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Got to: Part One: An Overview.

The Christian Faith is based squarely upon the premise that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah prophesied in the Tenach, the Hebrew Bible. It should be acknowledged when considering this issue that Jews and Christians do not look at these Scriptures in the same light in many cases. For instance, a Christian will Isaiah 9:5,6 and say, "See, there’s my Lord!" while a Jew, reading the same verse, will doubtless say, "Ah yes, here is my Israel!" Same texts, very different interpretation:

5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. >br? 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

His name shall be called: "...Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." For Christians, This is an important proof-text. Most Christians believe this teaches that the Messiah would come, that he would be God Incarnate and that a Second Coming will one day happen when the government of the world will be placed upon his shoulders. At that time, he will lead the world into a period of unending peace. Unfortunately, there’s not much extant about how Hebrew priests and teachers understood such verses prior to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Most of the teachings of modern Judaism, as most of the teachings of modern Christianity were not developed until the Middle Ages so that for the most part we don’t know for sure what any of them believed prior to that. We do however have the Scriptures and will use them, along with the Holy Spirit, as our teacher.

So then, how can we know whether or not Jesus was really the Messiah foretold by the Hebrew prophets?

In a word, PROPHECY.

What did the prophecies foresee and did Jesus fulfill their requirements as no other? If so, when we consider the millions of people who have accepted his as the Messiah, then we have good cause to accept it. In the end, our faith in Jesus as Messiah must rely on faith. The Rabbis can also make a good answer for why they believe he was not.

The notion of a messiah didn't come out of a void, he didn't just appear one day out of the blue, proclaim his messiahship, and start a new religion. Hebrew tradition and scripture was replete with information about him long before his birth. While it is true that religious leaders often debated certain aspects of the long awaited Messiah, the Hebrew Scripture, what Christians often refer to as the Old Testament, contains volumes of information about the Prophesied One. While one may argue that a certain verse or prophecy may not really be referring to the Messiah, there are so many that even acknowledging this, the case is still, in my opinion, unshakable.

Does it matter whether or not Jesus was the Prophesied One? Why do we need a messiah anyway?

People approach religion and Jesus differently and in the end it’s a matter of personal faith, a matter between God and the individual. For the next few minutes however I'd like to share a few of the prophecies that identified and confirmed Jesus' messiahship. Consider it food for thought.

The very first prophecy in the Bible is messianic and is found at Genesis 3:14 and 15. It’s the promise that one day the Messiah, the “seed of the woman” Eve would come to counter the sin of Adam and Eve by defeating the “seed of the serpent” or Satan:

Gen. 3:14,15: (KJV)

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Note that a physical descendent or "seed" of Eve will bruise the head of a physical descendent of Satan while Satan’s seed will bruise the heel of the woman’s seed. In these verses the first couple had just committed their infamous rebellion and God was passing judgment. Along with that judgment came a promise: God would provide a way out through one of their descendents, later to be known as the messiah. Note too that this savior is called the "seed of the woman," not of the man (which we expect for a writer coming from a patriarchic society). In this we receive our first glimpse of the virgin birth. I’ll discussed that below.

Jesus, the Messiah, experienced this "bruising of the heel" at his death on the cross. Unlike anyone else in history (other than Enoch and Elijah), physical death was not the end of him, it was only a temporary "bruising of his heel" as it were because on the third day Jesus rose again from the dead.

In the future, after the coming seven year Tribulation during which the Anti-Christ will reign over the world by Satan's power, and following the subsequent thousand year reign of the Messiah, Jesus will crush Satan, as described at Rev.20:10. Many Christian believe that this is the crushing of the head referred to at Genesis 3. however it’s more than that..

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel."

There is to be enmity or strife between “You” Satan and “the woman.” “You” clearly is the serpent whom, we know, was Satan in that guise. The “woman” he was speaking to Eve, the mother of us all. We know this because the text says so:

BERESHIT (Book of Genesis) 3:13:
And HaShem G-d said unto the woman: 'What is this thou hast done?' And the woman said: 'The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.'

