"The Earth belongs to HaShem and the Fullness Thereof."
Identifying the Suffering Servant
Understanding Yisheyah (Isaiah) 52-54
By Jagannatha Prakash © 1998 (updated August 2006)These three chapters are often cited by Christians as evidence that Master Y'shua was the Jewish Messiah. As has been discussed elsewhere on this site when explaining the Master's important parable on this subject, the Noahide Nazarene position is that Master Y'shua was sent to earth to be the Shiloh however he was rejected by his people and therefore did not fulfill the requisite Shiloh prophecies. For more on this, please refer to my introduction to The Noahide Nazarene Way. That study should be considered a pre-requisite to this one. Master Y'shua was certainly an anointed one or messiah, but although he was utterly qualified, he did not fulfill the essential messianic prophecies of the Shiloh (comp. Gen 49:10). In this section of Isaiah, Christians often see scriptural evidence for the sufferings and death of the Messiah, as well as his deification. Conversely, Jewish and Noahides understand these chapters to reveal essential information about the Chosen People and what it is that makes them the Elect of HaShem. They see no information here about the Messiah at all. These two interpretations of the same texts could hardly be further apart! In our attempt to understand this section of Scripture, we'll begin at Isaiah 52:1 and take the literal sense and meaning of the texts throughout. Yisheyah 52:1: Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
In order to understand Isaiah, one really needs to study it chapter by chapter as many of its themes run through the entire book. However, in a study such as this we must begin somewhere, so let's start here at 52:1. Israel is being called here to "awaken," and to clothe themselves in splendor etc. Something in this prophecy has radically changed; it's a new day! Jerusalem is in the hands of the Chosen People at last and will never again be controlled by Gentile powers (vs.1). We are obviously speaking of a future time (from Isaiah's perspective) because this situation didn't exist until 1948 when Israel again took control of part of the Holy Land (or perhaps until the 1967 Six Day War when Jerusalem was unified under Israeli control. Of course, there is also some debate over this, since regular people seem to have taken the land by force rather than the Messiah as the literal reading of the prophecies would have. The important point here is that this prophecy is yet future at Isaiah's time. 2. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3: For thus saith HaShem: ye were sold for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4: For thus saith the Lord HaShem: My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5: Now therefore, what do I here, saith HaShem, seeing that My people is taken away for naught? They that rule over them do howl, saith HaShem, and My name continually all the day is blasphemed.
6: Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore they shall know in that day that I, even He that spoke, behold, here I am.
7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, that announceth peace, the harbinger of good tidings, that announceth salvation; that saith unto Zion: 'Thy Elohiym reigneth!'Isaiah is looking into the future, to the day when Israel will be restored and never again be subjected to Gentile rule (it is for this reason that we know the prophecy is not about the brief Hasmonean Dynasty). Beginning with verse 3 we see how the Jews have suffered throughout their generations and how HaShem has taken note of it and will, in due time, redeem His people as promised. As part of this, the Chosen People, the Jews, will learn His Name, they will again take up His Laws and observe His precepts (verse 6). There is a time set when HaShem will deliver His people (the Jews). This is the topic. 8: Hark, thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see, eye to eye, HaShem returning to Zion.
9: Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for HaShem hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10: HaShem hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our Elohiym.Verse 8 points to this time as being the day when the Jews are resettled in Israel, and when HaShem Himself returns with them. Those who incorrectly teach that the Christian Church or Islam has replaced Israel as the Chosen of HaShem do not speak the truth! When the Jews were cast out of the Holy City in 70 CE HaShem went with them! Greek temples and later Muslim shrines occupied the Holy Mount; however, HaShem was not there! He was with His people in the Diaspora, in Poland, in Germany, in Russian, in the US, in Czechoslovakia, in Bulgaria, everywhere... except in Jerusalem. At this future time Isaiah is discussing, the Jews are still the Elect of HaShem and so will they ever be, just as HaShem promised Abraham and many others. Note that this message is on the lips of many people not just one, as would be the case if it referred to the Messiah. These "Watchmen" are religious Jews who have watched for this day throughout their generations and who have now returned and re-entered the Land, even Jerusalem (vs.9). Living in Jerusalem, the Lord again comforts His people, and at the proper time, He will redeem them as well. More and more they will turn to HaShem and bless His Name. When Master Y'shua was on the earth offering the Kingdom to the Jews, this was their failure, the reason for the sacking of Jerusalem. They refused to accept the gift and to re-dedicate themselves to HaShem. In the future, the Elohiym of Israel will defend Jerusalem and the Jews from any and all enemies (verse 10). According to Master Y'shua, this defending of People Israel will be the purpose for the coming of Shiloh (Matt. 24:22). 11: Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of HaShem.
