =93great mountain?=94 Because he is greater than the = patriarchs, as=20 it is said, =93My servant shall be high, and lifted up, = and lofty=20 exceedingly.=94 He will be higher than Abraham who said, = =93I raise=20 high my hand unto the Lord=94 (Gen. 14:22), lifted up above = Moses, to=20 whom it is said, =93Lift it up into thy bosom=94 (Num. = 11:12), loftier=20 than the ministering angels, of whom it is written, =93Their = wheels=20 were lofty and terrible=94 (Ezek. 1:18). And out of whom = does he come=20 forth? Out of David.

Jewish educator Herz = Homberg=20 (1749-1841) states: According to Ibn Ezra, it relates = to Israel=20 at the end of their captivity. But if so, what can be the = meaning of=20 the passage, =93He was wounded for our transgressions?=94 = Who was=20 wounded? Who are the transgressors? Who carried out the = sickness=20 and borne the pain? The fact is that it refers to the = King=20 Messiah.

Nachmanides (R. Moshe ben Nachman) = (13th=20 c.) notes: =93The right view respecting this Parasha is = to=20 suppose that by the phrase =91my servant=92 the whole of = Israel is=20 meant... As a different opinion, however, is adopted by the=20 Midrash which refers to the Messiah, it is necessary = for us=20 to explain it in conformity with the view there maintained. = The=20 prophet says, The Messiah, the son of David of whom the text = speaks,=20 will never be conquered or perish by the hands of his = enemies. And,=20 in fact the text teaches this clearly... And by his stripes = we are=20 healed - because the stripes by which he is vexed and = distressed=20 will heal us; God will pardon us for his righteousness, = and we=20 shall be healed both from our own transgressions and from = the=20 iniquities of our fathers.=94 (S. R. Driver and A. = Neubauer, ed.,=20 The Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish=20 Interpreters [2 volumes, NY; Klav, 1969], p. 78 = f.)

The=20 Karaite Yefeth ben Ali (10th c.) states: As to myself, = I am=20 inclined, with Benjamin of Newahend to regard it as alluding = to the=20 Messiah, and as opening with a description of his condition = in=20 exile, from the time of his birth to his ascension to the = throne:=20 For the prophet begins by speaking of his being seated in a = position=20 of great honour, and then goes back to relate all that will = happen=20 to him during the captivity. He thus gives us to understand = two=20 things: In the first instance, that the Messiah will only = reach=20 his highest degree of honour after long and severe = trials; and=20 secondly, that these trials will be sent upon him as a kind = of sign,=20 so that, if he finds himself under the yoke of misfortunes = whilst=20 remaining pure in his actions, he may know that he is the = desired=20 one... (Ibid., pp.19-20)

Again from = Ali: By the=20 words =93surely he hath carried our sicknesses,=94 they mean = that the=20 pain and sickness which he fell into were merited by them, = but that=20 he bore them instead... And here I think it necessary to = pause for a=20 few moments, in order to explain why God caused these = sicknesses to=20 attach themselves to the Messiah for the sake of Israel... = The=20 nation deserved from God greater punishment than that which = actually=20 came upon them, but not being strong enough to bear it...God = appoints his servant to carry their sins, and by doing so = lighten=20 their punishment in order that Israel might not be = completely=20 exterminated. (Ibid., p. 23, = f.)

And, =93And the=20 Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.=94 The prophet = does not=20 say avon meaning iniquity, but punishment from iniquity, = as in=20 the passage, =93Be sure your sin will find you out.=94 (Num. = Xxxii. 23)=20 (Ibid., p. 26)

Maimonides himself affirmed the=20 messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53. (Ibid., vol.1, p.=20 322)

Finally, the idea that God would place the = sins of=20 Israel upon an innocent man is alluded to in this=20 Midrash: Moses spake before the Holy One, blessed be = he, =91Will=20 not a time come upon when Israel will have neither = Tabernacle nor=20 Temple? What will happen to them (as regards atonement)?=92 = He=20 replied, =91I will take a righteous man from amongst them = and=20 make him a pledge on their account, and I will atone for = their=20 iniquities.=92 (Midrash on Exodus=20 = 35:4)

David Kimchi on the = prophets=92 use of=20 the perfect tense for future events: =93The matter is = as clear as=20 though it had already transpired.=94 (Kimchi, Sefer Mikhlol = as cited=20 in Bruce K. Waltke and Michael Patrick O=92Connor, An = Introduction to=20 Biblical Hebrew Syntax [Winona Lake, IN; Eisenbrauns, 1990], = p.64,=20 n. 45)