We then, are the seed of the woman, in a general sense, however the Messiah, our Champion, is the seed in the specific sense. That we are all involved is clearer in the Hebrew JPS version, which reads:

BERESHIT (Book of Genesis) 3:14,15
And HaShem G-d said unto the serpent: 'Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel.'

Note the difference here? “…THEY… shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise THEIR heel. This struggle is universal and involved ALL of the woman’s descendents. We, Eve’s descendents, have proven that we cannot, on our own, stand up to the wiles of the Enemy. Christianity is built upon this admission of human weakness.

Throughout history mankind has been at war with Lucifer and his forces. Satan is called the Prince of this World, which means, in part, that he has the actual authority over the planet. This is confirmed at many places in Scripture, perhaps none more clearly than Revelation 11:15. There it is explained that the goal of the ages-old struggle is to transfer the kingdoms of this world from Lucifer back to God, via the Messiah:

Revelation 11:14-16:
The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God…

As such, Genesis 3 is describing the opening salvo in a war that rages until this very day. I speak about this conflict in more detail elsewhere in this study.

For now, please note that we, the natural seed of the woman Eve, are relying on the Messiah to defend us from the seed of the serpent.

The “seed of the serpent” likewise refers to more beings that simply the serpent Lucifer. Who are his seed? They would not be the fallen angels we refer to as demons because they although joined Lucifer in the Rebellion, they are not his descendents. I will discuss these beings elsewhere in this study, God willing. For now our interest is in the prophecies regarding the Messiah.

The word "messiah" means "anointed." It is widely used to refer to anointed rulers of all sorts (comp. 1 Sam 24:6,10 etc.). As a designation for the Messiah, it foretells the one who is to be the perfection of God's anointing. The Messiah is the one who would crush the enemy forces and restore Paradise to the Earth. He is, by definition, a political character. When Jesus came his statements such as “My kingdom is not of this world” and “he who lives by the sword will die by the sword” were very problematic for those Jews, well versed in the Scriptures, who expected a conquering king.

So, what do we know about the Messiah?

A mortal, “seed of the woman" Gen. 3:15	Fulfilled Gal 4:4; Luke 2:7; Rev 12:5.

He will be a human being, a descendent of Eve, with blood flowing through his veins, like any other human.

A descendent of Abraham Gen. 18:18; Gen 12:3	Fulfilled Acts 3:25; Matt 1:1; Luke 3:34

His anscestery will trace back to Abraham.

A descendent of Isaac Gen 17:19	Fulfilled Matt 1:2; Luke 3:34

He will be a Jew.

Of the Tribe of Judah	Fulfilled Luke 3:33; Matt 1:2, 3

Of this Tribe.

Heir of King David Isa. 9:7; Is 11:1-5; II Sam 7:13	Fulfilled Matt 1:1; Matt 1:6

And a decendent of King David. Prophecy is very clear on this point, calling the Messiah the Son of David. As Jerusalem is the City of David we can also surmise that that city will be important in his ministry and life.

Born in the rural village of Bethlehem Micah 5:2	Fulfilled Matt 2:1; Luke 2:4-7

Born about 445 years after King Artaxerxes issued the order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem Dan 9:25	Fulfilled Luke 2:1,2; Luke 2:3-7 (born while Cyrenius was governor in Syria)

This section os Daniel is amazing! The entire Plan of Restoration is laid out here in some detail.