12: For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight; for HaShem will go before you, and the Elohiym of Israel will be your rearward.This redemption will be a process that takes time and the Jews are encouraged to lay aside their sins, their idols etc. and to return to the ways of God (vs. 11). They had previously been living in the Diaspora among Gentiles, but now is the time to purify themselves and return to their Promised Land with clean hands so that they can again "bear the vessels of HaShem." The Torah cleanses the soul and this is a call to become Torah observant. In time the Third Temple will be built on the Holy Mount by the Messiah, but even before then the Jews are to purify themselves by turning from their traditions of men and obeying the Written Torah in devotion to HaShem. This time this will happen. Once again, the Jews will be opposed by Gentile nations (this time lead by the anti-Christ), but HaShem will defend His people and is "marching before them" into this battle! They simply need to have faith and follow HaShem! There are many war reports in the history of modern Israel describing HaShem's intervention and protection on their behalf. As they journey further into the Latter Days, such miraculous events will occur with ever-greater frequency. As more and more Jews submit themselves to the Will of HaShem and become Torah observant, they will more and more be blessed, both individually and collectively, both physically and spiritually. Many of the details of this period are given in the Bible and will be discussed elsewhere. 13: Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
14: According as many were appalled at thee--so marred was his visage unlike that of a man, and his form unlike that of the sons of men--
15: So shall he startle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they perceive.In the past many people were appalled by the Jews, condemning them, considering them to be nothing, dehumanizing them. This has been the world's basic view of the Jews since the time of Abraham (verse 14). But those days are ending! "My servant", HaShem declares will prosper and be lifted up! This is a very significant point for students of this prophecy. Who is this "suffering servant" that is to be lifted up? According to standard Christian interpretation, this refers to Master Y'shua. In these verses, Christians see the abuses that were heaped upon him according to the New Testament. However, the context of these verses clearly tells us who the servant is. In verses 1 and 2, HaShem is ordering His people Israel to arise. Beginning with verse 3 the Lord is directly speaking with the servant saying: "you were sold for naught." Who is this "you"? Verses 5 and 6, "My people" the Jews. This "servant" can't possibly be the Messiah, Jesus or otherwise, when one considers the context. This servant is a collective body, "my people" who have returned to Zion or Israel. The degradation and sufferings of the Jewish people throughout history is well known, as is their triumphant return to the Birthright, the land of Israel, in our own time. From this degraded condition, think of the abused and persecuted Jews of Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany, they arose, returned and amazed the world by establishing the modern state of Israel in 1948! It was amazing! It was startling (vs. 15)! The Gentile world leaders, the US, England, the USSR, France, the Arab nations, they all stood slack-jawed, amazed. They had never conceived that the God of Israel could or would accomplish such an amazing thing in modern times! The USSR, which was as anti-Semitic as Nazi Germany, was stunned and rushed to recognize the new state first, competing even in this with the US. The rules had changed and no one was ready for it! Of course, the current state of Israel is not a theocracy, the Temple has yet to be rebuilt and the Messiah is not yet ruling from Jerusalem. Nonetheless the world is amazed and HaShem is clearly preparing His people! Israel is back, never again to be removed from their land! Yisheyah 53:1: 'Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of HaShem been revealed?