Rabbi Isaac Ben Yedaiah (13th = c.): [The=20 rabbis] of blessed memory followed, in these words of = theirs, in the=20 paths of the prophets who speak of something which will = happen in=20 the future in the language of the past. Since they saw in = prophetic vision that which was to occur in the future, they = spoke=20 about it in the past tense and testified firmly that it had=20 happened, to teach the certainty of his [God=92s] words- = may he be=20 blessed- and his positive promise that can never change and = his=20 beneficent message that will not be altered. (Marc = Saperstein, =93The=20 Works of Rabbi Isaac b. Yedaiah.=94 Ph.D. dissertation, = Harvard=20 University, 1977, pp. 481-82 as cited by Robert Chazan in = Daggers of=20 Faith [Berkeley; UC Press, 1989], p. 87) =

Contemporary Jewish=20 commentator Nahum Sarna on Exodus 12:17: =93This is an = example of=20 the =91prophetic perfect.=92 The future is described as = having=20 already occurred because God=92s will inherently and = ineluctably=20 possesses the power of realization so that time factor is=20 inconsequential.=94 (Exodus: The Traditional Hebrew Text = with the New=20 JPS Translation [Philadelphia; Jewish Publication Society, = 1991], p.=20 59)

Gesenius=92 Hebrew Grammar (sec. 106n, pp.=20 312-3113): More particularly the uses of the perfect = may be=20 distinguished as follows:-... To express facts which are = undoubtedly=20 imminent, and therefore in the imagination of the speaker, = already=20 accomplished (perfectum confidentiae), e.g., Nu 17:27, = behold we=20 perish, we are undone, we are all undone. Gn 30:13, Is. 6:5 = (I am=20 undone), Pr 4:2... This use of the perfect occurs most = frequently in=20 prophetic language (perfectum propheticum). The prophet = so=20 transports himself in imagination into the future that he = describes=20 the future event as if it had been already seen or heard by = him,=20 e.g. Is 5:13 therefore my people have gone into captivity; = 9:1ff.,=20 10:28, 11:9...; 19:7, Jb 5:20, 2 Ch. 20:37. Not infrequently = the=20 imperfect interchanges with such perfects either in the = parallel=20 member or further on in the=20 = narrative.

Appendix B
The Messiah and the Second=20 Temple

As we have already indicated, the = Hebrew=20 Bible in such passages as Daniel 9:26 clearly place the appearance = of the=20 Messiah before the destruction of the second temple. This fact is = clearly=20 brought out in the following two passages:

Zech 2:1-9 =93On the twenty-first day of the = seventh month,=20 the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: =91Speak to = Zerubbabel=20 son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, = the high=20 priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, =93Who of you = is left=20 who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you = now? Does=20 it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, O = Zerubbabel,=94=20 declares the LORD. =93Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the = high priest.=20 Be strong, all you people of the land,=94 declares the LORD, = =93and work. For=20 I am with you,=94 declares the LORD Almighty. =93This is what I = covenanted=20 with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among = you. Do=20 not fear.=94 This is what the LORD Almighty says: =93In a little = while I will=20 once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry = land. I=20 will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will = come,=20 and I will fill this house with glory,=94 says the LORD Almighty. = =93The=20 silver is mine and the gold is mine,=94 declares the LORD = Almighty.=20

Haggai 2:1-9 NIV =93The = glory of=20 this present house will be greater than the glory of the former = house,=94=20 says the LORD Almighty. =93And in this place I will grant = peace,=94 declares=20 the LORD Almighty.=92=94

God declares = that the=20 second temple would be greater in glory than that built by = Solomon. This=20 is due to the coming of the one who is called =93the desired of = the=20 nations.=94 Some translators view the statement in v. 7 as not = referring to=20 the Messiah, but rather the splendor in which the second temple = would be=20 adorned with, i.e. the gold and silver of the nations. The = only=20 problem with this view is that this in no way would make the = second temple=20 greater than the first. The reason is that Solomon=92s temple was = also=20 arrayed with the finest and most precious materials. Furthermore, = the=20 visible manifestation of the glory of God appeared in the form of = a cloud=20 and filled the entire sanctuary. (Cf. 1 Kings = 8:10-11)