Born of a virgin teenager ("almah") or chaste maiden Is 7:14	Fulfilled Matt 1:18; Luke 1:26-35

Some have pointed out that the word "almah" does not, of itself, imply a virigin, which is technically true. However for a girl to be an almah she would have to be chaste and pure, "kept" or "protected" and as such, she would indeed have to be a virgin by definition if not by word. Furthermore we know that the sin nature, the essential element of the Fall, is passed thorugh the male line since it was primarily Adam, not Eve, who sinned. For this reason, the Messiah would have to be protected from the effects of the Fall while being of human mother. it is, in part, recognition of this that defines a born Jew as one whose mother was Jewish. A Jewish mother and a Gentile father produce a Jewish child. A Gentile mother and a Jewish father produce a Gentile child. Jesus' Jewishness, an essential element in his Messiahship, is predicated on his mother, the almah Mary, being a chaste Jew, which she was.

A massacre of infants must take place as a result of his birth Jer. 31:15	Fulfilled Matt 2:16-18

Must live in Egypt as a child Ho 11:1	Fulfilled Matt 2:14, 15

Once the Messiah's ministry begins, significant portions of it must take place in Galilee Is 9:1, 2	Fulfilled Matt 4:12-16

The Messiah must be a prophet Deut. 18:15	Fulfilled John 6:14; John 1:45; Acts 3:19-26

A large portion of the more important prophecies come from the recorded words of Jesus.

The Messiah must be a priest Ps 110:4	Fulfilled John 1:29; II Cor 5:21; Heb 5:5,6; Heb 6:20; Heb 7:15-17

This one some will disagree with. To be a priest in the Jewish sense of the times one would have to be a Levite and work in the Temple, Jesus was neither. He was and is, however, the High Priest of the world in that he makes intercessession for us with the Father. One can argue therefore that Jesus is a "greater priest" even if he was not a "lesser" one.

The Messiah must be known for having great wisdom, understanding, diplomacy might and knowledge Is 11:2-4; Ps 45:7	Fulfilled Luke 2:52; Luke 4:18

The Messiah must enter Jerusalem, hailed by crowds of people as the Messiah, riding on the back of a donkey! Zec 9:9; Is 62:11	Fulfilled John 12:12-14; Matt 21:1-11

The Messiah must be betrayed by a friend Ps 41:9	Fulfilled Mark 14:10; Matt 26:14-16; Mark 14:43-45

The Messiah must be betrayed by this friend for 30 pieces of silver Zec 11:12, 13	Fulfilled Matt 26:15; Matt 27:3-10

The Messiah's hands and feet must be pierced Ps 22:16; Zec 12:10	Fulfilled John 20:25-27; John 19:37

The friend who betrays the Messiah must hold an office of trust with the Messiah, which is afterward given to another Ps 109:7, 8	Fulfilled Acts 1:16-20

The Messiah must be condemned by false testimony Ps 27:12, Ps 35:11	Fulfilled Matt 26:60, 61

The Messiah must remain silent during the hearings against him, offering no defense Isa 53:7; Ps 38:13, 14	Fulfilled Matt 26:62, 63; Matt 27:12-14

The Messiah must be beaten and spat upon Isa 50:6	Fulfilled Mark 14:65; Mark 15: 17; John 19:1-3; John 18:22

The Messiah must do nothing wrong to warrant these assaults Ps 69:4; Ps 109:3-5	Fulfilled John 15:23-25

The Messiah must suffer everything for others Is 53:4-12	Fulfilled Matt 8: 16, 17; Rom 4:25; I Cor 15:3

The Messiah must killed along with criminals Is 53:12	Fulfilled Matt 27:38; Mark 15:27, 28; Luke 23:33

The Messiah's hands and feet must be pierced Ps 22:16; Zec 12:10	Fulfilled John 20:25-27; John 19:37

The Messiah's body must be pierced Zec 12:10	Fulfilled John 19:34

The Messiah must be mocked and insulted even while undergoing a hideous death Ps 22:6-8	Fulfilled Matt 27:39-44, Mark 15:29-32

The Messiah must be offered gall - a poisonous plant (like hemlock) - and vinegar Ps 69:21	Fulfilled John 19:29; Matt 27:34, 48