2: For he shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground; he had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, nor beauty that we should delight in him.
3: He was despised, and forsaken of men, a man of pains, and acquainted with disease, and as one from whom men hide their face: he was despised, and we esteemed him not.Who could have believed it! The "arm" or power of HaShem was revealed in middle of the Twentieth Century and His people were returning in droves to their God given land from around the globe! It was amazing! Israel, once bound by slavery in Egypt, a 'child' roaming in the deserts for forty years, an adolescent being abused by Gentile nations the world over, subjected to unjust Christian edicts and hostile Muslim fatwas etc. has now become a "man"! Israel stands as a solid, unmovable tree and God promises that having become so, Israel will never again be moved from the Land of Promise (52:1). That is now, but in the past, the Gentile world beheld Israel as one that rightly suffered, that was despised by humanity and, in their eyes, by God (53:3). And why? What was Israel's crime? Why were the Judaeans/Jews so despised? 4: Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; whereas we did esteem him stricken, smitten of Elohiym, and afflicted.
5: But he was wounded because of our transgressions; he was crushed because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed.
6: All we like sheep did go astray, we turned every one to his own way; and HaShem hath made to light on him the iniquity of us all.
7: He was oppressed, though he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; yea, he opened not his mouth.
8: By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and with his generation who did reason? for he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due.
9: And they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich his tomb; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.'We read the reason in verse 4: All this came upon Israel because Israel was bearing the sins of us all! Israel remains the Chosen People of HaShem. They are God's eternal servants in a way unique among the peoples of the earth. HaShem chose this people, this servant, to suffer for the sins of all humankind. We are all deeply and eternally indebted to the people of Jacob's lineage! The world was sick, the world was sinful and estranged from HaShem our Creator and so Israel's descendants, the "Suffering Servant," paid our debts and bore our iniquities as a nation of priests! Its not that the Chosen People are somehow "special" or "better" than the rest of us; the difference is that HaShem offered Abraham and the Patriarchs a deal, which they accepted, and through that Covenant they and their descendants were ordained to a unique ministry. According to Moshe Chaim Luzzatto's "The Way of God" this offer was made to the forebears of all peoples, however only Abraham accepted or was found worthy, and hence the Judeans/Jews became the vessels through which HaShem would cleanse and bless the entire Earth. The Holy Torah was given to the Jews because they needed it to fulfill their role: Bringing the blessings of HaShem to all the nations of the earth. We Noahides honor the Jews and praise HaShem for this vital people. May they be blessed and prosper in all their ways! The next several verses describe the pains and humiliations the Jews underwent (and undergo) in this process of reconciling the world to HaShem. 10: Yet it pleased HaShem to crush him by disease; to see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, that he might see his seed, prolong his days, and that the purpose of HaShem might prosper by his hand:
11: Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, and their iniquities he did bear.