Yet,=20 God specifically states that the glory of the second temple would = be=20 greater than the first. What could possible be greater than the = cloud=20 descending on Solomon=92s temple than God appearing as man in the = person of=20 the Messiah at the second one? In the words of = Yeshua:

=93I tell you that one greater than the temple = is here.=94=20 Matthew 12:6

That Haggai 2:6-9 was viewed = as a=20 messianic prophecy can be seen in this citation from = Sanhedrin=20 97b:
=93Rabbi Akibah made the inference, from the = verse, =91Yet=20 once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, = and the=20 earth, and the sea, and the dry land=92 (Haggai 2:6), that = Simon=20 Bar Koziba was the Messiah, though he reigned only for = two and=20 half years.=94

In spite of Akibah=92s error = that Koziba=20 was the Messiah, his usage of Haggai 2:6 clearly affirms = that at=20 least one rabbi understood this passage as=20 messianic.

The prophet Malachi predicted = that God=20 would personally appear at the second temple:
=93See I will send my messenger who will = prepare the way=20 before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come = to his=20 temple; the messenger of the covenant whom you desire will = come,=20 says the LORD Almighty.=94 Malachi = 3:1

According=20 to this prediction, the Lord himself was to come and enter = his=20 temple.

Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon applied this to = the=20 Messiah: =93What is to be the manner of Messiah=92s = coming,=20 and where will be the place of his first appearance? He will = make=20 his first appearance in the land of Israel, as it is = written,=20 =91The LORD whom ye seek will come suddenly to his=20 temple.=92=94

In fact, some rabbis were of = the opinion=20 that the Messiah had even been born during the destruction = of the=20 second temple:
=93Rabbi Shemuel bar Nehmani said: = On the day=20 when the Temple was destroyed Israel suffered much for their = sins...=20 And from whence do we know that on that day (when the Temple = was=20 destroyed] Messiah was born? For it is written, =91Before = she=20 travailed, she brought forth [the Messiah].=92 =94 Bereshit = Rabbati 133=20 (Isaiah 66:7)

The Talmud of Babylon = declares: =93R.=20 Hillel says there will be no Messiah for Israel, because = they have=20 enjoyed him already (fol. 99, col. 1) in the days of = Hezekiah. Said=20 Rav. Joseph, may God pardon R. Hillel. When was Hezekiah? In = the=20 first house, but Zechariah (9:9) prophesied in THE SECOND = HOUSE Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O = daughter=20 of Jerusalem; Behold thy King cometh unto thee; He is = just and=20 having salvation; lowly, and riding on an ass, and upon a = colt, the=20 foal of an ass.=92 =93 (Sanhedrin fol. 99, c.=20 1)

The only person who claimed to be the divine Messiah and = appeared while=20 the second temple was still standing is Yeshua=20 Messiah:

=93When the time = of their=20 purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, = Joseph and=20 Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord=85 Now there = was a man=20 in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He = was=20 waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was = upon=20 him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he = would not=20 die before he had seen the Lord=92s Christ. Moved by the = Spirit, he went=20 into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child = Jesus=20 to do for him what was the custom of the Law required, Simeon took = him in=20 his arms and praised God, saying: =91Sovereign Lord, as you have = promised,=20 you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen = your=20 salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a = light of=20 revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people = Israel.=92=94=20 Luke 2:22, 25-32

=93After the feast=20 was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus = stayed=20 behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was = in their=20 company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for = him among=20 their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went = back to=20 Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the = temple=20 courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking = them=20 questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his = understanding and=20 his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. = His=20 mother said to him, =91Son, why have you treated us like this? = Your father=20 and I have been anxiously searching for you.=92 =91Why were you = searching for=20 me?=92 he asked. =91Didn=92t you know I had to be in my = Father=92s house?=92=20 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.=94 Luke=20 2:43-48

=93When it was = almost time=20 for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple = courts=20 he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting = at tables=20 exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all = from the=20 temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the = money=20 changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he = said,=20 =91Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father=92s house = into a=20 market!=92 His disciples remembered that it is written: = =91Zeal for your=20 house will consume me.=92=94 John 2:13-17 =

Hence, if Jesus is not the Messiah there will = be no=20 Messiah. This is based on the testimony of the Hebrew Bible = that=20 the Messiah had to come before the destruction of the second = temple. We=20 are thankful to God that he did arrive before the temple=92s = destruction, as=20 was predicted.


Messiah=20 Revealed