The Messiah must hear his prophetic words mocked Ps 109:4	Fulfilled Matt 27:43

The Messiah's clothing must is bought through gambling Ps 22:18	Fulfilled Matt 15:24; John 19:24

The Messiah's bones must not be broken at any time Ps 34:20; Ex 12:46	Fulfilled John 19:33

Its interesting to note that on many paintings and sculptures of Jesus the nails go through his "hands" are usually placed through his palms. One of the important prophecies is that no bones in his body will be broken. Had he been nailed to the cross in this fashion many snall bones would have been broken.
We know however that that is not how the Romans nailed up their criminals. The nails were driven through the wrists or forearms, between the sturdy bones there. The weight of a human body would not be supported by nails in the soft tissues of the hand. According to the accepted Jewish definition, the"hands" included the forearms (as, for instance, in the ritual bathings of the hands). There have been many rabinical ruling on this, for other reasons of course.

The Messiah must be buried among the wealthy Is 53:9	Fulfilled Matt 27:57-60

The Messiah must pray for enemies Ps 109:4; Isa 53:12	Fulfilled Luke 23:34

The Messiah must rise from the dead Ps 16:10	Fulfilled Matt 28:9; Luke 24:36-48

The Messiah, after freeing the captives and earning the gift of salvation for humanity, must then be glorified himself Ps 68:18 1:9	Fulfilled Luke 24:50, 51; Acts

The amazing life and accomplishments of the Messiah were very clearly spelled out from the beginning! The only person in the history of the planet to even come close to fulfilling these and the other prophecies was Jesus. It’s said by many people that it must really take faith to believe that Jesus lived and did the things attributed to him. I disagree; I think it takes less! In the face of so much evidence how anyone could not believe is far more amazing to me. There is lots of room to debate what these things mean and what is required of us individually and collectively, but that he lived and fulfilled the prophecies as no one else in history seems obvious.

We sometimes hear people say that the Gospels were written after the fact and in such a way as to make it appear that Jesus fulfilled the various prophecies. That’s not realistic. Some of the prophecies were not fulfilled in plain view of the public, but the majority were. There is no evidence that the Roman government considered any of his claims fraudulent. There’s no evidence that the Jewish leaders or anyone else wrote anything countering the claims. The occasionally contradictory evidence found in the Gospels supports the legitimacy of the claims, as eyewitness accounts always vary somewhat, one from another. It would be far more suspicious if the four Gospel writers agreed on every point. There are also a few extra-biblical references that support the biblical presentation such as Josephus and other historians of the day.

Just as the Bible clearly predicted the first coming of Jesus in minute detail so that no counterfeit would be accepted, so too does it predict the second coming of Messiah.

Although there are several people today, as in the past, claiming to be the Second Coming of Jesus they offer none of the required prophetic credentials or requirements. Not only that, anyone claiming to be the returning Lord is false from the start if the claim is made prior to the public revelation of the Anti-Christ. What such claims do accomplish however is to fulfill more prophecies themselves.

Matthew 24:4-6:
And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

And again,

Matthew 24:23-27:
"Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!' or "There!' do not believe it.
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
See, I have told you beforehand.
"Therefore if they say to you, "Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or "Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

When the true Messiah comes we'll all know it! Prior to this will be the coming of the Anti-Christ or Dijal. His seven-year reign is, I am firmly convinced, just around the corner. These are just a few of the many "caracasses" that will pin point the revelation of the Messiah (Matt. 24). For more information on the biblical prophecies related to the future, the rise and fall of Anti-Christ, the seven year Tribulation, the war of Armageddon, the coming of the Messiah, the thousand year reign and the eternal kingdom which follows it, please visit my God’s Plan for Restoration home page. * All translation noted with Hebrew names are from the JP translation of the Bible. All others, unless otherwise noted, are from the NKJ.

May God bless you as you continue Reaching for the One

Go to: The Plan Home Page
Go to: Part Three: Who is the Anti-Christ, Can We Know?



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