12: Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.The idea that anyone would try and usurp this powerful praise that HaShem here bestows upon His people is unconscionable. Yes, Israel, the Jewish people as a whole are clearly the "Suffering Servant" and as such they are righteous! Now, you and I both know that many Jews are not righteous. Indeed the majority of Jews (as the vast majority of Gentiles) are not righteous. But it doesn't matter! Righteousness in this case doesn't depend on individuals being righteous, although it is the Will of HaShem that we all seek to be course, but that Abraham was righteous, and God established His Covenant with him and his descendants. Thus are the Jews a righteous people in God's estimation. HaShem will also allow Gentiles to enter into that Covenant as well if they really want to do that, but we can also serve Him as Noahides and, thanks be to HaShem, we can also draw closer to God through the teachings of our Master, Y'shua of Nazareth. In the end:
Revelations 3:20:
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."Everyone who comes to HaShem in faith will be accepted. This has always been the case: Micah 6:
6. With what shall I come before HaShem,
And bow myself before the high God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?7. Will be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?8. He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what HaShem requires of you:
Only to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God.Christians usually maintain that Y'shua was the Messiah and that these verses in Isaiah are talking about him. If Israel is really the Suffering Servant, how do they come to this conclusion? First it should be acknowledged that the vast majority of Christians come this and other teachings honestly. At some point, someone has told them about these "amazing verses in Isaiah that talk about Jesus" and so they flip their Bibles to Isaiah and, often as not, begin reading at 52:13: "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men." (KJV)Assuming that these verses are talking about the Messiah, they read here that Master Y'shua, the Suffering Servant, is exalted (of course he is, they agree: he's God!), however he was beaten, scourged and left on the cross to die. As he was beaten, his visage or appearance was marred and so this verse must be foretelling it, they believe. They continue through the text, interpreting everything as referring to Master Y'shua. This interpretation makes complete sense, IF one begins without considering the context. In context however, the servant is clearly Israel as explained above! There is a place for so-called proof-texts; however, it is essential that one consider the context of such verses when studying the Bible! Otherwise, one can come up with any number of inaccurate beliefs. And yet even within the framework of this assumption, not all of the verses can be made to fit the New Testament presentation of Master Y'shua. For instance: Isaiah 52:15 does not make sense when applied to Master Y'shua. Upon his torture the kings of the earth were not silenced, neither did they "consider" some new thing that they had never heard before. Isaiah 53:1 says that through the servant the "arm of the Lord" will be revealed, however in Master Y'shua's case, HaShem's might and power were not revealed. Master Y'shua was allowed to suffer and die on the cross without God's intervention according to the New Testament. Sure, Master Y'shua said from the cross that he could call forth a legion of angels (thus arguably revealing the "arm of the Lord") but he didn't follow through on it, hence, the arm was not revealed.
Isaiah 53:7 says that this Servant did not "open his mouth" to offer a defense. The New Testament says that Master Y'shua, while before the high priest, "remained silent" (Matt. 26:63). Christians say that this silence fulfilled this messianic requirement. At John 18:36 however Master Y'shua did speak in own defense, explaining that he was not into violence.Consider the following: 62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (KJV)Remaining silent on the first request for information does not equate to remaining silent and offering no defense as a literal reading of the Isaiah passage would require. As discussed elsewhere, it is evident that the New Testament text we have today is not the original version and so the present heavily edited edition must be carefully evaluated for its original content. Still, in this verse the Master replies, "Thou hast said," In other words, "...that's what you are saying," or better, "I acknowledge that is what you are charging me with." Note the qualifier Master Y'shua places on his answer. He does not say, "Yes, it is as you say, (i.e. 'I am the Messiah'), but rather, "That is what you say," thus negating any agreement with the statement. He then continues to say that one day the Shiloh will come as foretold: "... nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." It seems clear that what he's really saying here is, "Yes, I am a servant of God and yes, many people keep saying that I'm the Messiah, but I tell you that the Messiah's coming is yet future. Why? As discussed above, his people rejected his messianic offer. 'I'm a righteous man,' he's saying, 'yes, but he is sitting at the right hand of God!' (i.e. the most exalted position one could hold). That this interpretation of the Master's words is correct is strengthened when we consider what Master Y'shua is quoted elsewhere as saying of the one who "comes with the clouds of heaven," i.e. the Messiah: Revelations 19:
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.The Messiah, according to Master Y'shua, has a name written that no one knows but he himself. Everyone knows the name of Jesus! The Messiah our Master foresees will be a conquering king who takes up the Scepter of Judah, as the Tanakh teaches. He will be carrying with him the Holy Tetragrammaton, the Name of the One True God. The Messiah will come at the proper time, but he will not be Isaiah's "Suffering Servant." Israel is the Suffering Servant whose troubles the Shiloh will end. The Messiah will lead the Jewish armies to victory, he will cause the Third Temple to be built, and he will secure the blessings of Paradise for us all, as the Tanakh clearly teaches. This is the function of the Messiah and we continue to await his arrival. It is said in the Oral Torah, "If you hear that the Messiah has arrived and you are planting a tree, finish planting the tree, then go see the Messiah." Now on to chapter 54 of Isaiah. Yisheyah 54:1: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith HaShem.
2: Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.
3: For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.Abraham and Sara were childless. They cried out to God for offspring, but they acted without faith! As a result of this lapse in faith, Ishmael was born and with that birth came all the problems the Jews and the world have had with the Ishmaelites ever since. Abraham and Hagar were "married" and produced a people great in number, the Arabs, but when these prophecies of Isaiah are realized, the children or descendants of the rightful mother, Sarah, will outnumber the children of Hagar. Through renewed faith in HaShem, Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac and through him; the Chosen People were born; so shout for joy! Sing out O Israel because through Sarah will the Shiloh emerge! In these future days, the descendants of Abraham and Sarah will enlarge the territories of Israel on all sides (vs. 2,3). Under the righteous rule of the Shiloh, the "Suffering Servant" will awaken to the greatness intended and desired by HaShem from the beginning. First they will return to the Promised Land, which they did in 1948, and continue to do (52:1 and on) and then be exalted beyond their boundaries on all sides until Israel rules all nations and cities of the earth under the global theocracy of he who holds the Scepter of Judah (Isa. 49:10), Shiloh. This rule will be just and will lead to the desolate places being restored. In other words, Israel will work for the betterment and blessings of the entire world. 4: Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.In the days of the Servant's youth they sinned: they doubted, they worshiped idols, they made a golden calf to replace HaShem as Moses tarried on the Mount! Some envious Gentile teachers claim that they have replaced the Jews as the Covenant people! Various versions of this heresy are taught by the Catholic Church, Islam, many Protestant sects, the Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and several other groups. But what does HaShem say about this? HaShem says to the people Israel, No! You will forget the sins of your youth! You will be brave! Be confident O Israel! (vs. 3,4). Proclaim the goodness of HaShem to your people and to the Gentile nations! There is a God in Jerusalem again and the Jews are His Eternally Chosen People! So what did happen because of the sins of the Chosen People? Were their sins simply ignored? Did HaShem simply overlook their transgressions? This is not the way HaShem deals with His people! 5: For thy Maker is thy husband, HaShem Tsaba ["YHVH of hosts"] is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, the God of the whole earth shall He be called.
6: For HaShem hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; and a wife of youth, can she be rejected? saith thy Elohiym.
7: For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassion will I gather thee.
8: In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, saith HaShem thy Redeemer.The Christian Church declares itself the "Bride of Christ," (whom they say is God), however look at what HaShem says! "For thy Maker is thy husband, HaShem Tsaba is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, the God of the whole earth shall He be called" (vs. 5). HaShem is the husband of the Jews and He alone will be their deliverer! For HaShem hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; and a wife of youth, can she be rejected? saith thy Elohiym." As stated above, Israel is the Elect not because of their own righteousness but because HaShem sanctified them and He is faithful, forsaken and grieved though they may be! Forsaking their Husband they may have done, but Israel was wedded to HaShem in her youth, in Egypt, in the wilderness and they wil never be rejected by Him! How do we know this?: Malachi 2:16: "For HaShem Elohiym of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence..."How then will HaShem divorce His own wife? Such verses state categorically that He will not! And yet Israel did sin against HaShem. At the time of our Master Y'shua, the last ruling Jewish ruler, King Herod (who was probably actually Idumaean), and the ruling Scribes and Pharisees had become enraptured by the Oral Torah. They treated these traditions of men with more regard than they did the Written Torah of HaShem. Their loyalties to HaShem had been compromised by religious power and their involvement in the political and social intrigues of the ruling Roman administration. They had become religious hypocrites, "whited sepulchers" as Master Y'shua put it (Matt 23:27). Master Y'shua had come as a son of HaShem to deliver the Jews, but they refused to turn to their God and redeemer. The worship of HaShem had been contaminated and so, for a little season, God turned away from his people. John the Baptizer had warned the Jewish leaders that it was essential that they repent and return to HaShem, but they would not. Master Y'shua offered them clear signs that his teachings were true and that the Jewish people needed to heed his words and repent of their sins. Many Jews did repent and accept the Master's warnings, but most did not (Acts 24:5). HaShem, Master Y'shua explained, is our Father. His Torah was never meant to be a burden on the people nor an occasion to sin, however it had to be observed in sincerity and love of HaShem. Despite the power of John and Y'shua's preaching, the leaders of Israel refused to turn to their Elohiym, and for a little season, HaShem turned His eyes away from the Jews and to the Gentiles. This is clearly stated in verses 6 and 7. For a little season, HaShem hid his face from them, as it were. As Paul explains, those Gentiles who accepted their teachings (i.e. the Noahide Nazarenes) were temporarily "grafted onto the tree of Israel" (Rom. 11). As Paul also warned however, their abidance on the Holy Tree was dependant upon their service and loyalty to HaShem. They never replaced Israel; they were simply allowed to grow in the blessings of HaShem as He wandered in the Diaspora with the Jews. In time their branch was corrupted as the Nazarene Way was merged with Paganism in the Universal Church. Still, even as HaShem was patient with Israel, so too He has been patient with the Church. Now that HaShem now that the Jews have returned to Israel the world exists in an interim period. The Church of the last days is described as lukewarm and hypocritical, and yet within the Church there are still those who sincerely wish to know HaShem. Likely the Jews who have returned to Israel are not religiously devout. Many do not accept HaShem. HaShem therefore announces to the world: Revelation 3:
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.Everyone who comes to HaShem is accepted into the Kingdom. As Master Y'shua had foreseen and foretold. This subject is discussed in more detail in the study of Master Y'shua and the Christian religion. Know O Israel, that although HaShem turned away from you for a time due to your sins, He never abandoned you! In the Torah when the people's lack of faith increased and they grumbled against the provisions of HaShem He punished them time and again (Num. 14 etc). El Gibor is a holy, righteous and powerful God. Although He is most merciful and forgiving, HaShem has never tolerated the sins of His Chosen People for long without disciplining them. Because the Suffering Servant is the Elect of God who have been and will be blessed beyond the measure of any other people, they must keep themselves purer and be held to a higher standard than the Gentiles (which is one reason why Noahides should very seriously consider whether conversion to Judaism is in their and Israel's best interests! For many, the Noahide Nazarene Way may be more suitable). HaShem's Servant Class must keep itself pure and holy in ways not required of the rest of us! Not that any individual Jewish person bears this burden alone, but collectively the Servant's function and reason for being is to be obedient to his Master and to remain without the tint of sin. It is for this reason that the 613 mitzvoth or commands were given. The Torah warned the people. History warned the people. The Hebrew prophets warned the people. The Essenes warned the people. John the Baptizer warned the people. Finally, Master Y'shua warned the people but then, as in his parable, they turned on him and silenced the message that could have saved them: Matthew 21:31-46:
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.Here we find the Master's position clearly presented. The 'Householder' in this parable is HaShem Throughout history, prophets and teachers were sent to the Jews to empower them to fulfill their role as a nation of holy priests unto HaShem. These divine words were not always heeded however. HaShem remained committed to His Chosen People and sent ever more prophets to them pleading with them to heed His voice. In time, Master Y'shua was sent as a unique Son of God. Seeing their lack of faith, he tried to draw them closer to HaShem. Had they accepted his teachings, the Gospel of the Kingdom, he would have fulfilled the role of Shiloh and the thousand-year reign, followed by the Endless Kingdom, would have begun then. Because they rejected His son, HaShem momentary turned His eyes away from His people and allowed Titus and his Roman troopers to devastate the Holy Temple and City. The establishment of the Kingdom was postponed and a period generally known as the Church Age began. HaShem accompanied His Chosen People into exile among the Gentile nations where they faced bitter toil, pain and persecution. Yet HaShem never forgot His people. Once, as Master Y'shua was discussing the Last Days he made a most cryptic comment:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.If those days were not shortened no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. HaShem will never allow the destruction of His Elect People, his Suffering Servant. Despite some contamination by familiarity with the Gentile religions and cultures among whom they lived, the Jewish people living in the Diaspora had largely remained in tact. They had done something no other people had ever accomplished before. Without a homeland or place to call their own, the Jews had managed to maintain their ethic and religious identity for nearly two thousand years. With emerging New World Order in the late 1800's however the Jews were facing destruction through assimilation and inter-marriage. Certain Jews decided that if they were to survive much longer as a distinct people their people would have to have a land of their own. Zionist leaders like Theodore Herzl recognized this fact and worked hard for the reestablishment of Israel. The world powers acknowledged this yearning and Britain even offered an African homeland for the Jews. While Zionism was not properly a religious movement, they were Jews working for the betterment of their people and HaShem was actively involved in their affairs. Indeed, for most of Israel's history the Ioudaioi or Yehudi (i.e. the Judaeans) was not a religion but an ethnic identity! HaShem's concern with Israel is with the people whose Temple is in Jerusalem. We minimize the importance of Jewish history, the holy Covenant, and their significance in the grand scheme of things as the Suffering Servant, when we think of Judaism as only a religion! Indeed, this makes the fact that one can "convert to Judaism" nothing short of amazing! It is only by the grace and mercy of HaShem that this possible! The Zionist leaders wisely realized that there was only one suitable place a Jewish nation: Eretz Yisrael, and so they rejected the offer of an African homeland. The promises of the Balfore declaration (the declaration given on November 2, 1917 by the British foreign secretary Balfore providing for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine) proved largely hollow and the Zionists worked on. As the 1900's continued anti-Semitism throughout Europe, the US and elsewhere increased. The uncomfortable peace between the War-to-End-all-Wars and the next war created uneasiness for everyone. As the Nazi Movement gained popular support among Germans and others, backed by such powerful people as Pius XII, Cardinal Spellman, Father Caughlin, Joseph Kennedy, Henry Ford, Adolph Coors, Charles Lindburgh and many others, anti-Semitism increased around the world and the Servant suffered all the more. The ensuing Shoah or Holocaust must have been horrid beyond comprehension! European Jews cried out to HaShem for refuge and protection against the relentless onslaught and yet seemingly HaShem didn't hear their pleas (although there are of course numerous inspiring accounts of divine intervention even during the "Nightmare Years") (vs 7). No one can explain why HaShem allowed this horror to happen, nor to continue for six long years. When this attempted genocide was over, HaShem called His people back to Eretz Yisrael and on Erev Shabbat, the 5th of Iyar in 5708, which is to say, on May 14, 1948, and Israel became a state for the first time in over 2500 years. Yes you, O Israel, are the Chosen of HaShem and He will never forsake you! (52:1) Never again will Gentile rulers again control your Holy Land (Isa. 52). Christian attempts to apply these verses to Master Y'shua are based on the assumption that he was Suffering Servant. I understand that; this is what the Church has always taught, at least since the Papal Apostasy began. But if one really wants to understand what is written in the Nevi'im or prophets, one has to consider the entire context of what the prophet is presenting. This I have sought to present here in brief. When studying the Tanakh, it is absolutely essential to read with the understanding that the Jews are now, have been and will always be the Chosen People, as the Hebrew Scriptures clearly teach. Understand this, even hypothetically, and you will discover something far different and more glorious in these verses: You will discover the truth. As Paul teaches us: Israel is the "Tree of God." Master Y'shua's sect of the Nazarenes was "grafted" onto this tree, but he also clearly warned that if the Church didn't hold true to the Way of its Master it would be cut off. Master Y'shua revealed to John that in the last times the Church would in fact be cut off from the tree or, as he puts it, vomited out of Master Y'shua's mouth (Rev. 3:14-19). Master Y'shua taught us that we could "know a tree by the fruit it produces". The post-Constantine Christian Church clearly has not remained true to the teachings our Master nor to the Torah of HaShem. The Church has fostered the fiercest anti-Semitism in history (recall Gen 12:3), has taught its followers to worship and serve the created (Jesus, Mary, the Saints, icons, relics etc.) rather than the Creator who alone is blessed forever. Now as Tree of Israel is again sprouting and putting forth its leaves, the Church is being removed from the Tree as Paul and Master Y'shua foretold. Only those individuals who hold to HaShem, who open the door to their hearts, remain on the tree. Ask yourself: IF the Church has been cut off from the Tree, what's left? Only the tree of Israel remains: only the Jews and those Noahides who cling to the hem of their garments! Zechariah 8:23 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.Israel is the Tree of God. It is only due to the mercy and grace of HaShem and His Suffering Servant the Jews that we Noahides may take shelter under its shade. In closing, I don't believe there is any legitimate question as to the identity of the "Suffering Servant." It is Israel: the cumulative Jewish people. This has been a basic summary of our Noahide Nazarene beliefs on the subject of the Suffering Servant. More information is available in the other articles on this web site and this article may be updated from time to time. Be aware that there is no official body that speaks for Noahide Nazarenes (nor for Noahides in general). Each of us must prayerfully study to show ourselves approved unto HaShem. Peace,
Jagannatha Prakash
(11.24.2002)
Isaiah 52-54 Yisheyah 52:
1: Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2: Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3: For thus saith HaShem: ye were sold for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4: For thus saith the Adonai [Lord] HaShem: My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5: Now therefore, what do I here, saith HaShem, seeing that My people is taken away for nought? They that rule over them do howl, saith HaShem, and My name continually all the day is blasphemed.
6: Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore they shall know in that day that I, even He that spoke, behold, here I am.
7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, that announceth peace, the harbinger of good tidings, that announceth salvation; that saith unto Zion: 'Thy Elohiym reigneth!'
8: Hark, thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see, eye to eye, HaShem returning to Zion.
9: Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for HaShem hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10: HaShem hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our Elohiym.
11: Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of HaShem.
12: For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight; for HaShem will go before you, and the Elohiym of Israel will be your rearward.
13: Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
14: According as many were appalled at thee--so marred was his visage unlike that of a man, and his form unlike that of the sons of men--
15: So shall he startle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they perceive.Yisheyah 53:
1: 'Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of HaShem been revealed?
2: For he shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground; he had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, nor beauty that we should delight in him.
3: He was despised, and forsaken of men, a man of pains, and acquainted with disease, and as one from whom men hide their face: he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4: Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; whereas we did esteem him stricken, smitten of Elohiym, and afflicted.
5: But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed.
6: All we like sheep did go astray, we turned every one to his own way; and HaShem hath made to light on him the iniquity of us all.
7: He was oppressed, though he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; yea, he opened not his mouth.
8: By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and with his generation who did reason? for he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due.
9: And they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich his tomb; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.'
10: Yet it pleased HaShem to crush him by disease; to see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, that he might see his seed, prolong his days, and that the purpose of HaShem might prosper by his hand:
11: Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, and their iniquities he did bear.
12: Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.Yisheyah 54:
1: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith HaShem.
2: Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.
3: For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4: Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.
5: For thy Maker is thy husband, HaShem Tsaba is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, the Elohym of the whole earth shall He be called.
6: For HaShem hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit; and a wife of youth, can she be rejected? saith thy Elohym.
7: For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassion will I gather thee.
9: In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, saith HaShem thy Redeemer.
9: For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10: For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, saith HaShem that hath compassion on thee.
11: O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12: And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones.
13: And all thy children shall be taught of HaShem; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14: In righteousness shalt thou be established; be thou far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear, and from ruin, for it shall not come near thee.
15: Behold, they may gather together, but not by Me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee.
16: Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of HaShem, and their due reward from Me, saith HaShem.
